Pirin National Park

Pirin is built largely of marble, which gives its peaks a pale, sharp, almost alpine character quite different from the rounded Rila range next door. Above the treeline the mountain is a mass of bare rock, scree and more than a hundred and fifty glacial lakes, linked by a network of trails and mountain huts that makes multi-day traverses straightforward for anyone with the legs. Vihren, at 2,914 metres, is the highest peak and a long but non-technical climb from the hut below it. On the lower slopes stands Baikushev's pine, a Bosnian pine estimated at well over a thousand years old and one of the oldest trees in the country. Bansko at the foot is a ski resort in winter and a hiking base in summer.

What you actually see

• Vihren - the marble summit, a demanding day walk from the Vihren hut.
• The glacial lakes - chains of lakes across the high basins, reachable on day and multi-day routes.
• Baikushev's pine - a Bosnian pine over a thousand years old on the lower slopes.
• Bansko old town - stone houses, a mehana tradition and the ski lifts in winter.

When to go

June to September for hiking, once the snow has cleared from the high basins; snow can linger into July in shaded couloirs. December to April for skiing at Bansko. Weather above the treeline changes fast and thunderstorms build in summer afternoons.

Honest expectations

The high routes are on marble scree and karst that is slippery and hard on ankles, and the Koncheto ridge in particular is a genuinely exposed scramble with fixed cables that people underestimate badly. Bansko's ski development has been controversial and has encroached on the park, which is visible from the trails. Huts are basic and busy in August.

Nearby

Rila monastery and the Seven Lakes lie north; Melnik's sandstone pyramids are south.