Sokolna Reserve was designated on July 11, 1979. With an area of 1,250 hectares, it occupies altitudes between 730 and 1,770 meters, comprising part of the Triglav mountain massif, the Sokolna River valley, and the Kyui Dere River watershed. It is located in part on the villages of Skobelevo and Asen’s lands, both part of the Pavel Banya Municipality. Sokolna Reserve is a natural botanical garden. Its massive, vertical limestone and silicate cliffs flank the valley of the Sokolna River–creating the perfect setting for incredible plant diversity. The Reserve is home to around 600 species of higher plants, 40 of which are rare and endangered, including Balkan cowslip, Kostov’s stonecrop, Balkan edelweiss, and Bulgarian seseli.

     The forests are mostly beech, oak, hornbeam, flowering ash, and sycamore. There are remarkable concentrations of savin juniper and lilac. Vertebrate species include chamois, bears, owls, black and white-backed woodpeckers, golden eagles, hunting and peregrine falcons, large and small hawks, and kestrel.
 

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