This years Labour day we decided to spend camping in our rooftop tent for the first time. The destination for it was easy to choose, Stara Planina. A mountain that is so filled with water, dense forest and pastures that it represents an actual camping paradise.
We were a bit early though. Even though there was a lot of water all around us- in the lake at our first camping setting, in the waterfalls bursting from the rocks and karst relief creating all remarkable shapes in the ground- it was still a bit too cold. In the nights the temperatures would drop to 10 degrees. However, this made sunrises and crisp mornings even more magical. As the sun would beat the thick fog and the clouds and gave us the opportunity to explore this amazing mountain.
Exploring Smilovica viewpoint and Stara Planina villages
Our itinerary was full. We were very ambitious, but very quickly reassured that it could all be done in the time we had set for exploring. Our first stop was Smilovica. A viewpoint over Zavojsko lake, not as famous as Kozji kamen, but a car and camping friendly spot. From there, it is possible to reach and drive around the lake, or drive or ride all the way to Topli do. The oldest Serbian village, with houses made of stone and mud.
Our second destination was a small village- Brlog, next to one of the largest villages on the mountain- Dojkinci. There, we found accommodation, and there is also a camping ground available.
Dojkinci is everything we expected it to be. A small village in the very close proximity to lots of places for exploration- Ponor, Tupavica, Arbinje, etc. There is lots of accommodation and all hosts are very friendly and can teach you a lot about their mountain.
The river which flows through this small group of villages- Dojkinacka reka is slow and wide in the village, but it soon creates some rafting suitable rapids, and it seems like all the water from the surrounding cliffs and hills is flowing into it. It is clean and cold. The landscape around the river reminded us of Colorado, USA. Although this was a very highly celebrated holiday and most people didn’t work, there were not so many visitors, which made us enjoy the peace and quiet in nature, see many animals and feel the wilderness.
Discovering Arbinje
The next couple of days, we focused on Arbinje- this is a part of the mountain with the oldest and thickest forests, most beautiful waterfalls and many unexplored places- the last waterfall was discovered in 2011!
Therefore, the terrain was very unapproachable, and many of places we were looking forward to exploring had to be left for our next visit, because it took us so much longer than expected to reach our goals.
But the goals that we did reach were Ponor- a large plateau with a hole created in karts relief through which a waterfall flows. It is indeed as incredible as it sounds. It is possible to reach it by car, but we chose our EMTB’s instead, as we could enjoy the climb and the whole experience more.
Next on our list was Arbinjski waterfall- hidden in thick forest, deep and high in the mountain. This was the place we were most delighted with. This was also one of the places where you could expect to encounter a bear. Leftover snow still slightly melting in the shades. Fog which you could feel when you inhale. And ground so soaked in water that our footsteps left that sticky sound which seemed very loud breaking that quietness around us.
Beledje: Unexpected Gem
Beledje is the place we didn’t exactly had in our minds as the final spot, but rather a stop along the way, but as it turned out, it itself was very difficult to reach because of the rock in the middle of the road, from where we had to switch from the car into our hiking gear. This place is another great spot for camping. As it is a plateau at the top of the hill surrounded with highest peaks of Stara planina. From there, you can reach numerous destinations.
Juniper and pines take turns and there is a constant battle of fog and clouds with the sun rays. Both fly too close to the ground making the weather extremely changeable. Imagine sunsets in that scenario. A place out of this world that is.
It is enough to say that we will come back to continue discovering this mountain. As on our last day we had a feeling we just scratched the surface of everything it has to offer.
Comments
This was a really insightful post, thank you for sharing!