The Rila Mountains are the highest ones not only on The Balkan Peninsula but also in South East Europe with Mount Musala - 2925 m a.s.l. It occupies the prestigious 6th place in the European "classification", preceded by Caucasus, the Alps, Sierra Nevada, the Pyrenees and the Etna volcano. Many of the tops here are close to 3000 m a.s.l. Rila Mountains (an old Slavic word, meaning "Water Mountain") looks like a rough sea of mountain ridges and peaks, deep gorges and 150 crystal clear lakes. A big part of the National Park is under the protection of UNESCO.
Early transfer will bring us to Borovets (1350 m a.s.l.). Borovets is the oldest international and one of the most popular mountain resorts in Bulgaria. There we take the gondola lift to Yastrebets. The path now goes within the Dwarf Pine massifs towards the highest in altitude in Bulgaria Musala hut (2389 m a.s.l.; about 1,5 hours trek). The jagged form of Mount Musala could be enjoyed during the whole time. From Musala hut we need two more hours to climb the peak, going by the Musalenski lakes and the "Icy lake" refuge in between. The view from the very top is really breath-taking - one could spot many other peaks of Rila Mountains, the marble edges of Pirin Mountains, Vitosha and Sredna Gora Mountains, the green summits of the Rodopi Mountains and not the least the long body of the Balkan Mountains. We make a little rest here before going back to Yastrebets and further with the gondola-lift to Borovets, where the bus waits to take us back to Sofia. Note that a guided and a self-guided option is available (see below price details).
Transfers time: 2,30 hrs
Walking time: 5-6 hrs (few steep parts; good physical condition is needed)
Best period: mid June-September
Price for GUIDED tour: 1 pers: 250 Euro; 2 pers: 140 Euro pp; 3 pers: 100 Euro pp; 4 pers: 80 Euro pp; 5+ pers: 75 Euro pp
Price for SELF-GUIDED tour: 200 Euro per group of 1-4 persons; 250 Euro per group of 5-8 persons
The price includes: Transfer from Sofia to Borovets resort and back; English-speaking guide (for the guided option);Detailed route notes in English and a map of Rila (for the self-guided option)
The price does not include: Return Gondola lift tickets; personal expenses
* note that sometimes transfers might be shared with other clients booked on the same tour (in such cases each party receives their own set of route notes and map) or on a guided tour to the same destination.