Things to know before hiking in Bulgaria

Save two numbers before you set off. For any emergency call 112 and ask to be connected to Mountain Rescue. You can also call the Mountain Rescue Service (PSS) directly, 24 hours a day, on 02 963 2000, 0887 100 237 or 0887 100 238.

The old short number 1470 was closed in August 2026 and no longer connects. Some older signs, guidebooks and even official pages still list it — ignore them.

Mountain rescue in Bulgaria is not free. The rescued person is asked to cover the cost of the operation: from €285 for a mountain accident, and more for a search that runs longer than a day. Mountain insurance covers this, so buy it before you go.

A call to 112 connects over any network with coverage, not only your own. With weak signal a text message often gets through where a call fails, and your phone's GPS shows your position even with no signal at all.

Bulgarian trails are marked with a coloured stripe between two white stripes, painted on rocks, trees and posts. The colour — red, green, blue or yellow — tells you which route you are on; it says nothing about how hard it is. A cross in the same colour means wrong way.

Marks are usually painted for one direction of travel, so look behind you as well as ahead. In winter, follow the marker poles on high routes. Marking quality varies a lot: excellent on Vitosha and in the busy parts of Rila, sparse on the eastern Balkan ridge. Above the treeline never rely on paint alone.

A Bulgarian hut (hizha) is a staffed mountain lodge with bunk rooms and simple meals, not a hotel. In 2026 a bed in a shared room usually costs about €14–25 per person per night; rooms with their own bathroom cost more. Members of the Bulgarian Tourist Union get up to 20% off. Carry cash in small notes, because not every hut takes cards, and call ahead in summer and at weekends.

A shelter (zaslon) is an unmanned refuge with no warden, food or water, meant for bad weather and emergencies. Dogs are not allowed inside Bulgarian Tourist Union huts, except guide dogs. High and remote huts must take people in even when every bed is taken.

In the Rila, Pirin and Central Balkan national parks you may pitch a tent only at designated, signposted places — most of them next to huts and shelters. Camping anywhere else is illegal, and individuals can be fined 500–5,000 leva (about €256–2,556).

Fires are allowed only at designated fireplaces, and those close in fire-risk periods. Central Balkan National Park has banned all open fires since 13 July 2026, including at its official fireplaces. On Vitosha, camping is allowed only in three designated zones, for at most three days in one spot.

Outside protected areas the law on wild camping in the mountains is not clearly settled, but lighting a fire in or near a forest outside designated places is punishable everywhere.

Entry to the national parks is free, including the Seven Rila Lakes: you pay only for lifts, parking and huts. Inside the parks:

Carry at least two litres. In summer plan on about half a litre an hour on the move, closer to a litre on hot August days. Some ranges are almost dry: on Slavyanka, which is limestone, carry three litres.

Running springs above huts and pastures are the safest sources. Before you drink, look uphill for livestock, and prefer a strong, cold flow.

Afternoon thunderstorms build over Rila and Pirin on many summer days. From June to September, start early, aim to be on the summit by 11:00 and off exposed ridges by 14:00.

Set a turnaround time before you leave and keep to it whether or not you have reached the top. Our hiking time calculator works it out from the distance and the climb.

Above the treeline much of Rila and Pirin has no mobile signal. Download the map before you go, keep the phone warm and in airplane mode when you are not using it, and carry a power bank.

GPS works with no signal at all: your phone can always show your coordinates, and reading them to a rescuer is far faster than describing a slope.

Bulgaria has around 500 brown bears, mainly in Rila, Pirin, the Rhodopes, Vitosha and the central Balkan range. Never feed bears or leave food waste behind. In dense forest make some noise as you walk, and if you meet a bear, back away slowly without running. The advice on encounters is from WWF Bulgaria.

Bulgaria has used the euro since 1 January 2026. Park fines and some older price lists are still written in leva, at the fixed rate of €1 = 1.95583 leva.