I did this tour with a group of 5 other travelers on a beautiful warm day in September. Vasco was our guide and he was very friendly, knowledgable and enthusiastic about sharing his love of nature and Bulgaria. We began the tour in Sofia and drove up towards the mountains, where we left the van and rode a chairlift to a hut. We began the hike with a moderate climb up to a ridge, which provided sweeping views of the mountains below. Vasco made sure everyone was able to walk at their own pace, but stayed generally together as a group. After several hours of hiking and enjoying the many lakes, we returned to the chairlift and the van. Our group had been asking about Bulgarian foods, so Vasco asked if we would like to stop for a snack on the way to the monastery. The group agreed and we stopped at a small local shop to taste a few typical foods. Then we continued on to the Monastery were we did a tour and had a little free time to explore before returning to Sofia. It was a long day, but absolutely one of the highlights of my time in Bulgaria. I highly recommend this tour!

I had an amazing time with this tour; the tour guide was extremely nice, spoke good English and even shared some of his food with me. There was information provided throughout the whole visit and the time spent in the van was less then advertised, which was great! My only request is that there would be more and longer breaks for pictures (around 1 hour more worth of tour), but I understand that for most people that's negligible.

We chose this tour because we wanted to see both the Boyana Church and the Rila Monastery, and we were not disappointed. Our guide, Marina, was friendly, knowledgeable, and provided interesting details to go with the historical facts. Her command of English is excellent. The bus was full—about 30 people. At the very small, old Boyana Church, we needed to pay 10 lev (Bulgarian currency only, but at the kiosk next door, we were able to buy a bottle of water with Euros and get change in Leva). The drive into the mountains goes through rural landscape and some villages. At the monastery, Marina gave us a tour and then gave us time to eat lunch and explore on our own. It is important to know that when boarding the tour bus, one must pay cash in either Leva or Euros. Dollars and credit cards are not accepted. The monastery is beautiful; the frescoes are stunning. Walking on uneven cobblestones is not easy. It is not handicap-accessible. Also, the public toilets in the monastery are squats.