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Nature

Mountains | Lakes | Sea | National Parks

Pirin National Park | Rila National Park | Vitosha National Park

Bulgaria has a wealth of national parks open to the visitor, and there is always a friendly and knowledgeable guide on hand.
Some parks have special nature reserves for which a permit should be asked for in advance.
The accommodation offered by the small hotels, hunting lodges and private homes in the mountains is especially in tune with the overall convivial atmosphere to be found in the mountains, and there is plenty of opportunity to book in advance if necessary.
Should you prefer to be nearer nature, camping is allowed within the perimeters of the chalets.

Pirin National Park

Pirin National Park is situated on the highest part of the Pirin mountain range whose peak's surpass 2,500 metres, and thanks to the influence of the Mediterranean climate the beautiful landscape abounds with rich vegetation and fauna.
The visitor has a choice of zones within the park itself, including the forest of Bosnian pine where the ancient Baikusheva pine stands guard as it has done for centuries past. The crystalline limestone allows such delights as the near extinct edelweiss and the Pirin poppy to flower and grow among the rocks. The Pirin lakes, surrounded by an area of Macedonian pine and Silver fir and spruce, teem with animal life, and eagles and falcons have made their homes high up in the mountains. The park is listed as a World Cultural and National Heritage site.

Rila National Park

One of the youngest Bulgarian national parks, covering nearly half of the Rila mountain range, Rila's national park is situated in the Southwest of Bulgaria and is renowned for the Seven Rila lakes, a hiker's paradise. The scenery is breathtaking and here the visitor can find peace with the sound of the water flowing over the rocks in the many streams and rivers. Bear, wild boar, red deer and several species of eagle, just a few of the animals living together here, enhance the romanticism of this region, while the fauna is a delight both for the amateur and professional.

Vitosha National Park

Although just a half an hour's drive from Sofia, Vitosha National Park is a home to a multitude of species of butterflies, birds and many mammals. Opened in 1934, it covers the whole of Vitosha mountain, once covered by the "Great Bulgarian Forest". Besides being rich in fauna, it also offers shelter to wolves, bears and even wild cats and a host of less dangerous animals like the badger and the deer.