Heldagar Rila Mountains, Seven Lakes Hike och Hot Springs Tour från Sofia

I booked this trip, months in advance before going at the end of May. I personally love hiking and was really looking forward to going all the way to Sofia just for the chance to hike, since I live in a country where hiking isn't possible. I went with a friend and I scheduled for us to be picked up at 8 am in front of our hotel. We get up and get ready, and wait on the street for a few minutes. The guide texts me, saying "sorry, I'm a few minutes late". We think no problem, and I respond with that. Twenty minutes past our pickup time, there's still no sign of her and no word from her, so I text her again asking if she knows how long the wait is gonna be. 45 minutes go by still without a word so I call her, but she doesn't pick up. After a full hour of waiting I call again, still without an answer. At this point we're tired of just standing around and decide to go back inside our hotel. After TWO FULL HOURS, I call for the third time, but there's still no answer. At this point I call the number provided to reach TripAdvisor. The lady on the phone said she'd get in touch with the local Bulgarian office and ask them where the guide is, and that they will be contacting me. After then THREE full hours, we say screw this and decide to not waste our day any further, so we figure out how to spend it in the city instead. After five hours and still no word from the guide OR the local office as promised by TripAdvisor. I call them again. This time a man got in contact with them again and all they said was just that they couldn't reach her either. So all of this for nothing, with no communication, and I'm still waiting for my refund, but ofc there won't be any compensation for the hours of our day wasted, and the whole purpose for us to even go to Bulgaria was ruined. I would not recommend at all

As it was snowy we only walked a little to the top of the mountain, we couldn't do the hike or see the seven lakes, but good is the unpredictable weather, then we went to the spa of the hot springs and

We had a wonderful A+ day. Our tour guide Velko made the long drive interesting and made the time pass quickly. He was not only extremely knowledgeable, and a fantastic story teller but warm, sweet, charismatic man. We were disappointed the chair lift was down so we had to pivot to hike a different area but we enjoyed our time on our hike all the same. We were able to stop in a hut to have a cup a tea on the way up to our hike and then at the end we had a delicious lunch that Velko suggested I I try something I never would have and would have regretted had I not. We finished up the day with a stop in the RILA Spa and the hot springs were glorious. The day was over in a flash and our whole group left happy and fulfilled. Thank you Velko for a true beautiful nature Sofia experience. ❤️

At first I was disappointed because it was supposed to be a snow walk and it said that snowshoes were included but the weather was really bad, not snowing enough and the chairlift was closed. It could be a bit batter if the company can specify that if there is not enough snow plan B is suggested. We had an amazing, really special experience and it all thanks to our guide, Velko. He really made this day great, with a lot of knowledge, patients, friendly approach, he took us to a stunning forest walk with waterfalls, it was the most beautiful view I've seen. Thanks to him we finished the day happy and satisfied despite the weather. My best day in Sofia.

We had a brilliant trip to Rila mountains and the thermal springs with Velko. Velko was a fantastic guide. He was friendly , extremely informative and very knowledgeable. We had a good laugh and I would highly recommend Velko as a tour guide. Many thanks for a great day and the highlight of our holiday.

Me and my brother and two cousins had the most amazing time with Velko walking up the seven lakes and we're amazed by the views and after were treated by a relaxing spa visit. Velko was an amazing guide and taught us so much and was very knowledgeable. Equally he was very funny and enjoyable to talk to. Thank you so much for the most amazing time !

Velko is the most amazing tour guide, funny, knowledgeable, gives background stories and facts, definitley most warmly recommended. Went with him also to longer tours.

We were pick up in the morning from our hotel by Phil and taken to the starting point. The chairlift was not operational so we went up the mountain in 4wheel drives. It cost the same as the chairlift. We had a great time, the scenery is spectacular. We got to see 6 of the 7 lakes. Phil was a great guide. He messaged me the day before checking we had all the right gear. We only had runners as shoes and he suggested we have waterproof hiking boots. We went to a shop and bought some and I’m so glad we did. It meant we could go further and see 6 of the 7 lakes. Afterwards we enjoyed a soak in the hot springs. All in all a great day made even bee by Phil. Thank you.

This was a great tour if you like hiking. Our guide Phil was very knowledgeable, friendly and helpful.

We had an incredible experience in this Full Day Trek cum Hot Springs tour. All the effort we took for climbing the Ice Capped Mountain got eased by the extremely Charismatic Mr. Velko. Velko is not only an amazing tour guide but a very sweet person who has made that one day a memorable one. He is very knowledgeable, well spoken and a true gentleman. Such charisma is very rare. He had provided us all the appropriate safety equipment, patiently explained the mechanism and made sure everyone used it correctly. Thank you Velko and Azimut Tours to have made this a superb experience for us.