Tisata Natural Reserve

Tisata Natural Reserve is situated in the farthest southern part of the narrow Kresna gorge, north of the town of Kresna, in the front- mountain belt of Pirin and the Malashevska mountain. The river of Struma divides the reserve into two parts – Western and Eastern. 80 per cent of its territory are occupied by different varieties of Mediterranean forests. Tisata is the home of the biggest (not only in Bulgaria, but also in Europe) natural homogenous field of dendroid juniper – a rare, coniferous tree variety of the juniper family. Local people call this variety “Tisa”, which is where the name of the reserve comes from. Tisata is also known for its rich fauna – the only Bulgarian reserve, where there are more bird species is Srebarna; the reserve is also a refuge for many endangered reptiles and invertebrates.