Cornelius Amann
06 octobre 2026
5/5
Cette page est affichée en anglais.
Bulgaria: walking the Rila Lakes, Pirin and the Rhodopes
8 days from Sofia to Plovdiv: the Seven Rila Lakes, two nights in Bansko under the Pirin peaks, three nights in the Rhodope village of Shiroka Laka with the Trigrad gorge and the Yagodina cave, and a last night in Plovdiv.
8 jours · Départ et retour : Sofia · jusqu'à 12 voyageurs
Central Sofia and Vitosha Mountain, where the trip begins Photo: Deensel, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Panoramic_view_over_central_Sofia_and_the_Vitosha_Mountain_2017-10-08.jpg)
Les faits
En bref
- Durée
- 8 jours, 7 nuits
- Départ et arrivée
- Départ et retour : Sofia
- Taille du groupe
- 7 à 12 voyageurs
- Trajet le plus long
- 5 h le jour 4
- Niveau d'activité
Modéré
Five walking days of 4 to 6 hours on foot (days 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7), about 8 to 13 km each with 300 to 600 m of climbing on mountain paths, forest tracks and rocky ground, mostly between 1,000 and 2,500 m. Each walking day has an easier choice of about 2 hours, and the vehicle can collect anyone who wants to stop early. Day 3 has an optional climb of Vihren (2,914 m), about 7 hours with roughly 1,000 m of ascent, for strong walkers only.
- Repas compris
- 7 petits-déjeuners, 6 repas du midi, 5 repas du soir
- Chambre individuelle
- + CAD 795 (prix estimé)
- Saison
- June to September
Points forts
Pourquoi ce voyage
- The Seven Rila Lakes from the Panichishte chairlift, walking up past the Kidney and the Eye to the viewpoint over all seven
- Two nights in Bansko and a day in Pirin National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with the option to climb Vihren
- Three nights in Shiroka Laka, a protected Rhodope village of 19th-century stone houses and humped bridges
- The Trigrad gorge, the underground waterfall of the Devil's Throat cave and a guided tour of the Yagodina cave
- The Eagle's Eye platform hanging over the Buynovo gorge
- An evening of Rhodope kaba gaida, the deep-voiced goatskin bagpipe, with local musicians
- A ridge walk across the high Rhodope pastures, then a night in Plovdiv and its Roman theatre at opening
Ce qui distingue ce voyage
Des trajets courts, tous publiés
Chaque trajet est indiqué jour par jour. Le plus long dure 5 h, le jour 4.
Le temps libre fait partie du programme
Le temps libre et les choix sont indiqués les jours où ils ont lieu.
En solo, sans pénalité
Une chambre individuelle coûte + CAD 795 (prix estimé).
Jour par jour
Itinéraire
Le trajet le plus long dure 5 h, le jour 4.
Touchez une étape de la carte pour ouvrir ce jourCliquez sur une étape de la carte pour ouvrir ce jour
Arrive in Sofia
Sofia Airport to your hotel in central Sofia
- Repas du soir
- Nuit : Sofia
- Environ 30 min de route
A driver meets you at Sofia Airport (SOF), about 10 km from the centre, whatever time your flight lands, and takes you to a central hotel within walking distance of Vitosha Boulevard. Sofia sits on a high plain at about 550 m, with the dark mass of Vitosha Mountain rising straight behind it, so the first view of the week's mountains comes from the hotel window.
Après-midi
In the late afternoon, if you have arrived in time, a local guide walks the group through the centre: the Roman streets of Serdica uncovered beside the metro, the 4th-century Rotunda of St George in a hotel courtyard, the brick Church of St Sofia that gave the city its name, and the gold domes of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.
Soir
In the evening your See Sight Tours guide briefs the group on the walks ahead, checks boots and gear, and we sit down together to a welcome dinner of Bulgarian salads, grilled meats and local wine.
Compris
- Pick-up at Sofia Airport (SOF)
- Late-afternoon walk in central Sofia with a local guide: Serdica, the Rotunda of St George, the Church of St Sofia and the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
- Welcome briefing and gear check with your guide
- Welcome dinner
Temps libre : Free until the late-afternoon walk
Activité : Plan to land by about 3 pm to join the walk; later arrivals meet the group at dinner.
The Seven Rila Lakes, then Bansko
Sofia to Panichishte and the Seven Rila Lakes, then Bansko
- Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
- Nuit : Bansko
- Environ 4 h de route
We leave Sofia at 8 am and drive about an hour and three quarters south to Panichishte, above the spa town of Sapareva Banya, and ride the chairlift up to the Rila Lakes hut at about 2,100 m as early as the first runs and the queue allow, ahead of most day visitors. From the hut a well-made path climbs past the seven glacial lakes, each named for its shape: the Lower Lake, the Fish Lake, the Trefoil, the Twin, the Kidney, the Eye and, highest at about 2,535 m, the Tear. Your mountain guide sets an easy pace and we stop often. From the ridge above the Kidney you look down on all seven at once, stepped one above the other.
