Into Bulgaria's Mystic Mountains

Bulgaria's mountains are regarded as vast, original and biodiverse.

They are a paradise for hikers. Those who love discoveries can find ancient civilizations, travel on medieval trade routes, visit Christian places of pilgrimage and mythical, legendary places. Since the region was a military restricted area at the time of the Iron Curtain, a flora and fauna has been preserved that has long since disappeared elsewhere. Bulgaria's mountains are one of the last refuges for the European brown bear and the lynx, which has become very rare in Europe. And so this expedition through Bulgaria's mountains is a journey into one of the most varied and species-rich Landscapes of Europe - and still an adventure.

The Balkan Mountains stretch from the northwest of Bulgaria to the Black Sea coast. Deep valleys edge between the mountain massifs of the Stara Planina, the Old Mountains, as the Balkan Mountains are called in Bulgaria. The massifs extend along a distance of over 600 kilometers, with a pronounced promontory on its northern side and steep slopes to the south. It is defined by passes and cleaved by valleys making the Balkan Mountains multifaceted.