Hiking in Central Balkan and Rila National Parks, Bulgaria with Sawadee

Hiking tour in Bulgaria’s unspoilt nature including short and day hikes through the vast forests and rugged mountain ranges of Rila and Central Balkan National Park combined with cultural experiences

Tour type:

group

Tour operator:

Sawadee

Park:

Rila National Park

Central Balkan National Park

Highlights of the holiday

This hiking tour offers an active and varied holiday through Bulgaria, a fascinating country. Beautiful day hikes in the amazing nature of Rila and Central Balkan National Parks are combined with unique cultural experiences in small villages, monasteries and sightseeing in the capital of Sofia. We also taste the excellent local cuisine and wines.

The tour is organised by the Dutch tour operator Sawadee, but it is conducted in English.

Holiday type

hiking tour
guided trip
day walks
small groups (max. 14 participants)

Duration of holiday

10 days

Activities by days

Day 1 - travel from Amsterdam to Central Balkan National Park
After travel we arrive to Skandaloto village where our hotel is a tastefully restored 19th century house.
Day 2 - Troyan Monastery and day hike to a waterfall
After visiting Troyan Monastery, one of the largest and oldest monestaries in Bulgaria, we hike through dense, ancient beech forests. We walk in the Severen Dzhendem Nature Reserve hosting large carnivores such as brown bears and wolves. We enjoy fantastic views and the 80-m high spectacular waterfall of Vidimsko Praskalo.
Day 3 - Walk an eco-trail, Thracische mound and Koprivshtitsa
We cut through Central Balkan along the spectacular Troyan Pass (1525m), which offers beautiful views in clear weather and descend to the Valley of Roses. In the historic town of Kalofer we visit the Kalofer monastery before taking a tour along the 'Byala Reka' eco trail. We walk and climb on ladders and bridges to explore a rugged area of canyons, waterfalls and rapids. We stay in the beautiful historic town of Koprivshtitsa.
Day 4 - walk in the mountains around Koprivshtitsa
We walk through ancient forests and across open plains that offer fantastic panorama of the highest peaks of Central Balkan. This is an important area for birdwatchers so there is good chance to see interesting species.
Day 5 - train ride through the mountains in southern Rila National Park
We travel on narrow gauge railway straight through the Rodopi Mountains. The train winds through tunnels through the mountains to Gara Avramovo (1267m), the highest railway station in the Balkans. We stay in the village of Gorno Dragilishte, situated at the foot of the Rila Mountains that will be our base for our morning walk on the south side of the mountains.
Day 6 - day hike in Rila National Park
Today we have a spectacular but challenging hike with a climb to considerable altitude to enjoy truly alpine landscape. The views are fantastic and we will certainly encounter traces of chamois. We follow the route known as the ’Path of the Glacier’ which is part of a local eco-tourism project. The path leads us to a group of high-altitude glacial lakes known as the Vapski Ezera. We can learn a lot about the biodiversity of the sub-alpine and alpine ecosystems of the Rila Mountains from our guide.
Day 7 - visiting Rila Monastery and walking in the northern part of the Rila mountains
Following the Struma River we climb to Rila Monastery. This is the largest monastery in Bulgaria and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After the visit we walk along a nice path in the nature surrounding the monastery.
Day 8 - day walk in northern Rila National Park
We take a spectacular but also challenging hike. We climb up the dramatic valley of River Malyovitsa. The view of the surrounding peaks is breathtaking in clear weather. We have to cross crystal clear mountain streams and boulder plains to climb to Golyamo Elenino Ezero (2472m), a spectacular mountain lake situated at the foot of Mount Malyovitsa (2729m). This is one of the highest and most impressive peaks of the Rila Mountains. The hike offers fantastic views and nature with the chance of seeing a number of alpine species.
Day 9 - Sofia
After a week’s hiking in nature we explore the capital city of Bulgaria, Sofia.
Day 10 - Trip to Amsterdam
Short transfer to the airport and flight to Amsterdam.

Supporting wilderness conservation

By participating in this trip you support the PAN Parks Foundation and thus financially contribute to the protection of Europe’s wilderness, the continent’s most undisturbed areas of nature.
More on what the PAN Parks Foundation does