Après-midi
Back at the hut we sit down to a hot lunch, then ride the chairlift down.
Soir
The afternoon drive runs south through Dupnitsa and Blagoevgrad and over the Predel pass to Bansko, about two and a quarter hours, arriving early evening. The evening is free in Bansko's old quarter.
Compris
- Panichishte chairlift up and down
- Walk past the Seven Rila Lakes to the viewpoint above the Kidney with a licensed mountain guide
- Lunch at the Rila Lakes hut
Option plus facile : Walk to the first three lakes, about 2 hours with little climbing, and wait at the hut over a long lunch.
Option plus active : Continue past the Tear lake onto the Haramiyata ridge above the cirque, about an hour more.
Temps libre : Evening free in Bansko
Activité : About 5 hours on foot, 10 km and 450 m of climbing, between 2,100 and 2,500 m. Rocky in places; walking poles help on the way down.
Pirin National Park below Vihren
Bansko to the Banderitsa hut and the Banderitsa lakes, and back
- Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
- Nuit : Bansko
- Environ 1 h de route
Pirin National Park has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1983 for its marble and granite peaks, glacial lakes and old forests.
Matin
After breakfast we drive about half an hour up the Banderitsa valley to the Banderitsa hut at about 1,810 m, below the pale marble pyramid of Vihren, at 2,914 m the highest peak in Pirin. From the hut the path climbs into the Banderitsa cirque to a chain of glacial lakes, Okoto, Ribnoto and Dalgoto among them, at around 2,300 m, with Vihren and the jagged Kutelo ridge above.
Après-midi
We walk in the morning, when the light is clean and the afternoon thunderstorms of high summer have not yet built. Back near the hut we stop at Baykusheva mura, a Bosnian pine believed to be about 1,300 years old, and have lunch at a hut before driving back to Bansko. Anyone climbing Vihren starts instead from the Vihren hut, a couple of kilometres further up the road.
Soir
The late afternoon and evening are free for the Holy Trinity Church and the cobbled old quarter.
Compris
- Walk to the Banderitsa lakes with a licensed mountain guide
- Baykusheva mura, the ancient Bosnian pine
- Lunch at a mountain hut
Option plus facile : A gentle walk from the Banderitsa hut to Baykusheva mura and the lowest lake, about 2 hours, then a slow lunch.
Option plus active : Climb Vihren (2,914 m) from the Vihren hut with a mountain guide: about 7 hours and 1,000 m of ascent on a steep, rocky path, weather permitting. Lunch is carried and dinner is early.
Temps libre : Late afternoon and evening free in Bansko
Activité : About 5 hours on foot, 9 km and 500 m of climbing, between 1,810 and 2,350 m.
Through the Chepino valley to the Rhodopes
Bansko to Yakoruda and Velingrad, then into the Rhodopes to Shiroka Laka
- Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
- Nuit : Shiroka Laka
- Environ 5 h de route
Today is the one long drive, about 240 km and four and three quarter hours on the road, because the Rhodopes lie east of Pirin and Rila across a tangle of valleys and there is no shorter road in. We break it into three parts. We leave Bansko at about 9 am and climb north-east past Yakoruda to the Avramovo saddle, then drop into the Chepino valley around Velingrad, a spa town in a wide green bowl with the Rila peaks behind it, about two hours from Bansko.
Après-midi
There we have a sit-down lunch and a 45-minute walk around the Kleptuza karst springs and their park. Then we head south through the pine forests and reservoirs of the western Rhodopes to Devin, stopping for coffee, and on to Shiroka Laka in the late afternoon. The village is a protected architectural reserve, its white-and-stone houses with overhanging upper floors climbing both banks of a stream crossed by humped stone bridges.
Soir
Your guide takes you on a short evening stroll through the lanes before dinner. This is home for the next three nights.
Compris
- Drive through the Chepino valley with stops
- Sit-down lunch in Velingrad and a walk around the Kleptuza springs
- Evening stroll through Shiroka Laka with your guide
- Dinner in Shiroka Laka
Activité : A rest day for the legs: about an hour on foot in two short, flat walks.
