My new guidebook to 'Walking in Bulgaria's National Parks' has just been published today by Cicerone Press!The 12 routes described in 'Walking in Bulgaria's National Parks' thread their way through the 'Central Balkan' National Park, 'Rila' National Park and 'Pirin' National Park, taking in ancient forests, shimmering glacial lakes, panoramic ridges and the two highest peaks in the country, Musala and Vihren. All great mountain walks in their own right, they have also been selected to offer the best chance of encountering a wealth of rare plants and animals. 'Walking in Bulgaria's National Parks' offers 2- to 3-day walks for fit and experienced mountain walkers and one full-day ascent of Mount Vihren with comprehensive background information about the wildlife to be seen.
Here is a short piece from the book's introduction:
'Blessed with a favourable climate, a wonderful variety of landscapes, a uniquely rich flora and fauna and a wealth of hiking trails, the choice of where to walk in Bulgaria is pretty much limitless. For the author of a guidebook such as this, it also makes the choice of what to include and what to leave out very difficult. In the end, I decided to limit the focus to Bulgaria’s three national parks, Rila, Pirin and Central Balkan. These national parks not only occupy the highest and wildest mountains in the country, but they are also threaded with a network of well-marked hiking trails. These paths typically lead through spectacular scenery and offer an unrivalled opportunity to encounter some of Europe’s rarest plants and animals.
As well as providing detailed route descriptions for many of the most outstanding walks offered by these three national parks, I have also included a great deal of background information about the history and geography of places passed along the trails, as well as comprehensive details of the wildlife likely to be seen. Mountain walking in Bulgaria’s national parks provides more than simply a physical challenge – it is a unique opportunity to experience wilderness and to glimpse the rare flora and fauna that still manages to find a safe refuge there.'
