Borovets Packing List for Women: Skiing in the Rila Mountains

Photograph: Borovets from the Rila slopes by Ondrej Zvacek, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Borovets is a ski and mountain resort on the northern slopes of the Rila mountains in Bulgaria, set in pine forest at about 1,350 metres above the town of Samokov. Known as Chamkoria until the middle of the twentieth century, it began as a hunting retreat for Bulgaria's rulers and grew into what the travel guide calls one of Bulgaria's most popular ski resorts, with hotels, bars and a network of runs and lifts climbing towards the high peaks. In summer it is a base for walking in the Rila, including routes towards Musala, the highest summit in the Balkans. Packing for Borovets means packing for cold, snowy winters and short, cool mountain summers, for long days outdoors, and for a resort where a few practical precautions make all the difference.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, Roman Trail earns a small commission at no extra cost to you.

The photograph above was taken from high on a ski slope looking down over the resort. It shows rolling hills of pine forest frosted with snow, a cluster of hotel buildings and roofs in the trees in the middle distance, a groomed white piste at the bottom with a few tiny skiers, snow-laden fir trees in the foreground, and a wide valley of fields and low hills beyond under grey cloud. What the frame cannot show is the high mountain behind the camera. There are no lifts or gondola in it, no Musala or any high peak, no close view of the resort centre, no bars or restaurants, nothing of the royal hunting lodge at Tsarska Bistritsa, and nothing of summer. It is the view down from the slopes, which is a good sense of the place, but the reason people come is above and behind it.

What Is Here

Borovets started as a royal hunting ground. The encyclopaedia says it was established at the end of the nineteenth century as a hunting place for Bulgaria's rulers, and that Ferdinand I built the Tsarska Bistritsa palace here. The travel guide describes Tsarska Bistritsa as a palatial hunting lodge built between 1898 and 1914, a group of buildings in a small park that remains open to visitors. In the twentieth century the resort grew into a modern ski centre, and it hosted Alpine Skiing World Cup races in 1981 and 1984 and the Biathlon World Championships in 1993.

The resort is spread through the forest rather than gathered around a square, with hotels, restaurants and bars along the road and near the lower lifts. The town of Samokov sits in the valley about 10 kilometres to the north, and its sights are worth an afternoon. Near the resort, the Black Rock of Chamkoria is a rock wall above the valley of the Golyama Slivnitsa river, with a viewing platform at the top about 135 metres above its foot; an iron cross there remembers people killed without trial in the gorge after 9 September 1944.

Skiing in Borovets

The ski area is in two parts. The travel guide describes a smaller area of nursery slopes and short runs right above the resort, served by chairlifts and drag lifts, and a much larger area reached by gondola, with long blue and red runs. The encyclopaedia puts the total at 58 kilometres of marked pistes on mostly north facing slopes up to 2,560 metres, with a gondola that climbs to Yastrebets at 2,363 metres in about 20 minutes and a long, gentle run of about 12 kilometres back to the resort along a road. The travel guide is clear that, despite some good red and black runs, Borovets is considered mainly a resort for beginners and intermediates, and it has several ski schools.

Avalanches are a risk in parts of the mountains. The FCDO advises checking local snow and weather conditions before skiing off-piste and skiing with a guide, and says the Bulgarian Mountain Rescue Service publishes safety rules for the slopes, in Bulgarian. Mountain restaurants on the pistes are relatively expensive by local standards, the travel guide notes, so a snack in your pocket is no bad idea.

Summer in the Rila

In summer Borovets becomes a walking base. The travel guide calls it one of the starting points for hiking to Musala, which at about 2,925 metres is the highest peak in the Rila, in Bulgaria and in the whole Balkan Peninsula. The encyclopaedia says snow lies on Musala for about eight to nine months of the year, that its summer lasts only about two months, that temperatures rarely rise above 14 to 15C even then, and that snowfalls are possible in summer. Treat it as a serious mountain day: start early, check the forecast, carry warm layers and waterproofs even in July, and turn back if the weather changes.

The FCDO notes that altitude sickness is a risk in parts of Bulgaria and lists biting insects and ticks among the country's health risks, so cover your legs on forest paths and check for ticks after a walk. The famous Seven Rila Lakes lie in the north west of the range, and the wider mountains are covered in our Rila guide in Reading On below.

When to Go

Borovets has long, cold, snowy winters and short, warm, rainy summers with cool nights. The averages in the encyclopaedia give January days of about 1C and nights of about minus 7C, and July days of about 22C. Winter is ski season and the resort's busiest time. July and August are the best months for high walking. The FCDO says Bulgaria is on a regular alert for wildfires in summer and early autumn, so follow local advice if fires break out in the forests.

Getting There

Sofia's airport is the nearest. The travel guide says that most hotels can arrange a transfer when you book, which is the simplest option, and that independent travellers can take a bus from Sofia to Samokov and then a shuttle bus up to Borovets. Check current times locally rather than relying on a printed timetable.

At Sofia airport, the FCDO warns of an increase in unlicensed taxis overcharging passengers, and says to use the official taxi booking office in the arrivals hall and check the meter is working. More widely, it advises avoiding taxis parked outside hotels or in tourist areas and asking your hotel to call one; licensed taxis run by Yellow operators are the most reliable. If you drive, the FCDO says road conditions can be dangerous, particularly at night and outside major cities, and that you need a digital vignette, bought in advance, for motorways and main roads. In winter, drive mountain roads slowly and only in a car equipped for snow.

