Walking in Bulgaria's National Parks. Julian Perry
climb Cherni Vrah (2290m), the highest peak in the range.
For Konstantinov the outing proved an enormous success, and over the following years more and more people took to the hills and started to explore the country, eventually opening up an extensive network of huts and routes throughout the Bulgarian mountains. Today it is estimated that there are some 40,000km of marked hiking trails spanning the length and breadth of Bulgaria.
Naturally, there are two ways of enjoying a walking holiday in Bulgaria – either independently or on an organised tour. It is hoped that this guidebook will prove useful for both categories of hiker, giving comprehensive route descriptions for those going it alone, but also plenty of supplementary information and background details for those on a guided tour. Furthermore, by providing a detailed account of the flora and fauna of the three national parks through which the trails lead, I hope that this guidebook will also be of use to the growing number of birdwatchers, botanists and other naturalists who are venturing deeper into the mountains on foot.
For those who would prefer to join an organised walking holiday in Bulgaria, there are several companies offering such tours. In the UK, Exodus Travels (www.exodus.co.uk) is at the forefront, and for many years has been operating a range of excellent walking holidays in different parts of country, including a one-week hiking trip in the Pirin and Rila national parks. The German company Kia Ora-Reisen (www.kia-ora-reisen.de) has a two-week trip that takes in all three of the national parks, while the Dutch company Go For Nature (www.gofornature.nl) offers one-week walking and wildlife tours in both the Central Balkan and Rila national parks.
For those who would prefer to join a more specialist group wildlife holiday, then the British-Bulgarian Friendship Society (www.bbfs.org.uk), Nature Trek (www.naturetrek.co.uk), Quest for Nature (www.questfornature.co.uk) and Greentours (www.greentours.co.uk) offer a selection of botanic, butterfly, dragonfly and birding tours in Bulgaria which include visits to the national parks.
Within Bulgaria itself, Balkan Trek (www.balkantrek.com) is one of the country’s leading and most highly respected adventure and eco-tour operators, organising and operating a wide variety of specialist holidays for walkers, birdwatchers, botanists and all lovers of nature. They can also provide local guides and help tailor-make unique walking and wildlife tours for private groups, societies and individuals.
Accommodation
There is no shortage of accommodation in Bulgaria, with alternatives for every taste and budget. Almost all towns have at least one hotel, and many of the mountain villages have small family-run guesthouses (semeini hoteli) or offer B&B (chastni kvartiri) accommodation. Such places tend to be comfortable, welcoming, and offer delicious homemade food.
Once into the mountains themselves, you will find an extensive network of mountain huts (hizhi). Standards of facilities and cleanliness tend to vary quite considerably, but they all offer a bed with sheets, pillow-cases and blankets. There are also quite a number of small ‘refuges’ (zasloni), usually unmanned, that offer a roof over your head if nothing else.
Note that the walks described in this guidebook are all focused in Bulgaria’s national parks, where wild camping is forbidden.
Hizha Ray is a typical mountain hut (Walk 3)
Most of the mountain huts are owned and operated by the Bulgarian Hiking Association (www.btsbg.org), but some are now in private hands. Usually it is possible for individual walkers simply to turn up and find a free bed in larger huts, but during August the huts can occasionally fill up. The Bulgarian Hiking Association does offer a central reservation service for its own huts, so it might be worth trying to book ahead if you are planning your hike for the peak season, and at the same time trying to order an evening meal and/or breakfast if required. You can contact them by e-mail ([email protected]) or by telephone (02-9801285). Normally the person answering calls to this number will be able to speak some English.
Food and Water
Some of the mountain huts do have restaurants, but whether they are functioning or actually willing or able to provide a meal is another matter. It is always best, therefore, to carry your own food supplies with you for a walk, and if you find a hot meal being served at a hut, to enjoy it as a bonus. The vast majority of mountain huts do have water (voda) available on tap, and throughout the mountains you will also come across drinking fountains (cheshmi), many of which flow throughout the summer, though some do dry up in August and September. In general, water from such sources is regarded as safe to drink. Those with more fragile constitutions should take with them a means of purification along with their other supplies.
Most basic food provisions (hranitelni stoki) can be purchased before setting off from the numerous little general stores (hranitelni magazini) that are found in towns and the majority of villages. However, be aware that you are extremely unlikely to find other more technical items, such as specialist clothing or other mountain equipment outside Sofia, and even there, such supplies are often extremely difficult and time-consuming to track down. The best advice is to bring everything you need from home, and be properly equipped to set off straight for the hills.
Maps
It is also a good idea to get hold of your maps before you go. Hiking maps at varying scales, and even more varying accuracy, have been produced for most of the major mountain ranges in Bulgaria, but it is often a rather hit-and-miss affair trying to obtain them. Your best first point of contact for maps is Balkan Trek (www.balkantrek.com), as they usually maintain a stock and sell them by mail order. Something to bear in mind is that these maps are nowhere near the same standard or accuracy of British Ordnance Survey or French IGN maps. They are not proper topographic maps, and even those at a scale of 1:50 000 should be treated as schematic, and not relied on for critical navigation with a compass.
Traditional costume from the Pirin region
Typical trail markings: winter poles and summer blazes (Walk 1)
Thankfully, the majority of hiking trails are very well marked. Summer routes are indicated with coloured blazes (usually red, green, yellow or blue) painted onto rocks or trees, while the safest winter routes are delineated by lines of tall metal poles.
One other thing to be aware of when studying Bulgarian maps is that over the years many of the peaks, passes and other important topographic points, have had their names changed, often more than once. In this guidebook I have tended to use the most traditional names as my preferred choice, and included any other widely used title in parenthesis.
Mountain Rescue
In the event of something going wrong, Bulgaria does have an efficient and effective mountain rescue service (planinska spasitelna sluzhba), which although underfunded does a great job assisting and rescuing injured walkers and climbers. Bear in mind that if you do need their help, you will be expected to pay for it in cash, and then claim the cost back later from your own travel insurance. Once in the country itself, it is possible to purchase specialist Bulgarian mountain rescue insurance from the main mountain rescue bases (www.pss.bg/base.html). It is very reasonably priced, and not only helps to simplify administrative procedures in the event of an accident, but also