1 independent reviews for Rila Mountains walking holiday in Bulgaria
Reviews for Rila Mountains walking holiday in Bulgaria
Jack Ballard review 24 Aug 2024
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Getting chased off the mountain by lightning! (No danger: we're experienced mountaineers and knew when to get off.)Our hosts were wonderful. All transfers were on time; food was excellent and local. Both are designed to be flexible (they asked us when, to confirm).Also, it was wonderfully reminiscent of growing up in the American West. It looks very much like the Washington Cascades, Alaska and Colorado Rockies2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
1. Be aware that this time of year it can be pretty crowded. Besides the usual tourists, there was a pagan celebration which increased the impact on camping as well as hiking. For Americans, think Rocky Mountain National Park main trails in late summer, or Yosemite on July 4. 2. As described, huts may or may not be open and services may be subject to availability 3. Be aware that there are working sheepdogs as well as canine pets and they're pretty "triggered" often in the middle of the night (we sleep with windows open). 4. If you go to bed early, be aware that things go on well into the evening. 5. There are some very good deals for trekking equipment in Borovets (poles, raingear, socks, etc) 6. Keep an eye out for wild fruit in the summer. They are on the roads and the trails, easily accessible without going off-trail. Wild plums, raspberries and huckleberries (or wild blueberries) when we were there.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes, especially considering the low income in the Bulgarian countryside as well as nationally (we learned from another Bulgarian source). The rural income relies on this type of thing. After Albania (which to their credit is still learning), we found Bulgarian mountains to be very clean, little trash at all. The trails are high impact as Seven Lakes and Musala are very popular trails and the latter is a ski resort in the winter. The food is local. Govadartsi is a rural town and as with others in the area work primarily during skiing, so "off-season" as it might be seen, is a good source of income. While there are plenty of trekkers, many of those are from Sofia so international travelers would be welcome. Our transfer driver mentioned (incidentally) that one frustrating thing about Bulgaria is that it is little known outside SE Europe as a tourist attraction. We were the only Americans the entire time. (Our FB only does so much!)4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
4.5/5.0 Again (and this is a VERY minor complaint), the only issue was noise in the evening. We recognize that (after a day or two or three of climbing) we turned in early, before 9 and other things might go on later. Once things settle, its a very quiet rural place. Again, our hosts were great; friendly and communicative and VERY accommodating. The descriptions of the trails were 95% accurate, pending some small updates. That said, we had no trouble finding the trails and the descriptions of the huts and hosts were very good. Since this is self-guided, it might be worth emphasizing the lightning dangers during storms. Weather forecast apps are decent but be aware that if Borovets gets (say) "partly cloudy" then pack a poncho/shell for it WILL rain in the upper country. There is a monument before the ridge ascent of people who died (probably avalanche but other possibles) as recetnly as 2020. At that point we turned around. We had already planned on not attaining the ridge due to incoming storms. The upper bowl is safer than the ridge, but the trail is exposed in places below that as well. The trail down the valley from the Seven Lakes lower lodge (the one that is above and heads to Lovna Hut) is easily missed and very narrow partly because of the highly impacted trails. If you go straight you'll head back up to the first hut of the day. The valley trail drops to the right soon after the junction on the big granite base. If you've gone 100m then you're too far. Last, on the Seven Lakes, it might be an option (if one wants to make it a very long day) to walk out from the last hut down the road. A few kms will take you to the main valley road on the other side (to Malovitsa-Govadartsi). Turn left at the T and it will take you right back to the Lodge/Hotel.Read the operator's response here:
Thank you very much for sharing your experiences! We are delighted to receive your glowing report of your Rila Mountains tour, and that you have returned
with some great memories of visiting Bulgaria. We are pleased that the walking itinerary was easy to navigate and the warm Bulgarian hospitality you received throughout your tour enhanced your enjoyment. We also appreciate your sharing reflections on the time of year to travel to the region and the degree of tourism during your tour. Your insights regarding the walking trail have been noted by our product team for our continual refinements and will be
immensely helpful for future travellers. We hope you choose to travel with us again for another adventure!
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