Musala

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Our journey to the highest peak on the Balkans begand on an early Saturday morning. We had checked the forecast in order to pick a moment when it wouldn't be raining and even on the peak it would be relatively warm.

And so it turned out to be - at 2925 m above sea level the temperatures rose up to 13°C, the sun was shining - all in all it was a great day for tourism.
We reached Borovets by car and there we were going to take the "Yastrebets"cable car in order to shove nearly 4 hours off the entire route up. There was a frighteningly long queue, but it turned out that it was moving fast enough due to the six seats in each cabin.

After the c.a. 20-minute ride we were already on the top station, from where on we had to go on foot. But we didn't mind at all - in front of us Rila was majestically green with wintry clouds down its slopes, wrapping it in an attractive mystery.

The path was even only in its beginning. By the Bulgarian tourists' union's standards the march up should be a fairly easy one. But as it was our first bigger march for the year, we considered it a huge accomplishment.

According to the Internet, we were supposed to reach the top in about 3 hours time. Adding the stay on the peak and the three hours for getting back down, we realised that we had to keep up a good rhythm in order to get back in time for the last ride on the cabin car, which was due to depart at 18:00.

But how can one be in a hurry when surrounded by such a scenery? One by one, the clouds in front of us revealed peaks, one higher than the another and covered in snow even in July.

The washing "inthelake" was forbidden and we soon knew why...

The Ice lake carries its name unambiguously. Later on we had the ideal look at it from high above.

The frozen Ice lake.

Time for macro photography...

We conquered the peak in 2 hours 40 minutes, which gave us enough time to rest on the highest point on the Balkan peninsula. Unfortunately the sky wasn't as clear as we needed it to be in order to check whether you can really see the Aegean sea from up there.

We were as rapid going back down, unlike the many families with small children, who also did heroically endure this adventure. 

At the end we were at the cabin cars an entire hour earlier than predicted. On the journey down we enjoyed the view to the north of Borovets, Samokov and even Stara planina.

The conclusion? One unforgettable journey that every Bulgarian should take on at least once in their lives. And even if you're not Bulgarian. The scenery might not be as striking as it's at the Seven Rila lakes, but it offers a far better physical challenge. And a correspondingly better satisfaction of the achievement. 

What would you need? Against the odds, we would say only one - comfortable shoes.
We proved that it's possible to go all the way up to Musala wearing even sneakers!

How much time would it take you? Let's assume you're with the kids and moving slower. The climbing up and coming down shouldn't take more than 7 hours. Add a one-hour rest on the top and this means you should arrive in Borovets at around 9 AM in order to be able to catch the last cabin cars at 18:00.

How much would it cost you? We won't count the journey to Borovets itself. It can be done either by car or a bus. The round trip card for the cabin car is 10 BGN for adults and 6 for kids. And all the memories and sensations which you'll undoubtedly get, are much much more expensive.