- Weekend routes along the Black Sea coast
- Central Balkan National Park
- Pirin National Park
- Trans-European routes
- On a note
Bulgaria is a wonderful country, the nature of which has not yet been mastered by our tourists. Meanwhile, it is not at all limited to the Black Sea coast. There are several large national parks and tremendous opportunities for mountain tourism. There are difficult climbing routes, but mostly these are relatively simple hiking tours in the rather low Balkan Mountains, accessible even to beginners.
Weekend routes along the Black Sea coast
The most popular holiday destinations in Bulgaria are, of course, the resort towns of the Black Sea coast: Varna, Burgas, Sunny Beach, Golden Sands, etc. Most people come here to swim and sunbathe, but when the beaches become boring, you can always go and walk along surroundings. There are several attractions here, accessible in order to reach them on foot, or get there by transport - and walk all day.
- Not far from Varna there is a unique natural landmark - the Stone Forest. This is a small plateau lined with rock formations of the most bizarre shape: there is a real throne, there is a smiling guardian of these places. Most of them resemble columns. Scientists argue about how exactly they formed, but the fact is that they were once at the bottom of the prehistoric ocean of Tethys. They usually go or walk to the central largest group of these stones, but in the vicinity it is far from alone. You can get here by car, or you can save gas and walk along a picturesque forest road from the village of Slynchevo or Aksakovo - along the way in the forest you will come across several more groups of columns, no less picturesque than the central ones, but almost unknown to anyone. The length of the route is 6-8 km. roundtrip.
- The Botanical Garden in Balchik is another place for short walks for several hours. The famous botanical garden in Balchik is very large, with different collections, and an area descending to the sea with terraces. Walking on it can become a sporting event, you don't need to climb mountains, but you will have to climb the numerous stairs. The garden is famous for its collection of succulents and cacti. The length of the route is any.
- The Balkan is majestic - a mountain hiking route through the mountains from the resort of Stary Vlas to the resort of Sunny Beach. It is not difficult, goes along a wide road, is marked with cairns made of stones, and has information posters at the entrance and exit. From the height there are magnificent views of the entire coast (Nessebar is especially beautiful from here) and the mountains. On the way there are 4 equipped parking lots with barbecue facilities. The length of the route is 15 km.
Central Balkan National Park
One of the largest national parks in Europe, it includes several reserves and is under UN protection. Central for hiking in Bulgaria.
Eco-trail "White River" is one of the few full-fledged eco-trails in the country. "White River" is a whole tourist complex focused on family rest. There are campsites here. The river is called White due to the fact that it flows down from the mountains violently and forms a lot of foam. The eco-trail runs along its valley, crossing the gorge several times over the bridge. The trail is easy, accessible for children, equipped with information boards and introduces the flora and fauna of the Central Balkans. The length of the route is 2 km.
An easy mountain route starts from the town of Kalofer (which, by the way, has its own monastery, so you can start the journey from it). Most of the road runs along a dirt road surrounded by a picturesque deciduous forest. As you climb higher, forests give way to mountain pastures surrounded by limestone cliffs. The route leads to the highest mountain of this massif - Botev. Its height is 2376 m. The highest waterfall in Bulgaria descends from Mount Botev - Raiskoto sprinkled, and the rocky terrain at the top is called "Dzhendema" - Gienna, Hell. Many birds of prey and wild goats can be seen here. The length of the route is 12 km.
You can climb the mountain by another route - from the village of Karlovo across the Karamandra River, along its winding channel to the very source. On the way, you will meet an observation deck at the former cable car, which offers a beautiful view of bizarre rocks, springs and green alpine meadows-pastures. The length of the route is 10 km.
In this national park there are not only natural attractions, but also Orthodox shrines - the Troyan Monastery, which is located in a gorge near the village of Oreshak. Its main buildings date back to the 19th century, but the monastery itself arose much earlier. You can walk to it from the village of Oreshak or from the town of Troyan. The length of the route will be 1-2 km or about 10 km. - depending on the starting point.
Pirin National Park
Another large national park lying in the southwest of the country. It is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The most popular routes run around its central administrative center - the town of Bansko and the Vihren mountain, and the specificity of the park is that there are a great many mountain glacial lakes, more than in other mountainous regions of Bulgaria.
There are 19 official routes in the park with different markings - from very short and easy to difficult multi-day ones, but all of them include some kind of natural attractions: lakes, caves, waterfalls, relic groves and much more.
Trans-European routes
There are 11 hiking trails in Europe that cross several countries. Four such routes go through the territory of Bulgaria - E-3, E-4, E-7, E-8. Their total length across the country is 1600 kilometers.
The most interesting and popular of them is E-3. This route starts from Scandinavia and through all of Europe leads to the Bulgarian cape Emine on the Black Sea coast. Part of the route runs through the lands of the Central Balkan National Park. The length of the Bulgarian part of this route is 700 km, and it goes along the longest mountain range in Bulgaria - Stara Planina, through Mount Botev and about a hundred more mountain peaks. Route E-3 in Bulgaria ends.
But route E-4 leads from the Pyrenees through Bulgaria to Greece. It also passes through the mountainous regions through the highest mountain in Bulgaria - Musala (altitude 2925 m.) And the Pirin National Park, its length in Bulgaria is 350 km. A popular part of this route is about a week's trek from the mountain shelter Yastribinoe (which can be reached by funicular from Borovets) to the Rila Monastery, one of the main Bulgarian shrines. The length of such a section is 70 km.
Approximately every 30 kilometers on all international routes there are necessarily well-equipped tourist centers, and they themselves are marked and marked on maps.
On a note
Be careful. Bulgaria, of course, is Europe, but this is Eastern Europe. Tourism, which is actively developed here, is mainly beach and excursion, "eco-trail" in our usual sense with full care of convenience and safety is not enough here. There may be stairs and bridges without railings; routes, even around popular attractions, may not be marked at all.
The country is southern, hot and dry - so you need light comfortable shoes, sunscreen and a supply of water. But if you go to the mountains - you need to take care of warm clothes, in the Rila Mountains snow can lie until the end of May. Cellular communication works great along the coast and in large cities, but it can malfunction far from settlements.
