1. Marina Reka Forest Trail
Bulgaria is among the top three countries in Europe regarding forest biodiversity. Many parts of Bulgaria are National Parks or Natural Reserves due to the high levels of natural landscapes. Generally, most of those forests are inhabited or have little access, but if you are passionate about Bulgarian forests, definitely you should visit these 10 beautiful forests. Marina Reka Forest is a tree-covered area, part of Strandzha National Park, which is made for showing the fauna and flora in Bulgaria. The route to get to the forest starts from the Black Sea and it is quite an easy road to follow.
Location: Marina Reka
2. Erma River Gorge
This is an outstanding gorge across the Erma River, and the location there is extremely beautiful. The road to get to the forest and the gorge is full of wooden bridges, large rocks, and panoramic views. It is an easy hike, and there are a lot of bistros in the area before getting deeper into the forest. Totally worth visiting!
Location: Tran
3. Smolyan Fortress Forest Walks
The forest is a smooth and nice location to go hiking and at the end of the forest road, you will meet an old fortress, which is a beautiful place to look around. Typically, in order to get to the forest, you can follow two different routes, which both offer excellent views and landscapes.
Location: Smolyan
4. The Canyon of Waterfalls
The Canyon Waterfalls is one of the greenest areas in Bulgaria and amazingly peaceful forest routes. The area is full of small and big waterfalls, which make the place ideal for photographers. The road to arrive at the Waterfalls is considerably easy and there are many directions to follow and not get lost.
Location: Smolyan
5. Geopark Iskar-Panega
This is the closest forest area in Sofia, so you can easily get there by car or any other alternative transport. The location has many wooden bridges, turquoise rive waters, and rocky mountains. Make sure to have comfortable shoes with you. It is the perfect place to enjoy nature and to have a traditional lunch in some summerhouses being there.
Location: Lukovit
6. Krushuna Waterfalls
Krushuna Waterfalls was for many years an unknown place even to Bulgarians. Lately, it has been an extremely popular place for those who want a weekend getaway in nature. The forest walk is not long, and you can get there in less than an hour. At the end of the road, you will see the Krushuna Waterfalls which is a pretty place to have picknick.
Location: Krushuna
7. Nevyastata Forest Walks
Nevyastata forest is a part of the Smolyan region, which is mostly covered by forests. The area has a fortress as well as an amazing zip line, and a climbing route. In English, the name of the place means ‘The Bride’ as a fact of an old legend. However, the forest area is peaceful and worth exploring.
Location: Smolyan
8. Kom Peak
Kom Peak is a mythical place as it is the highest summit of the Balkan Mountain Range, and it is the starting point for the 20-days hiking in the mountains that leads to the Black Sea. Although, if you wish to have a simple and more short route, you just have to follow the road for the Kom Peak, and enjoy the forest area.
Location: Berkovitsa
9. Malyovitsa Chalet Forest
Malyovitsa Forest is the highest peak of Rila Mountain, a place significant for the Bulgarians, as there was first practiced the mountaineering. The road has places to visit, the Malyovitsa Chalet which is about an hour’s walk and it is pretty easy, and the Malyovitsa peak, which is more than 2 hours to arrive there. The second place is fairly more difficult and you have to be prepared.
Location: Govedartsi
10. Pirin National Park
Pirin National Park is widely known for its variety of plant diversity and glacier lakes. The outstanding park is plenty of lakes, waterfalls, mountains, caves and pure forests. The Pirin National Park is included in the UNESCO Man and Biosphere program, because of the biodiversity. The place is 60% covered by forests consisting of the Macedonian pine and the oldest tree in Bulgaria. Also, there is the world-famous ski center, Bansko.
Location: Pirin
