6-Day Guided hiking in the Rila and Pirin Mountains

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

Description

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!

Price includes

Accommodation included
Guiding fee
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Transport during the trip
Lifts tickets
Tips

Price details

Price also includes: Rescue insurance
Price does not include: Flight tickets, personal gear, gratuity

Itinerary

Day 1: Day 1

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).

Day 2: Day 2 Seven Rila Lakes – Malyovitsa

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.

Day 3: Day 3 Mt. Musala – highest point on Balkan peninsula

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.

Day 4: Day 4 Crossing the mountain to Rila Monastery

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.

Day 5: Day 5 Mt. Vihren – the highest peak of Pirin Mountain

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.

Day 6: Day 6 Hike to Popovo lake and Mt. Dzhano

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.

Day 7: Final Day--Back to Sofia

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.

Details

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

Sofia, Bulgaria

About the guide

Damyan

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

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