Sofia, Bulgaria 
- Transfers throughout the tour (pick up/drop off at your hotel in Sofia)
- English-speaking guide
- Chair lift tickets for Rila Mountains
- Entrance to the museum in Rila Monastery
What's Included
WHAT TO EXPECT
This hiking tour shows you the best of nature and culture merits of the Rila Mountains: Rila Monastery (UNESCO) and the Cirque of The Seven Rila Lakes. The program doesn’t allow much free time on either side but it is quite enough to explore both places.
Difficulty: The hiking route is moderately arduous, with individual brief paths featuring steep inclines. Please bring along comfortable walking boots. Sandals and flip-flops are not accepted. Rain jacket might be useful in summer as heavy showers sometimes occur in the afternoons.
Total transfers time: 4,30-5 hrs
Walking time: 3,30 hrs (hiking time only; moderate difficulty)
Best period: mid-June – mid-September (possible also in late May and Late September through to October (incl.) (depending on the lifts working time; contact us for details)
Circular trek, starting from the Rila Lakes hut, going along the lower lakes up to the Kidney Lake, before descending back to the Rila Lakes hut (the highest two lakes will be skipped due to lack of time). (3,30hrs hiking time only; 4,5km; +200m; -200m)
The tour begins with an early transfer to the Rila, followed by a brief cable car ride to the Seven Rila Lakes Cirque. The glacier lakes are at between 2100 and 2500m/6800 and 8200ft above sea level, with a name fitting their shapes, like Babreka (the Kidney), Okoto (the Eye), and Salzata (the Teardrop). As you need to follow strict time schedule depending on your fitness the tour can either walk the whole trek around all lakes or make the stroll shorter and skip some of them (normally the two highest ones).
After the hiking around one of the Rila’s most remarkable and beautiful parts, you are transferred to the Rila Monastery: the largest and most significant Bulgarian Orthodox Church establishment. The 20m/70ft high walls shelter impressive cloisters, a church, and a chapel with unique murals and museum collections.
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