Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Vitosha mountain range and the Stara Planina are the other main areas for rock climb-
ing, with many different routes for climbers of varying abilities.
Skiing & Snowboarding
Bansko is the number one skiing and snowboarding resort in the country, with the most
modern facilities, the longest snow season and the biggest international profile. There are
now two ski centres: Chalin Valog (1100m to 1600m) and Shiligarnika (1700m to
2500m), roughly 10km from town and accessed from Bansko by gondola. All abilities are
well catered for. Snow cover here lasts from December to May, helped in part by the use
of artificial snow cannons. There's also a 5km cross-country ski track.
Pamporovo, sited at 1650m in the Rodopi Mountains, and with 25km of trails, is a
family-friendly place and great for beginners. The more experienced will be drawn to the
giant slalom run and, most difficult of all, the infamous 1100m-long Wall.
Nearby Chepelare is quieter, but it has 30km of cross-country tracks and some of the
longest runs in Bulgaria. The Mechi Chal 1 (3150m) is a black-level run used for interna-
tional competitions, while Mechi Chal 2 (5250m) is a combined red/green slope.
Borovets, in the Rila Mountains, is Bulgaria's oldest ski resort, and is a more basic af-
fair. It has 45km of trails and a good ski school.
Just 10km from central Sofia, Vitosha is a convenient destination for weekending city
folk and has slopes to suit all levels of skiers and snowboarders. Other, smaller (and
cheaper) ski resorts include Govedartsi and Malîovitsa, which are mainly patronised by
Bulgarian holidaymakers.
Water Sports on the Black Sea
During the summer, big Black Sea package resorts such as Sunny Beach (Slânchev Bryag)
and Golden Sands (Zlatni Pyasâtsi), as well as some smaller seaside towns, offer organ-
ised water sports, including jet-skiing, waterskiing, parasailing and windsurfing. Often
these are quite casual affairs set up at various points along the beaches.
Scuba diving has become popular in recent
years, and there are several places along the
coast where you can try it. As well as package
resorts such as Albena (
Click here
)
, popular
tourist towns like Sozopol (
Click here
)
and
Nesebâr (
Click here
)
are the places to go, and
there's a new diving resort just north of Tsarevo (
Click here
). As well as standard train-
The Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds
(
www.bspb.org
) is a good source of bird news.