The Trigrad gorge and the Yagodina cave
Shiroka Laka to Trigrad and Yagodina, and back
- Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
- Nuit : Shiroka Laka
- Environ 2.5 h de route
We drive about 45 minutes, some 35 km, to the Trigrad gorge, where the Trigradska river runs between limestone walls a few hundred metres high, and walk the gorge road early, before day visitors arrive. At its top the river vanishes into the Devil's Throat cave: a staircase leads down into a chamber where it falls as an underground waterfall, and visitors climb out on about 300 steps beside it.
Après-midi
After lunch in Trigrad village we cross to Yagodina for a guided tour of the Yagodina cave, a multi-level cave with about 10 km of passages, of which the tour shows roughly a kilometre of stalactites and draperies at a steady 6 degrees, so bring a fleece. Late in the afternoon, for those with legs left, we walk up from Yagodina village to the Eagle's Eye, a viewing platform built out over the edge of the Buynovo gorge, with the border mountains towards Greece on the skyline; everyone else rests in the village.
Soir
We are back in Shiroka Laka for dinner.
Compris
- Walk through the Trigrad gorge with a licensed mountain guide
- The Devil's Throat cave
- Guided tour of the Yagodina cave
- Walk up to the Eagle's Eye platform above the Buynovo gorge
- Lunch in Trigrad and dinner in Shiroka Laka
Option plus facile : Skip the climb to the Eagle's Eye and rest in Yagodina village over coffee. Where local 4x4 rides up the forest track to the platform are running, we can book one; we confirm this at booking.
Option plus active : Walk down from the Eagle's Eye into the Buynovo gorge, where the vehicle meets us, about an hour more.
Activité : About 4 to 5 hours on foot including the caves, with about 450 m of climbing to the Eagle's Eye. The Devil's Throat has steep, wet steps; the caves are cool year round.
Shiroka Laka to Gela and a bagpipe evening
Shiroka Laka on foot to Gela, back by vehicle
- Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
- Nuit : Shiroka Laka
- Environ 15 min de route
Matin
No vehicle in the morning: we walk out of Shiroka Laka on the old mule paths and forest tracks that linked the villages before the roads came, climbing through spruce and beech and across hay meadows to Gela, about 1,400 m up. Your mountain guide points out the meadow flowers and the signs of the bears and wolves that live in these forests, though seeing one is rare.
Après-midi
We have lunch at a village tavern in Gela, then the vehicle takes us the 10 km back down. The afternoon is free: a rest, a walk to the 19th-century Church of the Assumption, or coffee by the bridges.
Soir
Shiroka Laka is home to a national school of folk arts, and in the evening, over dinner, local musicians play the kaba gaida, the Rhodope bagpipe, whose low drone carries across the valley, and sing the slow songs of these mountains.
Compris
- Walk from Shiroka Laka to Gela with a licensed mountain guide
- Lunch in Gela
- Rhodope bagpipe and song evening with local musicians over dinner
Option plus facile : Ride to Gela by vehicle and walk a 2-hour loop through the meadows above the village before lunch.
Option plus active : Continue from Gela up to the ridge pastures above the village before lunch, about 1.5 hours more.
Temps libre : Afternoon free in Shiroka Laka
Activité : About 4 hours on foot, 9 km and 500 m of climbing on forest paths.
The high Rhodope pastures, then Plovdiv
Shiroka Laka to the Perelik ridge and Karlak, then Smolyan and Plovdiv
- Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
- Nuit : Plovdiv
- Environ 3 h de route
This is the last walk, about 4 hours on foot over open grass.
Matin
After breakfast we leave Shiroka Laka and drive about 45 minutes up to the ridge below Golyam Perelik, at 2,191 m the highest point of the Rhodopes. From there the path follows the high summer grazing land east to Karlak, wide and treeless, with forested hills folding away south to the Greek border. The going is easy on grass and farm tracks, and the vehicle waits where the path comes back down to the road.
Après-midi
We lunch in Smolyan, then drive north about two hours through Chepelare and down the Chaya valley past Asenovgrad to Plovdiv, arriving late afternoon.
Soir
There is time to shower before we walk into the Kapana quarter, a grid of small streets of workshops and bars, for a farewell dinner together, the last evening of the trip, with the Rhodopes we have just crossed on the southern skyline.
Compris
- Ridge walk across the Perelik and Karlak pastures with a licensed mountain guide
- Lunch in Smolyan
- Farewell dinner in Plovdiv's Kapana quarter
Option plus facile : Walk the first hour onto the ridge and back to the vehicle, then wait in Smolyan.
Option plus active : Add the longer descent off Karlak through the forest, about an hour more, if time and weather allow.
Temps libre : Short free time in Plovdiv before dinner
Activité : About 4 hours on foot, 11 km and 300 m of climbing on open ridge between 1,900 and 2,190 m. The summit of Golyam Perelik is a military installation, so the path stays below it. Exposed to wind and sun; bring a hat and a warm layer.
