Join Damyan, an UIMLA-certified guide through the Balkans. You will hike over mountains only to look out onto lakes!
Balkan Mountains
6 Days
Jul, Sep
High
Intermediate
If you are a nature-lover who enjoys hiking during the days and cozy mountainside hotels at night, then this trip is for you! On this 6-day hike we will get to see many if the lakes the Balkans have to offer.
The Balkans’ have been made famous for its panoramic views and stunning lakes nestled within the Rila and Pirin Mountains, which are the tallest mountains in Bulgaria. And we begin hiking through them after we meet in the capital city of Sofia and taking an optional walking tour in its center. After staying in a cozy hotel for the night high up in the Rila mountain range, we disembark for an active day hiking to see the famous 7 lakes until we eventually reach Peak Malyovitsa (900m).
The following day we take a gondola lift to a base in order to hike to Mt. Musula (900m), the highest point on the Balkan peninsula, which like all of the hikes prior, is extremely picturesque**.** Then, on our 4th day we will hike to what is, arguably, the highlight of the trip: the UNESCO world heritage sight known as the RilaMonastery, which is seen to be a symbol of Bulgarian faith and revival. On our second-to-last day, we will take a shorter hike in order to reach the highest point of 2914m and then settle into a hotel in Bansko_._And then we finish our final day of hiking by taking a chairlift to the Popovo lake, which is the largest and deepest lake in Mount Pirin!
We hike approximately 7-8 hours per day, so it is requested that those interested possess a good fitness level. Transportation, accommodation, and meals are all provided for you, as well, we just ask that you take note that this trip requires a minimum of 4 participants, so if you are a member of an active family or group of friends, this could be a great trip for all of you!
So if you have always wanted to hike through the idyllic mountains of the Balkans, join me on this 6-day hiking adventure! And if you are interested in more hiking, check out my day-trip hiking in Malyovitsa!
- Accommodation included
- Guiding fee
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Transport during the trip
- Lifts tickets
- Tips
Price also includes: Rescue insurance
Price does not include: Flight tickets, personal gear, gratuity
Depending on what time you arrive in Sofia, there will be a sightseeing tour of the town (if you arrive too late, this activity can be postponed until the final day). From there we will be transported to the Rila mountain range and settle in our accommodation at the Resort Panichishte in Rila mountain (1200m.alt).
Transportation will take us to the lower station of chair lift (1600m). We will take the lift to reach hut Rilski ezera (2135м), where our 8-hour hike begins. With a steady ascent in the beginning, only getting slightly steeper at the highest path location, we will hike the main ridge of the mountain. Here we will be able to take in the view of the 7 lakes. Then we will head toward Mt. Malyovitsa. After passing peak Malyovitsa, we will walk down along the valley where our transportation will take us to our accommodation in village Govedartsi.
Transfer to Borovets resort, where we will take a gondola lift to hut Yastrebets (2368m.) The beginning of the route from there is nearly flat, but it then ascends to the top (2925m.) During our 7-hour hike we will pass several lakes and get many scenic views. We will take the gondola lift back to the starting point and then transfer to village Govedartsi.
A short transfer will bring us to the bottom of Malyovitsa valley. The trail will lead us uphill to the highest point (2500m), where we will cross the main ridge of the mountain. Then we will hike down to“Kirilova polyan”(1470m), where our transportation will be waiting for us in order to visit the famous Rila Monastery before transfering to a family-run hotel in the village Bansko for the evening.
We will take a short transfer to the exit point of our the path for this day’s hike. In 3 hours we will reach the highest point (2914m.) During the hike we will be surrounded of steep slopes and especially the wall of Mt. Vihren. After a break at the top we will descend back to the transportation vehicle. We will stay the night in Bansko.
Popovo lake is the largest (13 200 sq.m.) and deepest (29.5m.) lake in the Pirin mountain. Our hike today begins with a chair lift, which will bring us to hut Bezbog (2240m.). The path to the lake is easy to hike up and down. Once we have finished this, we will go to Mt. Dzhano and then hike downhill to the Kremenski lakes. We will then be transported to the same hotel from the night prior in Bansko.
Transfer back to Sofia. Optional guided sightseeing tour of the town will be offered, if you were unable to do so on the first day. We will then offer transportation to the airport.
More info
The schedule may change due to bad weather conditions. The participants must possess: comfortable hiking shoes, waterproof jacket, sunglasses, at least 1L bottle for water, sunscreen, fleece jackets and polyester T shirts.
Meeting point
Mountain Leader
My first touch to the mountain had been at age of 3 with my father. Since then I have been spending valuable time among the mountains - at first in Bulgaria and later across the Alps every summer. At age of 24 I visited rock climbing course and two years later I graduated climbing instructor course. In 2010 I finished my the training for mountain leader and decided to devote my life to sharing this passion called mountain experience.
If you intend to visit Bulgaria to climb trad routes you will find several of them set by myself and my climbing buddies.
Languages
German | English
Certificates
UIMLA
Kumari
5
I’m extremely happy with the ease with which I could book via your site reliable and experienced guide. Thank you so very much, and I’ve started to recommend your site to my friends. Dimitris is not only an awesome guide, but a wonderful person who was always looking out to give me the best experience I can have when he found out how much I love climbing! He is the Best!
Niklas
5
I am very pleased with Explore-Share! This was my first international climb, and the communication and response time were great. Herbie is a very skilled guide and very efficient. The entire booking process & payment was smooth. I will definitely use Explore-Share again. Thank you.
Greg
5
I was looking for a local guide for a hike I was planning and came across Explore-Share. They seemed to have good reviews and so decided to give them a try. The experience was very positive and completely happy with their service. I will be using them again for next trip.
Colin
5
Easy to set up and find the perfect trip. Informative site that is easy to use. Guides are all great to work with and communicate all arrangements needed. As simple as can be!
Lesley
4
Thank you explore-share for a wonderful via feratta experience. We have been wanting to learn for a long time but don't have the facilities in Scotland. The guide Mitja was extremely helpful and knowledgeable, answering all my many questions and providing advice. On the day head to take another group but he quickly arranged another guide Borut, who was brilliant. We had a fantastic morning learning via ferrata at Hvadnik in the gorge. It gave us the confidence to later hire our own equipment and go out in Mojstrana. Altogether a five star + experience. Thank you.
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