Pamporovo | Great Skiing Vacation Idea in Southern Bulgaria.

Pamporovo is certainly a great skiing vacation idea in Southern Bulgaria living a brilliant experience enjoying winter sports in the heart of the Balkans in a magnificent corner of Southeastern Europe delighted by a more than captivating resort elevated for its stunning services and facilities as Top destination about those sporting activities at an excellent level reaching in the last decade very high peaks in terms of Incoming tourism with a multitude of people coming from Northern and Western Europe to enjoy the fabulous piste that site offers all around its boundaries with in addition a more than positive feedback.
  
Located in a very strategic geographic position in the fascinating province of Smoljan at just 82, 0 kilometres south of the historic city of Plovdiv, the third largest centre of the country, the attractive Capital Sofia is 240, 0 kilometres away and landing on their airports boasting excellent connections from different International points  is a magnificent chance to visit also those splendid cities well known to have an rich patrimony consisting in fabulous monuments erected in different periods and a large network of superb museums and very interesting exhibitions.

That splendid destination is situated in the middle of the Rhodope mountains dominated by the scenic silhouette of the Snezhanka, a fascinating peak which with its 1928, 0 metres of altitude is one the main local highlights and symbol of that site furthermore flanked by other charming mounts which all together form a stupendous crown in a marvellous territory characterised by wonderful landscapes with a multitude of wild, intact forests and valleys absolutely stunning.

Considered one of the most representative Ski Resort in the entire country at an altitude of 1650,0 metres next to the classical Alpine Ski which is the speciality more practised and highly very appreciated for the great preparation and development of its tracks Pamporovo boasts a magnificent network of of ski lifts complexes and many spaces to enjoy other trendy activities such as snowboarding, freestyle and acrobatic ski. 

All that found a magnificent habitat in that site which not a long time ago to enlarge further flows of tourism established a vast area dedicated to  Ski Cross Country thanks to several kilometres of scenic tracks developed in a virgin environment becoming a Mecca for many people fans of that sport very rooted in the Nordic countries but with many fans in many other Nations.

In addition the local Institutions and new investors thanks to a constant and increasing demand year by year have created in the local boundaries an excellent network of accommodations with very comfortable Hotels of different categories simple impressive and despite the small size in terms of square kilometres of the municipal boundaries providing over 8,000 beds with establishments ready to satisfy every need and the major part of them elevated at a very short distance from all the most important slopes.

All that since the beginning became something extremely tempting and high appreciated thanks to that large choice which permits a visitor to select a stay in base to position, comfort, services and naturally budget.

Worth an special additional mention that Pamporovo is a perfect destination for all the tourists who are searching peace and relaxation and recharging batteries all year and they can find that place very appropriate for the large natural uncontaminated spaces highlighted by peace and serenity.  

Furthermore for those who desire Spa treatments, that great Bulgarian reality very sensitive to that niche of tourism developed several establishments very well equipped and extremely trendy with all the most important therapies with many  centres hosted in some Hotels.

Next to that more than great hospitality offer a notable presence of  of bars and restaurants which serve a delicious local and International cuisine are other special features to take in consideration delighting all the most varied tastes and preferences also in terms of gastronomy.

Despite Bulgaria is mainly known as a leading summer and cultural holiday destination for its beautiful and sunny Black Sea seaside resorts and those iconic Orthodox monasteries which since a long time ago represent a notable attraction also offers places as Pamporovo which apart winter sports offers a vast combination of proposals.

Smolyan province of which geographically that resort is part it is a fabulous land highlighted by  a picturesque scenery and the atmosphere you can breathe in that enchanting corner of the Balkans is delighted by an uncontaminated nature with a total absence of pollution making it a great climatic destination.

The presence of small lakes in the immediate vicinity in a magnificent rural area totally surrounded by towering mountains  is a further inviting temptations for those who love to admire fantastic natural spaces in a stunning territory in which historic villages and small towns situated on enchanting hilly areas reachable by unforgettable paths also have consecrated Pamporovo and its surroundings as a paradise for all people fond of trekking and hiking.

