Central Balkans: Very Strong Winds on Mount Botev

The high parts of the Bulgarian Mountains have again been subject to very strong winds today. This time Mount Botev in the Central Balkans (Stara Planina) has been the windiest peak with speeds averaging 30m/s, and at times topping 40m/s.

Central Balkans: Mountain Rescue Services Save Man

A man who tried to make his way home to the village of Anton across the main ridge of the Central Balkans (Stara Planina) in atrocious weather and without proper clothing, equipment and food supplies, was finally discovered and saved by the Bulgarian Mountain Rescue Services. He was located in an abandoned shack on the northern slopes of the Central Balkans (Stara Planina) suffering from hypothermia, dehydration and exhaustion. Apparently he had been trapped in the mountains for 5 days when he finally made a call for help on his mobile phone.

Central Balkans: Two Climbers Rescued from Avalanche below Mount Botev

Two climbers caught in an avalanche in the 'Severen Dzhendem' Nature Reserve below Mount Botev in the Central Balkans (Stara Planina) were finally rescued today. The avalanche fell yesterday evening and the Bulgarian Mountain Rescue Services were quickly on the scene. However, the difficulty of the terrain and danger of triggering fresh avalanches hindered rescue efforts. The climbers survived the night by digging a snow-shole, and were finally rescued today. One of the climbers has a fractured leg and hypothermia, and the other has a dislocated shoulder.

New Record Low Temperatures in Bulgaria

Last night 17 towns and villages recorded new record low temperatures. These were concentrated in northern and eastern Bulgaria. Coldest of all was the town of Dobrich in the Dobrudzha region. The record low temperature for the town had been -15.2°C recorded in 1909, but last night temperatures plunged to -25.5°C. But even this is still a long way off the coldest temperature ever recorded in Bulgaria. That was -38.3°C recorded in 1947 in the small town of Tran which lies west-north-west of Sofia close to the border with Serbia.

Forecasters are predicting another very cold day and night. Today in the mountains, at altitudes over 2000m, it is expected that maximum temperatures will be no higher than about -12°C.

Danger of Frostbite & Hypothermia in the Bulgarian Mountains

The bitter weather continues its icy grip on Bulgaria. At 08-00 this morning it was -18.0°C on the summit of Mount Musala in the Rila Mountains and as low as -20.0°C on the summit of Mount Botev in the Balkan Mountains (Stara Planina). The Bulgarian Mountain Rescue Services are warning that there is danger of hypothermia and frostbite and that those venturing out into the mountains should be properly equipped.

Bulgarian Mountain Weather Update

This week has seen Bulgaria swept by bitter Siberian weather, bringing heavy snow and plunging temperatures. Daily temperatures on Mount Botev in the Balkan Mountains (Stara Planina) have been averaging about -13°C during the week, and on Mount Musala in the Rila Mountains they have been averaging about -15°C.

'Central Balkan' National Park

Founded in 1991, the 'Central Balkan' National Park is the second largest protected territory in Bulgaria with an area of 71,669.5 hectares. It is located in the highest part of the Stara Planina (Balkan Mountains), covering an 85 kilometre long stretch of the main ridge. About 39% of the 'Central Balkan' National Park comprises mountain pastures, meadows and rock outcrops. The remaining 61% of the 'Central Balkan' National Park is forested, Broad-leaved species dominate, in particular European Beech (Fagus sylvatica) which accounts for about 70% of the forested area. The most common coniferous species is Norway Spruce (Picea abies).

There are nine nature reserves within the 'Central Balkan' National Park, accounting for about 28% of its total area:

• 'Boatin' Nature Reserve (1,597.2 hectares)


• 'Tsarichina' Nature Reserve (3,418.7 hectares)


• 'Kozya Stena' Nature Reserve (904.3 hectares)


• 'Steneto' Nature Reserve (3,578.8 hectares)


• 'Stara Reka' Nature Reserve (1 974.7 hectares)


• 'Dzhendema' Nature Reserve (4,220.2 hectares)


• 'Severen Dzhendem' Nature Reserve (1,610 hectares)


• 'Peeshtite Skali' Nature Reserve (1,465.7 hectares)


• 'Sokolna' Nature Reserve (1,250 hectares)

The 'Boatin' Nature Reserve, 'Tsarichina' Nature Reserve, 'Steneto' Nature Reserve and 'Dzhendema' Nature Reserve have all been designated as UNESCO Biosphere Reserves.

