Full-day Rila Mountains, Seven Lakes Hike, and Hot Springs Tour from Sofia

Sofia, Bulgaria

6 to 8 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Immerse yourself in the natural landscapes of the Rila Mountains National Park on this full-day hiking tour from Sofia. Set out on a 3- or 5-hour hike around the seven Rila lakes; enjoy spectacular views of Okoto Lake, Lakes Peak, and Bubreka Lake; then relax with a soak in the hot springs at the Sapareva Banya Spa resort.

Full-day Rila Mountains, Seven Lakes Hike, and Hot Springs tour from Sofia
Marvel at the natural landscapes of the Rila Mountains National Park on a guided hike
Admire dramatic views of the Seven Rila Lakes, including Bliznaka Lake and Trilistnika Lake
Enjoy a soak in the natural hot springs at the Sapareva Banya Spa resort
Easy to moderate level hike: choose between a 3-hour or 5-hour circular trail
Great-value tour includes hotel pickup and round-trip transport
Small-group tour limited to 15 people ensures a personalized experience

What's Included

All transfers
Pick up / drop off at your hotel or address in Sofia
VAT and all local taxes
Licensed mountain guide throughout the tour

Entrance fee for Sapareva Banya thermal spa’s (from 15 Lev / 8 € per person)
Lunch and drinks (allow 5 € - 6 € for a lunch pack or 8 € - 10 € for 3 course lunch in a mountain hut restaurant)
Rila Lakes chair lift tickets (20 Lev / 10 € round trip ticket)
Tips
Personal travel / mountain insurance

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

Pick-up from the traveller's hotel, address of accommodation, or other preferred location in Sofia

Itinerary

Seven Rila Lakes

5 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Rila Mountains (Pass By)

Sapareva Banya

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Operator will be in contact with you regarding weather conditions and what to bring (type of clothing, boots, etc.)
Not wheelchair accessible
Infant seats available

No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.4

based on 72 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

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Sort by: Most insightful

Must do tour

Andrew_C, May 2025

This was a great tour if you like hiking. Our guide Phil was very knowledgeable, friendly and helpful.

Sad

Asha_P, Feb 2025

Disappointing and scary experience. The car was in shambles, unclean. We didn’t hike the mountains, it wasn’t great! The tour guide was not up to scratch sadly.

Terrible experience

Adonis_E, Oct 2024

Terrible experience..The weather was terrible witn rain and strong wind ..It was impossible to get to the lakes...We were soaking wet when we made it to tne second sale but there was no fire place to warm us up a little..The chairlift ride was 25 minutes..It was very very windy and quite scary at times especially when it stoped because of the wind and left us hanging in the wind and rain..My daughter and wife were terrified.. To the positives our guide Swet was amazing..So was the spa at the end...They should cancel the excursion when the weather is so bad It is dangerous.

Response from Host, Oct 2024

Dear Adonis, Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. We’re sorry to hear that the weather made your hike less enjoyable, and we understand how challenging mountain conditions can be for those not fully prepared. While the weather conditions you experienced are quite typical for high-altitude environments, we do our best to ensure that all participants are well-prepared for the variability of mountain weather. Our guide, Swet, did an excellent job, and we’re glad to hear you appreciated his efforts, as well as the spa experience that followed. To help future guests better prepare, we strongly recommend bringing appropriate clothing and gear, especially when venturing into higher elevations where weather conditions can change quickly. We always strive to communicate these aspects in advance and will take your feedback into account to ensure our recommendations are even clearer. We hope you’ll give us another opportunity to show you the beauty of the mountains under more favorable circumstances. Thank you again for your feedback, and we wish you all the best in your future travels. Best regards, Azimut Team

Very good

GIL_S, Apr 2023

Very responsive operator. Guide very patient and kind. Incredible landscape views. The description said this is a walking tour for beginners but that was not my experiance. Snow hiking was difficult with steep climbing. Be sure to contact the operator before-hand to fully understand the equipment needed and any extra costs.

Awesome day trip!

Shivashree_S, Apr 2023

This was an amazing trip from Sofia to the Rila lakes. Our guide Genko was a very sweet person and really helpful! I was not aware it would snow terribly on the top and had missed to carry my winter boots, but Genko ensured to find a way to help get me to buy new boots on the way, to ensure I wasn't cold when we reached the top! Unfortunately due to weather conditions we couldn't hike fully...but it was still worth it :) We later visited a wonderful thermal spring bath, which made our day!

Unexpectedly wintery conditions, beautiful hike!

