For walkers and naturalists, Bulgaria is an unexpected paradise, boasting an amazing variety of landscapes and an outstandingly rich biodiversity. The three wildest and most majestic regions of this mountainous country are protected within the Pirin, Rila and Central Balkan national parks. As well as providing a vital refuge for rare wildlife, these parks also offer some of the finest mountain walking in Bulgaria. The 12 routes described in <i>Walking in Bulgaria's National Parks</i> thread their way through these parks, taking in ancient forests, shimmering glacial lakes, panoramic ridges and the two highest peaks in the country: Musala and Vihren. All great mountain walks, they have also been selected to provide the best chance of encountering the rarest plants and animals.