Our time in Bulgaria was coming to an end and I hadn’t done any hiking! It was getting quite cold, ice was appearing in the air so before it descended into full-blown winter we decided to hike the Seven Rila Lakes. If you’re interested in hiking the Seven Rila Lakes, we write here about our experience with a tour guide and what the Seven Lakes are like.
Visiting Bulgaria
We were on week three in Bulgaria and had spent time north of Varna exploring the weird things in the desert, seeing The Wonderful Rocks and watching dolphins.
We’d travelled south of Varna towards Greece, visiting the black coast, discovering castles on big mountains, visiting ancient walled cities and of course chilling out in freezing cold Sofia BUT I just wanted one hike. Bulgaria has some spectacular mountain ranges to its west (Rila & Pirin) and I wanted to see them ALL!
That wasn’t going to be possible, clearly, so how do I choose a mountain?
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Which Mountain Should We Choose?
We had no idea which mountain range to tackle, let alone how to get there or buy a map and plot a route and for some reason, I just couldn’t be bothered to research it myself which is very rare!
Shocking I know! Sorry, but it was at the end of my first eleven-week backpacking experience with the kids and I was still tired (and feeling lazy).
So instead I found and booked a small, organised tour and made the kids get up at 5:40 am lol. I was not their favourite person.
We Are Not A Morning Family. Are You?
For those of you who know us personally, you will know that we are definitely NOT a morning family. Our kids have always loved their sleep, as do we, so we set the dreaded alarm and woke up to its horrifying noise.
If you’re a morning family, you’ll have no problem with this tour what-so-ever.
Which Tour Agency Do We Recommend?
We chose to go with Traventuria, a Bulgarian based company and although I really wanted to complete a two-day hike nobody else did. The only reason for this was the weather – or so they’d have me believe! It was seriously cold and starting to get below 0*c.
Although this company have a number of self-guided hikes that you can do too, we felt it would be easier to do a guided hike and so we chose the Seven Lakes in the Rila Mountains.
As it turns out we could have done either as the hike wasn’t overly difficult but it was beneficial for us to have a guide and he was lovely.
How Much Did It Cost?
Price for a GUIDED tour: The price starts from €39/person (days with Special Offer); Other days cost: 1 pers: €138; 2 pers: €79 pp; 3 pers: €58 pp; 4-7 pers: €49 pp.
Price for SELF-GUIDED tour: €120 per group of 1-4 persons; €160 per group of 5-8 persons.
The price included: Return transfer from Sofia to Panichishte resort; English-speaking guide (for the guided option); Detailed route notes and a map of Rila (for the self-guided option)
We decided to pay for ski-lift passes to take us up to the ski chalet which cost an extra €9/€5 adult/child. This meant the total price was:
Hike price €195.00
Ski lift price €45.00
Total price €240.00
The Hike Details
This whole-day excursion is designed for people who would like to be transferred from Sofia to hike among The Seven Rila Lakes.
Transfer time: 3.30hrs (total)
Walking time: 4-5 hrs (moderate difficulty)
Best period: mid-June to mid September
Where Are The Seven Rila Lakes?
Seven Rila’s are a group of glacial lakes situated between 2100 and 2500 metres above sea level surrounded by the rugged peaks and deep valleys of Suhi Chal, Otovishki and Haramiya.
They are situated in the northwestern Rila Mountains located in the Dangskiya region and are the most visited lakes in Bulgaria. This gives you a clue as to how popular they can be!
Each of the seven lakes carries a name associated with its most characteristic feature which I’ll detail below. The Lakes are also associated with a Bulgarian religion which see the mountains and water as a spiritual place. It’s not hard to see why!
Dano What?
Rila’s Seven Lakes are a place of religious significance to the Danovists, a movement also known as the “White Brotherhood” – a reference to spiritual pureness rather than racial purity.
Formed at the beginning of the 20th century, Danovism was created by Petar Danov and I guess for that reason could be called a cult rather than a religion (although my opinion remains that all religions are cults).
Danov, the son of an Orthodox priest, combined Eastern Orthodoxy and Paganism with practices of yoga, meditation and nature-worship. It fast became popular with its simple and positive message however was banned during the era of communism.
After the fall of Communism followers renewed the practice of gathering on August 19th, the date chosen by Danov as the beginning of the New Year. Dressed in white, thousands of devotees dance a panreuthmic sun-worshipping dance arranged in concentric circles at the lakes’ shores.
Our Guide Was Called Ventsi
Our guide was a delightful, Bulgarian man called Ventsi and we met him at 6:55am (holy moly) at the back of the cathedral in Sofia.
The van journey was broken up with one stop-off about an hour into a service station where we bought some vegan protein bars. Bulgaria astounded me with its availability of vegan food, it really wasn’t the country I was expecting and veganism was made simple.
It Was FREEZING!
The organised hikes run between June and November and offer groups of up to eight people. We are already five and because it was one of the last hikes of the year, we were joined by two other females making our group size seven.
We completed the hike in the second week of October and we were freezing. It might have said 4*c but it felt more like -4*c.
We were pretty fortunate to complete and see all seven lakes because of the low cloud coverage that kept rolling through the valleys.
Should You Use The Skilifts Or Not?
You have the option not to use the ski lifts but you’ll have an extra 3km to hike and it’s all UP. We chose the easy option and rode the ski chairs. Given the temperature it was worth the extra money.
The ski lift is a NEW edition to the mountain and in 2009 there was much hostility and resistance towards it from Bulgarian hikers who thought it would make the mountains too commercially accessible. They might have been right as the mountains are now turning into swamps.
