Our hike started at Bezbog Hut. From there, we followed the marked trail to Popovo Lake, where we left the main path and began climbing Mount Sivria (2,591 m). After reaching the summit, we descended towards the Kremen Lakes and completed the circular route back at Bezbog Hut.
We did this hike on Saturday, August 8, which is celebrated as Mountaineers’ Day in Bulgaria. Nothing particularly ambitious — we simply wanted to enjoy a beautiful day in the Pirin Mountains. We drove up to Bezbog Hut in our cars, using slightly higher-clearance vehicles, as the dirt road is not suitable for low cars.
From Bezbog Hut, we took the standard trail towards Popovo Lake. The first section climbs up what is known as the “Dushevadka” — literally something like “soul-taking,” because of the steep climb. In reality, though, it is nothing particularly difficult. It takes around 30 minutes at a normal pace to get from the hut to the highest point of this section. From there, the trail gradually descends towards the valley shortly before reaching the lake.
A little after climbing the Dushevadka and passing through a short section of dwarf pine, one of the most beautiful views in Pirin opens up. Popovo Lake comes into view, surrounded by the imposing peaks towering above it — Dzhengalа on the right and Sivria on the left, our destination for the day. In the background, the peaks of Dzhano, Kralev Dvor and Kamenitsa stand out.
As you would expect on a Saturday, there was quite a lot of traffic on the trail, with both Bulgarian and foreign hikers. We met several Greeks and a group of older Spanish women, who told us they were only planning to walk as far as the lake.
At Popovo Lake, we stopped for a short break and had something to eat to recharge our batteries, as a steep climb towards the peak towering above us was waiting. We left the hut at around 9:00 a.m. and reached the lake at about 10:30 — an hour and a half at a normal pace.
After our break, we started walking around the lake, as the route towards the summit begins on its southern side. The trail is marked with small stone cairns, which are easy enough to follow, although the terrain is steep. The route alternates between rocky sections, grassy slopes covered with smaller stones, and finally a short section through dwarf pine, which has been cleared enough to make the passage relatively easy.
It took us exactly one hour to reach the ridge from Popovo Lake, slightly below the summit of Sivria. From there, we were rewarded with views towards the Kremen Lakes on the other side of the mountain. The summit itself is another 5–10 minutes away.
At the top, we lined up for a group photo. We took a short break while everyone had their own little photo session on the summit. This was where our group split up. One part continued along the ridge towards Mount Dzhano, while the rest of us started descending directly towards the Kremen Lakes. We agreed to meet the others later on the shore of the lake.
While descending towards the Lower Kremen Lake, we passed another group making their way up towards the summit. We exchanged a few words and continued downhill. There is no real trail here, and even the stone cairns become less frequent, but it is not particularly difficult to follow the slope downwards.
After reaching the Lower Kremen Lake, I decided to walk over to the Upper Lake as well. The Kremen Lakes consist of three main lakes — Lower, Upper and Ledeniyat Gyol (“The Icy Pool”). The Lower and Upper Lakes are close to each other, with only a small difference in elevation, while Ledeniyat Gyol lies higher up the slope beneath Mount Dzhano.
I walked up to the Upper Lake and then returned to the Lower Lake, where we stretched out on the lakeshore and waited for the rest of the group to descend from Mount Dzhano. The weather was changeable, with rain forecast for after 4 p.m. Clouds were beginning to build up, but overall the weather had not deteriorated yet.
Eventually, the other part of the group appeared. We took our final group photo of the day on the shore of the Lower Kremen Lake and quickly headed down towards the valley of the river flowing from Popovo Lake. For a short while, it drizzled several times, but overall we managed to avoid the serious rainfall.
We crossed the river via a small wooden bridge, after which the trail began climbing again. We passed by Shutina Mandra Shelter, where we stopped briefly to wait for the group to come together, and then continued towards Bezbog Hut along the more level trail that follows the ridge from the east. Eventually, it reaches Bezbozhko Lake near the small pub “Pri Bai Slave.”
Add new comment