JULY 13-17 – HUT-TO-HUT TREKKING BULGARIA'S PIRIN MOUNTAINS

Join Backabush on an adventurous 4-day hut-to-hut trek in Bulgaria’s wild and dramatic Pirin mountains!

Nights - 4. Cost - £379. Group size – 16.

This spectacular and challenging trek will take us along wonderful alpine ridges, granite peaks and an abundance of crystal lakes of the stunning Pirin Mountains, the second highest but most impressive and unforgiving mountain range in Bulgaria. Most of the mountain range is designated a national park, listed by UNESCO as a world natural heritage site, and the alpine scenery we will see along the way is breathtaking.

As part of the trek, we will tackle some of the highlights of Bulgarian hiking: the famous Koncheto knife-edge ridge and Mt. Vihren (2914m), the highest and mightiest peak of the Pirins, and second highest in Bulgaria.

We will sleep in scenically situated mountain huts, including the Tevno Ezero Shelter, one of the most remote in the country. These mountain huts provide simple sleeping berths with sheets, blankets and pillows and offer basic, affordable meals and beverages. Staying in these Bulgarian mountain huts will truly add to our mountain experience.

This demanding point-to-point trek requires that you complete all stages on foot, carrying your own luggage, although meals and beverages can be bought affordably in the mountain huts. Generally speaking we recommend this trek only for experienced, intrepid hikers who are happy to stay in rustic accommodation.

The entire route leads along spectacular mountain paths, including some ridges that are quite narrow in parts, requiring a head for heights and good hiking fitness. You will need to be full of energy and determination as we will tackle a lot of uphill hiking and rough terrain over the four days.

ITINERARY:

Sat 13 July – Arrival in Sofia. Overnight in a hotel in Sofia city centre (twin share rooms).

Sun 14 July – Our private transfer will pick us up in Sofia city centre in the morning and take us to the trailhead from where we will hike to the Yavorov hut (1740m). (7km, 750m ascent)

Mon 15 July – This is the toughest and longest day, but at the same time the most sensational and memorable. We will traverse the spectacular Koncheto karst ridge, followed by a circular climb of Pirin’s highest summit, Vihren (2914m), before descending to Vihren hut. (13.5km, 1300m ascent, 1100m descent)

Tue 16 July – Our path ascends through the Banderishki cirque and its glistering lakes. Next it follows a ridge with amazing views of cirques and dark-blue lakes. Overnight at the Tevno Ezero refuge (2500m). (12km, 900m ascent, 350m dscent).

Wed 17 July – We hike past the beautiful Samodivskite lakes and Popovo lake to the Bezbog Hut. From here we will take the chairlift down to Gotse Delchev and be transferred back to Sofia. (8km, 300m ascent, 550m descent).

This trip can be combined with PEAKS & LAKES OF BULGARIA'S RILA MOUNTAINS - see Meetup comments section below for details.

WHAT'S INCLUDED:

• 1 night hotel accommodation in Sofia - twin (or double) share
• 3 nights’ accommodation in mountain huts - shared multi-bedded rooms
• An itinerary of 4 days of guided trekking
• Transfers as foreseen by the itinerary
• 1 Backabush trip leader and 1 local English-speaking Bulgarian hiking guide
• Financial protection in accordance with the Package Travel Law 1992

WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED:

• Food and drinks
• Flights and airport transfers
• Travel insurance
• Chair lift fee (expected to be about 11 EUR)

FLIGHTS:

Sofia is well connected with direct flights from multiple UK airports. Please use Skyscanner or another search engine to find the most suitable flights for you.

You will need to arrive in Sofia on (or before) Sat 13 July. Sofia city centre is easily reachable by public transportation and we will give detailed directions to our hotel.

The trip finishes on Wed 17 Jul. This is our final trekking day and we have an approx. 3,5 hr transfer back to Sofia city centre after our hike. If you wish to fly back on 17 Jul this is only possible if you book the late Ryanair flight FR9962 leaving Sofia at 22:35 (airport drop off possible). Earlier flights are not feasible.

Otherwise you will need to book your own accommodation in Sofia for 17 Jul and can book any return flight on 18 Jul, making your own way to Sofia airport.

HOW TO BOOK A PLACE ON THIS TRIP:

To confirm your place on this trip use online banking. Your RSVP is not enough to reserve a space on this trip. Please use PIRIN as your payment reference. The account details are:

Account Name: BACKABUSH XPLORERS
Sort Code: 090127
Account Number: 22440622

Only payment secures your place. Please email ingridhansen1@gmail.com as soon as you send payment so that we can confirm everything with you. Thanks! :)