Guided tours in the beech forests of the Central Balkan National Park
09 July 2021
The Central Balkan National Park Directorate organizes free guided tours in the beech forests, part of a serial site on the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List.
Three visits are planned in 2021 and three in 2022. They will be of varying difficulty - low, medium and high. The aim is to enable a wider range of people to touch corners of Bulgarian nature that have received international recognition.
In 2021, the three planned routes for getting acquainted with the beech forests of the Central Balkans are:
1. Kordela locality - Kostina locality (medium level of difficulty) - August 28, 2021
2. Vidimsko Praskalo Eco-trail (low level of difficulty) - September 4, 2021.
3. Panitsite area - Ray chalet (high level of difficulty) - September 11, 2021.
Each candidate to participate in any of the events must fill in a participation form in which to indicate his / her preferred route (s). The correctly filled in form is a guarantee for participation in the selection. For each route a maximum number of participants is determined, who will be selected according to certain criteria such as the order of the submitted form, information about the interests and experience of the candidates, etc.
The application form can be found here.
Please send the completed form by July 30, 2021 to e-mail office@centralbalkan.bg or to the address 3 Bodra Smyana Str., Gabrovo 5300, for the Central Balkan National Park Directorate. For more information you can call 0886 76 19 94.
Be sure to indicate in the form whether you will be accompanied by your children, as well as whether another member of your family has completed their application.
The selected participants in the transitions will be announced on the website of the Park Directorate (www.centralbalkan.bg) on August 5, 2021.
Route 1: Kordela locality – Kostina locality (medium level of difficulty) – August 28, 2021
This route will take us from the Kordela locality on the western border of the Central Balkan National Park to the historic Kostina area above the village of Ribaritsa. Much of the route passes through the northern parts of the Boatin Reserve – the first declared reserve in the current national park. Along the route, under a Boatin’s beech we will have the opportunity to get acquainted with the peculiarities of the forests in the region and why even UNESCO pays attention to their protection.
The starting point is the town of Teteven – the square in front of the building of the Municipality of Teteven. The time we gather is 9:30. The time of departure to Kordela, village of Divchovoto, with the transport organized by us is 9:45. At the end of the transition we will again rely on organized transportation from Kostina, Ribaritsa, to Teteven. Expected arrival time in Teteven – 16:00. A lunch pack is provided for all participants. Transport and food are free for participants in the tour!
Route 2: Vidimsko Praskalo Eco-trail (low level of difficulty) – September 4, 2021.
This route will show us part of the valley of the river Praskalska and will take us to the viewing point opposite the waterfall Vidimsko Praskalo. Part of the route enters the northern parts of the Severen Dzhendem Reserve – one of the nine reserves in the park and part of the Bulgarian component of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, preserving the most representative beech forests in Europe.
The starting point is the town of Apriltsi, Novo Selo neighbourhood – the square in front of the cultural community center. The time we gather is 9:30. The time of departure to Vidima HPP (Vidima neighbourhood, Apriltsi) with the transport organized by us is 9:45. You can also join directly from the parking lot in front of Vidima HPP – departure time is 10:00. At the end of the tourl we will again rely on organized transportation from Vidima HPP to the center of Apriltsi (Novo Selo). Expected arrival time in Apriltsi – 15:00. A lunch pack is provided for all participants. Transport and food are free for participants in the tour!
Route 3: Panitsite area – Ray chalet (high level of difficulty) – September 11, 2021
The walk along the most popular tourist route in the Central Balkan National Park will take us from the resort area Panitsite near the town of Kalofer to the foot of the highest waterfall on the Balkan Peninsula – Rayskoto praskalo waterfall (124.5 m). Most of the route pass within the largest reserve in the park – Dzhendema Reserve. Crossing the cool valleys of Golyama and Malka Bazovitsa rivers and climbing through the steep Rogacheva gora locality we will have the opportunity to get acquainted with the beech forests, awarded by UNESCO. After the arrival in Ray chalet, there will be an opportunity to visit the waterfall.
The starting point is the town of Kalofer – the square in front of the cultural community center. The time we gather is 8:30. The time of departure to the Panitsite locality with the transport organized by us is 8:45. You can join directly from the parking lot in the area of Panitsite – departure time is 9:00. At the end of the tour we will again rely on organized transportation from Panitsite to the center of Kalofer. Expected arrival time in Kalofer – 19:00. A lunch pack is provided for all participants. Transport and food are free for participants in the tour!
Since 2017 the best preserved and most representative natural beech forests of the nine reserves of the Central Balkan National Park are part of the serial transnational site of UNESCO World Natural Heritage Ancient and Primeval Beech Forest of the Carpathians and other regions in Europe. With an area of nearly 11 thousand hectares, the Bulgarian component is the largest area among a total of 78 components, distributed in 12 European countries.
The visits to the forests of the Central Balkan are realized in the implementation of activity “3.02. Local and national awareness raising“ under the LIFE PROGNOSES Project LIFE20 PRE / BE / 00011 – LIFE PRotection of Old Growth Forests in Europe: Natural heritage, Outline, Synthesis and Ecosystem Services (Strengthening primary and old growth forest protection in Europe by capitalizing on World Heritage sites).
