Overview
Take your trekking in Bulgaria to another level on this 12 day, self-guided adventure in the heart of the Rila, Pirin and Rhodope Mountains. The first four days are spent in the Rila Mountains’ resort of Govedartsi, which gives you easy access to Mounts Malyovitsa (2,729m) and Musala (2,925m), so you are hitting the highs from the get go, with Musala being the country’s highest peak. Moving on to the ski resort of Bansko, in the heart of the Pirin Mountains, trek to Bulgaria’s second highest peak, Mount Vihren (2,914m), and Mount Polezhan (2,850m). This trip really is peak Bulgaria.
- Mount Musala (2,925m)
- Seven Rila Lakes
- Rila Monastery
- Mount Vihren (2,914m)
- Devil’s Throat Cave
- Plovidiv
Click to view map
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Govedartsi
After a transfer from the airport to Govedartsi (1.5h), spend some time exploring this village located in the foothills of the Rila Mountains and your base for the next four nights.
- Accommodation: Guesthouse Peichevi or similar
- Meals included: dinner
Day 2: Mount Malyovitsa (2,729m) | 14km
This morning begins with a transfer to Malyovitsa Ski and Mountaineering Centre (30mins). From here, the route follows the river towards Malyovitsa Valley, through coniferous forest to Malyovitsa Hut, where you can pause for a short break before beginning the ascent towards Mount Malyovitsa’s summit via the main ridge. Once at the summit, take in the far-reaching views of the valleys below and across to Rila Monastery before beginning the descent via the same trail back to the ski resort for a transfer.
- Walking for the day: 14km, ↑↓1,000m, 7-8h
- Accommodation: Guesthouse Peichevi or similar
- Meals included: breakfast and dinner
Day 3: Seven Rila Lakes (2,600m) | 13km
After a transfer to Panichishte (1h 15mins), take the chairlift to the Seven Rila Lakes Hut at an altitude of 2,100m to begin a circular route around the glacial lakes. Each lake is named after its shape and characteristics: Lower, Fish Lake, Trefoil, Twin, Kidney, and Eye, with the highest being Tear, sitting at almost 2,600m. The trail leads past five of the lakes, with optional steep detours to the other two, before descending towards Vada Hut for a transfer back to Govedartsi.
- Walking for the day: 13km, ↑610m, ↓1,220m, 7-8h
- Accommodation: Guesthouse Peichevi or similar
- Meals included: breakfast and dinner
Day 4: Mount Musala (2,925m) | 14km
An early morning transfer brings you to Borovets, the oldest ski resort in Bulgaria dating back to 1896, to take a gondola to Yastrebets (40mins). Starting at an altitude of 2,369m, the route heads along a flat dirt road towards Musala Hut, located next to the Musala Lakes, before following a rocky trail past the glacial lake of Ledeno Ezero. From here, the trail continues ascending towards the top of the mountain (2,925m), where, in good weather, you can see all the way to Greece to the south and the Danube River to the north. Return via the same trail, taking the gondola down to Borovets for a transfer back to Govedartsi.
- Walking for the day: 14km, ↑↓700m, 6h
- Accommodation: Guesthouse Peichevi or similar
- Meals included: breakfast, dinner
Day 5: Rila Monastery and Bansko
Begin the day with a transfer to Rila Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site founded in the 10th century by Saint John of Rila and home to a collection of historic buildings, including the Church of the Holy Virgin, the Monastery Museum, a medieval kitchen and tower. After taking the time to explore the monastery, take a transfer to Bansko, a ski resort in the Pirin Mountains and your base for the next three nights.
- Accommodation: Three-star family hotel Rahoff or similar
- Meals included: breakfast, dinner
Day 6: Todorka Pass (2,550m) or Mount Vihren (2,914m) | 8-15km
A short transfer brings you to Vihren Hut, with a quick stop along the way to visit Baykusheva Mura, the oldest pine tree in Bulgaria, at over 1,300 years old, before choosing from two route options. There is also the option of booking an additional overnight in Bansko to complete both routes.
Option 1: Todorina Porta Pass (2,550m)
Follow the river that runs alongside the hut before ascending along a rocky trail overlooking the valley towards Frog Lake, which offers an excellent spot to stop for a break, with views of Mount Todorka to the north. From here, continue ascending towards Todorka Pass, the highest point of the day, offering views over two glacial lakes known as Todora’s Eyes and the jagged Strajite Ridge. The return path descends past Demyanitsa Hut and back down to the road for a transfer back to Bansko.
Option 2: Mount Vihren (2,914m)
This route heads to the summit of Mount Vihren via its south-west ridge, with the last section of the route becoming slightly more technical (no scrambling) and is aided by a steel rope. After taking in the panoramic views of the Pirin Mountains from the summit, descend back to the starting point for a transfer back to Bansko.
- Walking for the day (option 1): 15km, ↑550m, ↓1,000, 7-8h
- Walking for the day (option 2): 8km, ↑↓1,000m, 6-7h
- Accommodation: Three-star family hotel Rahoff or similar
- Meals included: breakfast
Day 7: Mount Polezhan (2,850m) | 8km
Todays’ route takes you to a different part of the Pirin Mountains, trekking towards Mount Polezhan at 2,850m. The morning begins, therefore, with an early transfer to the nearby town of Gotse Delchev hut (20mins) to take a chairlift to Bezbog Hut (2,240m), the starting point for the day’s hike. Today’s walk is much more relaxed than the previous day, but the last section before the summit is slightly more challenging with steeper and rocky terrain. On clear days, the summit offers 360-degree views across to some of the locations explored on previous days. After taking in the views, the route returns to the starting point for a transfer back to Bansko.
