Pirin and Rodopi Mountains Trekking

Crossing a creek

Explore Bulgaria's most remote regions

This tour combines the high and challenging Pirin Mountains' beauty with the serenity of the Rodopi Range. Explore some of Bulgaria's most remote and forgotten regions. Mountain border villages, which in the near past had been closed for foreign visitors, enable the tourists to experience a part of the original Bulgarian culture and life in the countryside. During the tour we also visit caves and the second biggest Bulgarian monastery.

Accommodation:We stay in 3-star hotels (days 1, 2 & 6), a family-run hotel (days 4 & 5), a guesthouse (day 7) with private facilities, and in a tradional old-fashioned house (day 3) with shared facilities on HB (breakfast & dinner included). Ordering lunchpacks is available in each of the hotels if necessary for the day walks (5-6 EUR). Luggage is taken care of throughout the whole trip. A small rucksack for carrying personal items during the day-walks is necessary. It is possible to skip some of the walks and to take the bus with the luggage instead.

HIGHLIGHTS:
- The Pirin Mountains are the second highest in Bulgaria after Rila Mountains and the third in the Balkan Peninsula.
- The Rodopi Mountains are the oldest mountains on the Balkan Peninsula.
- Bansko (925 m) is one of the biggest winter resorts in the country.
- Gela village (1,500 m) is more than 3,300 years old, believed to be the birth place of the legendary musician Orpheus.
- Shiroka Luka (1,060 m): An architectural, ethnographic and folklore reserve with numerous houses preserving the typical Rodopean architecture, speech, songs and customs of local people.
- The old town of Plovdiv is one of the oldest European towns contemporary to Troy and Mikena. Plovdiv (160 m) ranks as the second Bulgarian city in population and size.
-Yagodina cave is considered to be one of the most beautiful in Europe with its outstanding stalactites, stalagmites, columns, ponds and cave pearls. It is among the longest caves in Bulgaria (more than 10,000 m mapped so far).
- The Devil's Throat cave has its name from the fact that if you let something flow in the cave river it never comes out again. There cave waterfall is 42 m high - one of the highest underground waterfalls in Europe,.
-Bachkovo Monastery is the second largest Bulgarian monastery.

ITINERARY:

(subject to change without prior notice)

Day 1: Arrival

Arrival at Sofia or Plovdiv airport and transfer to Bansko for overnight (about 3 hours).

Day 2: Pirin mountain lakes

After breakfast, have a little walk through the streets of Bansko. Early in the afternoon, we visit Muratovo, Ribnoto, Dulgoto, Zhabeshkoto and Okoto lakes  at the foothills of the Pirin Mountains above Vihren hut (1,950 m). This walk will take about 3-5 hours, depending on the weather conditions. Return to Bansko by bus with a short stop by the oldest tree in Bulgaria (more than 1,300 years old).
Uphill walk: 300 m; downhill walk: 300 m

Traditional stable

Day 3: Mt. Polezhan - Kovachevitsa

Transfer to the foothills of the Pirin Mountains to the town of Dobrinishte and further to "Gotse Delchev" hut. Here we take the chair lift to "Bezbog" hut (2,236 m), where the walk towards Mount Polezhan (2,851 m) starts. This part of the trip offers probably the most beautiful panoramic views in the mountains. One can count 17 glacial lakes from a single point, including the biggest lake in Pirin Mountains - Popovo Lake. Afterwards, we continue to Leshten village and further to the village of Kovachevitsa for overnight.
5 hrs; uphill/downhill walk: 650 m

Day 4: Kovachevitsa - Trigrad

Sightseeing tour in Kovachevitsa (declared an architectural reserve) and the adjacent area. Transfer further to Trigrad village where we stay overnight for the next 2 nights. En-route we stop for lunch by the blue water of Dospat dam.
3 hrs; uphill walk: 400 m; downhill walk: 500 m

Day 5: Dabrash Ridge

In the morning, we continue southeast to the peak of the ridge near Trigrad village and further to Vodni Pad village. The return journey is a real delight going after Trigradska River all the way to Trigrad and Trigrad Gorge (1,450 m). 6 hrs; uphill walk: 400 m; downhill walk: 450 m

Day 6: Yagodina - Devin

After breakfast we leave the hotel in Trigrad on foot. A nice dirt road, following the upper edge of Trigrad Gorge leads to the village of Yagodina (850 m) and Yagodina Cave where we enjoy a 45 min cave tour. The bus is waiting at the entrance of the cave to take us to the town of Devin, where we stay overnight.
3 hrs; uphill walk: 250 m; downhill walk: 600 m

Stop for a chat

Day 7: Devin Valley - Bachkovo Monastery - Plovdiv

This morning, we start with a short transfer (3 km) to the picturesque site Struilitsa, where we will walk along the Devin eco-path, offering some fine views of the Valley of Devin River. At noon ,we continue with a transfer to Shiroka Lyka for short sightseeing and continue on to Bachkovo Monastery - the second largest in Bulgaria. We end up in Plovdiv, where you have some free time in the late afternoon for sightseeing and shopping.
3 hrs; uphill walk: 200 m; downhill walk: 200 m

Day 8: Time to say Goodbye

Early transfer to Sofia Airport for departure.