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WALKING & WILDLIFE IN BULGARIA
THE "RILA" NATIONAL PARK

Holiday Profile

Holiday Highlights

  • Explore Bulgaria's "Rila" National Park, an internationally designated mountain wilderness reserve with a stable populations of large carnivores such as brown bear and wolves.
  • Visit the the "Rilomanastirska Gora" Nature Reserve and "Rila Monastery" Nature Park, with their rich birdlife and interesting endemic flora
  • Walk through wild landscapes and beautiful pristine mountain scenery.
  • Discover more about Bulgaria's rich history and culture with a visit to the Rila Monastery.
  • Sample Bulgaria's tasty national cuisine, with an opportunity to try typical traditional dishes and a variety of outstanding regional wines.

Situated in the south-western part of Bulgaria, the Rila Mountains have a rugged alpine beauty with rocky ridges, sharp peaks, steep cliffs and numerous sparkling lakes and streams. Over 140 peaks top 2000m, including Mount Musala (2925m) which is not only the highest peak in Bulgaria, but also the highest peak on the whole of the Balkan Peninsula.

The “Rila” National Park was founded in 1992 and is the largest national park in Bulgaria. It is also one of the biggest and most valuable protected areas in Europe, and has recently been awarded the prestigious status of a PAN Park. The “Rila” National Park now encompasses some 30% of the area of the Rila Mountains and includes many of the main alpine ridges and peaks, as well as numerous cliffs, screes, caves and gorges. There are also large areas of open mountain pastures, and at lower altitudes, extensive coniferous forests. Its diverse range of habitats shelter a rich flora and fauna. Within the "Rila" National Park have been recorded some 1400 species and subspecies of higher plants (over 38% of the Bulgarian flora) including 3 local endemic species which are unique to the Rila Mountains and can be found nowhere else in the world. The "Rila" National Park also provides an important refuge for 48 species of mammals, 99 species of breeding birds, 10 species of reptiles, 10 species of amphibians and 2934 species and subspecies of invertebrates.

This unique nature trek offers the chance to explore the landscapes and habitats of the “Rila” National Park, and to discover more about the rich flora and fauna of the region. Our daily programme of walks will see us climb up through ancient forests and across rugged rocky terrain as we thread our way through a dramatic alpine-type landscape of mighty peaks and ridges. Because the “Rila” National Park is a rugged wilderness area, the walks are quite demanding, with long steep ascents and descents; however, the rewards are immense. During the course of the holiday we will also visit the Rila Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the largest monastery in Bulgaria.

Balkan Trek is at the forefront of responsible tourism in Bulgaria, and recognised as one of Bulgaria's leading mountain adventure and eco-tourism operators. We are specialists in small group walking holidays, trekking holidays, snowshoeing treks, cultural tours, monastery tours, village holidays, wildlife holidays, natural history trips, birdwatching holidays, botanic tours and flower photography holidays. We operate trips in Bulgaria's Rhodope Mountains, Rila Mountains, Pirin Mountains, Stara Planina (Balkan Mountains), Strandzha Mountains, Sredna Gora Mountains, Vitosha Mountains, as well as at Bulgaria's Black Sea coast.