2 stops in walking order

Historic Site

Musala is the highest peak in the Rila Mountains, as well as in Bulgaria and the entire Balkan Peninsula, standing at 2,925.42 metres (9,597.8 ft). With a topographic prominence of 2,473 metres (8,114 ft), Musala is also the 6th highest peak by topographic prominence in mainland Europe. It is also the 3rd most topographically isolated major peak in Continental Europe. Musala is situated within the Rila National Park, which is noted for its rich flora, including species such as Macedonian Pine and Bulgarian Fir in the forests on its middle slopes, and fauna; it is one of the easiest places in Europe to see the wallcreeper. All major mountain ranges of Bulgaria can be seen from the top; these include Vitosha to the northwest, Sredna Gora towards the northeast, the Balkan Mountains along most of the northern horizon behind Vitosha and Sredna Gora, the Rhodope Mountains to the southeast, Pirin to the south, Osogovo and Ruy Mountain to the west, and of course, the rest of Rila. A cosmic ray station was built on the peak in 1960 with cooperation from the Hungarian Academy of Science. The station conducted scientific experiments using a muon telescope. The station was destroyed by an electrical fire on October 29, 1983.

~20 min at this stop

Historic Site

Central Rila Reserve is a nature reserve in Rila National Park, located in the Rila mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria. Spanning a territory of 12417 ha or 124.17 km2, it is the largest nature reserve in the nation and the Balkan Peninsula. It was declared in February 1992 to protect undisturbed primary alpine ecosystems. Upon its creation, the Central Rila Reserve included the whole territory of the previously existing since 1956 Marichini Lakes Reserve, and the latter seized to exist as a separate protected area, which had been part of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 1977. It is a strict nature reserve (1st category protected territory according to Bulgarian legislation and IUCN classification).

~20 min at this stop