Plovdiv's Roman theatre and home
Plovdiv old town, then Sofia Airport
- Petit-déjeuner
- Environ 2 h de route
We walk up to Plovdiv's Roman theatre at opening, while the marble seats are still in shade and nearly empty. Built in the 2nd century AD and uncovered after a landslide in 1968, it looks out over the Maritsa plain to the Rhodopes we have just walked. A local guide then leads us through the old town on its three hills: cobbled lanes, the painted fronts of 19th-century merchants' houses, a visit inside one of them, and the hilltop ruins of Nebet Tepe. On the way down we pass the end of the Roman stadium, uncovered beneath the main street.
Après-midi
After an early lunch on your own we drive about two hours to Sofia Airport (SOF), arriving mid-afternoon; your guide sees you to the terminal. If you are staying on, we can drop you in central Sofia or leave you in Plovdiv instead.
Compris
- The Roman theatre at opening
- Plovdiv old town with a local guide, a 19th-century merchant's house and Nebet Tepe
- Drop-off at Sofia Airport (SOF)
Activité : Book a flight leaving Sofia after about 5 pm. Plovdiv's old town is steep and cobbled.
- Sofia1 nuit
- Bansko2 nuits
- Shiroka Laka3 nuits
- Plovdiv1 nuit
- Sofiaarrivée
- Étape avec nuitée
- Excursion d'une journée
- En bateau ou en train
Faune et météo : June brings wildflowers and lingering snow high up; July and August are warm in the valleys and cool on the tops, with afternoon thunderstorms, so we start walks in the morning; September is settled and quieter. Brown bears, wolves and chamois live in these mountains but are rarely seen; birds of prey, butterflies and orchids are easier to spot.
Vous voulez recevoir ce programme par courriel?
Recevez l'itinéraire jour par jour par courriel, ou posez-nous vos questions sur ce voyage. Un conseiller en voyages vous répond le jour même ou le jour ouvrable suivant.
Avant de réserver
Ce voyage est-il pour vous?
Ce voyage vous convient si vous recherchez
- Regular walkers who are happy with 4 to 6 hours on mountain paths several days running
- Travellers who want Rila, Pirin and the Rhodopes in one week, not one valley
- Village life, folk music and food as much as the summits
- Solo travellers who want a small group with a guide on every walk
Ce voyage ne vous convient pas si vous recherchez
- Anyone who cannot manage rocky paths and 500 m of climbing in a day
- People looking for a hut-to-hut trek carrying their own pack
- Travellers who want a full day in Sofia or Plovdiv; see our Bulgaria circuit
- Winter or ski travel: this trip runs June to September only
Réservez vos vols une fois votre place confirmée.
7 nuits
Où vous logerez
Vos hôtels sont nommés dans la confirmation de votre voyage.
- Sofia1 nuit
- Bansko2 nuits
- Shiroka Laka3 nuits
- Plovdiv1 nuit
Un seul prix
Ce que le prix comprend
Compris
Hébergement
- 7 nights: 1 in Sofia, 2 in Bansko, 3 in Shiroka Laka, 1 in Plovdiv
- Central hotels of at least 3-star-plus standard in Sofia, Bansko and Plovdiv; a family-run village hotel in Shiroka Laka, rooms with their own bathroom; named when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up at Sofia Airport (SOF) on day 1, whatever your flight time
- Drop-off at Sofia Airport on day 8
- Our own air-conditioned vehicle and driver for the whole route, meeting walkers at the end of linear walks
- The Panichishte chairlift up and down on day 2
Votre guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group for all 8 days
- Licensed Bulgarian mountain guides on the five walking days
- Local guides in Sofia, Plovdiv and the Yagodina cave
Activités
- Sofia: walk with a local guide (Serdica, the Rotunda of St George, the Church of St Sofia, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral)
- Rila: the Seven Rila Lakes walk
- Pirin: the Banderitsa lakes walk from the Banderitsa hut and Baykusheva mura, or the Vihren climb from the Vihren hut
- Trigrad: the Trigrad gorge and the Devil's Throat cave
- Yagodina: the Yagodina cave tour and the Eagle's Eye platform
- Shiroka Laka: the walk to Gela and a Rhodope bagpipe and song evening
- Rhodopes: the Perelik and Karlak ridge walk
- Plovdiv: the Roman theatre and the old town with a local guide
Repas
- 7 breakfasts
- 6 lunches: the Rila Lakes hut, a Pirin hut, Velingrad, Trigrad, Gela and Smolyan
- 5 dinners: welcome dinner in Sofia, three dinners in Shiroka Laka and a farewell dinner in Plovdiv
Non compris
- International flights to and from Sofia
- Travel insurance, which must cover mountain walking up to 3,000 m
- ETIAS travel authorisation, once it applies
- Dinners in Bansko
- Lunch on day 8
- Drinks
- Tips
- Personal walking gear and poles
- Personal expenses
Suppléments
- Chambre individuelle
- CAD 795 (prix estimé)
Quand partir
Dates et prix
Choisissez votre date de départ au moment de votre demande de réservation. Nous vérifions cette date et la confirmons dans votre devis.
