Seven Rila Lakes, Glacial lakes in Rila Mountains, Bulgaria.
The Seven Rila Lakes form a group of glacial waterbodies sitting between 2100 and 2500 meters in the Rila Mountains, each showing different shapes and sizes. The waters rest in natural rock basins, connected by hiking paths, with distances short enough to visit all in a single day.
The lakes formed during the last ice age when glaciers carved deep basins into the Rila rock and water collected in those depressions. Since the glacial retreat ended roughly 10,000 years ago, the lakes have changed little in shape and continue filling with snowmelt and rainfall.
Each lake carries a name that describes how it looks, and hikers quickly see why local Bulgarians call them Tear, Eye, Kidney, Twin, Trefoil, Fish Lake, and Lower Lake. These names come from the everyday language of shepherds and climbers who have passed through the area for generations, naming the waters after their shapes.
A chairlift takes visitors from Pionerska hut up to the Seven Lakes hut, from where marked trails lead to each waterbody. The paths are easy to follow in summer, though sturdy footwear remains advisable as the sections between lakes can be rocky and sometimes steep.
The Eye Lake reaches a depth of 37.5 meters, making it the deepest cirque lake in Bulgaria, with water so clear that you can see down to the bottom. This exceptional visibility makes it popular with divers, who can still spot rock formations on the lakebed even at greater depths.
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