If you are wondering where to go for a relaxing mountain hike in these sunny days of Indian summer, Mount Ponor would be an excellent choice. A karst mountain in the central part of the Western portion of the Balkan Range, its highest peak is called Ravno Buche (1499 m.). Ponor’s expansive plateaus covered in ground vegetation, speckled with all autumn colours give an incomparable sense of freedom. The soft carpet of fragrant grass, the sweet-scented air and the gentle tinkle of distant flocks combine to awaken the romantic in any of us.

Every plant here is a herb, says mountain guide Albena Kirova. Even at this time there are plants to be picked – hawthorn, hip, cornelian cherry, even mint. That the climate here is favourable is evident from the fact that after a special survey, Tsar Ferdinand I built a sanatorium for lung diseases in Iskrets village.

What makes this mountain distinctive is that the plateau is studded with natural surface openings, themselves called “ponors”, Albena says:

“They are like funnels in the ground sucking in water. The water seeps deep into the mountain where it carves out interesting caves, rock formations, stalactites, stalagmites, underground lakes. There is so much beauty underneath the mountain, beauty that is yet to be studied.”

Many of the caves are not easy of access for people without training, but are tempting for speleologists. The mountain is very interesting geologically: with rocks from the Paleozoic Era on top of the younger Mesozoic rocks, Albena Kirova says. There are layers of sandstone, with limestone and “flakes” of waterproof rock. In cross section, the rocks do not look like a natural phenomenon, but more like human-made walls.

“One of my favourite spots is a peak with a breathtaking view – Bula (1,421 m.),“Albena Kirova says. “On one side there is a flat plateau, but on the other it looks like a crown.

There is one more interesting peak Stolo (the chair), and, like Bula, it has sheer cliffs. If you stand underneath them it feels like being in a chair.”

Another local site is the so-called Vazov trail – from the village of Zasele to Bov, named after the patriarch of Bulgarian literature Ivan Vazov who liked to take his walks here. The trail itself is not in good repair – covered in gravel, its tall steps crumbling. And though you constantly have to keep your eyes on your feet, don’t forget to take a look around from time to time. Because the panoramic views here are spectacular. The trail leads up to the highest-altitude waterfalls in Bulgaria (around 120 m.) – Bovska Skaklya, with water flowing down in three cascades. 

“There are many colourful hamlets scattered around the mountain, with old houses and churches, many, regrettably, abandoned. As the railway line reached the area, many people moved away towards the outskirts of the mountain, towards the Iskar Gorge,” Albena says.

There are traces of Thracian fortresses and an old Roman road in the area, Albena Kirova says:

“There are some sections of the road that are well preserved, in others the stones are barely visible. Its story resembles the story of many Roman roads – stones from them were used to build houses in nearby villages. There is such an example – the buildings near an old Roman road in the Rhodope Mountain. It is the same here, in the region of Ponor.”

Ponor offers many enjoyable ways to spend your time. But the best way to find out what they are is to pack up your rucksack and take to the gentle slopes of Ponor.

English version: Milena Daynova