Vous préférez voyager sans groupe ni guide? Demandez-nous d'organiser vos hôtels, vos transports et vos visites de ville pour voyager en autonomie.
Avant de réserver
Conditions de réservation
Rien n'est facturé maintenant. Les conditions complètes et le barème d'annulation accompagnent votre devis, avant que vous acceptiez.
Adresses de l'entreprise
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Avis des voyageurs
Ce que disent nos voyageurs
Avis de voyageurs ayant participé à nos visites d'une journée.
Jane
06 octobre 2026
5/5
Susan
06 octobre 2026
5/5
Tom L
05 octobre 2026
5/5
MandL83
05 octobre 2026
5/5
Darren O
05 octobre 2026
5/5
Bon à savoir
Questions
What does the price include?
Seven nights in hotels, 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches and 5 dinners, airport transfers, our own vehicle and driver, the Panichishte chairlift, a See Sight Tours guide throughout, licensed mountain guides on the five walking days, and every visit in the day plan, including the Yagodina and Devil's Throat caves, the Eagle's Eye and a bagpipe evening.
How fit do I need to be for this Bulgaria walking trip?
You should be comfortable walking 4 to 6 hours with 300 to 600 m of climbing, on five days out of eight, on rocky mountain paths up to about 2,500 m. Every walking day has an easier choice of about 2 hours, and the vehicle can collect you early. The Vihren climb on day 3 is optional and only for strong walkers.
How big is the group and who leads it?
The small group is 7 to 12 guests. A See Sight Tours guide travels with you for all 8 days, and a licensed Bulgarian mountain guide leads every walk, so the group can split between the main route and the easy or active option when people want different days.
Do I have to carry my luggage on the walks?
No. You carry only a day pack with water, layers and lunch snacks. Your main bag stays in the hotel on the two- and three-night stays and travels in our vehicle on moving days, and the vehicle meets the group at the end of the linear walks.
Is there a single supplement for solo travellers?
Yes. A room of your own is from CAD 795 more, shown up front before you book. If you would rather share, ask us to match you with another solo traveller of the same gender; if we cannot find a match, we tell you before you pay anything.
When is the best time to walk in Bulgaria's mountains?
June to September. The Panichishte chairlift and the road to the Pirin huts run in summer, the meadows flower in June and July, and September is settled and quieter. Snow can lie at the Rila lakes into June, and July and August bring afternoon thunderstorms, so we walk in the mornings.
How is this different from your Bulgaria circuit trip?
Our 9-day Sofia, Plovdiv, Rila and Veliko Tarnovo trip is a cultural tour with easy walking: Rila Monastery, Plovdiv, the Valley of the Roses and Veliko Tarnovo. This trip is a walking holiday in the Rila, Pirin and Rhodope mountains, with only a night each in Sofia and Plovdiv. Some guests do both.
Will we see bears or wolves in the Rhodopes?
Probably not. Brown bears, wolves and chamois live in these mountains, but they avoid people and walking groups rarely see them. Your mountain guide will show you tracks and signs where we find them, and birds of prey, butterflies and wild orchids are far easier to spot.
Do I need a visa for Bulgaria?
Canadian and US citizens do not need a visa for stays of up to 90 days in any 180 days in the Schengen area, which Bulgaria joined fully in 2025. Check whether the EU's ETIAS travel authorisation has started before you travel; we remind you when we confirm your trip.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip runs as a private trip for your party only, with your own guide, mountain guide and vehicle, on a date you choose. If you would rather walk independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section for a separate quote.
How does booking work?
The small group starts from CAD 4,795 per person sharing, taxes included. Send your preferred dates as an enquiry. We check availability and provide the final quote, itinerary and booking terms before you accept. No payment is taken when you send the request.
See Sight Tours offre des services de voyage partout en Amérique du Nord depuis 2006. Présente dans 20 villes au Canada et aux États-Unis, l'entreprise se spécialise dans les tours en petit groupe qui offrent des expériences personnalisées et de grande qualité aux voyageurs.
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