Parangalitza, Biosphere reserve in Rila, Bulgaria

Parangalitza is a biosphere and nature reserve in the Rila mountains of Bulgaria, situated entirely within Rila National Park. The area is covered by dense spruce forests and spans a wide range of elevations, from montane woodland to open subalpine terrain.

Parangalitsa was declared a reserve by Order No. 8517 of the Committee for Environmental Protection at the Council of Ministers on 30 December 1933, making it Bulgaria's second oldest protected area. Its original area of 1,509 ha was adjusted in 1961 and 2020 to 1,487.29 ha. It joined UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere programme in 1977 and was withdrawn from it in 2020.

The name Parangalitsa comes from Greek and means "forbidden place". It is a strict nature reserve where only scientific research, education and walking on marked trails are allowed. The reserve protects old-growth Norway spruce and Macedonian pine forests, some of the oldest conifer woods in Bulgaria and Europe, aged 150–350 years.

The reserve can be reached on foot via marked trails starting from Bodrost Hut or the village of Bistritsa in Blagoevgrad Municipality. Summer and early autumn are the easiest times to visit, as the paths are clearest and the weather most reliable.

Some of the spruce trees growing here are over 300 years old, making them among the oldest of their kind on the continent. They have survived without any logging or management for centuries, which is rare in a landscape as long inhabited as Europe.