Tour “7 lakes and 7 grannies – let’s go to the 7th heaven!”

What to expect

We will take the lift to the “Seven Rila Lakes” hut and from there we will make hiking to the Lower Lake, the Fish Lake (the shallowest, only 2.5 meters), the Shamrock, the Twin, the Kidney, the Eye (the deepest circus lake in Bulgaria – almost 38 meters). At the top is the Tear, which is transparent and clear as a tear. Next to the Tear is Lake Peak (2544 m), from where a panorama of the Seven Rila Lakes is revealed.

We return in the late afternoon and relax in a cool hunting residence near Panichishte. The next day after breakfast we head to the hottest geyser in Europe – 103 degrees. It is not located in Iceland, but nearly 3,700 km south of the Viking country – at the foot of the Rila Mountains, where the small Bulgarian town of Sapareva Banya is located. The geyser is the only one in continental Europe and is the most violent and accessible in the world – it pulsates every 5-6 minutes. The height of its water column is 18 m and it springs from a depth of 75 m. of billions of transparent droplets.

We will visit the fortress in the village of Belchin, named after the ancient village of Tsari Mali grad. It is assumed that his name means Little Constantinople. In 2007, excavations began on the hill of St. Spas, which revealed the remains of a Thracian sanctuary, an ancient Roman fortress, and medieval churches. Since 2013 the fortress has been restored.

In the village of Zheleznitsa we are waiting for the 12 forest mineral springs from the time of the Thracian era. The “forest jacuzzis” are full of 30-degree water that flows down the rocks. The rivers Zheleznishka and Egulya flow nearby. After immersing ourselves in the hot springs, we go to the village of Bisstritsa, where the local women will treat us to the traditional pie and kefir.

The culmination of the tour “7 lakes and 7 grannies – let’s go to the 7th heaven!” is the concert of the phenomenal choir, included in the List of Masterpieces of the World Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO. The group of singers of authentic folklore from the Sofia village of Bistritsa was established in 1949 as the Bistritsa Ensemble. Presents authentic songs from Shopluk. Due to their peculiar polyphonic singing, the group of the Bistritsa Grannies became famous all over the world.

The choir has visited many times in Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Germany, USA. In 1978 they received the prestigious European Award for Folk Art from the Alfred Töpfer Foundation, Hamburg.