Rila National Park — Attraction in Samokov

Beautiful a must see in Bulgaria!

Rila National Park is a must-see for any nature lover visiting Bulgaria. The park is home to a stunning variety of landscapes, including towering mountains, lush forests, sparkling lakes, and cascading waterfalls. There are also a number of historical and cultural sites to explore, including the Rila Monastery, one of the most important monasteries in Bulgaria.

The best time to visit Rila National Park is during the spring (April-May) or fall (September-October) when the weather is mild and the crowds are smaller. However, the park is beautiful year-round and there is something to see and do for every season.

Here are some of the things you can do in Rila National Park:

Hiking: There are a number of hiking trails in the park, ranging from easy walks to challenging climbs.

Camping: There are a number of camping sites in the park, as well as a few mountain huts where you can stay overnight.

Fishing: Fishing is allowed in some of the lakes in the park.

Photography: The park is a photographer's dream, with stunning scenery and wildlife.

Birdwatching: There are a number of bird species that live in the park, including eagles, hawks, and vultures.

Cultural tourism: The Rila Monastery is one of the most important monasteries in Bulgaria and is a must-see for any visitor to the park.

Rila National Park is a beautiful and diverse place that offers something for everyone. Whether you are looking for a challenging hike, a relaxing camping trip, or a cultural experience, you are sure to find it in Rila...

For the 7 Rila lakes hike: ♿️⚠️Quite a steep road up to the chair lift, if you are unable to use the chair lift they run 4x4 cars up to the base of the hike. However the 4x4 cars stop maybe 300m short and requires you to traverse rough terrain and elevation.

💰The chair lift costs 20 LV ea for a return trip.

What an amazing spot for hiking, ⌚️we were just able to finish to the peak overlooking the 7 Lakes in 3.5 hrs. Try to arrive at 8 as the line grows significantly after then. There are two separate lines, one for tickets and one for the chairlift. It took us 1 hr to buy the tickets and get on the lift. Going down was easy, no line however we went down at 3, any later and you'll have lines!

The overall hike is a moderate difficulty hike. Hiking to the kidney lake isn't too bad and to be fair you get amazing views even before you get to the lakes in under an hr! The track is easily marked throughout, there was enough people hiking to follow others to be honest!

Pack plenty of water, decent shoes as in summer the track gets loads of traffic, loose rocks and slippery dust! Definitely would recommend this...

Words can't describe how wonderful this place is. You have to see it, feel it and experience it yourself to understand. People ask me why do I come here since I've already been here. Well, exactly!

As for the park itself, it's clean, marked and there are recent additons like the tourist paths on the main route - stone slab pavements, wooden railings, stone fences - to make the trail even more pleasant and comfortable for tourists. I've seen the men who carried the slabs on their mules and how they laid them out slab by slab with smiles and joy on their faces and I can only imagine how they have build the rest. They fill me gratitude and joy with every step I make on them. The panoramic terrace ia now a safer spot for enjoying the view back into the valley and making pictures thanks to the surrounding wooden railings.

Finally, in addition to the seven Rila lakes there are many other places with gorgeous views and enchanting atmosphere in the vicinity of the lakes. If you have a whole day, you can visit most of them if not all.

Truly an unforgettable and...