Lake Muratovo — Attraction in Bansko

Lake Muratovo is one of several alpine lakes in the Pirin Mountains which can be accessed from Vihren Chalet. I'd rank this hike as easy to intermediate - while it is reasonably short you will gain around 400m of elevation (you'll be hiking to over 2,000m) and there are some steep and rocky gradients that require care - especially when wet or icy. It will take between 1-1.5 hours depending on your fitness and how many stops you make to take photos. The trail is generally well marked and follows along the river through alpine meadows and boulders before a steep ascent to the lake itself. You can circumnavigate the lake and there are plenty of nice places to eat lunch and enjoy the views. If you're feeling adventurous you can also bag a summit and scramble to Muratovo Peak. By retracing the trail you can also add on Fish Lake and Long Lake which will make for a longer and more challenging day hike. You can reach Vihren Chalet in several ways: Drive - leave early as there is limited parking close to the chalet and you may be forced to park further down the mountain which could add about an extra 1-3km to your hike. Take the bus from Bansko that leaves from in front of the train station (yes not the bus station). The trip takes around 50 minutes. Buses leave at 8.30, 13.20 and 17.00 and return at 9.30, 14.20 and 18.00. Tickets cost 10lev each way. Take the gondola to Banderishka Meadow and then walk along the trail following the river that passes Banderitsa Chalet. This will add a further 6km...

There are two ways to reach the lake, both stats at the Vihren hut: the blue/yellow route or the red/green route. We took the blue/yellow. After about 3 kilometres, we came to bridge over the river and crossed it. We took a path going uphill and found the lake. It is amazing how clear the waters are (see the picture with my hand? My fingers are in the water!!) We saw some wild nature in action: some kind of hawk that swapped down, trying to catch something in the bushes. PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS A SIGN WITH RULES AND RESTRICTIONS: Do not light fire, harm the plants, enter the water and so on. All in all: very recommended...

We visited this place in November and from our experience I recommend to get to the lake before 13:30-14:00 because there is no sun on the lake later. So we came here two days in a row. We started at the Vihren hut and it took a hour and a half hour to get to the lake. There are two ways to get there we choose not to cross the bridge and keep the right side and go ahead. The way is not very hard and the way is also picturesque. The air is clear and we met a lot of birds on our way. Next day we came earlier and catch the sun near the lake. It was amazing view that is hard to convey with camera

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