Bulgaria Ski and Mountain Tourism

Bulgaria is a quite mountainous country, since more than
half of its territory is occupied by mountains. They
significantly vary in height and nature, and all of them
are accessible throughout the whole year, providing the
different tourists with limitless opportunities for
recreation and sport. There are 37 mountains in
Bulgaria, 36 of which are located in the southern part
of the country. The 37th one is Stara Planina, also
known as The Balkan, which gave the name to the Balkan
Peninsula. Stara Planina divides Bulgaria into Southern
and Northern parts, and so it is naturally the biggest
and longest mountain range in the country, while the
second largest, which is parallel to the Balkan, is on
the south of it and is called Sredna gora.
Undoubtedly, the most impressive mountain system in
Bulgaria is named the Rilo-Rhodopi massif, which
includes Rila, Pirin, Rhodopes, Slavianka and Sturgach.
If the fans of winter sports go there, they will not be
disappointed, since the well known resorts of Borovets,
Bansko, Pamporovo and Malyovitsa, as well as the smaller
ones, such as Semkovo and Jundola and others support
excellent ski-tracks, additional ski-infrastructure,
cozy hotels and holiday houses. The whole Rila mountain
is studded with tourist chalets and shelters, and the
Natural park "Rilski Monastery" will not only bring you
in the realm of wild nature, but also will make you feel
the unique Bulgarian spirit. In this park is situated
the most significant monument of Bulgarian culture - the
architectural complex of Rila monastery. And the bigger
towns around are Blagoevgrad, Sapareva banya, Samokov
and the spa resort of Kostenets.