Peak Kutelo (2908 m a.s.l.) is located in Pirin, on the main ridge in the northern part of the mountain. To the south lies the Kazanite cirque, to the east is the Banderitsa River valley, and to the northwest is the Banski Suhodol cirque. The southwestern slopes of the peak descend into the deep valley of the Vlachina River. It is connected to neighboring peaks Vihren and Banski Suhodol via the Premkata and Koncheto saddles. Kutelo is the second highest peak in Pirin and the third in Bulgaria. It is composed of whitish, fragmented marble.
Starting points for climbing the peak are the huts Banderitsa, Vihren, and Yavorov. If you are in good shape and enjoy long hikes, you can ascend from the town of Bansko to Kutelo and return in one day. The altitude difference is almost 2000 meters, but if you are not carrying heavy backpacks and start early in the morning, you will have a long and tiring, yet rewarding, day ahead. Starting your hike from the town allows you to observe the changing terrain and vegetation with altitude, giving you a much better and fuller understanding of the mountain you are climbing.
Many would prefer to start the ascent from Banderitsa Hut, saving about 2.5 hours of climbing. In this case, the route begins in front of the hut's entrance. Follow the green trail markers upward across the small clearing to the right of the fountain, between the hut building and the smaller adjacent structure. This trail leads to the Kazana shelter. Initially gentle, the trail becomes steeper after about twenty minutes, winding through the forest before emerging above the dwarf pine zone and crossing the Malki Kazan cirque. The ascent continues all the way to the shelter, with a total elevation gain of about 600 m. This is roughly half the distance to the summit. The area is suitable for a longer rest, and in summer, if you look closely at the grass around the shelter, you may spot blooming edelweiss. After resting, the climb involves an additional elevation gain of about 500 meters, with two options: either follow the main trail towards Premkata or take the unmarked path directly uphill along the ridge ascending northwest towards the summit. The second option has gained popularity in recent years (in summer, groups of people are often seen using it), although leaving official marked trails in Pirin National Park is prohibited. The lack of preventative measures by park rangers, the indifference of some visitors towards preserving our valuable natural heritage, and often the ignorance of park rules contribute to this situation. In fact, there is no marked tourist path to the summit. Even if you follow the route through Premkata, you will eventually need to leave the marked trail to ascend the slope via an unmarked path to the summit. Perhaps the most environmentally friendly option to climb Peak Kutelo is to follow the trail markers to Koncheto, from where the distance to the summit to the right is only about 100–200 meters.
The ascent from Vihren Hut can be done in two ways. The easier route is to turn right about 15 minutes above the hut (after crossing the stream) onto the circular path marked with red trail markers. This path will take you to the Kazana shelter in about an hour (a description of possible routes from there is already provided above). The more demanding but also more interesting route, due to the views, involves first climbing the summit of Peak Vihren via Kabata. From the summit, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the entire Karst ridge, of which Peak Kutelo is a part. Viewed from Vihren, Kutelo does not have the nearly perfect pyramid shape it exhibits when observed from Peak Banski Suhodol but rather resembles an extension of the ridge without a clearly pronounced summit, to the right of the Koncheto saddle. From Peak Vihren, the route to Kutelo continues downward along the red markers toward Premkata, where you can either head toward Koncheto or ascend right and upward along the steep path to the summit.
The route to ascend Peak Kutelo from Yavorov Hut is longer than the routes already described. Follow the red markers, part of the international hiking trail E4, and at Koncheto, instead of turning right, continue toward the summit along the metal cable up the ridge. The total positive elevation gain on this route is significant. It is advisable to plan to continue toward the Banderitsa River valley. While the distance from Yavorov Hut to Peak Kutelo and back is entirely manageable for physically well-prepared hikers, a 10-11 hour hike over the same places might feel a bit redundant if nothing else.
One final, less popular route to ascend Peak Kutelo starts from the Zagaza Hut, located in the forested belt on the western slopes of Pirin. From the hut, follow a marked trail to climb Peak Albutin and then continue along the main ridge on the red-marked trail, part of the route leading to the summit from Yavorov Hut. An alternative option is to start from Zagaza Hut toward Cherna Voda in the Vlachina River valley and then begin the ascent to the ridge from there.