Rila Mountains Day Trek: Explore Rila Monastery and Seven Rila Lakes

Embark on a thrilling day trek through the Rila Mountains, visiting the iconic Rila Monastery and the breathtaking Seven Rila Lakes. Immerse yourself in nature and history on this unforgettable adventure in Bulgaria.

Duration: 12 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral - Departure at 07:00 from the car park in front of La Cattedrale restaurant, at the south-east corner of Alexander Nevski Square
  • Seven Rila Lakes - 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).
  • Rila Monastery - 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.
  • St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral - Return at the starting point of the tour at approximately 19:30
What's Included
  • Transport by air-conditioned bus/coach or minivan
  • English-speaking guide (if guided tour selected)
  • Surcharges on fuel
What's Not Included
  • Entrance fee for the Rila monastery’s museum appr. 5EUR/10BGN (optional)
  • Food and drinks
  • Gratuities
  • Chairlift ticket- appr. 15EUR/30BGN (only cash payments in BGN accepted)
Additional Information

Embark on a day-long guided hike across the Rila Mountains, exploring its prime spots - the Rila Monastery (listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and the 7 Rila Lakes. Seize the opportunity to visit the two most frequented tourist attractions in Bulgaria within a single day. Combine an exciting trek with an insightful tour filled with history at the country’s largest and most significant monastery.

  • 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.
Location
Aleksandar Nevski Square
IMPORTANT: The meeting point is BEHIND Alexander Nevski Cathedral (opposite La Cattedrale restaurant) | | GPS coordinates: 42.695598, 23.333649 | Please, be there 15 min. in advance!
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.6
(89 Ratings)
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Irena_r
Aug 2, 2024
Great trip - Beautiful day for a trip . Be prepared for a strenuous hike and wear good hiking shoes.Tour guide Maya and driver Asen were wonderful!
Review provided by Viator
Debbielynng3
Jul 25, 2024
Stunning views - An amazing experience! The views were breathtaking, and our guide was wonderful. I really appreciated the way he allowed everyone to go at their own pace and meet back at the chairlift at a specified time rather than making us all stay together in a group. I was able to hike fast to the top and spend more time enjoying the spectacular views. Then on the way back down, I did join up with others from the group and had some great conversations. The monastery was also beautiful. Overall, a great experience which I highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Vincent_c
Jun 27, 2024
A memorable experience - Wonderful trip perfectly organised. The agency send you much information about the schedule, what to bring and so on. The trip was very well managed by Maya, who is a nice seasoned multilingal guide, and very knowledgeable, from history to botany! The unforgettable walk along the lakes requiers normal condition and good trek shoes. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone who wishes to visit both Rila monastery and the Seven lakes in a day.
Review provided by Viator
Beatrise
Jun 13, 2024
We had the most amazing guide, Maya! She made the trip really worth it ! Hike was beautiful and breathtaking. The facts she told - We had the most amazing guide, Maya! She made the trip really worth it ! Hike was beautiful and breathtaking. The facts she told were really interesting. Thanks for the best guide made the trip worth every cent!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Adam
Jun 8, 2024
Great, must-do trip when visiting Bulgaria - Really amazing day out, the Rila lakes national park is an amazing place to visit when in Sofia/bulgaria. It is stunning, with great views, a cool chairlift and perfect temperatures. The guides were really great and made sure everybody understood the itinerary and that nobody was left behind. They were very knowledgeable and friendly telling us all about the rila monastery. It was about a 2 hour drive to the rila lakes hike which started off with an amazing chairlift to save a total of 10km and 600m elevation in walking. We saw 5/7 rila lakes as the top two would mean a much longer hike and through snow aswell which was not passable without proper equipment. We had a great lunch stop (packed lunch) at the 5th rila lake with nice views. After this we drove to the monastery where we had a tour around learning lots of interesting things and then had about 45 minutes of free time to explore which was lovely. It was then a 2 hour drive back to Sofia, total time around 11 hours. There were around 30 of us on the tour and the bus was very comfortable for that number with most people getting two seats to themselves. Good for solo travellers.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Manju_m
May 28, 2024
Well worth it , we were lucky with pleasant weather perfect for the hike.... - Well worth it , we were lucky with pleasant weather perfect for the hike.... A very well organised trip, started bang on time. Make sure you have enough cash(no cards accepted) , packed lunch and drinks. We visited the Rila monastery first and then headed to the Rila lakes which was ideal for us as being the last Monday of the Month the cable chair lift was on maintenance. The jeep journey to replace the cable chair lift was rather an adventurous one, especially for our teen daughter who enjoyed it the most. We were a small group and literally had the mountain for ourselves. Could only do the 5 lakes as the 6th and 7th were covered in snow. The views are breathtakingly beautiful and feel one with nature. Rafi ( not sure if I got the name right) is a very knowledgeable guide and very passionate about the mountains and the preservation of it all. The tour was at a comfortable pace for us. We would highly recommend doing this tour if you enjoy a hike ( the first 30 mins is the most difficult part) , as we as a family with a teenage daughter thoroughly enjoyed it.
Review provided by Viator
Raoul_w
May 28, 2024
Stunning views and nice guides - We were a bit early in the season so there was still some snow on the mountain which I liked. We had to skip the two upper lakes because they were still too hard to reach due to the steep incline and snow. But loved every minute on the mountain and in the ski-lift. Our group was a bit big though. 30-ish people divided in 3 vans and 3 guides. Our guides spoke perfect English and knew a lot about both the mountain and the monastery. They really care you have a good experience while also respecting the mountain. One of our guides even reprimanded a couple that were not part of our group to get of the water because it is damaging the eco system. First bit of the (short) hike can be bit hard for people who do not hike so much. Expect to be in the car/bus a lot this day by the way, like 3 x 2 hours.
Review provided by Viator
Howardsj6796ap
Oct 28, 2023
A great day out! - A great trip into the National Park. Fantastic scenery and amazing history. A small group, good, friendly and helpful guides. Would recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
X6818btpaulr
Oct 1, 2023
Amazing - Well organised with friendly and knowledgeable guides. The trek is tiring on the legs but nonetheless provides amazing views. On my trip we saw 5 of the 7 lakes plus the monastery. All this was enhanced by being with a happy, sociable group of people. Definitely one of the best day trips/tours I’ve done and would highly recommend it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Margarita_i
May 28, 2024
Beautiful Riana - We love nature and specially mountaine, the election of this tour was wanderfull, it is a misture between exercise, nature and history. We enjoy the landscape, the weather was perfect too. If you need use the chair lift is important question about that is open, in that way is confortable to every one.
Review provided by Viator
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