Erica_E, Apr 2023

There was an unseasonably late snow in the mountains. We got an email from the local tour company explaining conditions and the gear we would need. Then our guide, Daniel, stopped and found us a place to buy winter gloves, insisting we would need them for the 30 minute lift ride. He was right! He had snow shoes and poles for us. The conditions were less than ideal with cold, wind, fog and snow but we still had a really excellent time because the mountains were beautiful and Daniel was a gracious host. We had thoughtful conversations and he also gave us good tips on how best to navigate the snowshoes, new to us, and the weather. We felt very safe and definitely had an adventure. While it was not the hike we thought we were going to have, because of the weather, we are so glad we did it!

Disappointed

DivyaAmelia_H, Apr 2023

The transport was a small car and filled with 5 grown up. It was really uncomfortable. The detailed information about the tour came only one day before so it's really hard to manage in winter. The guide was also unfriendly and unhelpful. Not worth the money

Nice option if you want...

Kayleigh_S, Mar 2023

Nice option if you want to get out of town to enjoy the nature, it is also a great area for skiing. The additional costs during the day (rental of snow shoes and poles, skilift, hot springs) are respectively 15, 12.50 and 10 euros per person extra. The 100 euro per person you already paid are more considered to be taxi services / tour guide on the mountain. So I do feel the whole day is overpriced, however if you do not mind its a nice option to get a day out of town.

Overall good tour however big price differences

Zakiyah_F, Dec 2022

This tour was great, our guide was great, took us to see 5 of the seven lakes as there was too much snow to see the 6th and 7th. We saw incredible views. Only issue we had is that it was way more expensive than the tour description said. For the chair lifts it was 25lev return and for the spa it was 40lev. The description says that it would be 15lev for the spa this is a drastic difference and we probably would not have gone with this tour if we had known. The tour operators should update the description. We were not pleased by the miscommunication. Some people in our group had to wait 2 hours as they did not want to pay that much which is understandable.

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Dear Zakiyah, Thank you so much for taking your time to give us this good feedback to our services! We are really happy to know that you have enjoyed the tour and were satisfied with the guidance of Velko! Regarding the prices of the thermal spa, as you have seen probably on spot in the pricelist, there are different faclitities with different prices as follows: - Entrance fee for over 10 outdoor pools fed by hot thermal spring waters - 15 Lev, as descibed in the web offer - Entrance fee for outdoor + indoor pools + spa center - 40 Lev - Massage - 60 Lev Due to the different services with differerent prices one can book on spot we haven't included the ebtrance fees for the spa, so our guests may choose and pay only for the facilities and services they would like to use. We wish you all the best and hope to meet you again in the mountains of the world!

The hike was amazing,...

Malena_D, Nov 2022

The hike was amazing, breathtaking views! Our guide Velko was extremely friendly, knowledgeable, kind and accommodating to our needs! Would definitely go back for another adventure!! :)

Worth the long hike

Alexandra_B, Sep 2021

Really nice experience hiking in this impressive area. Our guide did a great job of adjusting to everyone's different needs and fitness levels. He had a great attitude and disposition the entire time and was super helpful. If you can make it all the way to the top point...the view is stunning! Highly recommend!

A wonderful day trip

Adele, Jul 2021

We had the chance to be just the two of us on this day tour and we spent a very nice time with Kiril, a great guide. He was very knowledgeable about the seven lakes and their biodiversity, he told us about the history of Bulgaria and even bought us some delicious organic pears and apricots. He proposed to us different options adapted to our physical condition and our wishes. We could walk on a lovely way far from other tourists and be literally alone in the mountains. The view on the top was awesome, it was a wonderful moment. Then, Kiril drove us to the spa where we could spend as much time as we liked. Thank you for this amazing day, we recommend it without hesitation.

Scam

Collin_H, Nov 2020

Sent a message what hotel I was at. No response, nobody showed up that morning. Asked for a refund from Viator and no response about that either. Beginning to think this website is a scam.

Response from Host, Dec 2020

Dear Collin, We are really sorry and apologize for the inconvenience. Due to a technical problem with our new booking engine we have missed your booking. This happens for the first time since our company was founded and we apologize for the inconveniences that may have occured. You have been fully refunded by Viator + we are pleased to offer you a free of charge day tour to any of the destinations we offer on our web site at any convenient for you time. Please contact us for further details. Thank you for your understanding and once again - please excuse us for the inconvenience. Kind regards, K. Kostov

We really enjoyed this tour and would...

Aathmika K, Jun 2018

We really enjoyed this tour and would recommend. The guide was friendly and helpful and the sights beautiful though we went in late May so there was still snow on the ground and unfortunately a lot of fog.

Very enjoyable, even though the weather...

Michelle B, Apr 2018

Very enjoyable, even though the weather turned against us and we decided not to go to the top point. The guide was very helpful and lent me a rain poncho which was desperately needed. Would love to do this again in better weather.