The final part of the international hiking route E3.

Stara Planina, also called Balkan Mountains, gives the name to the whole peninsula. The range is 560 km long and separates Bulgaria in two parts – Northern and Southern. In Bulgaria, the mountain starts from Vrashka Chuka peak (on the border with Serbia) and ends with Emine Cape on the Black Sea. The highest peak is Botev, 2376 m.  The Thracian name of the mountain is Haemus. The Turks called it Balkan, which means “a chain of wooded mountains”. In Bulgarian the name “Stara Planina” means Old Mountain, but in fact it is one of the youngest mountains in Bulgaria, part of the Alp-Himalayan chain. As a long mountain, Balkan can be divided first into two parts – the main Balkan chain and the Pre-Balkans to the north, which intrude slightly into the Danubian Plain. The main chain is divided into three parts – Eastern, which is the lowest and not very visited; Central, the highest and most popular part; Western, with some peaks above 2000 m. The climate of Balkan Mountains is moderate-continental, in the Eastern parts it’s transitional-continental. The windiest places in Bulgaria are Botev and Murgash peaks, the speed can reach 10 m/s. There are chances of avalanches during the winter. But if we should say only one word about the climate of Stara Planina – it is unpredictable, so be aware of everything. Fogs appear very often too.

Some of the biggest Bulgarian rivers take their beginnings from Stara planina, all of them flow into Danube River. There are almost no lakes on the territory of the mountain. North and South of the main ridge, in the foothills, there are dams. On the territory of Balkan Mountains are situated: 1 National park – Central Balkan National Park, 1 Natural park – “Balgarka” and many nature reserves – “Peeshti Skali” (“Singing Rocks”), “Boatin”, “Dzhendem”, “Northern Dzhendem”, “Kozya Stena”, “Tsaritchina”, “Steneto”, “Stara Reka”, “Sokolna”. These places are some of the few remaining large realms of wild nature where no human intrusion is visible.

There are more than 80 huts and shelters in the mountain, connected with a wide network of walking trails. Have in mind that it is difficult to make a reservation by phone in most of them. Unfortunately some of the huts are not working, especially in the Eastern and Western part of the mountain.
Another option for an overnight is in the foothills of the mountain. There are plenty of towns and villages on both foothills of Stara Planina (Northern and Southern), where you can stay in a hotel or a guesthouse. Many people do two-day walking treks, hiking up to the ridge, spending a night in a hut there, and then going down along a different route.

Program:

Departure from Sunny beach - 08.30

Transfer to the village of Banya

09.30 Start hiking from the village of Banya to cape Emine - 4 hours

13.30 Stop in the village of Emona - lunch in a restaurant or picnic

Visiting cape Emine

Hiking to Irakli beach - 2 hours

17.30 Pick up from Irakli - bustransfer to Sunny beach.

Cape Emine is the easternmost point of the Balkan Mountain and is considered a conditional boundary between the Northern and Southern Black Sea coast. It is situated 79 kilometers south of Varna, 54 kilometers north of Burgas and only 14 kilometers south of Obzor.
The cape is a vertical, almost 60 meter high cliff. There are hundreds of underwater and above water cliffs over 250 meters from the cape. Therefore, the coast is very dangerous for shipping, and sailors avoid it. There’s a lighthouse at the cape, directing vessels to the Burgas bay.
There are remains of a medieval monastery and remains of the fortress Emona in the area of cape Emine. The village of Emona is also located in the vicinity.
The European pedestrian road E-3 ends at cape Emine. The road in its Bulgarian part is from Kom to Emine. The protected area Irakli is located north of the cape. The beach between the resort of Irakli and cape Emine is one of the most beautiful ones and is preferred by nature lovers and nudists. 

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