Walking tour in the Bulgarian mountains of Central Balkan and Rila with SNP Naturreizen

Hiking tour in Bulgarian mountains including day walks to experience amazing nature values and visits to cultural sites

Tour type:

group

Tour operator:

SNP

Park:

Rila National Park

Central Balkan National Park

Highlights of the holiday

This trip takes us to two beautiful Bulgarian national parks: Central Balkan and Rila. We walk among flower-rich mountain ranges and though dense forests where wolves and bears still roam free. We stay in guesthouses where we experience great Bulgarian hospitality and the fine cuisine of the Balkans.

Walking tour in the Bulgarian mountains of Central Balkan and Rila with SNP Naturreizen

The tour is organised by the Dutch tour operator SNP Naturreizen and is conducted in Dutch.

Holiday type

hiking tour
guided trip
day walks

Duration of holiday

12 days

Activities by days

Day 1 – Travel to Central Balkan National Park
Flight from Amsterdam to Sofia. After arrival a 2.5-hour transfer to the village of Skandaloto
where we stay in a hotel with excellent traditional cuisine.
Day 2 – Walk to a waterfall and visiting a monastery
We start walking in Dzhendema Reserve with amazing nature: we hike through beech forests providing home also to bears. The walk ends at the spectacular 80-metre high Vidimsko Praskalo waterfall. Weather permitting, we can see the highest peak of Central Balkan, the 2376m high Mount Botev. Duration: 3.5- 4 hours without breaks, elevation: 450 meters. Afterwards we visit Troyan monastery, the third largest monastery in Bulgaria.
Day 3 – Day walk with spectacular mountain views
We drive along Troyan Pass and at the highest point - at 1595 metres - we start a spectacular hike on the ridge of the Central Balkan Mountains. We walk on a trail with views over both the northern and southern part of the mountains enjoying magnificent scenery. In the evening you can take a walk in Kalofer where we stay for the night.
Day 4 – Hike on an eco-trail and explore historical sites
We walk an short but challenging eco-trail leading us deep into the valley of River Byala Reka, the ’White River.’ Duration of walk: 2 hours, altitude 100. In the afternoon we travel back in time and visit some historical sites. We drive through the valley where Bulgarian rose oil is still made. We also explore Thracian historical sites.
Day 5 – Exploring historic towns and walking in ancient beech forests
In the morning we visit Karlovo and can explore the town or a walk to the Hubavets hut surrounded by an ancient beech forest. This hike begins just outside the village, duration: 4 hours without breaks, altitude: 500 metres. In the afternoon we can take a walk in the beautiful historic town of Koprivshtitsa.
Day 6 –Walking around Koprivshtitsa and travel to Rila National Park
In the morning you either take a nature walk around Koprivshtitsa, duration: 3.5 hours excluding breaks, altitude: 350 metres, or enjoy the unique atmosphere of the town and take extra time to visit one of the many sights. Afterwards we drive to Rila National Park where we travel on the narrow gauge railway to enjoy the varied scenery of villages, meadows, pine forests and the mountains of Rila and Rhodope.
Day 7 – Day walk in Rila National Park
Starting our first full-day hike in Rila’s mountains we climb up gradually in a beautiful valley towards Makedonia hut at 2169 meters and then after a steep climb we reach 2300 metres to enjoy a stunning view of the Pirin Mountains and the southern side of Rila. Duration of the walk: 6-7 hours without a break, altitude 1100 metres.
Day 8 – Visiting Rila Monastery and walking in its surroundings
We visit Rila Monastery and take a short walk to the chapel through dense forests surrounding the monastery. Duration: 1.5 hours, altitude: 200 up, 50 meters down. After lunch we take a short hike to the Pyramids of Stob, spectacular natural rock formations. Duration of hike: 1-1.5 hours, altitude: 100 meters.
Day 9 – Walking among spectacular glacial lakes
We take one of the most popular hikes in the Rila Mountains. The walk takes us to a spectacular landscape: mountains dotted with a series of small glacial lakes.
Day 10 – Day walk with amazing views
We hike from Pionerska hut to Govedartsi on a walking path with beautiful views of Rila with the 2729-metre high Malyovitsa peak. Hike duration: 4.5 to 5 hours excluding breaks, altitude: 200 metres up and 700 metres down.
Day 11 – Mountain hike
A challenging walk takes us closer to Peak Malyovitsa. We hike through a valley surrounded by plateaus formed by glaciers. We walk on a quiet forest trail up to the Malyovitsa refuge at 1900 metres to enjoy magnificent views of Malyovitsa and surrounding mountains. Duration: 4 hours excluding breaks, altitude: 500 metres. (Option to make the walk shorter.)
Day 12 – Travel to Amsterdam
Transfer to Sofia 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