Pirin Mountain

The country’s second highest mountain, highest peak Vihren (2,914 in); - 176 mountain lakes and about 100 varieties of rare plants, including the edelweiss and the famous Baikousheva fir, almost 1,300 years old; - location of the well-known climatic and spa resort of Sandaski and the latest Bulgarian ski center Bansko.

Pirin National Park

The main ridge of the mountains is aligned from north-west to south-south-east. It is about 80km long and 40km wide. It covers an area of 2,585 sq km of exceptional natural beauty - high peaks, many glacial massifs, 176 lakes. About 90% of these lakes are more than 2,100m above sea level. 119 of them were created by glaciers. The most famous of these are: Popovo lake, Kremenskite lakes, Valiavihkite lakes, Vlahinskite lakes, Bunderishkite lakes, Vasilashkite lakes. The sharply contoured landscape and the blend of Central European and mediterranean climates ensure a wide variety of flora and fauna. In 1962 part of the mountain was proclaimed as a national park, initially named Vihren, and later on renamed Pirin. Noting the uniqueness of the park and its global significance, UNESCO included it in the World Register of Natural Heritage.
The park covers an area of 26,479.8 hectares, and is the largest in the country. It includes parts of the mountains which are more than 1,000m above sea level, with unique ecosystems, areas with specific geomorphology, a large number of Bulgarian and Balkan endemites and relics. There are a few trees declared to be natural heritage, including the Baikusheva white fir, more than 1,200 years old, 16m high and with a circumference of 5.70m.
The park also contains 70 glacial lakes, many caves, waterfalls, majestic abysses and cliffs. The areas of natural beauty include the Bunderishki caves, Kasana, Kioshkata, the rock formation Pirostiata, the Demianishki Skok and Iulenski Skok waterfalls, the natural reserve Baiuvi Dupki - Jinjiritsa, etc. The mountain is almost impassable. Roads have been made from Bansko, Sandanski, Gotze Delchev, etc.