Bulgaria's Mountains Trails (Trekking and Walking) - Rila, Bulgaria
Accommodation here is very simple but surprisingly comfortable, with a choice of rooms with bunk-beds or a large loft room sleeping up to twenty people (blankets and mattresses are supplied). After breakfast you'll collect a picnic lunch and set off on your first walk, direct from the hotel. After breakfast you'll head off for a full day's walk through the Pirin range to the village of Kremen, where your transport awaits. After exploring some of the lower lakes you'll return to your hotel for dinner having walked for 5-6 hours and reached altitudes of up to 2500 metres. Along the way you'll visit a summer gypsy camp at Ribnovo, and stop for lunch at the home of a local family; a great insight into daily life and past traditions. Although the walking is mainly downhill today, the terrain is undulating and there are a couple of cols to cross. Amongst the most popular sights you'll see are: the Alexander NevskiChurch, whose massive domes are reminiscent of St Paul's in London; the nearby Russian Church with its characteristic guilded "onion" spires; the National Art Gallery and Sofia City Garden. Amongst the other features of interest are the ornately carved entrance gate, the wooden colonnaded walkways and central church with beautifully painted icons and murals. Anyone familiar with walking in the British hills will immediately feel at home, as the valley opens out to reveal the broad whale-backed ridges of the Rila range not dissimilar in appearance to many Scottish mountains. Approximate costs are given for guidance only, and may vary widely according to location and type of establishment. Approximately 4 hours of walking will bring the lake of Tevno Ezero into sight, lying beneath the magnificent mountain of Kamenitz (2822m). As with many of the lower mountain huts, Demianitza is a popular place for local people to spend a day out, sitting on the cafe terrace, or walking to a nearby lake for a picnic or swim. Bansko lies at the foot of the Pirin range of mountains. Before the sun crests the surrounding peaks you may be lucky enough this morning to see some other frequent visitors to Tevno Ezero, chamois. Chamois gather in herds and with females usually giving birth in June, there's a goodchance you'll spot some youngsters amongst the adults. Depending upon flight schedules there may be the chance for some last minute sightseeing before you transfer to airport for your return flight to the UK. Descending from the mountain you'll walk to the village of Sapareva Bania to meet your transport and make the sixty minute drive to Rila Monastery. During the summer, shepherds will live on the mountains with their sheep and this morning you'll learn more about their hardy outdoor life, as you take breakfast with a shepherd and his 250 companions. First however, there's time to explore Kovachevitza, a beautifully preserved example of traditional Bulgarian architecture. Flights (Schedules & airlines can change.) Direct flights with British Airways from London Heathrow. From here you'll visit the wonderfully preserved village of Kovatchevista, visit a summer gypsy encampment and enjoy a traditional meal with a local family. From the fortified village of Bansko, you'll then take a 2-day expedition deep into the Pirin Mountains, staying overnight in an isolated mountain hut,
before descending to Ognianovo to relax in a thermal pool. From the town, the peaks have an altogether more rugged appearance than those of Rila. From the village you'll make the gradual ascent into the hills beyond. Guesthouse 1 night (BD)DAY 4 - ASCENT TO TEVNO EZERO. Here the roofs of the wooden houses almost touch each other above the narrow cobbled lanes (a deliberate designfeature, enabling roof-top escape from marauding bandits). Hotel - 2 nights (D)DAY 2 - SEVEN RILA LAKES. Hotel 2 nights (BL)DAY 6 - KOVATCHEVITZA & THE RHODOPES MOUNTAINS. Hotels/pensions (6nts), mountain refuge (multi-share) (1nt). However this apparently inaccessible face hides a network of paths, criss-crossing a series of cols to lead you into beautiful hidden valleys. However, in addition to your picnic and usual walking gear you'll perhaps want to take a small wash kit, a sheet sleeping bag and maybe a thermal T-shirt or additional thin fleece. However, there's plenty of timeto take the occasional break and drink in the views. It's about a 3 hour drive back to the capital but along the way you'll have views of the mountains you've been exploring on foot earlier in the week. Leaving Bansko you'll gain the first few hundred metres of altitude in a minibus saving you bothtime and energy. Leaving the hotel you'll make the short transfer to the nearby village of Kovachevitza, where today's walk in the Rhodopes begins. Leaving your main bags behind (to be transferred by road) you'll don your boots and daypack once more and walk for approximately an hour and a half to rendezvous with a local mountain shepherd and his flock. Many agricultural practices, long disappeared from other parts of Europe, are still very much