The flora of the 'Central Balkan' National Park is extremely rich, some 1900 species and sub-species of higher plants which represents about half the Bulgarian flora. These include 10 local endemics (found nowhere else in the world), 10 Bulgarian endemics (known only from Bulgaria) and 67 Balkan endemics (growing only on the Balkan Peninsula).

The 'Central Balkan' National Park also has an extremely varied fauna. The invertebrate fauna is still only partly studied, but already over 2300 species and subspecies have been recorded. These include 9 species of dragonfly (Odonata) and many interesting butterflies (Lepidoptera).

The vertebrate fauna of the 'Central Balkan' National Park has been studied in much greater detail, and includes 6 species of fish, 8 species of amphibians and 14 species of reptiles. Some 224 species of birds have been recorded within the national park itself, of which 123 species have been recorded as breeding. This number increases to 151 nesting species if one includes the species that have been recorded breeding in adjacent areas and which fall within the 'Central Balkan' Important Bird Area (IBA). Some 59 species of mammals have been recorded in the 'Central Balkan' National Park. These include 18 species of bats, 25 species of small mammals (insectivores and rodents), and 16 species of large mammals, of which 12 species are carnivores including brown bear, wolf, jackal and even a record of a lynx.

Bulgaria's National Parks

Bulgaria has a long tradition of nature conservation. Its first protected area, the 'Silkosiya' Nature Reserve was established in the Strandzha Mountains in 1931. Three years later, in 1934, a 'People's Park' was established on the Vitosha Mountains, becoming the first such “national nature park” to be established on the Balkan Peninsula. Today, Bulgaria’s protected areas encompass approximately 4.3% of the country’s territory, and comprise 90 nature reserves, 3 national parks, 11 nature parks, 457 natural landmarks, and 175 protected localities.
Bulgaria's three National Parks (IUCN Category II) are:

• 'Pirin' National Park (40, 332.4 hectares)


• 'Rila' National Park (81,046 hectares)


• 'Central Balkan' National Park (71,669.5 hectares)

This blog is dedicated to describing the wonderful hiking and wildlife watching opportunities in Bulgaria's national parks, and to promoting the protection and conservation of what are outstanding mountain regions rich in an exceptional flora and fauna.

Stara Planina (Balkan Mountains)

The Stara Planina (Balkan Mountains) cover a total area of 11,600 square kilometres, almost one tenth of Bulgaria’s total land mass, and stretch right across the country from the Serbian border in the west to the Black Sea in the east. As a whole, the range comprises a large number of individual, yet closely associated massifs. However, a distinct main ridge can be delineated, which stretches for 530 kilometres from the Belogradchik Pass to Cape Emine, with an average width of between 15 and 50 kilometres. Although the average altitude of the range is only 722 metres, twenty-nine of its peaks top 2000 metres.

The name Stara Planina literally means 'Old Mountains', yet despite this title, they are in geological terms, the youngest mountain range in Bulgaria. The Stara Planina (Balkan Mountains) are on one of the so-called “new fold-mountains” that were uplifted as part of the Alpine-Himalayan system during the Tertiary period. The ancient core of the range mainly consists of Palaeozoic crystalline schists, often interspersed with granites. However, it is only in higher parts of the Western Stara Planina (Western Balkans) and Central Stara Planina (Central Balkans) that these break through to the surface. Elsewhere they have been outflanked by younger Mesozoic rocks, predominantly limestones, sandstones and marls. Due to their comparatively modest altitude, the Stara Planina (Central Balkans) were not subject to the effects of galciation during the Quaternary period, and thus lack many of the most striking features associated with typical alpine terrain. Instead, in many places, the range has been gradually eroded into a broad, rolling ridge of rounded summits and shallow saddles.