Hikes

The route starts opposite the main entrance of the museum, and there is a sign that marks its starting point. White and green marking has been provided to guide tourists all along the route. Whereabouts: 42.803284, 25.349204

You can also start the route from Sokolski Monastery which you can reach via an asphalt road.

The path from the Etar Museum via Sokolski Monastery to St. Nikola peak ascends all the time, with very few brief exceptions. In most places climbing is quite smooth. There are sections with a steeper slope – these are at the very start of the route, above the museum as well as in the section before the path comes out on the road under Shipka peak.

The Shipka–Buzludzha National Museum Park is a unique historical and architectural reserve that impressively combines picturesque mountain scenery with historical monuments related to important events in Bulgarian history.

Starting point – Yabalka neighbourhood (42.780290, 25.398310)
Final point – Buzludzha peak (42.736020, 25.393613)

Yabalka neighbourhood is located in the south-eastern part of Gabrovo. Two marked paths to the Buzludzha chalet start from it. One goes across the valley of the Yantra river, and the other one follows the hill between the Yantra river and the Byala Reka river. We recommend the second option. The climb is gradual. The marking is very good, and it goes around the peak of Kurvina mogila from the west. After it, the trail climbs onto the ridge again. Almost in the same place, but on the opposite side of the peak, is where the other marked path passes from.

After reaching the Buzludzha meadows, the route first passes through Malka Buzludzha peak, where the largest ideological monument of the communist regime in Bulgaria has been erected (officially titled the Monument House of the Bulgarian Communist Party). To the northwest of it stands the "real" Buzludzha peak, which is called Hadzhi Dimitar today. After re-emerging on the ridge, the route continues almost horizontally to the south, as the ridge gradually flows into a dirt road twisting along huge centuries-old beech trees. From there, the route descends south to the asphalt road to Shipka peak. The road goes on westwards to reach the Varnitsite col.

From there it turns along a marked dirt road to the north along the ridge of Kopriva. At the bottom, there are abandoned dirt roads leading to a 180-degree turn, where the road starts to descend from the ridge towards the village of Potok. The marking leads to the Byala reka river, and from there to the end of the route the road follows its course. The route then crosses one of the bridges over the Yantra river leading to the urbanized area of the Shumeli district. From there, one takes the road to the right and after a little more than a kilometre one reaches the starting point of the route.

The nature trail is located entirely on the territory of the Bulgarka Nature Park in the Balkan Range and passes through a scenic area. The length of the route is just over 10 kilometres. The starting point is in the village of Charkovo (Gabrovo Municipality). The village is located three kilometres away from the Etar Museum and is characterized by its beautiful National Revival architecture and numerous monuments from that era. In the 19th century, the first braid weaving workshop in Bulgaria was founded here. In its current state the village emerged in 1951, when two hamlet settlements – Vlasovtsi and Charkovtsi – merged into a single administrative unit.

During the first close to three kilometres, the route follows the asphalt road to the village of Potok, and there are resting places with fountains, wooden tables and benches at two points on the way. Then you enter the village of Potok itself, where (opposite the big fountain) a place for recreation has also been built similar to the previous ones. Nearby you can see an authentic trough for washing blankets and carpets, as well as a water mill of the karadzheyka type, both dated to more than 300 years ago.

After leaving the territory of Potok, the nature trail passes by a stone quarry and via a dirt road, ascends smoothly to the village of Ezeroto. The beautiful meadows here offer a vantage point to breath-taking panoramic views which alternate with shady forests. The route further passes through the locality of Tarkulskoto where primitive coal mining developed in the past, only to get terminated in the 1930s. Nearby are the springs of the Sivek river which passes through the Etar Museum.

The village of Ezeroto is the final stop of the nature trail. It is small, tucked in the folds of the Central Balkan Range. It is located at 816 meters above sea level, near the Shipka Pass and the peaks of Buzludzha and Stoletov. There is a small swampy pond in its vicinity, which is probably where its name comes from. The mountain hills covered with thick deciduous forests are the home to herbs, wild fruits and edible mushrooms, as well as to many wild animals – roe deer, wolf, fox, hare, etc.