Trekking / trekking through Europe

Hiking and trekking in Europe with hikingeuropa.com

Europe has large mountain ranges where you can go hiking, or in english trekking, enjoying nature and its landscapes. The typical destinations for this have traditionally been the Pyrenees and Picos de Europa in Spain, the Dolomites in Italy, the alps in switzerland,… However, its proximity to the large cities of Europe have caused these areas to become over-exploited by tourism., suffering from traffic jams to access, high prices, overcrowding and often turning what a perfect holiday should be into a bad experience.

Something common among hiking enthusiasts in Europe is being able to enjoy the open spaces without having to queue or suffer from crowds. And although it may seem incredible, there are times of the year when these mountains are so populated with tourists that achieving it is an impossible task.. Does anyone want to take a picture in front of a nice waterfall? Well wait your turn because there are others 4 tourists before you. How do we get to the start of the route? By road but the hotel concierge recommends that we leave very early so as not to find the full parking lot from which the route begins. Can we stay in a rural house near the mountain? Not anymore, they should have reserved it 6 months before. They are all cases that many of us have suffered in these countries that are supposed to be the hiking paradise in Europe.

As a counterpoint to this situation national parks of Bulgaria they offer a still unexplored nature thanks to the few visitors that the country receives compared to the destinations mentioned above. On the natural resources that the country offers there are surprising figures such as that the 35% of the country is occupied by forests (UN data 2010) and that in its national parks there are a multitude of lakes of glacial origin and mountains of up to 2.925 meters high (Rila and Pirin National Parks). You can go hiking in these national parks for both beginners and advanced levels, for the more adventurous even reaching peaks without the need for the alpine method, Only with a harness and suitable clothing, routes can be made through various peaks thanks to the steel cables that guide the route and serve as anchors.

But you don't have to be an athlete to enjoy the green areas of Bulgaria, For example, in the Central Balkan National Park and in the Rhodope Mountains there are hiking and trekking routes, as well as marked trails, through the lush forests where the slopes to overcome are within the reach of trekkers of any age and physical condition. An example is the path that runs parallel to the River Devin and of which you can see one of its parts in the photograph in this article. If desired there is also extreme hiking trails such as the Borov Kamak route to the north of the country. During this trekking route you must go up and down stairs and wooden bridges on the edge of the river ravine that leads to the waterfall of the same name..

Another advantage of Bulgaria for hiking and trekking is that the trails that run through these mountains are close to places of great interest such as traditional villages., Orthodox monasteries of surprising architecture, waterfalls, caves and other natural phenomena that allow you to combine hiking with other active tourism activities without having to leave the area where you are trekking, making hiking even more enriching for the visitor.

As an alternative, the Nordic countries have recently been on the rise for hiking, but for the Spanish, its remoteness, the poor combination of flights to reach the outskirts of the mountains and the long distances between the airport and the start of the routes make them unattractive. This coupled with the high prices of flights, services and accommodation that exist in northern European countries, unlike in Bulgaria where the value for money is much more favorable.

I recommend that you expand information on the rest of the pages of this website if you are a fan of hiking in Europe.