The Boyana Waterfall

Location

One of the most beautiful natural sights within Vitosha is the Boyana Waterfall. It is located at an altitude of 1260 m on the Boyanska River, near the huts of Momina Skala and Esperanto. The waterfall drops 15 m and is the most impressive on Vitosha, especially beautiful in spring when the snows are melting.

The waterfall is reachable from Boyana quarter (4,5 km from its centre). Climb straight up, pass the wall of Boyana church (a UNESCO heritage site, famous for its unique wall paintings) and reach the beginning of the forest. From here you have to keep climbing straight on. At one moment the path becomes very narrow. After about an hour it reaches the river and starts climbing along it. Soon you reach the waterfall.

Specifications

Except the beauty of the waterfall, you can also enjoy the imposing nature in the vicinity. This is a perfect place for recreation.

In clear spring days the Boyana waterfall can be seen from the centre of Sofia city. During the period of snow melting it has very high water and its turbulent splashes distinguish in the forest, if they are watched from The National Palace of Culture.

In 1920 the Bulgarian poet Ivan Vazov, after an excursion to the waterfall, wrote travel notes, where he described it in an incredible way: "When you see this waterfall, you think that it comes not from the Vitosha peak, but from the sky, and it brings the rays of the azure and the noise of the storms."

Sport and tourism

The Boyana waterfall is also famous for ice climbing for beginners in winter. Every winter the water freezes because of its location down in a dark and deep valley. It usually freezes like two ice tongues. The left of the tongues is the easier one for climbing and the right one is of a medium difficulty. As a whole the Boyana waterfall offers good conditions for education of ice technique.