616 SOUTH EASTERN EUROPE
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp636–8 and pp639–41
wooden huts housing bars,
restaurants, ski shops and
souvenir stalls. During the
winter season, visitors
crowd the ski runs and lifts
by day, and then move on
to the bars and clubs for
late-night party ing.
The resort also offers a
wide range of summer acti-
vities, including pony trek-
king, motorized safaris, hik-
ing and abseiling, most of
which can be arranged
through the large hotels
here. One option is to take
the main gondola up to
Yastrebets, a peak that rises
to the height of 2,369 m
(7,775 ft), from where hikers
can follow a path to the
Musala refuge before climbing
to the lofty summit of Musala,
the highest peak in the
Balkans. Alternatively, the
Sitnyakovo Express, a chairlift
that operates only on week-
ends, whisks visitors up to
the highest point among the
Sitnyakovo ski runs, from
where a path leads back
down to Borovets.
The resort has one other
highlight: the captivating
Bistritsa Palace. This was
built as a hunt ing lodge for
Ferdinand, the prince of
Bulgaria in the late 19th
century, mak ing Borovets
the country’s oldest mountain
resort. The palace’s impressive
interior features luxurious
Victorian fittings, elaborate
Samokov wood carving and
hunting trophies.P Bistritsa Palace
3 km (2 miles) from central
Borovets. Tel (0750) 32710.
# 10:30am–3:30pm Tue–Sun. &Rila National
Park 3
Национален парк Рила
85 km (53 miles) S of Sofia.
@ from Sofia, Samokov. ® camp-
sites, and chalets can be booked via
Bulgarian Tourism Union, (02) 980
- http://www.rilanationalpark.org/en/
index.phtml
Bulgaria’s largest national
park, Rila National Park is
located in the Rila Mountains,
the highest range in the
Balkan peninsula. The source
of several Balkan rivers,
the massif derives its name
from the Thracian word rula,
meaning “abun dance of
water”. Its dense forests of
spruce, fir and Macedonian
pine are home to wolves,
bears, boar, Balkan chamois
and suslik (ground squirrels)
as well as the rare wallcreeper
and the Alpine chough.
No fewer than 57 endemic
plant species, including the
divine primrose, Rila pansy
and Bulgarian avens, also
thrive here.
The national park is home
to two forest reserves. Created
in 2000, the Rila Monastery
Forest Reserve covers more
than 270 sq km (104 sq miles)
around Rila Monastery (see
pp612–15). The Parangalitsa
Reserve, on the south western
slopes of the Rila Mountains,
was established in 1933 to
preserve some of Europe’s
oldest spruce forests. It is
now a pro tected UNESCO
Biosphere Reserve.
View of Mount Malyovitsa, Rila National Park
A network of hiking trails
crisscrosses the park, reaching
the spectacular peaks
of Musala, at 2,925 m (9,596
ft), and Malyovitsa at 2,729 m
(8,953 ft). One of the most
pop ular hiking trails follows
the Seven Lakes – a series of
small glacial lakes set amidst
beautiful scenery. Formed
by melted glaciers, the lakes
are set at ascending levels.
A set of glacial pools, located
below Mount Musala, are also
pop ular with hikers.Visitors enjoying skiing in Borovets, one of Bulgaria’s major ski resortsBorovets 4
Боровец70 km (43 miles) S of Sofia.
@ Located just below the
majestic peaks of the Rila
Mountains, Borovets is one
of Bulgaria’s major ski
resorts, clustered with large
hotel blocks and lines of