Pirin National Park, Bulgaria

Pirin National Park, Bulgaria.

The park is situated in Blagoevgrad Province, the nation's south-westernmost region, on the territory of seven municipalities: Bansko, Gotse Delchev, Kresna, Razlog, Sandanski, Simitli and Strumyani.

Pirin is renowned for its 118 glacial lakes, the largest and the deepest of them being Popovo Lake. Many of them are situated in cirques. There are also a few small glaciers, such Snezhnika, located in the deep Golemiya Kazan cirque at the steep northern foot of Vihren, and Banski Suhodol. They are the southernmost glaciers in Europe.

Pirin National Park falls within the Rodope montane mixed forests terrestrial ecoregion of the Palearctic temperate broadleaf and mixed forest. Forests cover 57.3% of the parks area and almost 95% of them are coniferous forests. The average age of the forests is 85 years.

Bulgaria's oldest tree, Baikushev's pine, is located in the park. With an approximate age of about 1,300 years it is a contemporary of the foundation of the Bulgarian state in 681 AD. The fauna of the Pirin National Park is diverse and includes 45 species of mammals, 159 species of birds, 11 species of reptiles, 8 species of amphibia and 6 species of fish.

Climate

Pirin falls within the continental Mediterranean climate zone and due to its altitude the higher sectors have Alpine climate. The climate is influenced by Mediterranean cyclones mainly in late autumn and in winter, bringing frequent and high rainfall, and by the Azores anticyclone in summer, making the summer months hot and dry.

Get in

Bansko, the popular ski resort, is an important entry gate for the Pirin range. Another popular entry point is via Sandanski.

Once in Bansko, in order to reach the Banderitsa or Vihren huts/chalets (base camp to hike in the area) from Bansko, at least in the non-ski season, you will either have to hire a taxi (~$15), go with a tour, or hitchhike. In summer (until 18 Sep) 2011 there is a minibus from Bansko to Vihren hut at 0830, 1420 and 1500 up; 0930, 1500 and 1800 down. Cost 6lv. Starts from the bridge near the bus and train stations, calls at Strazhite Hotel, but should stop anywhere on request.

The best option to reach Pirin from Bansko for independent traveler(s) on a budget is to hitchhike, which is particularly easy during the summer with a good amount of domestic tourists heading up to either of the camps. To do so, walk south (gently uphill) from the train or bus stations though town until you reach the entrance to the Pirin National Park, indicated by a small house for information about the park. From there, the only cars going will be into the park.

Get around

Once inside you will have to hike, the different huts and summits are connected by hiking trails. There are many different options for hikes, with indications on how many hours each hike will take at a moderate, comfortable pace. If you plan to spend a while hiking, check with the tourist office (during normal business hours) to get a map of the area and plan out your hike.

What to See in Pirin National Park

There is a broad network of flagged trails through the mountains. The Pirin tourist map (1:50,000, available at local shops) offers a good overview of the trails and huts/chalets to sleep in.

Notable geological features of the park include:

• Mt. Vihren, the second highest peak in Bulgaria and third on the Balkan Peninsula.

Mt. Vihren.

• The Koncheto, a name given to an approximately 200m long ridge between the 2nd and 3rd highest mountains in the range with steep cliffs on either side, leading to an amazing panorama.

Kutelo (in the front) and Vihren (back) viewed from Koncheto, Pirin, Bulgaria.

What to Do in Pirin National Park

Pirin National Park is a popular tourist destination. The park's main information center is in Bansko and houses an interactive exhibit on the park's forests, allowing visitors to acquaint themselves with facts about the park's vegetation and wildlife.

Bansko, Bulgaria.

There are 20 marked hiking trails in the park. Trail No. 1 is part of the E4 European long distance path and crosses the park following the itinerary Predel Refuge–Yavorov Refuge–Vihren Refuge–Tevno Lake–Pirin Refuge–Popov Grasslands. The most challenging hiking trail follows the top of the Koncheto ridge at an altitude of approximately 2,810 m, between the peaks Banski Suhodol (2,884 m) and Kutelo (2,908 m). The north-western side of Koncheto is almost vertical and 300–400 m deep, while the south-western side is less steep (approximately 30 degrees) but reaches 800 m in depth.

Popular with domestic tourists, you can hike Mount Vihren, the second highest peak in Bulgaria (2914m). Round trip from the Vihren hut takes 6 hours; it is a beautiful mountain which offers beautiful views.

Mount Vihren.

There are also plenty more trails to be discovered. The area around Vihren peak is quite barren, so you may want to hike in lower elevations if you want to explore more of the incredible pine forests in the area.

Eat

Vihren hut offers basic meals, provided you can communicate with the caretaker. Prices are low (under 5 leva for a huge breakfast), and food in generally tasty. Outside the range, in the area around Banderitsa (about 30 min walk below Vihren hut) there is also a fair-priced and tasty roadside restaurant. For example, a good breakfast will cost around 4 lv, and a dinner with beer will be around 10-12 lv. A hearty salad will be 4-5 lv.

Sleep

There is a network of mountain huts/chalets, which offer rooms and bungalows (bungalow for about 20 lv for two persons). Bring your sleeping bag just in case, but you can expect that a dorm room in the hut will provide clean linens and a blanket.

To sleep in the dorm in Vihren hut, 20-30 minutes up from Banderitsa by foot and 3 hours from the peak of Vihren, it will cost 12 lv pp.

Alternatively, there are marked camping areas around the huts. There is a popular, inexpensive tent camping area around Banderitsa close to the restaurant and water source, about 20-30 minutes walking slightly downhill from Vihren hut/chalet.

If you arrive too late to make it up to Banderitsa or Vihren huts from Bansko, there are places in Bansko to stay that offer fairly cheap rooms during the non-ski season. A place only about a minute walk north (toward town) from the park entrance called Apartment House Comfort offers single rooms with nice amenities (internet, no breakfast) for 20 lv, or 15 lv pp for a double. Surely, similar deals could be found in other hotels.

Go next

• Bansko
• Melnik
• Rhodope Mountains

If taking the train, you will want to check the schedule of departures or arrivals in the train station when you arrive to figure out when to leave. Going north to Plovdiv or Sofia, you will first have to transfer at Septemvri. (Wikivoyage, Wikipedia)