Seven Rila Lakes circuit from Rila Lakes Hut

From Rila Lakes Hut, near the top of the chairlift, the path climbs south past the Lower Lake and the Fish Lake, where a second hut stands on the shore, then on up beside the Trefoil, the Twin and the Kidney, each in its own rocky step of the cirque. A steeper path climbs past the Eye, the deepest of them, to the ridge above the Tear, the highest lake, where all seven can be seen at once. The way back follows the ridge east towards Haramiyata and drops down the east side of the cirque to the hut.

It is 9 km round with 572 m of ascent; allow about 4 hours. The grade is Hard: rocky mountain paths, steep in places, between about 2,100 and 2,500 m.

The lakes usually freeze in October and stay frozen until June; July and August are the usual months to walk here, when sudden storms are less likely. Fog comes down quickly on the ridge. The Eye, 37.5 m deep, is the deepest cirque lake in Bulgaria; the Twin is the largest of the seven.

Drive to the lower chairlift station above Sapareva Banya and ride up to the hut; check the chairlift is running, as it keeps a summer season. Walking up from the lower station adds a steep climb of about 400 m.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.