The Rila and Pirin Mountains

You will be picked up at Sofia Airport and transported to the village of Govedartsi, where you will have three overnight stays.

Distance: 14.5 km | Ascent & descent: 700 m | Time: 5½ hrs approx.

Your exploration of the Rila mountains starts with a walk to the top of the Balkans’ highest summit, Musala (2925m). The day begins with a transfer from Govedartsi to Borovets resort, where you board the cabin lift to the trailhead. The path is not particularly arduous, yet is incredibly panoramic, with the rocky face of Musala visible the whole time as your trail takes you past cirques, glacier lakes and mountain shelters. The vistas from the summit to the surrounding uplands and peaks makes the effort worthwhile, as you survey the view from the top of the Balkans.

Overnight: Govedartsi

Distance: 16 – 18 km | Ascent & descent: 1,100 – 1,300 m | Time: 6-7 hrs approx.

A shaded path through the Rila’s ancient spruce forests gradually gives way to alpine terrain as you ascend to the Cirque of the Seven Rila Lakes, located at between 2100 and

2500 metres above sea level. As you reach the edge of the highest lake you are rewarded with a magnificent view over these shimmering glacier lakes surrounded by the peaks of the Rila mountains.

Overnight: Govedartsi

You bid farewell to Rila this morning and set off for Pirin. Today’s itinerary offers you the chance to relax as you stop for a short visit at Rila Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is the most famous and largest Christian monastery in Bulgaria. The exceptional frescoes in the central church form a gallery of Renaissance masterpieces which can be compared to those of the Sistine chapel.

After your monastery visit, you will be transferred to the town of Bansko at the foot of Pirin Mountains. This will be your base for the following four nights. In the afternoon you can take the opportunity to wander the old town’s cobbled streets.

Overnight: Bansko

Distance: 12 km | Ascent & descent: 770 m | Time: 5 hrs approx.

After breakfast, a car transfer brings you high above Dobrinishte resort, to the Gotse Delchev Hut (appr. 40min). From there you will take a chair lift still higher to the Bezbog Hut. This is the setting-off point for your hike to the Polezhan Summit (2851m), which offers one of the most beautiful panoramas in the Pirin. You will gaze in wonder over 17 stunning glacier lakes, the largest of which, Popovo Lake, is over 30 metres deep.

Polezhan is the 5^th highest summit in the Pirin mountains. It is surrounded by three Cirques with three groups of lakes – Disilishki in the north, Polezhanski in the south and Strazhishki in the west. You will walk the classic route along the northeast ridge, which is not too difficult or steep, apart from the very last 15-minutes or so of walking as you reach the summit.

Overnight: Bansko

Option A: Distance: 16 km | Ascent: 615 m | Descent: 1,200 m | Time: 5½ hrs approx.

Or

Option B: Distance: 7.5 km | Ascent & descent: 470 m | Time: 4 hrs approx.

After breakfast, a 30-minute pre-arranged transfer will take you to the Vihren Hut, from where you have a choice of walks around the pristine glacier lakes.

The longer walk crosses into the neighbouring valley and the Todorini Ochi lakes before descending through the dense spruce forests of the Yulen Nature Reserve and eventually reaching the photogenic valley of the Demyanitsa river.

The shorter walk is no less panoramic and offers you the chance to rest by the shores of the Banderiskki lakes and enjoy the serenity of the mountains.

Overnight: Bankso

Distance: 8 km | Ascent & descent: 1,000 m | Time: 6½ hrs approx.

On your final day you will attempt the Pirin mountains´ highest and most famous summit, Mount Vihren (2914 m).

After a 30-minute transfer this morning, you will trek through the Golem Kazan (Giant Cauldron) beneath Vihren’s sheer 300m-high northern wall, whose dolomite precipices offer shelter to rare edelweiss flowers and fretful herds of Balkan Chamois (wild goats). The views are genuinely overwhelming, yet they are just the prelude to the panoramas that open up as you reach the summit and gaze over the surrounding sea of jagged peaks.

Overnight: Bankso

Your itinerary finishes today after breakfast, with a transfer to Sofia Airport (2½ hours´ drive approx). If you wish to add further nights to explore Bulgaria’s capital, Sofia, then just let us know at the time of booking and we will be happy to arrange this.

Please note that the order of the walks on days 5-7 may vary. Final details about the order of the walks will be in your itinerary, which will be emailed to you prior to your arrival in Bulgaria