Hiking in Bulgaria

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>>1089296
If you're gonna do it, do it before the seasonal shift hits. Avoid hiking alone if possible. Depending where you hike there might be wolves and bears, be mindful of that. Trails are poorly maintained but lodges are nice, cheap and most are safe, make sure to try the tea. Terrain can change rapidly so bring food and drink in case you misjudge distance or time. Carry a phone with you.

>When I say I'm not a hiker, I do walk a lot
Walking and hiking are very different, but I'm sure you know that.

Safe roads and let us know how it goes. Here's a photo of the Seven Rila Lakes area. Popular place with beginner friendly trails.

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Native here. I'm also just getting into hiking so I can't give you any idea based on my experience. I have a colleague at the university who knows Rila and half of Pirin by heart, so I can easily get you through to him; he'd be more than happy to help.
There are maps available for most of the mountains here. If I'm not mistaken the maps for the eastern part of Stara Planina are not yet out for sale. Anyway, here's what they look like. As you can see they are bilingual and you'll have no trouble with them. You can buy them at most bookstores and shops that sell hiking/extreme sports gear. Sorry for the quality, the light here is terrible.

This map right here (planinar org /%D1%85%D0%B8%D0%B6%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B5-%D0%B2-%D0%B1%D1%8A%D0%BB%D0%B3%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%8F/) has most, if not all lodges/shelters. Blue marker means the lodge is working or at least there is no information about it being closed; yellow means it's being repaired so it's closed; red means it's closed for good/deserted. A night at a lodge usually costs about 10 leva which is about 5 euros. If you need any specific information from this site I'd be happy to translate. There's a nice collection of PDFs in there dedicated to hiking. Sadly, they are mostly in Bulgarian.

If you decide to pay us a visit and you want to contact somebody first, you can write me at [email protected].

>>1090192
How are camping and fishing laws? Like can you wildcamp and live of the land?

>>1090214
You need a ticket if you want to fish, and you have to write down on it your catch. As for camping, you can camp anywhere except on the territory of national parks and natural reserves, like Rila, Pirin, Central Stara Planina, Srebarna etc. Camping in the wild is not forbidden here.

>>1090218
As I mentioned in another thread, I have relatives who frequently spend a week or two on an island, fishing the whole time.

Bulgarian here. There are maps for almost all mountain areas (especially the popular destinations) which as >>1090192 said are easily found in stores. The marking and good, the huts are good. Unless you're hiking in some god forsaken forest you don't need to worry about predators. Also winter is coming in 2 months so you don't have a lot of time left this year.

>>1090218
>Camping in the wild is not forbidden here.
So that bullshit law against wild camping didn't pass then?

>>1090580
The law has been discussed in 2016 but apparently it has not passed, yes.

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>>1089296
Been wandering close to the Bulgarian border on the Serbian side a month ago, and from my experience, I strongly advise you to get a GPS and a compass. Many paths follow the meltwater channels and you'll get turned around a lot. And believe me, you don't want to make the steep uphill climb through hip-high vegetation.

>>1090701
Did you visit Midzhor? I'm planning on climbing it before the snow falls.

>>1090707
No, I was on the other side of Pirot, to the south. That reminds me, due to the Refugee crisis there are lots of soldiers patrolling the border on the Serbian side. Be careful to only carry stuff that's legal.

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>>1089296

Did a four-day walk from Borovets to Rila Monastery last summer. It was great, be ready for the heat though.