Central Balkan Range Park, trekking fans paradise
Photo: Veneta Nikolova |
Hundreds of kilometers of marked routes, dozens of
chalets and shelters dotting the hardest to access nooks of Bulgarian nature,
and all this amid the incredibly beautiful scenery of pristine Bulgarian
nature! The Central Balkan Range Nature Park in the heart of the Balkan Range
is a veritable gold mine for anybody with an adventurous spirit motivated to
walk for hours in a bid to reach an unexpected waterfall, a habitat of eagles
or the frightening dark mouth of an underground cave.
Veneta Nikolova
In fact the
Central Balkan Range Nature Park is one of Bulgaria’s best preserved and most
vigilantly protected territories. It is not accidental that in 2003 the nature
park became part of the European environmental network PAN Parks that preserves
the best from wild nature in the expanse between the Atlantic and the
Mediterranean Sea. The criteria for accession to the network are very strict.
The key requirement has to do with well-preserved natural wealth, and in this
respect the Central Balkan Range Nature Park is a treasure. Walking by its
crags one can still come across a bear, a wolf, a wild cat or other rare
species that have been extinct for quite some time in West Europe. The
diversity of bird species here is amazing and goes across a range of 130 rare
of endangered species having their habitats in the park’s hospitable beech
forests. In this context it sounds absurd that few people in Bulgaria are aware
of the priceless wealth of this part of the Balkan Range.More from Diana Terzieva, from the National Park Directorate:
The park offers good opportunities for sports and extreme tourism
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“What actually
helped most in protecting nature here was the hard access to it. Had there been
roads and easy access to those places with quite diverse lay, this rare wealth
could have hardly survived the invasion of mass tourism. The terrain is a
challenge – one has to try very hard to conquer the Balkan Range. However, the
majestic mountain is also able to offer great nature gifts to anybody who has
walked 4 hours to reach a destination in the park. Our policy here is not to
turn the protected territory into an exclusion zone. We also work to offer
conveniences to tourists. So, they are welcome provided they have respect for
nature and observe the rules.”
A grid of paths discloses the abundant biodiversity of the park
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Part of the
Central Balkan Range National Park is an 80-km section of the cross-border E3
trail that trekking lovers across Europe know quite well. The route meanders
along the Balkan Range ridge, leaves the boundaries of the park and reaches the
Black Sea Cape Emine, the easternmost point of the Balkan Range. To trekking
fans the park offers a dense network of chalets and marked trails. “We maintain
some 430 km of trails and 47 routes that take tourists to various nature
sites”, Diana Terzieva says. There are a few thematic routes as well. By taking
them tourists have the opportunity to learn more about certain plant species,
reach a site with a natural phenomenon or a worthy vantage point. Thematic
trails are dotted with information boards, bridges, steps, shelters etc.
Waterfalls are among the Central Balkan Range Park’s key attractions.
© Photo: Veneta Nikolova |
“The park has
high waterfalls”, Diana Terzieva explains. “The highest waterfall in the
Balkans is found here, Raiskoto Praskalo with a height of 124.5 m. Bavskoto
Praskalo is not that high, just 54 m, but the trail takes tourists to a
breathtaking place – the point where the waterfall emerges – the view there is
magic. One very popular eco-trail is Byala Reka near the town of Kalofer that
reaches a few magnificent canyons. The eco-trail to Vidimsko Praskalo waterfall
near the town of Apriltsi is also very popular. The water cascade is 80 m high
and goes down a vertical 500 m long stone wall.”
The directorate
of the Central Balkan Range Park is engaged in the EU project for the creation
of an online map with GPS whereabouts of respective routes and sites in the
park. In this way visitors will be able to get proper orientation in the thick
puzzle of marked trails and dozens of nature phenomena hidden in the deepest
folds of the Balkan Range.
Translated by
Daniela Konstantinova
Radio Bulgaria
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