Many other tourists found and find that kind of tourism absolutely enjoyable van enjoy different fabulous protected areas and it is also an ideal destination also for who is as fervent fan of trip adventures exploring and discovering stunning wild hidden corners.

History and art are also protagonists in a land which saw during its long history the landing of several important civilisations which all together left important imprints visible in many centres of that province which also a land able to conquer the visitors with a cultural, architectural and historic patrimony more than relevant.

That resort thanks to its very strategic position also provides very good communications, in a short time from that Bulgarian area you can reach Greece,certainly a further wonderful incentive to visit a Nation offering treasures unique in the world.

 In just a couple of hours driving you can visit the stunning Thessaly Region and fabulous cities such as Thessaloniki and Kavala enjoying a striking Mediterranean coastline until the frontier with Turkey facing that spectacular Aegean Sea packed by astonishing islands and islets with a horizon which reminds myths and legends of the most captivating suggestive Hellenic literature admiring unique images simply magnificent.

Many people visit and use that geographic during many months a year a strategic base for radial excursions enjoying a Fly & Drive with a planned tailor made tour and others are simply enchanted for the chances to practise cycle tourism and we have not to forget  that area is an Eden for Mountain bikers and cyclists on road.

 

Thanks to all that vast fan of attractive proposals the resort was transformed in a sort of universal destination very demanded reaching an excellent reputation and prestige and not just in winter but for all what it offers for the joy of a myriad of visitors who also decided to return once again.

Also the history of the local territory is highly interesting started many centuries ago in prehistoric times with the discovery of prehistoric caves in the Rhodope Mountains. Historically linked to Smoljan since ancient times Pamporovo was a stronghold of Thracian tribes and that presence was  confirmed during archaeological discoveries some years ago with the founds of artifacts attesting important settlements of that civilisation.

Colonised by Greeks who developed in that land a flourishing route of trade leading to the motherland and later by the Romans who conquered that area with the Emperor Claudius in the 5th century, the current province had a notable relevance under rule of Trajan in a period of golden ages of that Italic Empire with the land of many Patrician families who established their residences in that Eastern European land protagonist of a very active cultural and social life.

Other rulers and settlers in different chronological stages occupied those places such as Byzantine Empire and the former Bulgarian Kingdom during the Reigns of the Tsars Boris I and Simeon I.

It was in those times when born the current Bulgarian-Slavic name of that centre deriving from the word Pampor which means caravan.That name because that area was a well known stage used by several merchants using that kind of transport in trips starting from the Greek coast in that era under Constantinople influence through the Balkans leading to Plovdiv and other market places of  Southern Bulgaria.

Tumultuous centuries characterised by numerous clashes with the Ottoman Empire which was expanding its domains in Europe, the advent of the Turkish domination was highlighted by a secular rule started in the late 14th and ended five centuries later.

During the occupation by the Turks that area continued to be a notable cross point  mainly dedicated to spices and carpets trades following the itineraries previously traced by the Hellenic merchants and in addition as relevant historic date the area of the Rhodope mountains was a territory which had the major Islamisation of the entire country.

The Turkish domain ended in 1878 but left deep marks in the local culture, many people embraced the Islam as Religious faith continued to keep that faith and also other marked imprints as in architecture,local  traditions and gastronomy were strongly inherited by the former rulers in many small centres. 

The events of the Balkan wars and the independence of the country changed the local destiny which started to live in a former Monarchy State with Aleksandar I and in the 30's  during the Reign of the Tsar Boris III the current resort started to be a sort of winter sports Bulgarian pioneer.

In 1933 Pamporovo was already a pretty famous holiday destination when many people started to discover the passion for winter sports and some years later born the first significant movement linked to official Alpine Ski spaces dedicated to that activity on snow. Those times were pretty important because the current resort reached a popularity pretty close to Bansko, Borovec, the Rila Massif and Vitosha, the latter immediately outside of the capital Sofia, places which started to receive notable flows of Alpine Ski fans.

The former village year by year reached much more notoriety with a good number of tourists coming from different towns who found in that mountainous land a small paradise, ideal to spend holidays in a more than beautiful region packed by large pine forests combined with an uncontaminated air and superb climatic conditions with several sunny days and naturally the chance for skiing.

