5-day Pirin Mountain traverse with Vihren (2,914m) summit, from Bansko

We’ll meet in Bansko then we’ll take a short trip to the start of the trail. The rest of the day will be spent hiking to our first hut, Qvorov hut. It’ll take around 2- 2.5 hours to get there.

On day two we’ll tackle on of the longest and most famous routes in the mountain – Qvorov hut to Vihren hut. We’ll be walking for around 8.5- 9.5 hours in total. There will also be quite a bit of uphill hiking. As we ascend up the valley, we’ll pass the Stapalata rock formation and reach the main ridge. From here we’ll hike to the Koncheto ridge. In parts this ridge can be as narrow as just 50cm. We’ll then hit the Kutelo and Vihren peaks before we begin our ascent to Vihren hut. That will be our home for the night and we’ll be able to enjoy a nice rest.

Day three brings us another challenging hike and around 7.5 hours of hiking. We’ll first hit the Banderishka valley and its lakes. From there we’ll hike back to the main ridge of the mountain and the Tipitcite peaks. We’ll keep going until we reach the Tevno Lake Shelter where we’ll enjoy amazing views of nearby mount Kamenitca before getting some rest.

We’ll devote day four to hiking up Kamenitca. There are two ways of climbing it. One of the ways is slightly easier and the other involves traversing the ridge next to it. We’ll decide together which one we want to take.

Day five’s activities also present us with another choice. We can take an easier route through Popovo, the biggest lake in Pirin mountain, or we can climb the rocky Djangal peak and enjoy the view from above. When we’re done we’ll continue to Bezbog lake and the hut. To get home, we’ll take the lift down to Gotce Delchev hut and transfer to the town of Dobrinishte or Bansko.