Seven Rila Lakes Day Tour: Group Hiking Experience from Sofia
4.7
63 Ratings
Sofia
Embark on a group hiking tour from Sofia to the stunning Seven Rila Lakes. Explore Bulgaria's highest range, capture breathtaking photos, and enjoy personalized attention from expert mountain guides.
Duration: 8 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral - The trip starts at 07:00 from the parking behind Alexander Nevski Cathedral, in front of LaCattedrale Restaurant
  • Panichishte - Once the group departs from the starting point, you’ll reach the Panichiste lift. He, you’ll pay for the chair lift ticket - 25 BGN.
  • Seven Rila Lakes - You will explore the The Seven Rila Lakes with a local guide.
  • St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral - Arrive back at the starting point at approximately 17:30
What's Included
  • Air-conditioned transport via bus or minivan
  • Professional guide on guided tours
What's Not Included
  • Chairlift ticket (Approx. 12.5 Euro per person or 25 BGN)
  • Gratuities
  • Food and drinks
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information

Embark on a journey to the picturesque Seven Rila Lakes with this group hiking expedition from Sofia. Guided by proficient mountain experts, the trip begins from Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, and leads to the Rila Mountains, the highest range in the country. Get ready to be astonished by the extensive mountain landscapes during a half-hour chairlift journey before setting off to explore the lakes on foot. Throughout your rough 4 to 5-hour trek, you’ll witness all seven lakes and make routine stops to snap photographs and rest. Be assured of personalized service from our professionally trained mountain guides.

  • Please wear hiking boots; sandals and flips-flops are not permitted on this tour
  • It is advised you wear warm clothing and bring a rain jacket, sunglasses and sunscreen with you
  • Minimum age is 9 years
  • A moderate amount of walking is involved (4 to 5 hours)
  • IMPORTANT: The management of the Rila Lakes chair lift has decided to close the lift in October, November, April, and May for maintenance. This unfortunately means that walking on foot is the only way to access the lakes.
  • Trek is over varied terrain, which may include also a fair amount of walking in the alpine landscape. The total walking distance is 17km and between the starting point and the highest lake, there’s a difference in altitude of nearly 1000 meters (3200ft).
  • It will be virtually impossible for the whole group to reach the highest lakes, so we will aim at the middle one (Kidney). The terrain will be very wet and slippery and there may 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 Audio-guide in different languages (EN,ES,IT,FR,DE,RU) is ONLINE (cloud-based). INTERNET is required to download and use. Headphones required for listening, too.
Location
St Alexander 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
4.7
(63 Ratings)
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Gareth_d
Apr 7, 2024
Super - Super experience. Guides had good English and you felt safe. Using the cable car is a MUST. Need hiking boots/shoes but essential in April as 2ft of snow. Crampons recommended in early season.
Review provided by Viator
Nicolasv960
Nov 13, 2023
Great experience - Fun experience and excellent hosts, would recommend to anyone whatever the season. Can be challenging in the snow.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tamara_w
Oct 30, 2023
Great trip - Brilliant trip and very organised. plenty of times to explore all of the lakes and not very difficult. can be steep in parts but saw people of all ages and capabilities doing it. great views
Review provided by Viator
Ronyd253
Oct 5, 2023
Excellent - It was cold, you had to be in good condition, because there was some walking. You had to have cash for the cable car. But it was a very good experience, a real little hike, beautiful landscapes. I had a good time and one of the guides spoke French. I recommend !
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Trip19204864022
Oct 1, 2023
Great day out of the city - Very well orgenized tour. The trail is not easy but we enjoyed it alot. Magnificent view on the seven lakes . Excelent tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Antonigorevich
Sep 25, 2023
Highly recommend! Great action out of city - This was great trip. Comfortable buses, amazing views, very kind and friendly staff. Small tip: take SPF cream because the sun is burning on the peak😅
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Danni6778
Sep 23, 2023
Beautiful walk with a difficult start but worth persevering - Great day, Radi was amazing! He is so knowledgeable and friendly. The whole walk is quite difficult and we bowed out at lake 5 but we are probably to unfit rather than it not being doable. The scenery is stunning and we walked the scenic and less difficult route back which lets you see the lakes up close. It’s definitely colder up there towards the end of September so look at the clothing recommendations. I would definitely recommend if you get Rafi as your guide. Thanks again mate you were great 😊
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Simon_e
May 9, 2024
A bit disappointing - Great guides, comfy transport good communication. Had we known that you had no chance of getting to see more than three lakes because of the snow we would have not booked the trip. Was told it would be a 17 K walk and was actually only 5 to 6K. Not the fault of the guides at all, but still should have told us when booking.
Review provided by Viator
Georsadd_g
Oct 29, 2023
This has to be the... - This has to be the highlight of my second trip to Bulgaria. It was a challenging hike as the chairlifts were not operational during the time of my visit. Our ascent was super challenging as it was raining and the wind was super strong. We saw five of the seven lakes - and they were all amazing.
Review provided by Viator
Maamafly
Dec 31, 2023
Disappointment - I absolutely do not recommend. People are quite rude in Sophia, especially in Bulgaria. In the brochures it is said that Bulgarians are a proud people. I think I said this to downplay the fact that he is just quite rude, especially with tourists. It will take them many years to be able to train themselves in the tourism profession and the attitude that lends itself to it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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