The Seven Rila Lakes & Rila Monastery | La Vacanza Travel

The Seven Rila Lakes & Rila Monastery

Duration: 12 hours
Destination: Bulgaria, Sofia City Province, Sofia
from
68.08

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  • 12 hours
  • Sofia
  • E-Voucher
  • Lowest Price
  • Not-Cancellable

Overview

A whole-day guided trek to the Rila Mountains with its top best locations - the Rila Monastery (UNESCO World Heritage Site) and the 7 Rila Lakes. Experience the two most visited tourist sights in Bulgaria in just one day. Combine great hiking with a full of history visit to the biggest and most important cloister in the country.

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Pass By: St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral, Aleksander Nevski Square, Sofia Bulgaria

Departure at 07:00 from the car park in front of La Cattedrale restaurant, at the south-east corner of Alexander Nevski Square

Stop At: Seven Rila Lakes, 2650 Sapareva Banya Rila Mountain, Sofia Bulgaria

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).

Duration: 4 hours

Stop At: Rila Monastery, Rila 2643 Bulgaria

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, you will learn the most fascinating facts and stories about the biggest Bulgarian monastery complex.

Duration: 1 hour

Pass By: St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral, Aleksander Nevski Square, Sofia Bulgaria

Return at the starting point of the tour at approximately 19:30

Inclusions
  • Transport by air-conditioned bus/coach or minivan
  • English-speaking guide (if guided tour selected)
  • Fuel surcharge

Exclusions
  • Entrance fee for the Rila monastery's museum
  • Food and drinks
  • Gratuities
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Chairlift ticket
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Near public transportation
  • Not recommended for travelers with back problems
  • Not recommended for pregnant travelers
  • No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
  • Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
  • 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.
  • The tour can be canceled with a last minute notice (100% refund will be applied) due to harsh conditions or closure of the chairlift.
  • 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.
  • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers
  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Departure Point

Aleksandar Nevski Square, Old City Center, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria


Return Details

Returns to original departure point

Voucher info

You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.

Duration

12 hours


User's Reviews

howardsJ6796AP

28 Oct, 2023

A great trip into the National Park. Fantastic scenery and amazing history. A small group, good, friendly and helpful guides. Would recommend this tour.

X6818BTpaulr

01 Oct, 2023

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.

Jeff_K

01 Oct, 2023

The hike up to the lakes was a challenge but well worth it. The views are spectacular. The hike down was also a challenge as the path is rocky. The monastery is beautiful and our guide was both informative and respectful. A great day out.

riannonl2023

01 Oct, 2023

Stunning scenery both at the lakes and the monastery, (women remember to wear/bring clothing to cover your knees for the monastery) definitely worth it!

andriyi635

30 Sep, 2023

Once we come back from the stress of this trip, we are ready to share our experience. We chose this trip because Rila Lakes are indeed one of the most beautiful lakes you can find in Europe. We were really excited about this trip and were waiting for it for a long time. However, a few weeks before our trip, we noticed that thunderstorms and raining were forecasted for this region. We asked for the advice from locals and they told us that forecasts in mountain regions are not that precise. So we decided to take our chance and see if we can make it. Also, in trip description you can see that the trip can be cancelled same day, in case weather conditions are not suitable. So we understood that these guys know what they are doing and probably our fears are vain. We arrived at the mountains, came to the third lake and the weather started to get worse. We noticed a huge dark cloud that was nearby. We asked a guide if it was ok and he said: "No problem, I live here and I know that no rain is going to come". Ok. we reached the fifth lake and the rain actually started and it was quite strong. Once the rain gathered momentum, our guide decided to do the best thing a good guide can do. He just ran away back to our starting point, leaving us there. We didn't know where to go, or how to return, and the storm cloud already come, so we couldn't even see a thing. Then the most exciting part of this tour started. Severe thunderstorm with hale, raining and of course extremely slippy road. I can't say how many times thunder was like 2-3 meters close. We were inside of this cloud and we had quite a high risk of being killed by this storm. We couldn't see even members of our group, because all the people ran away in panic. Out there on the mountain, there were no places to hide and to wait till this storm ended. But we managed to survive this storm and went back to the starting point all soaked up. We went back and had a talk with a guide. He didn't apologize, didn't say anything about this situation, and cheered us up that we could die there if we stayed on a mountain for a bit longer. Then, we thought that it was going to be a stop for this trip because all the clothes were completely wet. We were so shocked by this trip to the mountains, so we couldn't argue with him. But he was okay with it and told us that we would go to the Monastery and the car had an air conditioner. So we can survive this road. Also, he assured us that there would be no rain near the Monastery. But actually, when we arrived there, the rain was the same and was so cold. We didn't want to see anything new and just wanted to come back home. Overall experience, the mountain views were wonderful. Truly great. The guide was a really unprofessional and inhuman person. You should decide all these things on your own. Never rely on this guide, since they don't know anything the same way as you. I can't recommend this trip, even though it's a really nice place to visit. Just organize it on your own and have fun.

User's Picture Gallery

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Amazing

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No views in thick fog

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Awesome experience!

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Perfect solo tour

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Traventuria Tour Rila Mountain Lakes are Monastery

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Wonderful day out

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Lovely

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7 lakes an unforgettable experience :)

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Tremendous Traventuris

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Reliable operator and perfect place

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Amazing Guided Tour by Traventuria

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Great trip

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Heartwelming

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Every brand new day comes with a new experience

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Awesome Experience!

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A wonderful time spent out in nature

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Wonderful adventure

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Wonderful full day trip!

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I highly recommend this!!!

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Wonderful!

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International Tourist Group 😃

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Junio 2022 - 2 excursiones

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Il tetto della Bulgaria

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Cumplió nuestras expectativas

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