I visited Bulgaria several times, including 2 trips in December 2015. The first one, solo, to visit some friends in Plovdiv. The second one with my brother to introduce him to this beautiful country. On both occasions, my friend took me to hike in the Bulgarian nature. So, here are the two sites we explored.
A Hike In The “Central Balkan” National Park
The “Central Balkan” National Park In Bulgaria
About 60km (a bit more than an hour drive) from Plovdiv, the “Central Balkan” National Park is the third largest protected area in Bulgaria. In this park, you’ll find 9 reserves called Boatin, Tsarichina, Kozya Stena, Steneto, Stara Reka, Dzhendema, North Dzhendem, Singing Rocks and Sokolna.
The “Central Balkan” park is part of the National Ecological Network (NEN) and of the coordinated European ecological network of Natura 2000 sites. Plus, in 2006, it became a certified member of the Federation of European Natural and National Parks (EUROPARC), and since 2008, it has been recognized by the European Union as a protected area (natural habitat, flora and fauna).
What Does The Hike Look Like?
Since the national park is 720 km2, there are about 70 routes you can take. To be honest, I just followed my friends. Paths are clearly indicated and you shouldn’t get lost. Even if you don’t need to be in a particularly good shape, there are a lot of steps, so you need to have good knees and you might sweat a bit.
We were with a dog scared of those steps, and I remember she had to be carried some of the time.
The whole “Central Balkan” park is gorgeous with beautiful bridges, mountains and waterfalls. So, it doesn’t matter that much which path you take. Plus, there are several signs to tell you about the park and the nature you’ll see.
There were also spaces to light campfires, which we appreciated at the end of the hike. The weather was beautiful, but still very cold!
PS: there is more than one entrance to the park.
Discover The Wonderful Bridges
The Wonderful Bridges have two names: Chudnite Mostove (Wonderful Bridges) and Skalnite Mostove (The Rock Bridges). From Plovdiv, it’s about an hour and a half drive (70-80km). Note that roads can be a bit rough and bumpy before you arrive. On the way, we stopped at the Bachkovski Monastery. I definitely recommend a halt there: the colors and architecture are typical of Bulgaria and very beautiful.
This is a short but amazing hike.
The Wonderful Bridges are a natural landmark. Just like the Gouffre de Padirac, the site is a cave that was formed by the river and then partially collapsed. The largest bridge is about 15m wide in its wider parts and almost 100m long. This bridge is composed of three giant arches. The smaller bridge is about 200m away from the big one and has a length of 60m and a height of 50m.
You can view the Wonderful Bridges both from above and from under, you can even descend to the stream that is flowing beneath the bridges. In December, it was frozen and looked magical!
To see more photos of Bulgaria, you can visit the gallery Bulgaria.