We recommend you to make mountain insurance for the tours!
Three visits are planned in 2021 and three in 2022. They will be of varying difficulty - low, medium and high. The aim is to enable a wider range of people to touch corners of Bulgarian nature that have received international recognition.
In 2021, the three planned routes for getting acquainted with the beech forests of the Central Balkans are:
1. Kordela locality - Kostina locality (medium level of difficulty) - August 28, 2021
2. Vidimsko Praskalo Eco-trail (low level of difficulty) - September 4, 2021.
3. Panitsite area - Ray chalet (high level of difficulty) - September 11, 2021.
Each candidate to participate in any of the events must fill in a participation form in which to indicate his / her preferred route (s). The correctly filled in form is a guarantee for participation in the selection. For each route a maximum number of participants is determined, who will be selected according to certain criteria such as the order of the submitted form, information about the interests and experience of the candidates, etc.
The application form can be found here.
Please send the completed form by July 30, 2021 to e-mail office@centralbalkan.bg or to the address 3 Bodra Smyana Str., Gabrovo 5300, for the Central Balkan National Park Directorate. For more information you can call 0886 76 19 94.
Be sure to indicate in the form whether you will be accompanied by your children, as well as whether another member of your family has completed their application.
The selected participants in the transitions will be announced on the website of the Park Directorate (www.centralbalkan.bg) on August 5, 2021.
Route 1: Kordela locality – Kostina locality (medium level of difficulty) – August 28, 2021
This route will take us from the Kordela locality on the western border of the Central Balkan National Park to the historic Kostina area above the village of Ribaritsa. Much of the route passes through the northern parts of the Boatin Reserve – the first declared reserve in the current national park. Along the route, under a Boatin’s beech we will have the opportunity to get acquainted with the peculiarities of the forests in the region and why even UNESCO pays attention to their protection.
The starting point is the town of Teteven – the square in front of the building of the Municipality of Teteven. The time we gather is 9:30. The time of departure to Kordela, village of Divchovoto, with the transport organized by us is 9:45. At the end of the transition we will again rely on organized transportation from Kostina, Ribaritsa, to Teteven. Expected arrival time in Teteven – 16:00. A lunch pack is provided for all participants. Transport and food are free for participants in the tour!
Route 2: Vidimsko Praskalo Eco-trail (low level of difficulty) – September 4, 2021.
This route will show us part of the valley of the river Praskalska and will take us to the viewing point opposite the waterfall Vidimsko Praskalo. Part of the route enters the northern parts of the Severen Dzhendem Reserve – one of the nine reserves in the park and part of the Bulgarian component of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, preserving the most representative beech forests in Europe.
The starting point is the town of Apriltsi, Novo Selo neighbourhood – the square in front of the cultural community center. The time we gather is 9:30. The time of departure to Vidima HPP (Vidima neighbourhood, Apriltsi) with the transport organized by us is 9:45. You can also join directly from the parking lot in front of Vidima HPP – departure time is 10:00. At the end of the tourl we will again rely on organized transportation from Vidima HPP to the center of Apriltsi (Novo Selo). Expected arrival time in Apriltsi – 15:00. A lunch pack is provided for all participants. Transport and food are free for participants in the tour!
Route 3: Panitsite area – Ray chalet (high level of difficulty) – September 11, 2021
The walk along the most popular tourist route in the Central Balkan National Park will take us from the resort area Panitsite near the town of Kalofer to the foot of the highest waterfall on the Balkan Peninsula – Rayskoto praskalo waterfall (124.5 m). Most of the route pass within the largest reserve in the park – Dzhendema Reserve. Crossing the cool valleys of Golyama and Malka Bazovitsa rivers and climbing through the steep Rogacheva gora locality we will have the opportunity to get acquainted with the beech forests, awarded by UNESCO. After the arrival in Ray chalet, there will be an opportunity to visit the waterfall.
The starting point is the town of Kalofer – the square in front of the cultural community center. The time we gather is 8:30. The time of departure to the Panitsite locality with the transport organized by us is 8:45. You can join directly from the parking lot in the area of Panitsite – departure time is 9:00. At the end of the tour we will again rely on organized transportation from Panitsite to the center of Kalofer. Expected arrival time in Kalofer – 19:00. A lunch pack is provided for all participants. Transport and food are free for participants in the tour!
Since 2017 the best preserved and most representative natural beech forests of the nine reserves of the Central Balkan National Park are part of the serial transnational site of UNESCO World Natural Heritage Ancient and Primeval Beech Forest of the Carpathians and other regions in Europe. With an area of nearly 11 thousand hectares, the Bulgarian component is the largest area among a total of 78 components, distributed in 12 European countries.
The visits to the forests of the Central Balkan are realized in the implementation of activity “3.02. Local and national awareness raising“ under the LIFE PROGNOSES Project LIFE20 PRE / BE / 00011 – LIFE PRotection of Old Growth Forests in Europe: Natural heritage, Outline, Synthesis and Ecosystem Services (Strengthening primary and old growth forest protection in Europe by capitalizing on World Heritage sites).
We recommend you to make mountain insurance for the tours!
