Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Activities
Bulgaria's mountainous, heavily forested terrain makes for great hiking, mountaineering
and skiing, while on the Black Sea coast you can indulge in an array of water sports from
paragliding to scuba diving. In addition, travel agencies organise a wide range of activity
and special-interest holidays, taking in birdwatching, wildlife spotting, botanical and ar-
chaeological tours.
Hiking in Bulgaria
Hiking has long been a hugely popular activity in Bulgaria, with some 37,000km of
marked trails to follow. The trans-European hiking trails E3, E4 and E8 all cross through
the country, while the E3 trail, which begins in Spain, follows the crest of the Stara Plan-
ina range from Belogradchik eastwards to the coast at Cape Ermine, and is well signpos-
ted along the way. If you want to go the whole way, count on taking around 20 days or so.
The E4 and E8 trails both pass through Rila National Park and offer varied scenery and
difficulty.
Walkers are well supported, with numerous
hizhas
(mountain huts) along the more pop-
ular tracks, as well as in real wilderness areas. While some are very basic affairs, intended
only as no-frills overnight shelter, others are more comfortable, sometimes with attached
cafes. It's one of the more positive legacies of the old communist regime, which believed
that hiking was a healthy and productive proletarian pastime.
The Rila Mountains are a rugged, rocky, heavily forested range with plunging glacial
valleys and rich plant life. One of the most attractive and accessible walking routes heads
into the Malîovitsa range, south of the small town of the same name and based around
soaring Mt Malîovitsa (2729m).
Another relatively easy and very pleasant walk runs along the Rilska river towards Rila
Monastery, passing through Kiril Meadow along the way.
The Pirins offer some of the very finest walking country in Bulgaria. It's an alpine land-
scape of glacial valleys and lakes, and the climate is blessed with a moderating Mediter-
ranean influence.
The Sredna Gora is the highest, most visited section of the Stara Planina, with hundreds
of marked tracks and the largest number of
hizhas
. The Stara Planina is noted for its sud-
den weather changes, and some of Bulgaria's highest rainfalls and strongest winds have
been recorded here, so be prepared.
For organised hiking tours, contact Odysseia-In (
Click here
)
in Sofia.
