Biggest choice of tours and treks, outstanding reputation, flexibility, expert staff & field guides.
Revel in the beauty of nature amid winter. Sense the calm of winter magic in three of Bulgaria’s best-loved mountains: the Vitosha Nature Park, Rila and Pirin national parks. Our snowshoeing trek passes old mountain forests, high plateaus, steep slopes and valleys, tiring us pleasantly before an evening spent in a peasant family hotel with a glass of red wine with appetizing local specialities.
We meet you at Sofia Airport and transfer you to the hotel where the group will overnight.
Today, we traverse Vitosha: the most popular destination for Sofianites. Starting from the Aleko Hut (at 1810m a.s.l.), we shall trek along the crest of the mountain through the Torfeno Branishte Nature Reserve to the famous Zlatni Mostove (Golden Bridges) stone rivers. We then transfer for overnight in a cozy family-run pension in the village of Govedartsi, Rila Mountains. (4-5hrs of walking, climbing 150m/490ft and descending 600m/1970ft) Read more
After breakfast we transfer to the nearby resort Malyovitsa. From there we start climbing up towards Yonchevo Lake (at 2013m a.s.l.). As we walk out of the woods we will enjoy the panorama to the neighbouring peaks and deep valleys of Rila. Eventually we walk down through an old coniferous forest to get back to Govedartsi village. (5hrs of walking, climbing 400m/1310ft and descending 400m/1310ft) Read more
Today’s aim is to get to the foot of Bulgaria's, and the Balkans’, highest summit: Musala Peak (2925m/9594ft). We climb to the starting point of the route by cable car from the Borovets Resort and then continue snowshoeing to the highest mountain refuge in Bulgaria - The Icy Lake (2710m a.s.l.). At this point the rugged summit of Musala will be facing us from a very close distance, but as long as the last stage will require the use of ropes and crampons in winter we will have to skip this part. Then we turn back along the same route to overnight at Govedartsi again. (5 hrs of walking, climbing 500m/1640ft and descending 550m/1640ft) Read more
A brief transfer takes us to the Panichishte Resort where we board a cable car to the Seven Rila Lakes Cirque (between 2100 and 2500m a.s.l.) for a tour among the lower five of them. Though frozen and covered in thick snow in winter, the area remains rather pretty. Our day ends in a cosy family hotel at the famous ski resort of Bansko in Pirin Mountains, where we stay for the next two nights. (5hrs of walking, climbing 350m/1150ft and descending 350m/1150ft) Read more
Another short transfer takes us above Dobrinishte resort to board the chair cable car to the Bezbog Hut. This is the setting-off point for the hiking trek to the Bezbog (No God) Peak (2645m high). Stunning panoramas of the neighbouring summits and ridges will be accompanying us as we make our way to the top. Transfer back to Bansko. (4-5hrs of walking, climbing and descending 400m/1315ft). Read more
We leave Pirin and transfer to one of Bulgaria’s top tourist attractions: the Rila Monastery listed by UNESCO. The latter is the largest and most significant Bulgarian Orthodox Church establishment. The 20m high walls shelter impressive cloisters, a church, and a chapel with unique murals and museum collections. A short walk can be performed in the area to the cave of St. John of Rila (the monastery founder) or to the picturesque sandy pyramids of Stob. Then we continue on to Sofia, where we have gala dinner and last overnight. (1-2hrs of walking, climbing 100m/330ft and descending 100m/330ft) Read more
Transfer to Sofia Airport.
Had a wonderful week snowshoeing in the Bulgarian mountains! Very well organized also when booking this private trip. Challenging trek with great fun. Our guide Lyuben took us to some nice peaks to see the great views. Friendly accommodations where we’ve been taken good care of. Really a recommendation. ad a wonderful week snowshoeing in the Bulgarian mountains! Very well organized also when booking this private trip. Challenging trek with great fun. Our guide Lyuben took us to some nice peaks to see the great views. Friendly accommodations where we’ve been taken good care of. Really a recommendation. Read more
At the end of August, my son went on a guided hike of the Rila and Pirin mountains in Bulgaria with Traventuria Ltd. Here is an account of the tour from his perspective: Tour guide: Alexander Serafimov (Alex). Alex was an absolutely fantastic tour guide. He was knowledgeable about the mountains both in terms of flora and fauna. His English was immaculate (first language Bulgarian) but he also proved his multi-lingual abilities plenty of times on the tour! Overall, the best tour guide I have ever had. The tour at a glance: the tour went through both the Rila and Pirin mountain ranges, of which I completed 3 of the main peaks (Polizhan, Musala and Vihren) as well as the beautiful 7 Rila Lakes. We were a small group (6 individuals, all English speaking). It was without doubt the most enthralling journey each day, with the scenery changing ever so often. Lush forests, rocky mountains and sharp faces met us each day. Also note, that this particular hike is challenging and requires a great deal of fitness. In total, the tour lasted 7 days. Extras: There were many extras that were thrown in that we did not even know we would be getting! 1. Guided tour through Bansko and Sofia with Alex, again very knowledgeable especially about the history of these places. 2. Almost every night we had dinner at a different restaurant and one night we had a traditional Bulgarian experience where we sang and danced through the streets of a small village! The restaurant decision is left in the hands of the tour guide by Traventuria and Alex did a great job of picking the best and most diverse places. 3. Cable cars, chair lifts, transfers all included without extra charge. 4. A goodie bag at the start of the tour. Importantly, none of these things came at any extra cost. Overall: Traventuria was extremely well organised from the start. Alex was a star of a guide. The trek through the mountains was breathtaking. A must for any trekking enthusiast. Read more
To Whom It May Concern, I just completed your Pirin to Rila trip today and I couldn’t even wait until I arrived home to tell you how impressed I was with your company. I have visited many countries with various companies but never experienced anything as incredible as what i did with your company. The itinerary was perfectly thought out and each day surpassed the one before. I loved the fact that the group was small. It added a real personal touch and made me feel like I was trekking with family. As for our guide, I cannot say enough great things about Alex. He is an amazing ambassador for your country. He was incredibly knowledgeable, charismatic, thoughtful, helpful and always went above and beyond the calls of duty to make sure everyone was happy. Nothing was ever a problem for him to do and he always did everything with a smile. He is obviously passionate about his work. I really cannot thank you enough for giving me the most incredible memories of your beautiful country. I am leaving Bulgaria with a heavy heart but I am sure that I will return in the future. From the bottom of my heart thank you for this inspiring experience. I wish you every success for the future. Go raibh mile maith agat. Read more
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