Plovdiv & the Southern Mountains - Romania and Bulgaria - page 694

PIRIN MOUNTAINS
The stark Pirin Mountains, with peaks surpassing 2900m, rise dramatically out of Bul-
garia's southwest; their dark, portentous appearance has affected the human imagination
since well before the ancient Slavic tribes named the mountains after their god of thunder
and storms, Perun. These mountains and their life-giving waters - some 230 springs and
186 lakes - have attracted Macedonians, Greeks, Slavs and Turks, among others. While
their average height is just 1033m, more than a hundred Pirin peaks exceed 2000m, and 12
are higher than 2700m. The highest, Mt Vihren (2915m), is near Bansko.
Pirin National Park, Bulgaria's largest, occupies 40,447 hectares of the Pirin range. It's
permanently open and free. The gate is 1.8km southwest of Bansko, Bulgaria's premier ski
resort. A Unesco World Heritage Site since 1983, the park's varied and unique landscape is
home to 1100 species of flora, 102 types of birds and 42 mammal species, such as bears,
deer and wild goats. The Bansko-based Pirin National Park office ( 07443-2428; ul
Bulgaria 4) offers information for longer hikes.
Besides skiing at Bansko and hiking, visitors to the Pirin region can enjoy fine wine at
Melnik, a village clustered with 18th- and 19th-century houses, and even indulge in some
nightlife at Pirin's provincial capital and a major university town, Blagoevgrad.
HIKING IN THE PIRIN MOUNTAINS
A network of marked hiking trails (13 primary and 17 secondary) links 13 huts and shelters throughout the park. The
primary trails are described and mapped in the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment's detailed map (1:55,000) in the
National Park Pirin leaflet printed in English, available at the National Park office, or from souvenir shops.
Kartografia's Pirin map (1:55,000) is the only accurate and detailed hiking map of the whole range. Also,
Domino's Bansko map includes a small but detailed map in English of 12 hiking trails. These trails include Bansko to
Hizha Banderitsa ( 07443-8279; dm from 20 lev) , 2km southwest of Shiligarnika, and Bansko to Hizha Vihren (
07443-8279; dm 20 lev) , 2km further up. Both offer convenient bases for hikes to nearby caves and lakes, such as
Hizha Vihren to Mt Vihren (about three hours one way).
From Sandanski, a popular three-hour hike leads to the glorious Popina Lûka region, with lakes, waterfalls and
pine forests. Hikers can stay at Hizha Kamenitsa or Hizha Yane Sandanski (25 lv including half-board). Julian Perry's
Mountains of Bulgaria describes a hike across the entire Pirin Mountains from Hizha Predel to Petrovo village near
the Greek border. It's a tough, seven- to 10-day hike (longer in bad weather), so the maps really help.