National park Tsentralen Balkan: Tourism
Providing an opportunity for tourism is one of the main purposes of the Central Balkan NP.
There are many tourist routes in the park that are situated on both mountainsides. The total length of these routes is about 670 km. The first-rate trails are well marked and safeguarded. They afford an opportunity for a rest of full value and spiritual feast close to nature without harming the environment. Cherni vit, Ribaritsa, Chiflik, Cherni Ossum villages, Apriltsi town and Lagat locality are the entry points for hiking from north. The marked trails are 16. Anton village, Klisura town, Rozino village, Hristo Danovo village, Sopot town, Karlovo town, Kalofer town, Taja village, Gabarevo village and Scobelevo village are entry points from south. 9 marked tourist trails start from here. The international mountain route Е-3 /the Atlantic ocean – the Carpathians – the Balkan range – the Black sea/ known for its segment in Bulgaria as Kom – Emine passes through the park along the central ridge.
20 huts with a total capacity of 1434 beds managed by the Bulgarian Tourist Union are situated within the park. 4 state owned tourist bases with a capacity of 264 beds and 3 tourist shelters with a capacity of 40 beds /for stopping at in poor meteorological conditions/ are built up as well.
Hiking is stimulated mainly in accordance with the park`s aims and a limit on the number of overnights in the huts that are in the reserve zone is recommended. Specialized trails for lovers of wild nature, extreme sports, horseback riding and mountain biking have been developed in appointed areas only in order to be environmentally friendly.
In National Park there are horseback riding tours, tours for cycling, floristic tours, birdwatching and animal watching tours, cognitive, cultural and historical tourism, cave diving, photo hunting, alpine and ski-rally are developed.
A system for a short-term rest in the park consisting of bivouac sites, rest-places with campfires, viewpoints and entry points into the park is being developed.
Information on the park and visitor services is being offered mainly in the huts and in the pre-park zone. The distances between the settlements and the park`s borders are small enough to allow short-term /one-day or several-hour/ stays within the park. 5 partner information centres are available to visitors. They are situated in Ribaritsa village /the Community centre/, Cherni Ossum village /in the Natural science museum /, Karlovo town /near Beshbunar locality/, Klisura town /the historical museum/ and in Kalofer town.
Many small hotels, restaurants and shops in the pre-park zone offer good accommodation and catering facilities, souvenirs, rent-a-horse and rent-a-bike services.
The local groups of the Mountain rescue service at the Bulgarian Red Cross take care of visitors` safety. They can help you to engage mountain guides as well.