Bulgaria

Bulgaria lies in the heart of the Balkan Peninsula in South Eastern Europe. For tourists is has un-crowded ski resorts and beautiful mountains. Quiet rural and fertile Bulgaria is as big as England but on has 8 million inhabitants. Since 1990s it has turned its' back on communism and towards western Europe, with an expectation to join the EU in 2007.

The Rila mountains offer skiing in the winter and spectacular walking and climbing in the summer/spring and autumn.

The major ski resort of Borovets becomes available from Mid December until mid-April. The slopes are covered with thick snow.

The country's neighbours include to the west Serbia, to the north Romania and to the south Greece. It is also bordered on the east by the Black sea.

Borovets has been the host of the World cup downhill ski championships.

The town is based 1147 m above sea level and the slopes rise above at 2500 meters, accessed via a gondola.

The genuine charm of Borovets town is at it's best in winter. There are over 40 km of ski runs available to the downhill skier, many of which are tree lined. There are also dozens of ski tracks for cross country skiers. Amongst the multitude of ski lifts and draglifts the most significant one is the gondola. The journey takes 20 minutes and whisks you to the playground of intermediate runs.

There are some very large and imposing hotels in Borovets centre, these serve the large number of package holiday-makers who come from around Europe. A multitude of small and friendly bars and restaurants line the streets of this small tourist town. They serve food of an international and Bulgarian nature and drinks throughout the day. Menus are translated into English. The prices vary depending on the location of the establishment and their height and proximity to the slopes.

Along the narrow streets of the tourist town are small souvenir and clothing stores, selling ski and leisure wear, sunglasses and usual local souvenirs. Local women are seen knitting traditional socks, jumpers and making lace table cloths and they sell their work to passers by.

The resort village of Goverdartsi is the gateway to the highest mountain in Bulgaria the Rila. The Rila rises up to a height of 2925m, and is the 6th highest peak in Europe. The name comes from the form of being abundant in water, water mountain.

The village is a 12 km car journey to the Borovets resort. It is an excellent base of mountain hiking, which can be enjoyed particularly in the spring, summer and autumn. Thousands of kilometres of trails are marked out in the mountains. The high mountain lakes are scattered around the Rila mountain range. There is a wealth of natural beauty to admire, in the National park including wild flowers, animals and birds.