Private Vitosha Mountains Hiking with Black peak & Dragalevtsi Monastery

Really great guided walk with knowledgeable and experienced local mountaineer, it was tough at the start, steep ascent but worth it, beautiful scenery and panoramas, really recommend it!

Since I was getting conflicting messages online on how to access Vitosha mountain (mainly the transport info being in Bulgarian) I decided to book a self guide tour to provide me with the local knowledge which will save me time and energy. Or, so I thought anyway.

I booked this tour in advance and had to message as to what will happen next since I did not receive any info beforehand at all. I was told I will receive bespoke instructions a day before which I have, but they were not bespoke at all.

For starters, my starting point was a random hotel (I was not asked where I stayed at any point). Never mind I thought, get yourself to the Hladilinka bus terminal where I was told to get bus #122/#123. Well, bus #123 was not even listed on the display and I waited over 40 minutes for bus #122 which did not arrive, so I messaged the company for further instructions using the Viator app. Having waited another 30 mins for their reply during which the bus still wasn't there and getting radio silence I decided to make my own way to Vitosha i.e. ask members of public for directions, get a taxi etc. I had to basically use my own initiative which I shouldn't have to having paid for a service.

I ended up reaching Cherni Vrah late afternoon using my phone/following the trail, which was hard but also so rewarding, but due to having wasted time first thing, this was the only summit I did that day as the last bus from Hotel Moreni departs at 18:15 and you really need to get off the mountain when it gets dark.

To summarise my experience, I was expecting bespoke, clear instructions, so I could pack in as much as I could in a day. What I was given felt like copy and paste, out of date and inaccurate manual.

I have contacted the company afterwards and asked for a refund since their instructions were incorrect which resulted in additional costs and wasted time which is precious when you're travelling, so in my opinion they have not fulfilled their obligations, only to be told I am being pushy and they are not at fault here.

I doubt the above is what you're after, so avoid them like the plague and go elsewhere or do your own research (I know it's tricky since all the transport info is in Bulgarian). Trust me, you will be so much better off.

Great self-guided tour! Recommend! We are very satisfied with the professionalism and the easiness of use of the e-guide. Also, they always had a person to help and assist us. Absolutely excellent!