All of The Seven Rila Lakes

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, for the last 2 months, I was around The Seven Rila Lakes (the most visited place in the mountains in Bulgaria) four times. All of them were amazing and different and I've already posted about 2 of them and have 2 more left for you. Also several months ago I wrote a postwith photos of four of the seven lakes, and I promised that I'll show you the rest of them, when the snow melts. And finally I went to that peak with the view of all of them.

The main reason to visit them so often is that I have a new friend mountaineer who knows all the less popular pathways so together we are able to escape the crowd and to enjoy the beautiful scenary around the lakes from different perspective. The other reason is that throughout the whole august it is really interesting there, because the followers of a Bulgarian spiritual leader - Peter Deunov or Beinsa Duno, gather at that area and perform different exercises. The most interesting of them is the paneurhythmy, a system of movements created by the teacher. It looks like a round dance, and the goal is connection with the universal power and creating good vibes. All the people are barefoot and dressed in white and with the lakes and the peaks around it really looks beautiful. They have "Summer Spiritual School" (that's how they call it) and they have a part of the mountain literally reserved for them, they get some permit from the Rila National Park for camping and they have their own program, rules and schedule.

The culmination of that whole month lasting "school" is 19th august - The New Year of the Sun, or the divine New Year according to the teacher, when people there are literally thousands. On that day the paneurhythmy looks really amazing because of the number of the people performing it so one of my next posts will be about that day, but today I will tell you about 11th august, 1 week before the New Year, when there was something like a Folklore Festival around the lakes.

We went there with the chair lift in the afternoon of 10th august - Friday, found crazy beautiful place for our tent(and by we, I mean my friend), right next to
Chanatsite lakes, and on the next day (after witnessing an amazing sunset and sunrise) it was time for hiking. We wanted to go to that peak above the lakes with the gorgeous view of all the lakes - Otovishki Peak.

It turned out later, as we saw from the peak, that the people from The White Brotherhood (that's how the followers of Beinsa Duno call themselves) perform the paneurhythmy on a meadow right next to our tent :D. As I am explaining you for The White Brotherfoods, don't imagine some crazy religious zombies, not at all. Althought they may look like that to a person from the modern world, the teachings of Beinsa Duno are really pure and also world famous, he was a phenomenon for our country and for the whole world and the most important points of his teaching are Love, Wisdom and Truth. I've read a lot from him and am trying to follow many of his advice, but I don't like very much the theatricality of that event. There is something fake in it, but I admit that it looks beautiful.

We chose a steep ridge that required something more like climbing than hiking but it was fun and soon we could see some lakes from above.

The peaks around
the valley of Maliovitsa

Me above the fourth lake - "Bliznaka" - The Twin

The balloons are there because of the folklore festival. That was great for my photos :)

Our goal was a long almost horizontal ridge above the circus of the lakes with breathtakingly beautiful view of them, one neighbor valley, the dramatic Maliovitsa part of Rila Mountains, also Pirin mountain, some villages in the low part of the mountain, Vitosha Mountain and probably other things that I can not recognize and it is one of my top 3 places in Rila. The next photos are from that ridge.

That boulevard looking like pathway is what I was talking about in many of my posts. That's why I wouldn't recommend you going there with the chair lift. It is just two crowded.

Pirin Mountains

Here you can see not only all the lakes but also the popular pathway - from the lift then passing by the fifth, sixth and the seventh lake. The rest of the mountains is almost empty.

The view of the lakes from our final destination - Otovishki Peak - 2696m (8845 ft)

Malyovitsa part of Rila

The fifth lake from above

The seventh lake is called "Salzata", The tear, because the water is crystal clear and that's why it is transparent.

The Seventh Lake - The highest one, 2,535m (8010 ft)

On the day of the New Year of the Sun the paneurhythmy is performed near that lake, and on the other days of august like that day, as the people are fewer, it is on another smaller meadow near The Chanatsite Lakes.

The dance. Here you can even notice our tent on the left side of the photo

As we were returning there, we had to cross the boulevard for no more than 15 min, but the contrast was huge!

My friend - Georgi, and the fifth lake

These people are part of the folklore festival

Yes, it is really that blue when it is sunny

The forth lake, that may be you remember from here. The peak behind it is Haramiyata Peak

You probably know me already - I roam around the mountains and look for flowers and peaks to take a photo of them together.

Girls dressed in traditional Bulgarian clothes for the festival

And finally we were back "home" near The Chanatsite Lakes to see the beautiful reflections in the lakes before the sunset

Small Chanak Lake, or the Lake of Purity

We had to go to the Hut below us for some food and it was like that near it

On the next day, while we were preparing to leave the mountains, we were watching the people dancing right next to us.

The Second Lake - The Fish Lake

And some more zoomed photos of the reflections from that Sunday morning.

I also tried the heavy backpack, it was torturing, I am still wondering how my friend is able to walk with it.

That was a great weekend as always in the mountains!
All the photos were taken by my, except the ones with me on them :)
Thank you for stopping by!