- Walking for the day: 8km, ↑610m, ↓610m, 6-7h
- Accommodation: Three-star family hotel Rahoff or similar
- Meals included: breakfast
Day 8: Yagodina | 8km
A morning transfer (2h 30mins) brings you to Yagodina, a small village in Buinovo Gorge in the heart of the Rhodope Mountains. From here, there is an optional visit to Yagodina Cave, an 8,501m karst cave system, before beginning an afternoon hike to Eagle’s Eye platform. The route is relatively steep but offers impressive views towards the Rhodope Mountains, with parts of Greece becoming visible on the horizon on clearer days.
- Walking for the day: 8km, 3-4h, ↑410m, ↓410m
- Accommodation: Family hotel Yagodina or similar
- Meals included: breakfast
Day 9: Trigrad | 11km
Today’s route heads through Buinovo Gorge towards Trigrad and Devil’s Throat Cave, named after its entrance which resembles a devil’s head. Inside the cave, a waterfall rushes down the cave’s throat, giving rise to many legends, the most popular being that Orpheus descended through this hole to the underground kingdom of Hades to seek his lost love, Eurydice.
- Walking for the day: 11km, 4-5h, ↑640m, ↓620m
- Accommodation: Family Hotel Arkan Han or similar
- Meals: breakfast
Day 10: Shiroka Laka | 15km
Morning transfer to the hotel in Shiroka Laka (40km/1h). Walk from Shiroka Laka to the panoramically located village of Gela, surrounded by rolling hills and alpine meadows. In Gela village, you can visit the ruins of an early Christian Basilica. After walking around the village, return to Shiroka Laka following the same trail.
- Walking for the day: 15km, 5h, ↑521m ↓521m
- Accommodation: a four-star hotel with spa facilities Shiroka Laka Hotel
- Meals: breakfast
Day 11: Plovdiv
After a morning transfer to Plovdiv, spend the rest of the day exploring the city’s Old Town, Roman ruins and the Kapana Creative District.
- Accommodation: Hotel Ego or similar
- Meals: breakfast
Day 12: Departure
Departure after breakfast.
What to expect
Accommodation
Accommodation on this tour includes a mix of mostly small, locally-owned hotels, B&Bs and traditional guesthouses. They have been carefully selected based on a variety of criteria including their location, warm hospitality, fine local food or commitment to responsible tourism. All rooms have en-suite or private bathrooms.
Click to view default hotels
Hotels are subject to availability. In the event of a particular hotel being fully booked for your chosen dates, we will replace it with a hotel of equal value and quality level. We will provide exact accommodation details to you upon booking confirmation.
Meals
Breakfast is included on all days and dinner is included on five evenings. When no restaurant location is available en route, lunches and snacks can either be bought from local shops or packed lunches can be pre-ordered from your hotel the night before. When no dinner is included, restaurants are available in the local area.
Difficulty and terrain
This tour is rated moderate to strenuous and is appropriate for experienced walkers with a high level of physical fitness. The walks in Rila and Pirin take an average of 7-8h per day with approximately 800-1000m of elevation change. Paths are steep and rocky but no scrambling is required (read more about difficulty grades).
We strongly advise you to only follow marked trails and never try to shorten the path through unknown and unmarked terrain. We will provide you with detailed route notes and maps and you can call our 24/7 local assistance phone number anytime. More detailed information on route navigation will be included in your holiday information pack.
When to go
This trip is available from late June until the end of September, with departures every Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Other departure dates may be available upon request.
The region’s climate is influenced by colder air from the north and the warmer breeze from the Mediterranean. Depending on location and altitude, temperatures vary, but high summer daytime temperatures are rarely too hot as, even though temperatures can occasionally reach 30C, the mountains and forests remain cooler, dropping at night to between 5-15C. For more information, see our blog, Best time to go to Bulgaria.
Getting there
Our recommended arrival airport for this tour is Sofia.
Note that if you book extra nights in Sofia before the holiday, the additional airport transfer to the hotel in Sofia is not included, but the city centre is easily reachable by metro or taxi (20-30mins) or you can book an additional airport transfer. The return transfer, from Plovdiv to Sofia at the end of the holiday, is not included as there is a regular bus line. Private transfers available upon request.
Inclusions
Included
- 11 nights accommodation
- 11 breakfasts
- 5 dinners
- All internal ground transfers and baggage transfers as listed in the programme
- Arrival airport transfer to Govedartsi on day one
- Transfer to Plovdiv on day eleven
- Digital holiday information pack including GPS-checked and regularly updated route descriptions and maps with daily routes (Please note, that the information pack for this tour is digital only and will be emailed to you prior to departure. Physical documents are not able to be mailed or provided on-site)
- 24/7 phone assistance by our local office in Bulgaria
Excluded
- Airfare and connecting land transfers
- Dinners not listed as included
- Lunches, drinks and snacks
- Tickets for the gondola in Borovets on day two (EUR10 per person)
- Tickets for the chairlift to the Rila Lakes on day four (EUR10 per person)
- Tickets for the chairlift to Bezbog Hut on day seven (EUR10 per person)
- Travel insurance (required – get a quote online)
- Personal expenses such as phone calls, extra transfers, tips, etc
- Any items not specifically mentioned as included in the programme
- Return transfer to Sofia at the end of the trip
- eSIM data for international travel (get an eSIM)
Options, extras and supplements
- If you’re travelling in a group, a supplement applies to group members who would like to have a room of their own
- This holiday is available for solo travellers. However, a supplement will be charged as the cost of rooms and also luggage or private transfers (when applicable) is not shared. Please note that solo travellers are always accommodated in their own room. For logistical reasons, we don’t offer an option for solo travellers to share rooms with other solo travellers.
- Extra nights in Sofia, Govedartisi, Bansko or Plovdiv
- Private transfer Plovdiv-Sofia
