A Walk to Mount Klikach and the Oldest Pear Tree in Bulgaria

Mount Klikach (1,383 m) is an exceptionally panoramic peak located in the Vlakhina Mountains above the village of Gorno Leshko. Within the village’s lands stands a centuries-old pear tree with a trunk circumference of over 5 meters, considered the oldest in Bulgaria.

Although we are from Blagoevgrad, we learned about this ancient pear tree quite by chance from a Facebook group dedicated to Bulgaria’s old trees. We decided to visit it on the first clear day with good weather. That day turned out to be January 21. After the snowfall the previous Sunday, the weather was sunny, and around noon the temperature was about 0°C.

We met at noon, and besides visiting the ancient pear tree, the conditions also allowed us to climb Mount Klikach, which rises to 1,383 meters. A solid group of 16 people gathered, got into the cars, and headed toward the village of Gorno Leshko, located 17 km from Blagoevgrad in the Vlakhina Mountains. We parked near the church and the fountain, where there is a bus stop and a widened area suitable for parking.

The snow was not very deep—about 10 cm. I had been given an approximate location of the pear tree and decided we would pass by it on our way to Mount Klikach. I thought it was near the reservoir above the village. So, from the center of Gorno Leshko, we followed the road toward Mount Klikach, which passes by the reservoir above the village. This would be my third ascent of this peak. The distance from the village center to the summit is 5.5 km with 680 meters of elevation gain.

The reservoir is about 1 kilometer from the village, and all 16 of us walked together up to that point. Right there, around the reservoir, I realized my mistake—I spotted the ancient pear tree far below us in a field close to the village itself. We decided to visit it on the way back.

We continued toward Mount Klikach along a steep dirt road, now covered with 10–15 cm of fresh snow from the previous day. The group stretched out and split into several smaller teams. Those of us in the front group reached the summit with only a few short standing breaks. We climbed to the top in just over two hours.

At the summit there was a light but icy wind, so we found a sheltered spot just below the peak where we could enjoy the views and wait for the rest of the group to gather for a photo. The views that day were exceptional—the weather was sunny and clear, and visibility stretched far into the distance.

From Mount Klikach you can see more than ten mountain ranges. The most prominent were Rila and Pirin, with Slavyanka to the south and Vitosha to the north. Osogovo also stood out clearly, as did Kaditsa—the highest peak of the Vlakhina Mountains. Among the lower mountains we could see Verila and some of the ranges of the Kraishte region, while to the south lay Maleshevska and parts of Ograzhden in North Macedonia. Across from us were Plechkovitsa and other mountains whose names I do not know.

While we admired the surrounding scenery, the rest of the group gradually joined us. We took a group photo at the summit and then headed back down along the same route. On the descent we split again into smaller groups—some were in a hurry to travel home, while others moved more slowly. The descent was much faster than the climb, and soon we reached the reservoir, where we turned off toward the field where the ancient pear tree stands.

The Oldest Pear Tree in Bulgaria

This centuries-old tree even has a name—locals call it the Marina Pear, although no one knows exactly where the name comes from. Its exact location is 41.926758, 22.944616. If you enter these coordinates into Google Maps, you will get a marker showing its position.

The age of the Marina Pear is not precisely determined, but it is at least 300–350 years old. More optimistic claims suggest it may be around 800 years old, based on observations of the growth rate of grafts taken from the tree and cultivated on different rootstocks. If these claims prove true, this pear tree would be the second oldest in the world.

The circumference of the tree is over 5 meters. We had nothing to measure it precisely, but it took four people to encircle it completely. We then took another group photo in front of the tree—by that point only 10 of the original 16 people remained.

After that we quickly descended back into the village, got into our cars, and returned to the city and to the warmth of our homes.