Rutas de Montaña Rila

  Rila mountain seems to be a piece of the Alps thrown into the heart of the Balkans with its 130 Alpine peaks above 2000m, glacial valleys and lakes. The snow cover on the parts of average altitude and the Alpine parts often exceeds 2m. Eastern Rila is the highest part of the mountain where one can visit Rila's highest mount-Moussala (2925m) and the 10 top peaks, and the highest lake in Rila-the Glacial lake (2709m). Northwestern Rila is the home to some of the symbols of Bulgarian alpinism and mountaineering-Maliovitsa and Kupenite peaks, and the biggest and significant lake groups, the most famous and scenic of all - the 7 Rila lakes. Many marked tourist hiking trails and high-mountain rock climbing tours originate from here. In the southwest, Rila National Park covers nearly half of the Rila mountain range, including its 14 highest peaks. It is the largest in Bulgaria with two of its four nature reserves under UNESCO protection. Here too there are many lakes, including the marvellous cluster of the 7 Rila lakes. The Park is covered with thick spruce, white fir, and Macedonian pine forests including rare and endangered wildlife species and communities, self-regulating ecosystems of biological diversity, as well as historic sites of global cultural and scientific significance such as the 10th-century Rila monastery.