The proximity of the small picturesque Smolynski lakes with unforgettable escapades from the city spending short breaks in a striking Eden combining tourism and a skiing vacation in a place so rich of natural attractions and very suitable to enjoy a multitude of outdoor activities were a winning key for the most relevant incoming operations.

Thanks to a massive demand the former resort needed accommodations which was in that time mainly focused in local flats and houses to rent. The increasing request generated the constructions of new buildings and villas added in a short time giving that place a major capacity to respond to new enquiries.

The first structure classified in terms of official hospitality exercise was built by Nikolaj Chinovski and called Stenata while the first official ski track was created during the period in which Bulgaria was living the Socialist regime  in the 50's  during the times of the notorious Pact of Warsaw in the infamous period corresponding to the Cold War as a satellite country of the former Soviet Union.

Some years later was also erected the first Hotel and since the 60's the trendy desire to enjoy holidays at the foot of the Snezhanka mountain have already conquered a very high index of interest. 

The 70's were the years in which skiing in Bulgaria was a pretty consolidated activity loved by several people and in winter season due to a demand constantly increasing with many stunning spaces to develop new ski slopes was an automatic incentive for the local Institutions to work much more to create something similar to the western European resorts despite in a Socialist regime was all planned under the rigid control of the Party as was usual in all the industry and economy in those times.

Those operations were managed with a sort of strategy with a veiled optimism hoping to have a determined visibility abroad trying to capture different foreign markets conquering a positive feedback and naturally a revenue with very competitive rates which could help the State in the case of an economic collapse and the tourism was a notable resource despite in the hands of the State.

The Rhodope mountains have not the high of the Alps or neither of the Pyrenees but the local pistes are very challenging and some tracks have a relevant coefficient of difficulty, pretty steep and those features are all what an Alpine skier searches.Many sections with a good variety of bends and sharp curves are very suitable for splendid slaloms and  including for very good giant slaloms. There are in addition some long straights very appreciated also because they offer the chance to develop Black and Red slopes which are also the image of a relevant Ski Resort.

Having those appropriate tracks large spaces and some structures which year by year were acquiring a dimension apart the hard work of the tourist Institutions managed by the Socialist Party those mountains to have a kind of International call and more appeal needed a sort of Ambassador.

A character who was a sort of emblem and who played an important role in the promotion and consolidation  of skiing in that corner of Southern Bulgaria was a professional skier called Petar Popangelov, record man and legend of Alpine Ski in that country who won 26 national titles.

That very competitive athlete with a professional career in the 70s and 80s with several podium placements and one victory in a stage of the World Alpine Ski Cup. winner of the European Cup in 1977 a competition which was the natural passage for the young promises to move to the most important panorama attracted with his brilliant performances many people also because never a Bulgarian athlete had reached those prestigious results.

Popangelov competed next to celebrated stars such as Ingemar Stenmark, Phil Mahre, Bojan Krizaj, Piero Gros, Gustav Thoeni and Klaus Heidegger who were in those times of the International Alpine Ski Elite expressed at the maximum level by those champions.

All that was undoubtedly something which captured the interest of journalists, reporters, foreign Televisions and curious tourists fond of winter sports that started to visit the Bulgarian Winter Resorts including Pamporovo.

The Rhodope mountains since the became a destination more popular  for that people to see the places in which that man grew up skiing on those challenging tracks and in the meantime appreciating so much the splendid landscapes and including some of them since then decided to return there in other occasions.

The fall of Berlin wall in 1989 and the collapse of the block of the Socialist Eastern European countries in the early 90's with the former President Zhivkov leaving the charge of leader in the country were the times in which in the resort new investors and entrepeneurs gave a new life consolidating that place you can see nowadays as a Top destination for Winter Sports of International level.

The centre of the resort is very small and all it is concentrated close to the ski complex and the Hotels area which occupies a big surface of the local boundaries.