in evidence in Bulgaria. Most of the main sights are located within walking distance of one another making it easy to get around. Mountain hut (multi-share) 1 night (BLD) DAY 5 PIRIN MOUNTAIN WALK. Ognianovo is situated in the Rhodpes Mountains, which straddle the border with Greece. Ognianovo is situated in the western edge of theRhodopes Mountains, a range that Bulgaria shares with neighbouring Greece. On arrival in Kremen you'll make the short transfer to your hotel in Ognianovo. On arrival in Sofia you'll check in at your hotel and have time to take lunch in a nearby cafe or snack bar, beforemeeting up with your leader for a walking tour of the city. Outside, the hut guardian has created a washing area and simple toilet, both carefully sited to avoid polluting the pure waters of the lake. Over the centuries, the monastery has endured many turbulent times, including destruction by fire, abandonment by the monks and being looted and pillaged several times. Rejoining the busyou then drive to your next night's accommodation, a guesthouse in the town of Bansko. Rila is a designated national park with lush coniferous and broadleafed woodland, over 2000 plant varieties and of course, mountains, which reach heights of up to2,900 metres. Rila Monastery is Bulgaria's largest monastery and perhaps the most famous of all the country's attractions. Sheer rock faces climb to reach narrow knife edged ridges, often flecked with snow even in July. Situated on the shores of the lake is the wooden Tevno Ezero mountain hut, where you'll spend the night. Situated on the southern slopes of the Rila Mountains, the monastery was foundedby John of Rila in the 10th century, as a colony of hermits, and later became one of the centres of early mediaeval culture in Bulgaria. Sophia also has an extensive range of restaurants to suit all tastes and pockets. Sophia is an as yet undiscovered "City Break"destination but in common with many European capitals it has a fascinating mix of historic buildings, museums, parks and galleries to explore. The main shopping boulevard is Vitosha Street but there's also an extensive indoor market and a couple of former soviet era government buildings, now converted to department stores and malls. The name Rila comes from the Slavic word "Rula" meaning "full of water," an appropriate name considering there are more that 200 lakes within this mountain range alone. The peaks here are lower than in Rila and Pirin, reaching heights of up to 2100 metres, with lushly vegetated slopes and a karst geology that gives rise to numerous gorges, caves and of course, mineral springs. Then, from the large mountain hut at Demianitza, you'll set off to walk to Tevno Ezero (Dark Lake). These "goat antelopes" live in many ofEurope's high mountain ranges and have specially adapted hooves that allow them to scale the steepest of slopes and rocks. This morning you'll make an early start for breakfast with a difference! Today the oldestbuilding in the complex is the 5 storey defensive tower, built in 1335. Today you leave the mountains behind, and return to Sofia. Today you'll begin a two-day expedition into the Pirin range but before setting off you'll need to pack your daypack with a few extra items, in readiness for tonight's stay in a mountain hut. Tonight your leader will brief you on the week ahead and you'll pack your daypack ready foryour first day's walking. Tonight, after the sun goes down you'll enjoy a simple but hearty mealin the company of fellow mountain walkers. Upon arrival at Sofia airport you'll be met by your group leader and make the 1 hour drive to your first night's accommodation in the small mountain settlement of Zeleni Preslop. With tonight being your last night in the mountains, your group leader will doubtless suggest a meal in a typical Bulgarian restaurant and perhaps a glass of Kamenitza beer, or a local wine. Within an hour or so's walkinghowever, you're likely to have the path to yourselves as you ascend gradually into the mountains. Within Bulgaria, the village of Ognianovo is famous for its thermal springs and your hotel for the next two nights has its own mineral water swimming pool, the perfect place to relax after your mountain expedition. You'll spend a couple of hours at the monastery, giving ample time to make a visit, take lunch at one of the nearby cafes and perhaps a short stroll in the surrounding forest. Your first goal is the 70 metre high Skakavitza waterfall, the highest in Rila; a nearby mountain hut makes a good spot for refreshments. Your hotel lies at an altitude of approximately 1600 metres on the northern flanks of the Rila mountain range. Your last night is spent in Sofia, where imposing soviet-style buildings rub shoulders with ornate, orthodox churches and an array of pavement cafes and attractive gardens. Your leader will advise you on what to take - and perhaps more importantly what to leave behind! Your walk leads you on a circuit back to Kovachevitza, from where your transport returns you to your hotel in Ognianovo.
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