Velopark Pamporovo | Bulgaria
Basic information
Pamporovo is one of the largest and best developed winter resorts in Bulgaria. The resort is situated in the heart of the Rhodope Mountains, about 220 km from the capital Sofia and only 85 km from Plovdiv. In close vicinity are Smolyan and Chepelare.
An attractive factor for tourism is the climate. Pamporovo is the winter resort with the most sunny days in the year, a total of about 200 days, of which half are in the winter months. This fact, as well as the position of the resort, surrounded by the Rhodopes and protected from the winds, present a great combination for the practice of summer and winter tourism.
The wonderful nature and the historical sites around Pamporovo create interest in the town during the summer as well. Bachkovo Monastery, the Smolyan Lakes, the Trigrad Gorge and the Marvelous Bridges are just some of the interesting places in the area attracting the interest of tourists.
Bachkovo Monastery Marvelous Bridges
Trigrad Gorge Smolyan Lakes
People who love caves can go around the Yagodinska Cave, which is also located nearby.
The bed base of the resort is more than solid, for more demanding customers there are several luxury hotels offering every comfort. Numerous are the hotels with one and two stars, as well as family villas and houses which can be rented at very reasonable prices, even in the height of season. Inthe summer there are very interesting offers and special packages including lift passes from some of the biggest hotels in the resort – Orlovetz ***** and Perelik ***, which will make your stay in the mountains even more enjoyable.
At the beginning of July 2012 was the official opening of ‘Velo Park Pamporovo’.
The park has a specialized downhill trail with a length of 1800 meters, designed by the team of Concept Creative.
The trail is built according to all accepted international standards and is ready to host high class competitions, as it has already hosted the European Championship in 2013, as well as two other major UCI international events!
You can see the map of the park here:
We have also thought about beginners, children and families who want to hike in the mountains, to do some sports, or just breathe the fresh air of the Rhodopes.
Suitable for them are the marked in green trails and routes, as well as the "Family route", which they must surely experience to feel the thrill and pleasure of mountain biking.
Since last season, there is also the new panoramic route suitable for even the youngest.
The trails marked in green on the map are suitable for all ages and will provide riders with full enjoyment, taking them to some of the most beautiful places in the area.
With the opening of Velo Park Pamporovo in 2012, there is a functioning specialized trail for training and skill improvement with a length of 2800 meters, suitable for anyone who wants to gain more experience and move smoothly to the more complex and demanding trails.
More advanced riders can use the trails with medium difficulty and train before moving on to more demanding ones.
Currently, the park has trails with a total length of over 25 kilometers, marked in green, blue, red and black, depending on their level of difficulty.
In the summer will continue the work on the development of the park and the construction of new elements, such as trails, turns, kickers and various wooden structures.
With the opening of the park in 2014 there will already be a specialized training track for the Olympic discipline cross country.
The team of ‘Velo Park Pamporovo’ have set themselves the objective in the next 1-2 years to turn the park into one of the most visited places in the summer, as they keep making innovations for Bulgaria by building different types of tracks with various new elements to stimulate the interest of both the local and the global bike scene, which have been experiencing full speed development over the last few years.
For all those who do not have their own bikes, different types of bicycles will be offered – from ordinary ones for a ride around the resort to fully equipped downhill bikes suitable for professionals. Thus, anyone who wishes to try can do so. More info here
After a long day on the trails of the park, everyone can clean their bike at the specially designed bike wash located close to the first station of the lift.
The park is serviced by three lift facilities – Studenetz No1, Studenetz No2 and Smolyan Lakes No4 from Monday to Sunday, every day from 08:45 a.m. to 18:00 p.m. You can see the full schedule of the lifts, prices and all other services here