A captivating attractions apart the natural paradise of the mountains encircling that stunning place is the imposing Snezhanka TV tower and a visit reaching the top is suggested to enjoy magnificent and unforgettable views.  That majestic structure is 156, 0 metres high was erected using reinforced advanced materials and its towering position fascing Snezhanska Mountain and surrounded by a scenic pine forest gave it a monumental image.

It is in its kind a great attraction because on the top was established a panoramic Cafe-Bar and a space with an observatory deck with the great opportunity not only to see the peaks but you will have the superb chance to be delighted by marvellous views towards the Rila Massif, the Pirin Mountains and including in  very sunny and clear days a beautiful view on the Aegean Sea.

The Bulgarian Tourism Board, the Local Institutions and furthermore and different businessmen have created a sort of little empire with the establishment of modern structures, apartments, chalets and several catering establishments consisting in fine restaurants cosy cafes and a good number of stylish bars.

Notable are many facilities with easy connections to the ski areas which have blue, red and black ski tracks giving the chance to all people from the beginners to experienced skiers to enjoy all what that well organised complex offers.

Different Ski Schools and over 100 licensed masters are a very good offer for a resort not too big. Many of those teachers speak different foreign languages, such as English, German, French, Italian and Russian and all that is undoubtedly a further incentive to take lessons without problems of communication.

Extremely considerable is the ski lifts complex with 18 lifts and it is enough to think that two important and prestigious European Ski Resorts constantly present in the FIS Alpine World Cup Calendar such as the famous Kranjska Gora in Slovenia has 20 and the famed German Garmisch-Partenkirchen 21 are not so far making that place stunning also for that. (In the case you are interested I wrote posts regarding those two other destinations)

All that excellent network can move approximately 8600 people per hour and also that is a great detail and the access to all the slopes is very fast and extremely comfortable  because the development of the Ski Area is pretty compact.

Pamporovo boast 55, 0 kilometres of slopes, certainly a great feature with large spaces perfect for Snowboarding and Freestyle activities and all that form an outstanding and unique setting beloved by a myriad of skiers.

The beginners can use many pistes in the areas of Studenets and also Turisicheska which is over 5, 0 kilometres long is highly appreciated. Those tracks have a moderate gradient, tthe easier to move the first steps on skis is a piste called The Dam and it is approximately 1700, 0 metres long. Others offers some interesting points to find step by step the right coordination and confidence to move later to the red pistes and they are always very well prepared so there are not risks to damage materials and sheets.

The tracks of Snejanka are very attractive are subdivided for different levels depending of the skier’s experience. Those who have intermediate skills can enjoy the area of Smolyan Ezera towards the lake and also Ardashla is another appropriate site. 

They have some sections pretty steep and some of them boast ample curves before to enter in a straight very suitable for those who love the slalom speciality with fast movements and changes of direction, those pistes has an alternance of straights and bends and for that they are excellent offering those different features ideal to improve the coordination for that variety of mutations during the descent.

The most experienced and masters can have the chance to test their talent and capacity in different places with different coefficient of difficulty such as Malina, Dvata, Mosta, Evtppeiskata and another one is Cteha.

Also the slopes in proximity of the TV Tower are considered among the most challenging of the resort and there is a track which is pretty impressive, it is just 1100, 0 metres but extremely steep and challenging and it is called The Wall.

The quality of the snow preparation is not a problem there, the tracks are well maintained by efficient machines, an efficient service permitting to have always a perfect surface on which the ski does not sink with a perfect adherence and no sections in which you can find that kind of "flour" which brakes the ski edges and which often affects the movements. 

Those positive results are also due to the splendid climatic conditions in winter when the average media of temperatures in the month of January is -2º, - 3º degrees.

Another relevant aspect partially similar to the Swiss Ski resort of Crans Montana (I wrote a post about that great destination close to Sierre) without a technical comparison is related to many sunny days in winter season and Pamporovo has 120/130 sunny days a year so it is great often enjoying skiing under a warm sun.

Very interesting is also the presence of almost 40, 0 kilometres of tracks dedicated to the Nordic Ski so also all people who desire to practise Ski Cross Country can find there a superb place regarding that sport. In the area of Ardashla combined with that of Stoykite there are approximately 7, 0 kilometres of slopes and 2,5 excellent  kilometres are also available in the area of Studenets.

