The Seven Rila Lakes & Rila Monastery
Description
Experience Bulgaria’s two ultimate highlights in a single day. This expertly timed day trip combines a breathtaking hike to the panoramic Seven Rila Lakes with a cultural visit to the historic Rila Monastery, the largest and most important spiritual landmark in the country. It is the ultimate mountain-and-culture combo designed to maximize your time without feeling rushed. - Conquer the highlights of the Rila Mountains in just one day from Sofia. - Trek past the spectacular lakes with stunning panoramic views (chairlift ticket optional/paid locally). - Rila Monastery: Enjoy ample time to explore the vast UNESCO-listed complex and its famous frescoed church. - Relax in an air-conditioned vehicle with a professional driver navigating the mountain roads. - Active yet Accessible: A moderately active trek perfect for travelers with basic physical fitness and comfortable shoes.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Departure at 07:00 from the car parknext to Vasil Levski Monument, in front of the Embassy of Slovakia
The tour begins with an early transfer to the Rila, followed by a brief cable car ride to the Seven Rila Lakes Cirque. The glacier lakes are at between 2100 and 2500m/6800 and 8200ft above sea level, with name fitting their shapes, like Babreka (the Kidney), Okoto (the Eye), and Salzata (the Teardrop). As we need to follow strict time schedule depending on your fitness we can either walk the whole trek around all lakes, or make the stroll shorter and skip some of them (normally the two highest ones).
Admire the impressive Rila Monastery (UNESCO)- its architecture and the frescoes present the apogee of the Bulgarian Renaissance art. With an about 1-hour guided tour of the most treasured monuments in the inner yard and the Monastery museum (optional), you will learn the most fascinating facts and stories about the biggest Bulgarian monastery complex.
Return at the starting point of the tour at approximately 19:30
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Food: although there are two huts on our way where we can purchase some basic food (i.e. beans soup, meatballs, tea) we advise you to come prepared with a lunch pack from Sofia, because the programme today is rather tight and for sure we won’t have much time for a proper lunch.
- Difficulty: the hiking route is moderately arduous, with individual brief paths featuring steep inclines. Please bring along comfortable walking boots. Sandals and flip-flops are not accepted. Rain jacket might be useful in summer as heavy showers sometimes occur in the afternoons.
- IMPORTANT FOR MAY AND JUNE DEPARTURES! Kindly note, that availability of the tour depends on the weather conditions and the operation of the chairlift.
- The terrain will be very wet and slippery and there will still be snow in the area. Walking in such conditions requires adequate equipment (good trekking boots, waterproof clothes and a warm layer beneath the jacket). The hike is demanding, so a good fitness level is also required. Keep in mind that some of the lakes may be covered in snow.
- Important! As with all lifts the one, used for the hike to The Seven Rila Lakes, may halt operations (due to strong winds, power cuts etc.). In this unlikely event, an alternative hike will be offered on spot by the guide. Mind that such a situation does not make you eligible for a refund for the tour.
- Tour with ONLINE (cloud-based) Audio-guide in different languages (EN, ES, IT, FR, DE, RU). INTERNET required to download and use. Headphones required, too.
Reviews(118)
The Rila lakes are extremely popular, especially on the weekends. The crowds were unimaginable. The chair lift process is a bit disorganized, the line-up took over an hour to clear. Wish the guides had a way to reserve lift tickets in advance. Nevertheless, the views up above by the lakes were totally worth the wait. We took a guide option and perhaps we should have opted out to a self-guided option as it the pace was a bit high. However, the guide was instrumental in reaching the sixth lake (and potentially the seventh) on time and getting back to the bus. The hike took about 3 hours and the length was about 8 km with the elevation gain of 400m. First, you climb a steep incline to the right of the chalet, then it is a walk on a fairly flat surface until you reach the last big incline to the sixth and seventh lakes. Overall, depending on your ambitions, you may want to spend longer up by the lakes depending on your overall fitness (unless you need to be on-time for the return bus!). There are some food and drinks on both sides of the chair lift. The chalet up top has a small restaurant with sitting outside. We got lucky with no rain as the chairs are open but sure do check the forecast so you come on a clear day. The monastery on the way back was a perfect icing on a cake and a relaxing stop after the mountain hike. Overall, this is probably the best tour we took from Sofia. Very long day but totally worth it.
Breathtaking view of the Rila lakes after a peaceful chairlift climb of 25 minutes. Air is fresh and crisp up the mountains. The architecture and painting in Rila Monastery are also beautiful. The guide, Megi, is professional and helpful.
It is a medium to hard hike depending on your experience. Just take your time and go with a guide. They will choose the best trails and know when to turn back to make the bus schedule on time. Plus they are knowledgeable about any questions you may have.
Our guide Radi was very friendly, helpful and enthusiastic. He had a wealth of knowledge about the area we visited, general knowledge about Bulgaria’s history and was keen to to share it with us. The walking was great and Radi managed a group of differing fitness levels well. The bus driver was really safe, especially coming down the mountain in a thunder storm!!! We enjoyed the monastery very much but were disappointed that not all areas were open by the time we got there ( kitchen area). Overall a great day, well worth it and got us back in time to see Harry Kane score 2 fantastic goals in World Cup match against DRCongo!!!!
This was the best tour I took while in Bulgaria! I highly recommend it.
It was an incredible trip, from the views of the seven lagoons to the monastery. It is an intermediate hike and is totally worth it; the views and the experience you have are incredible. Additionally, our guide was very friendly, always attentive to everything (English guide).
Wonderful experience, the best tour , the guide Megi Sink was brilliant, kind and helpful driver, timing and support all excellent highly recommenced ( English speaking Guide ) .
Punctual transfer and nice guide. During the hike, you can join the guide if you feel uncertain.
Awsome day out . breathtaking views of the Rila Lakes & peaks . The travel bus was very comfortable. Our english speaking guide Megi was very informative, patient & genuinely loves what she does.
An interesting and fascinating trip, the tour guide Megi Ski had an excellent knowledge of the area , it was pleasure to listen to her.