It’s thought that the tenfold increase in tourists visiting the mountains is causing the damaging change whilst the off road vehicles, also using it, destroy delicate ground vegetation adding to its demise.
You Might Have Low Cloud Coverage Whilst Hiking The Seven Rila Lakes
When we arrived in the bottom car park the cloud was already densely covering the tops of the trees and as our chairs rose above the trees we could turn around to see the immense cloud coverage below us.
I LOVE clouds.
You might remember how I got VERY excited in Madeira when we hiked above and below the clouds between Pico Ruivo and Aeeriro? (opens in new link) Well this time was no different.
You’ll Start From The Rilski Ezera Hut
The chairlifts drop you off at the Rilski Ezera Hut and as the hike can be circular, you have a choice of where to start. As it was busy that morning we opted to start with the quieter route and headed off to The Lower Lake first.
The hut, or ski chalet, can be booked through booking.com and I think it offers meals and wifi too.
Look For Accommodation In The Rila Area
Hiking the Seven Rila Lakes: The Lower Lake
The lowest lake is appropriately called Lower Lake (Dolnoto Ezero), which feeds the Dzherman River. The lakes are all connected by narrow streams, waterfalls and cascades which you can either cross or see whilst hiking the area.
The Fish Lake
Fish lake (Ribno Ezero) is the shallowest of the lakes and has a bed of reeds just under its surface which gives an eerie quality to its appearance.
The Seven Lakes Shelter is on the banks of Fish Lake and gives some brilliant reflections. It’s only from above the lake, looking down, that you realise how shallow it is.
The Trefoil
Farther up the trail is the Three-leafed Lake (Trilistnika) categorised by its irregular shape and low shores. From about this point onwards we started to see icicles forming on the bushes and the higher we climbed the more ice there was. The temperature was already cold but the wind became a bigger factor as we were no longer protect as much by the valley sides.
The lakes freeze around October and melt in June and can freeze to a depth of two meters thick. During the summer months the lakes are fed from the melting snow-drifts on the mountains.
The ice is about as a fresh as you’ll find and makes a great snack lol!
Hiking the Seven Rila Lakes: The Twins
Next comes The Twins’ Lake (Bliznaka). Wide at both ends and narrow in the middle the lake resembles an hourglass.
During dry years, the lake becomes two smaller lakes and this is the source of its name.
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The Kidney: Hiking the Seven Rila Lakes
Named for its kidney shape, the Kidney Lake (Babreka) has a surface area of 85 hectares and has steep rocky banks. We stopped at this lake on our way down from The Eye and The Tear for a spot of lunch and watched quietly as the clouds engulfed us.
I managed to get a great photo of some hikers emerging from the clouds onto the opposite bank of the lake in front of us.
The Option To Hike Further
We made The Kidney in pretty good time and had the option of hiking further to The Eye and The Tear before lunch. Of course we said YES! This part of the hike was, for me, the hardest. I was SO cold (having just returned from SE Asia we had no appropriate hiking clothes and were walking in flimsy trousers and basic coats) and it was definitely the steepest part of the walk. However the higher you hike the better the view!
The Eye
Next is Eye Lake (Okoto), the deepest of the seven at 37.5 meters. It is oval and during the summer months, an intense blue when the sun shines. Sadly no sunshine for us that day and because of that no ariel shot of The Eye as the clouds were too dense.
Waiting At The Tear For The Clouds To Clear
The highest of the lakes is Tear Lake (Salzata), which gained its name for its tear shape and crystal-clear water. It is 2,535 meters high, directly beneath the Otovishki Peak.
I waited so patiently in the freezing clouds waiting for them to roll on by and I was rewarded, finally, with a glimpse of The Tear Lake.
Will You Be Able To See Anything From The Summit?
Reaching the summit was a relief and a little bit of an anticlimax in terms of photography. I had visions of getting a panoramic that showed at least six lakes but the weather had different ideas.
It was so cloudy that we couldn’t even have our photos taken on the board platform. So we started our descent and ate lunch at The Kidney.
Hiking Down The Seven Rila Lakes
The hike down is always much easier than the hike up and this time we had a different path to look forward to. The scenery is just as beautiful regardless of which path you choose though.
What I really liked about our hike guide was that he gave us the freedom to roam. I was able to deviate from the path and admire the view over the sides of the peaks we were straddling. The visibility was limited but the view remained spectacular.
Returning Down On The Chair Lift
The return journey on the chair lift was just as fun as on the way up because visibility was even worse! It was all very exciting and the kids were shouting out ‘echo’ and making animal noises into the mist that clung around us lol.
Look For Food Stalls In The Car Park
On our return to the minibus we noticed a number of wooden stalls selling locally made jams & pickles, locally sourced honey and a massive boiling vat of water and freshly boiling corn on the cobs. Just what the kids were after and they tasted so sweet too!
If you’re passing, we can recommend the jams and the corn.
Video from hiking the Seven Rila Lakes
Our Top Tips On Hiking The Seven Rila Lakes
- This walk can be done alone but it’s always fun to book a local guide who can tell you about the history and culture of Bulgaria and the mountains. We recommend Traventuria!
- Even in May there is still snow underfoot. Wear lots of layers and certainly have a waterproof layer that will keep you dry. Consider taking hats and gloves if you go later than September.
- I recommend wearing sturdy, waterproof shoes or boots. The ground is often sodden wet and the ascent of the last two lakes is steep and the path prone to movement.
- Definitely take some food and water, I’d recommend hot soup! We ate at The Kidney but there are loads of lovely places to stop.
- The lakes can get very busy. The earlier you can get there the better.
- Walking poles are good but definitely not essential. It’s not that hard a walk.
- Stop off for jams and freshly cooked corn on the cobs on the way back down.
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