PIRIN MOUNTAINS (CENTRE-BASED TOUR)

Day 1: Sofia – Bansko
We meet you at Sofia Airport and transfer you to Bansko where we shall spend the next four nights.
Day 2: Bansko – Vihren Hut – Banderishki Lakes – Demyanitsa Hut – Bansko (6-7hrs; 16km; +615m/-1215m)
We transfer to the Vihren Hut where we set off on a hiking trek through the pretty Cirque of the Banderishki Lakes. From there, we go across into the neighbouring valley and the Todorini Ochi Lakes and thence through the thick spruce forests of the Yulen Nature Reserve on to the valley of the playful Demyanitsa River.
Day 3: Bansko – Mount Polezhan – Bansko (5hrs; 7km; +770m/-770m)
Today, we visit one of the Pirin’s greenest parts near the Bezbog Hut. This is the setting-off point for an extraordinarily panoramic walking trek to the Polezhan summit (2851m). The summit offers perhaps the most wonderful view in the Pirin, with no fewer than 17 lakes visible, including the largest and deepest glacier lake in the mountain: the Popovo Lake. The tour can be easily extended by climbing also the nearby Mount Bezbog, or with a hike to Popovo Lake (the deepest in Pirin, 30m deep). Before returning to Bansko we may try the local thermal pools of Dobrinishte.
Day 4: Bansko – Vihren Hut – Mount Vihren – Vihren Hut – Bansko (6-7hrs; 8km; +960m/-960m)
Time to attempt the Pirin’s premier summit, Vihren (2914m). We trek through the Golem Kazan (The Giant Cauldron) area beneath the breathtaking sheer 400m northern wall of Vihren, whose dolomite precipices offer shelter to rare edelweiss flowers and fretful herds of Balkan Chamois. The views are genuinely overwhelming, yet they are just the prelude to the panoramas that open up from the summit over a sea of jagged peaks all around. We make a circular trek around, and including, the Vihren summit, descend down to Vihren hut and transfer back to Bansko.
Day 5: Bansko – Sofia
Transfer from Bansko to Sofia Airport.

Rila Monastery (UNESCO) extension: Depending on your flight times on the way to Bansko on Day 1 or on the way to Sofia on Day 5 you can make a detour to visit Rila Monastery (UNESCO). This detour will take appr. 2,30-3hrs (incl. 1-1,30hrs free time to explore the monastery and its museum on your own; no guiding and entry fees included) and will cost 60 EUR (group of 1-3 pers.), or 95 EUR (group of 4-8 pers.). Please let us know at the time of booking so this extra can be added to your reservation on time.

Hiking time: hiking time only is mentioned on each day (not including stops for pictures, picnics, breaks etc.!); these are based on an average hiker’s speed of 4-5km/hr on flat terrain, additional 30min for each 300m elevation gain, and a backpack weighing not more than 10-15% of your body weight. Still, this varies a lot on the terrain, the group size and the hiking experience of each client within the group.