Across the Rila & Pirin Mountains the highest mountains on the Balkan Peninsula

A 14-day Tour of the Rila and Pirin Mountains designed for keen mountain walkers on foot paths as most of the over-nights are in mountain huts and chalets.

• Day 1 - SOFIA
• Day 2 - The trip starts by either taking the Gondola lift up to the Yastrebets at 2350 m., or by climbing to that point which takes 5-6 hours. Then to the Mussala hut at 2389 m., 40 min. easy walk, and to the "Ledeno Ezero"/ the Ice lake/ at 2723 m. a gentle climb for an hour and a half.
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• Day 3 - Start climbing the Mussala peak, 2925 m., the highest not only in Bulgaria but on the Balkan peninsula, higher than Olympus, the 6th high in Europe an easy half an hour climb. Then down the southern slope to "Granchar" Hut for an overnight stay. It will take approx. 5 hrs. Overnight.
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• Day 4 - Departure for Treshtenik, then down to Gotze Delchev at 1600 m. A walk to "Gotze Delchev" hut and from there by a lift up to "Bezbog" hut at 2236 m. for the overnight.
• Day 5 - A bit difficult 5-hour climb to the "Tevno Lake", at 2515 m. and to the hut there for the overnight.
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• Day 6 - A 5-hour walk through the most picturesque parts of the Pirin Mountains to the "Kamenitsa" hut at 1750 m.
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• Day 7 - A 4-hour easy walk with little climbing to an area called "Spano Pole", meaning the 'mushrooms field'.
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• Day 8 - From "Spano Pole" to Sinanitza, at 2200 m. there are a couple of hours of climbing then an easy walk down of approx. 4 hours to Sinanitza.
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• Day 9 - A gentle 6-hour walk to "Vihren" hut at 1950 m. or "Banderitsa" hut.
• Day 10 - Climb of the highest peak of the Pirin Mountains, 2914 m., the second high in Bulgaria. This is a 2 and a half hour difficult climb, then through a ridge, called "Koncheto" /horse back/, which at places is only half a meter wide !!! Then down to "Yavorov" hut, 1142 m., an approx. 4-hour difficult walk.
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• Day 11 - A very pleasant walk to a place called "Predela", where the Rila and Pirin mountains /the so called Bulgarian "Alps"/ meet.
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• Day 12 - A 6 hour difficult climb from "Predela" to "Makedonia" hut at 2166 m.
• Day 13 - An 8-hour walk along the ridge of the Central Rila Mountains, across the Cherna Polyana peak, 2716 m. to the Fish Lakes area and the hut in the same name.
• Day 14 - The last walk in the program to the Rila Monastery, an approx.3-hour downhill to Kirilova Polyana, and an hour and a half again downhill to the Rila Monastery.
• Day 15 - Transfer to Sofia airport.