The Thracians were here as were the Romans but is was five centuries of Ottoman rule and 40 years of communism that left the biggest impact on the small, mountainous country of Bulgaria.  During the cold war Bulgaria was THE holiday destination par excellence for citizens from all over the communist world due to its beautiful mountains and beaches on the Black Sea coast.   Today most holiday makers are western Europeans on cheap package tours to those same beaches and also to the ski resorts of Borovets and Bansko.

Bulgaria has much to offer the adventurous skier.  We will explore the two highest of the seven major mountain massifs in the country – Rila and Pirin.  Both have summits approaching 3000m in altitude, the highest in the Balkans.