Rila Mountains

The highest mountains in Bulgaria (29 peaks over 2,500m and Musala, at 2,925m, is the highest between the Alps and the Caucusus), a relatively compact range which lies at the north-western end of the chain running along the country's southern border-areas, which includes the Pirin  and the Rhodope (Rodopi) which it links with, so you can create extensive walking tours.  Its core is now a World Heritage Site.

The range is mainly old igneous/metamorphic rock, and was high enough to be under ice-age icecaps, which have shaped its classic glaciated landscape of cirques, sharp peaks, huge cliffs, high pastures,exquisite and dramatic lakes, deep valleys and moraine fields. The high Musala ridge area is in the east, while the best lakes are in the centre and north-east.

As a remote(ish) and protected area, the range is rich in animal and plant life (some of it endemic): it is famed for its conifer forests in particular, and is home to bears, wolves deer and chamois, as well as many bird species.

The range has some magnificent walking, often on good paths, including:

•  Sections of the E4 international route cross the Rila and Pirin ranges, then run south into Greece. And E8 also passes through.

•  You can create all sorts of circuits or muti-dayers to suit your taste, as there are refuges and huts scattered around the massif. Classics include traversing the north-western group via the Seven Lakes; and a 4 day horseshoe talking in Musala and he Seven Lakes.

•   You can climb Musala in a long day.

• The lakes make for  marvellous day walks (as well as a focus for multi-dayers), especially the Seven Rila Lakes in the north-east, a series of glacial scoops descending a hillside in the approach to the huge and very dramatic cirque below Otovishki.

Have a look at the dreaded TripAdvisor . You should get good, current views on this area.

This page is at an early stage of development. Please help us by recommending your best walks/making suggestions and sending photos! Thank you!