Mountain routes in Razlog region
Photo: Veneta Nikolova |
Who says autumn
is a gloomy, rainy and melancholic season? This is the time when nature sends
us its brightest colours, before falling in a winter and fruitless sleep as if
it wants to “say goodbye”! One should walk along the mountain paths in Bulgaria
in order to fill his lungs with the crystal-clear air and get the last sun
beams of the year. There, people can indulge their senses with beautiful nature
views, which remind of a work of a French impressionist with the graduation of
its yellow, orange, purple and red colours. This is the view one can see in the
vicinity of Razlog, which is situated in a picturesque valley between Rila and
Pirin mountains.
Veneta Nikolova
The autumn is very quiet there. You can not
meet the typical for the winter ski season crowds, the weather is mild and
sunny and the nearby forest ridges remain calm under the colorful cover of dry
leaves. The region is full of well-marked paths, which swing up in the mountain
to reach many virgin places.
Over the last few years the region changed a lot
as a result of huge investors appetites, which led to the building of many
hotels, villas, ski slopes, casinos, etc. This trend is typical for the town of
Bansko as well. This resort is among the fastest developing winter resorts in
whole Europe. Its newly built hotels and villas, which resemble miner villages,
have a huge clientele during the winter months. However, during the rest of the
year they remain empty.
© Photo: Veneta Nikolova |
In order to attract the clientele needed, the local
owners of hotels and restaurants reduced the prices and started to offer
various promotional packages. This is why it is worth it to make use of the
good weather and the cheap offers and stay in one of the local hotels and walk
along the numerous mountain paths of Rila and Pirin. Many people regard this as
a very pleasant trip, which is full of emotional moments. Two of the protected
zones in Bulgaria are situated in those two mountains. These are the Rila and
Pirin national parks, which attract tourists with its numerous eco-paths. There
are many wooden ladders, shelters, watch-stations and signs along the routes
which are used by tourists to find the habitats of rare plant and animal
species.
© Photo: Veneta Nikolova |
“Some of the
paths cross century-old forests, some cross Karst springs and rivers, other go
through places with unique animal and plant species”, says Ivan Debelushin who
is a member of the local tourist association Pirin. All paths are marked and
well maintained. Some of them start from the town of Razlog and the surrounding
villages, some start from the huts in this region such as the Yavorov hut,
Dobarsko hut, Vihren hut, etc. One of the most difficult tourist eco-paths is
situated in the region. It goes through the so-called “Horse”. It is a Karst
formation on the mount, where tourists have to pass along a very narrow and
steep section at an altitude of 2 800 meters above sea level. The path is part
of the European pedestrian route E4, which crosses the Alps, goes through the
Pyrenees and Mount Olympus in Greece. In Bulgaria it includes mountains Rila,
Pirin and Vitosha. This route is very popular among foreign tourists. There are
many well-maintained huts and shelters in this region. The passages are a bit
shorter in the winter. There are paths with a winter marking, which are very
popular among the fiery mountaineers”, says Ivan Debelushin.
© Photo: Veneta Nikolova |
One of the
popular paths in this region takes you to the park of the “dancing bears” near
the village of Belitsa in Rila Mountain. Dobarsko, which is another village in
the foot of Rila Mountain, gives the start of 2 eco-paths dedicated to the
dandelion and the cowslip. In Pirin Mountain there is a special route which
reaches the springs of river Mesta right above Yavorov hut at an altitude of 2
600 meters. This eco-path goes through the Bayuvi Dupki-Dzhindzhiritsa nature
reserve which was included in the biosphere reserves list at the UNESCO
programme. It reveals one of the few habitats of the edelweiss in Bulgaria.
Situated across the sunny slopes of the mountain, the local villages known as
Pripetsite attract many tourists.
© Photo: Veneta Nikolova
The Belitsa reserve for dansing
bears
|
“These are the
villages of Bachevo, Godlevo, Dobarsko, Eleshnitsa and Banya”, Ivan Debelushin
goes on to say. ”Each one has its own sites. For example the village of Bachevo
offers horse riding facilities. There are many spa centers in the village of
Banya. Tourists can enjoy the traditional cuisine of the Razlog region in the
village of Dobarsko. In fact one of its most popular meals is the Razlozhka
Kapama which is a specialty made of different meats. Many traditional meat
appetizers and flat sausages are offered during the winter. These are Razlozhki
starets, baburka, sudzhuk and others. These local specialties are spiced with
many herbs, which are typical for this region. Horse riding, mountain biking,
paintball tournaments are one of the countless opportunities for a healthy,
active and entertaining holiday in the region of Razlog valley.”
English version:
Kostadin Atanasov
Radio Bulgaria
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