Rila Mountains - Seven Lakes Circuit |
Getting There |
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Statue of Sofia in Sofia |
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Day 1 - Malyovitsa to Sedemte Ezera Hut (the low road) (11 km - 910m ascent - 400m descent) |
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Malyovitsa (2729m) |
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Crossing the grassy flats of Yavarova Polyana |
The white-washed walls of Hizha Vada |
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Bridge across the Prav Iskar |
19th century irrigation channel |
A grassy clearing in the conifer forest |
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Track beneath the firs |
Nello shimmying across the broken Dzherman River bridge |
Hizha Lovna in its herb-field setting |
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The glade of Dva Smarcha |
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Crossing the dwarf pine covered flats |
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It was good to feel a cool breeze at our backs as we pushed across this high basin. A myriad of streams babbled their way down through the pines to join the rushing upper reaches of the Dzherman River. We had entered the realm of Sedemte Ezera, the seven lakes, and the first lake, Dolnoto Ezero, lay just across to our left. |
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Looking down on the dwarf pine flats and Dolnoto Ezero (lake no. 1) |
Our lake - Ribnoto Ezero - with views from the hut towards the spine of the Rila Mountains |
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Evening falls mistily over the Rila Mountains ..... |
.... the sky turns pastel pink and blue .... |
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Day 2 -Sedemte Ezera Hut to Malyovitsa (the high road) (14.5 km - 680m ascent - 1190m descent) |
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Marshland at the head of Ribotno |
Lake no. 3 - Trilistnikovo Ezero |
View back over lake no. 2 - Ribotno Ezero |
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The outflow of Bliznaka Ezero backed by the pyramid of Haramiyata and the main range |
Lake no. 4 - Bliznaka Ezero |
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Nello climbing up from Babreka Ezero (lake no. 5) |
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Reflections in Okoto Ezero (lake no. 6) |
At 2440m, Okoto Ezero still had ice floes on its surface |
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View westwards towards the summits of Otovishki Vrah and Seymenski Kamak |
A gap in the cliffs of the Chanakgyolski Cirque |
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View across the saddle towards the main Rila range - with 2729m Malyovitsa on the right |
Bulgarian mountain horses |
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The glacial lake Panitsama Ezera beneath the cliffs of 2669m Damga |
Walking along the open tops of Zeleni Rid |
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The wide open spaces of Zeleni Rid |
Looking out over the hazy sun-baked plain |
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... and down the long forested spur |
Farewell to Malyovitsa |
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