Why Pamporovo ?
Pamporovo is by far the most prestigious ski resort in Bulgaria, nestled in the heart of the Rhodope mountains, 1650 metres above sea level. The mountains are famous not only as a place of natural beauty but as a centre of the ancient Thracial culture. Since ancient times this place has been known as a source of legends and myths. One of the most famous being for the singer Orpheus who was born in the region.
Pamporovo, the pearl of the Bulgarian mountain resorts attracted a record number of visitors last year during the Winter and Summer season reaching just under a 100% occupancy rate.
A combination of great climate, pollution-free air & land, and negatively ionized atmosphere means that the area if famous for it's health giving properties. It is no coincidence that the region boasts more centenerians than anywhere else in Bulgaria!
The ski tracks offer all degrees of difficulty. The alpine tracks are 17.5 km long whilst the long distance tracks are 34 km. There are at present 18 ski lifts, 5 chair lifts and 13 surface lifts with a capacity to hold up to 8500 persons per hour. Additional services include ski schools rated as some of the best in Europe, over 100 highly qualified and multi-lingual ski instructors, ski kindergartens and 24 hour mountain rescue to name but a few. If this was not enough, there are further plans to extend the ski runs to the Golyam Perelik mountains with its highest peak at 2191 metres within the next 5 years. The project will cost an estimated 300 million euros and create 217 km of ski runs that will challenge and excite every grade of skier from the total novice to the seasoned professional. A 3-lane motorway to Plovdiv, along with a motorway & environmentally friendly tunnel linking Pamporovo to the Greek border have already been completed as part of the programme. These are some of the first high capacity motorways in Bulgaria.
The area benefits from a Mediterranean climate, enjoying on average 240 days of sun each year. This means that Pamporovo is the only ski resort with an active summer season. It offers great opportunity for cultural and recreational tourism, with outdoor activities including guided walking, cycling tours, mountain biking, tennis courts, horse riding, hang gliding, paragliding and hiking.
Pamporovo is situated 240 km from Sofia the capital and 85 Km from Plovdiv, the second largest city in Bulgaria, where they are to attract low cost airlines and carriers. An airport is soon to be built in near-by Smolyan, along with a three-lane motorway link to Plovdiv.
"In just this past year, prices have risen by 48 percent in Bulgaria"
The Wall Street Journal, June 2005