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.