For the fans of Ski Adventure outside the official pistes there is also the brilliant option to discover beautiful wild places absolutely wonderful close to rocky vertical walls or crossing intact beautiful forests and for that I suggest you to go in direction of Smolyan if you love that kind of activity.

Bulgaria since a long time ago occupies a relevant ranking regarding that niche of tourism called Spa. Very famous are the Black Sea Resorts that for climatic situations and benign waters have developed a golden Empire very well known worldwide for their outstanding services and treatments (in the case you are interested I wrote a specific post regarding Albena) but also Pamporovo has its excellent structures in which during a stay a visitor can visit for treatments, therapies and relaxation.

That trendy tourism branch found in the resort a very fertile soil thanks to structures providing outstanding services, the Hotel Orlovetz and Hotel Belmont next to others offer great beauty & wellness sessions, massages, anti stress and anti age therapies, thermal baths and much more.

Tennis and horse riding are other brilliant options and the resort for those who love those two sports and Pamporovo has developed a multipurpose incoming tourism which also permits to enjoy cycling on road and mountain bike with very challenging routes and brilliant opportunities along several mixed and dirt trails with many climbs in an environment simply superb.

A very suggested area for that are also the surroundings of Chepelare which is also a very goos ski resort. In that place you can enjoy beautiful landscapes and that town it is crossed by the scenic course of the Cepelarska Reka river which has its source in a peak of the Rhodopes mountains called Rhozen.

Near that municipality you casn visit in a fabulous karst valley where you can admire a great marvel, the Chudnite Mostove, the Wonderful Bridges. They are wonderful natural rocky arches created centuries ago by the activity of the local river Erkyupryia and that erosion also generated the formation of some stunning caves. I strongly suggest you that place also because is very close to Pamporovo.

The nearest Smoljan, the major centre of the province is also recommended, it is a centre not too small and neither too nig, it has over 30,000 inhabitants and it was historically a former village founded by the Smoljani from which derives the name of the current municipality. According to historic documentations that population was probably one of the oldest Slavic tribes settled in that corner of Bulgaria.

You can see there different interesting monuments, such as buildings dating back the Ottoman Empire, some Renaissance or Neo-Byzantine constructions and the largest Cathedral elevated in Southern Bulgaria dedicated to St. Vissarion, a building of recent construction erected in 2006 very impressive is its size with an imposing high tower and a very large cupola.

Another destination I suggest you is Smolynski Jezero, the lakes of Smoljan, they are small wonderful water basins in a stunning virgin environment. Originally they were 20 but nowadays just seven of them are preserved and they are inserted in a marvellous protected Nature Park simply wonderful and ideal for people who love trekking.

For tourists fond of rural tourism a striking natural environment for that niche is to explore other great places such as Solishta, Stikal, Gela, Zaevita and Shiroka Luka, all small sites which have kept their original image surrounded by a large fabulous woodland and boasting a very rich flora and fauna.

Very good in Pamporovo is also the offer in terms of restaurants offering the most traditional and typical Bulgarian plates and others in particular in the Hotel providing International cuisine with menu à la carte.

Landing on Plovdiv Krumovo International Airport in about one hour and 10 minutes driving by National Road A86 via Hvoyna you will be at destination. The second option could be Sofia Letishte International Airport and from there you can reach that winter sport resort in approximately two hours and 40 minutes via Ithiman driving along A1 motorway and Strada 86 national road.

If you are planning something special and different as a great skiing vacation idea in Southern Bulgaria Pamporovo is certainly a wonderful choice, a great destination to spend enjoyable holidays in a country which boasts many pleasant surprises delighting you during a very pleasant and happy stay.

Francesco Mari

Recommended Accommodations in Pamporovo

Hotel Orlovetz

Hotel Spa Belmont

Hotel Kamelia Pamporovo

Hotel Dafovska

 Useful links

pamporovo.me
 www.bulgariaski.com

www.hotelorlovetz.com
www.belmontpamporovo.com 

www.kameliapamporovo.com

www.dafovskahotel.com
region-smolyan.org 
www.visitbulgaria.net