Hiking in Bulgaria’s Rila Mountain to Rila Monastery

About

Hiking in Bulgaria’s Rila Mountain, home to Rila Monastery – the largest and most significant monastery in the country and one of Bulgaria’s top attractions. We’ll hike through the picturesque area of the Seven Rila Lakes, where we’ll see the Kidney, the Eye, and the Tear lakes. We’ll climb up several of Rila’s peaks and ridges, through stunning landscapes, past more of Rila’s natural wonders and all the way to Rila Monastery.

Highlights

• Trek through the beautiful Rila Mountain

• Spend the night in cozy mountain huts and immerse yourself in the tranquil Rila atmosphere

• See three of the famous Seven Rila Lakes – the Kidney, the Eye and the Tear

• Climb up Vazov Peak, Dodov Peak and Mount Malyovitsa and enjoy the view from up high

• Visit the famous Rila Monastery – one of Bulgaria’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Description

Day 1

We’ll be transferred by car to the highest mountain in the Balkans – Rila, and the small Panichishte resort – the starting point for the famous Seven Rila Lakes hiking trail.

Day 2

The morning starts with a short ride on the chair lift to the area of the Seven Rila Lakes. From the upper lift station will start a moderately steep path to Lake Babreka (the Kidney), followed by the Eye and the Tear. Throughout the walk you can enjoy views in all directions. We’ll climb to Razdella Saddle and to the nearby Vazov / Damga peak (2670 m) where you can see the great scenery around Urdini Lakes and their deep valley, which will be bypassed on the ridge to the south and east. With a short descent and climb, we reach Dodov peak (2661 m) and continue along the ridge to Mount Malyovitsa. To the left you will be able to see the great view of Urdini lakes, to the right - the Rila Monastery and all of Rila. After a nearly even section of the ridge starts a moderate climb on the slope of Mount Malyovitsa. We go to the ridge, and 10 minutes to the left is Mount Malyovitsa. We’ll climb up to enjoy the view and after we’ve had our fill, we’ll head back to the junction from where the descent through the Elenite Lake starts to the Malyovitsa hut. 

Day 3

With a short and steep ascent from the hut we climb to the steep slopes of this part of the mountain, dotted with shallow glacial valleys with small lakes in them. The first goal of the day is visiting the “Scary Lake” and the stone shelter beside it, as well as a large Kupen peak (2731 m) over them. From here, with a slight climb, we reach a wide pass. From there begins a gentle descent to the Rila Monastery through the Dry Lake. At the end of the trek we reach Kirilova Polyana, which offers great views of the peaks traversed the past two days. There remains the visit to the biggest and most important Bulgarian monastery - the "St. Ivan Rilski" Rila Monastery. From there, we’ll be transferred back to Sofia.

The price includes

• Pick-up from the hotel

• All the transfers by car/bus

• Professional English speaking mountain guide

• 2 nights at a hut in Rila mountain

• All the meals

• Visit to Rila Monastery

The price does not include

• Air tickets

• The lift (10 € per person), which is open on weekends

• Jeep transfers if the lift is closed (30 € for the whole group)

Notes

3 days/2 overnights/2 hiking days with a visit to Rila Monastery

The minimum number of people per group is 2.