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The Rila Mountains is considered as Bulgaria’s best alpine tourism site, offering a huge diversity of marked hiking trails of varying difficulty levels. The Rila offers not only the Balkans’ highest peak (Musala, 2925m/9596ft), but also plentiful glacier lakes, deep river valleys, broad alpine meadows, and diverse flora and fauna. The Rila National Park is the largest of Bulgaria’s three national parks and one of the largest parks in Europe as
We meet you at Sofia Airport and transfer you to a city center hotel.
A panoramic walking route takes you across the crest of Mount Vitosha, including climbing the local high point of Cherni Vrah (2290m/7513ft) as a prelude to the arduous, yet more picturesque hiking treks across the Rila Mountains. Along the way, you cross the broad alpine meadows of the Torfeno Branishte Nature Reserve, dip into old spruce groves and follow a path to the stone rivers of the Zlatni Mostove (The Golden Bridges) natural feature. From here, you are transferred to the Rila Mountains and the village of Govedartsi for three overnight stays. (4,30hrs of walking; 11km/7miles, climbing 500m/1600ft and descending 800m/2600ft.) Read more
A circular route through the low parts of the Rila Mountains above Govedartsi prepares you for more difficult hiking treks to come. Rambling along the path, you enjoy a fascinating kaleidoscope of changing landscapes and wonderful panoramas of rocky peaks and deep valleys in the Malyovitsa part of the mountain. (5-6hrs of walking; 20km/13miles, climbing and descending 650m/2230ft.) Read more
A shaded path through the Rila’s ancient spruce forests takes you up to the alpine parts of the mountain and the Cirque of the Seven Rila Lakes. Located at between 2100 and 2500 metres (6900 to 8200ft) above sea level, these famous glacier lakes will charm you with their magnificent scenery which you can survey from the edge of the highest one. (6hrs of walking; 16km/10miles, climbing and descending 750 to 1000m/2500 to 3300ft.) Read more
Today’s route takes you to the beautiful Malyovitsa Valley and thence high over the alpine peaks sheltering the secretive Strashno Ezero (The Scary) Lake. More enthusiastic mountaineers may opt for an alternative hiking trek to the Malyovitsa summit which offers incredible views over the nearby crests and peaks of the Rila Mountains. At the end of the day, you are transferred for three overnight stays at the Borovets ski resort. (5hrs of walking; 12km/7miles, climbing and descending 900m/3000ft.) Read more
oday, you can opt between a brisk morning walk (combined with an afternoon visit at the King's hunting residence in Borovets) and a rather longer (yet not steep) hiking trek to another less-visited part of the Rila Mountains. The route passes through ancient coniferous woods and continues along the Maritsa River valley, gently climbing to the Royal hunting lodge at Saragiol, from where you return to Borovets along a different route (or use the chairlift to cut the mileage down to 25km). (2 or 7 or 8hrs of walking; 10 or 25km or 30km / 6 or 15 or 19 miles, climbing and descending 250-1100m/850-3750ft.) Read more
The attempt on the Balkans’ highest summit Musala (2925m/9596ft) is left for the ultimate day. The hiking is not particularly arduous, yet is particularly panoramic, with the rocky face of Musala visible the whole time while you transit a number of Cirques, glacier lakes and mountain shelters. The view from the peak to surrounding uplands and peaks is head-turning. (5hrs of walking; 13km/8miles, climbing and descending through 750m/2460ft) Read more
Transfer from Borovets to Sofia Airport. The Riddles of the Rila Mountains ends.
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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