The Nature Park Rila Monastery, set on a territory of 27,370.7 hectares of forests, meadows and alpine peaks, is a wealth of rare and protected wildlife species, plant survivors of past geological ages and some of the oldest forests. It belongs to the Rila municipality, Kyustendil district. The Park was establish to protect the ecologically valuable plant and animal communities, as well as to preserve the remarkable diversity and beauty of the landscapes. Rila Monastery Nature Park’s lands also provide a natural source for genetic information dating back to the Ice Age. Incredibly, more than 110 plant species in the Park are survivors of past geological ages!!! Its natural repository is a gene pool for reconstitution of the disturbed European ecosystems and a tresor for the reintroduction of plants and animals to other sites, thus mitigating the changing climate. This makes the Park one of the most valuable territories in the Balkan Peninsula for the conservation of relict flora. Each of the Park’s natural resources are developed for touris. Owing to the intense effects of high alpine weathering and the Rila massifs considerable gravitational force, here one may find typical alpine features such as scree and talus slopes. Especially impressive from a geomorphologic point of view is the area around the Kirilova Meadow, including a fascinating stone rainbow and several high alpine peaks. Due to the action of glaciers during the Quaternary geologic period, there are now 28 glacial lakes at higher elevations. The Devil’s Lake is at an elevation of 2,445 meters, and the lowest one, the Dry Lake – 1,892 meters. The largest alpine lake on the Balkan Peninsula – The Smradleevo Lake, with a surface area of 212 decares and a maximum depth of 24 meters is also located on the Park’s territory. The highest peak, the Golyam Koopen is at 2,731 meters. Several rivers and streams flow throughout the territory of the park. There are 1,400 plant species on the park’s territory. The unique diversity of the park includes 1400 species of vascular plants, of which 49 species are included in the Bulgarian Red Book. There are 202 species of vertebrates, 122 species of birds, 52 species of mammals and 2475 species of invertebrates. Tree diversity in the park is represented by more than 35 tree and shrub species and medicinal plants. A number of species are included in the European List of Rare, Threatened and Endemic plant species, among them are the Rilski Reven, the Bodjectvena Igleeka, the Ynkieven Lopen, etc. Wood species in the Park include oak, beech, fir, spruce, yew, white fir, black pine, lime, sycamore, ashe, birch, dwarf pine and juniper. The wealth of wildlife in the park has no equal in Bulgaria or Europe. It is home to some extremely rare wildlife species that are threatened with extinction both on a European and on a global scale. These include the imperial eagle and the black vulture; the dormouse, otters, mole rats, and brown squirrels; and the wolf. Observant and patient visitors may catch sight of the Alpine Newt, Tree Frog, Mouse Snake, Marten, The Imperial Eagle, etc. Here is one of the most important monuments of Bulgarian culture – Rila Monastery, founded in the early 10th century and the most desirable place for worship. In 1983, UNESCO declared the monastery a cultural monument of world importance. A number of hiking trails with high intensity were developed by the Park’s administration, as part of the International tourist route -4 Pyrenees – Alps – Olympus:
Rila Monastery – Kirilova Polyana – Dry Lake – Kobilino reservation
Rila Monastery – Fish Lake – Lake Smradlivoto
Rila Monastery – Maliovitsa
Rila Monastery – The Seven Rila Lakes
Rila Monastery – Radovichka River – hut “Macedonia ”
All these routes are well signposted and marked with the appropriate colors from NPD .