Rila National Park
Panichishte, 2630 Rila, Bulgaria
Description:
One hundred kilometers from the capital of Bulgaria is the Rila National Park. Its area is huge - more than eighty hectares. The park is a Bulgarian center of hiking, equestrian and cycling tourism. The main attraction of the park is the Rila Monastery, the largest in the whole country.
Rila National Park was founded in 1992 to prevent the destruction of the natural heritage of the Rila Mountains.
Today in the park you can find fifteen thousand species of trees, many species of moss and freshwater algae. Among the representatives of the Rila fauna there are at least 20 rare - listed in the Red Book. The animal world of the park is less rich: 48 species of mammals, a couple of dozen species of amphibians and several species of fish.