Rila

Musala is the highest peak in Rila and the entire Balkan Peninsula. In the summer, it is easily accessible via a marked trail with no technical difficulties, starting from the upper station of the "Yastrebets" gondola lift. Its accessibility makes it a top selfie destination, so there are summer weekends when the peak becomes surprisingly difficult to reach.

Malyovitsa is one of the most visited alpine peaks in Bulgaria. The Malyovitsa section of Rila (including the Malyovitsa Ridge, the Seven Rila Lakes, and the Urdini Lakes) is named after it. It is not, however, the highest peak in its section. The highest peak is Golyam Kupen, which is one of the peaks, forming the crown of Strashnoto Lake.

Alekovo Lake is the third (from top to bottom) of the Musala Lakes group. It is located at the foot of Aleko Peak, and the summer trail from Musala Hut to Musala Peak passes along its shore. Its color varies from dark blue in cloudy weather to turquoise when lit by the sun.

The Kidney Lake is the third (from top to bottom) lake in the group of the Seven Rila Lakes. If you are coming along the red-marked path from the Rila Lakes Hut, it will be the first lake you reach. It is the second deepest lake in the group (after Okoto) - 28 meters.

Okoto (The Eye) is the second of the Seven Rila Lakes. Its depth is 37.7 meters, making it the deepest glacial lake on the Balkan Peninsula. It drains from the southern side into Bliznaka Lake (the fourth in the group) via a stream with a small waterfall, alongside which the marked tourist trail passes. Steep rocks and gullies rise above the northern shore of the lake, in which snow patches may remain until late summer.

Haramiya Peak (also known as Hayduta) is the sharp peak visible from almost every spot around the Seven Rila Lakes. The Trilistnika (Trefoil) and Bliznaka (Twin) lakes lie to its west, while the Upper Chanakgyol Lake - which the followers of the White Brotherhood call the Lake of Purity - is located to its east.

Zliya zub (which translates as The Evil Tooth) is located on the main Malyovisko ridge between the peaks of Orlovets and Lovnitsa, but unlike them, it is accessible only by using climbing equipment, even in the summer.

Kamilata (Camel) Peak is the last peak of the crown surrounding the glacial cirque of the Orlovets shelter ("Granitna Voda"). It is located directly north of the shelter and is separated by a saddle from the neighboring Lovnitsa peak. It owes its name to the characteristic rock shape, resembling a lying camel, turning its slightly upright head in the direction of the Orlovets and Zliya Zab peaks. The camel shape is recognizable only from the southwest - from the marked trail, connecting the Second Terrace to the Orlovets shelter, or from the main trail to Malyovitsa peak (in the section that begins with the steep climb after the Second Terrace and ends at Eleninoto Lake). The peak is accessible in the summer without climbing equipment through the saddle connecting it to Lovnitsa Peak. The northern granite wall of the peak, over a hundred meters high, is a popular climbing site. Winter offers conditions for ice climbing, which, however, is dangerous due to the high probability of avalanches. Information about climbing routes can be found at climbingguide.bg. On April 17, 1988, the legendary Bulgarian climber Lyudmil Yankov died while climbing the peak.

Elenino Lake is the largest and most famous of the group of three Elenski (Elenini) Lakes. It is located east of Malyovitsa Peak, right at its foot. The marked trail to the peak from Malyovitsa Hut passes by its shore.

Strashnoto Ezero (The Scary Lake) is a glacial lake situated beneath a crown of rocky peaks, including Golyam Kupen - the highest peak of the Malyovistsa section of Rila. A stone shelter has been built next to it, equipped with a wood-burning stove and beds with blankets. The most common question about Strashnoto Ezero is what makes it so scary. The answer: nothing in particular. Years ago, before the shelter by the lake was built, a painter from Samokov named Hristo Yonchev-Kriskarets was caught in a thunderstorm up there and got terrified. He told his friends about the incident and how scary it was, and that is how the lake got its name. Whether this story is true we do not know, but we can say with certainty that Yonchevo Ezero (Yonchev's Lake), located about an hour below Strashnoto Ezero, is indeed named after Hristo Yonchev.

Trionite (The Saws) is a highly jagged rocky ridge that connects Musala Peak with the second-highest peak in the Rila Mountains, Malka Musala. Trionite, along with the northern slope of Malka Musala, are considered the most difficult sections of the classic Musala Traverse.