Malyovitsa is a 2729 meters tall peak in Rila, one of the prettiest in the country. It’s relatively accessible from Sofia by car. The ski zone Malyovitsa is about 1h 30 min away from Sofia. The road is renovated, almost nothing is left from the legendary potholes after Govedartsi.
We used to visit frequently when we were younger. However, over the years, rather than going to the peak, we started going to Mecha Polyana for kebapcheta and bean soup, and eventually stopped even that.
With our renewed interest in hiking, the peak is a possible next annual goal, after we managed to reach Vihren. The starting point would be Hotel Malyovitsa at around 1700 meters. The peak is supposed to be 4h away, and +1029 meters, a bit longer than Vihren but also easier because the path is less steep and not technically challenging. The main problem would be finding moderately cold weather with no snow.
Despite being very close to the Rila Monastery, the monastery is out of reach. It’s 9+ hours of walking. If you’re going to the Rila Monastery and saw that this is right next, it is only close if you’re an eagle. Not even close by car – you would need to circle around the mountain, which can be about 2h of driving.
The hotel is renovated, and the nearby hotel Alpinist, formerly known as ЦПШ, is also undergoing renovation. They are building an indoor pool and turning it into a spa center with a museum. The food is fine.
I’m glad they kept the wood works from before, keeping a bit of the old Malyovitsa spirit. We had a good weekend there. Didn’t attempt to go to the top but had some blueberries.
Veselin.blog 
That looks like a beautiful hike.
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It’s an old luxury to go back and see places of youth again with new eyes.
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Bulgaria is a small place, we recycle the same places over and over 🙂 The hut that’s slightly visible on photos 1 and 3 – I visited that one first during the communism, in the 1980s, and spent two nights there in a room with many bunk beds. So in a sense, 20 years ago we already came back to a place that impressed me as a kid.
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I think that’s great you can share something 20 years from the past with your new family. I moved around a lot, so the woods and neighborhoods I biked through as a kid are far, fading, memories, not something I can step out from my home and drive/hike to!
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Wild blueberries make it all worth it!
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Oh no, the monastery is still so far? That is like a click bait, we have the monastery next door but a mountain in between next door 😆
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On the other side of that small hill, just a few kilometers away. 9h if you’re young and strong 🙂
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That is another hike by itself 😅
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Those wooden sculptures are awesome. We have one of the chainsaw carvings at home; it’s a wolf. I got it for my wife’s birthday last year. She named it Worthington.
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Apparently a local artist covered lots of ground and carved everywhere.
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