Is Borovets Safe for Women Travelers

The FCDO names no area of Bulgaria that it advises against, but it does name Borovets, and the warning is worth knowing. It says some tourists have been victims of overcharging in so-called gentlemen's clubs in Sofia and in some resorts, including Bansko, Borovets and Sunny Beach, that the overcharging can amount to hundreds of pounds, and that victims can be threatened with violence if they refuse to pay. Its advice is to get recommendations for bars from your hotel or other holidaymakers, to make sure card payments are completed in your presence, and to be wary if asked to re-enter your PIN. That applies to any bar, not only clubs: check prices before you order and keep your card in sight.

Beyond that, the FCDO says attacks cannot be ruled out although Bulgaria has no recent history of terrorism, and warns of pickpockets and bag thefts in tourist areas, on buses and trains and at transport hubs including airports. Drunken and disorderly behaviour may be treated more seriously than in the UK. Always carry ID; a printed copy of your passport photo page is acceptable. The FCDO also notes that stray dogs are common and can be dangerous, and that rabies is present, so keep away from dogs, especially in packs, and seek medical advice at once after any bite.

For a woman travelling alone, Borovets is a comfortable resort if you treat its nightlife with ordinary caution. Choose bars your hotel recommends, watch your drink and your card, book taxis through your hotel, and on the mountain ski or walk within your ability and tell someone your plans.

The Borovets Packing List

Layering is the key to a ski day. Our merino base layers are 100% Australian merino at 17.5 micron, and a long sleeve merino wool base layer for women is the layer that matters most: it keeps you warm on a cold chairlift, handles sweat on a hard run without turning clammy, and stays fresh through several days, which is useful in a resort where you may not want to wash kit every night. In summer it is the warm layer for a cool morning on the way up the mountain.

For the Slopes

Over the base layer, a warm waterproof ski jacket such as the CAMEL CROWN waterproof ski jacket parka keeps out wind and snow. Thin merino wool glove liners under your ski gloves add warmth on the coldest days, a merino beanie fits under or replaces a helmet liner for the evenings, and Darn Tough merino hiker socks keep feet warm and dry in boots all day. Hire skis, boots and a helmet in the resort if you do not bring your own, and wear goggles; our affiliate register carries no eyewear and no sunscreen, so bring both, because sun on snow at altitude burns quickly.

For Summer Walking

For trails towards Musala, Salomon hiking shoes grip on rock and wet ground, and a packable rain jacket belongs in your pack on every mountain day, because summer snow and storms are possible high up. That is our sixth affiliate link, which is our limit per post, so we have left out a link for insulated snow boots for walking around the resort in winter; pack warm, waterproof boots anyway.

Recommended Tours and Experiences

Essential Resources for Women in Borovets

Emergency numbers: 112 for ambulance, fire and police, according to the FCDO's getting help page.

Medical care: the FCDO says most Bulgarian hospitals are basic and old fashioned by UK standards, that care is generally good but specialised equipment may not be available, and that hospital staff rarely speak English. It warns that tourists have sometimes been overcharged in private clinics in resorts and that hotels may call private ambulances, so agree a price in advance if you use private care, and ask whether a public facility is nearby if you want to use a Global Health Insurance Card or European Health Insurance Card, which many private hospitals do not accept. The FCDO keeps a list of medical providers in Bulgaria.

Mountain insurance: the FCDO says insurance for skiing and mountaineering should include mountain rescue services, helicopter costs and repatriation or transfer for treatment, and points to the Bulgarian Red Cross for information on mountain insurance. The Bulgarian Mountain Rescue Service publishes slope safety rules and avalanche information, in Bulgarian.

US State Department travel advisory: the Bulgaria advisory. Read the current level there directly rather than relying on a figure printed in any guide.

UK FCDO travel advice: gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/bulgaria, and read the safety and security page rather than only the landing page, because that is where the substance sits.

Official health authority: the Bulgarian Ministry of Health.

US Embassy: the United States Embassy in Sofia, is in Sofia, the nearest city and airport.

Official tourism authority: the Bulgarian national tourist information service, covers the whole country, including the mountain resorts.

Solo women safety assessment: Borovets is a friendly resort and a reasonable choice for a woman travelling alone, and no part of Bulgaria is on the FCDO's advise-against list. The specific risk the FCDO names here is overcharging and intimidation in so-called gentlemen's clubs, which also points to a general rule: choose bars on your hotel's recommendation, check prices, and never let your card leave your sight. Add the ordinary mountain risks, which are cold, avalanche terrain off-piste, sudden summer storms near Musala and stray dogs, and book taxis through your hotel. Emergency 112.

Takeaways

Come to Borovets for skiing on forested slopes in winter and for walks towards Musala in high summer, and see the royal hunting lodge at Tsarska Bistritsa. Pack for cold and snow first, with merino next to the skin, and follow the FCDO's simple advice on bars, taxis and cards.

Reading On

For the mountains around the resort, read the Rila packing list, and for Bulgaria's other big ski resort, the Bansko packing list, with the Pirin packing list for the range around it. Most journeys begin in the capital, in the Sofia packing list, and for a city break on the way, read the Plovdiv packing list. The Bulgaria packing list and the Bulgaria travel guide for women cover the whole country. For why one wool layer works on a cold chairlift and a summer ridge alike, read the guide to merino wool base layers for women, and every destination we cover is indexed at the travel packing guide for women. The base layers themselves are in the Roman Trail collection.

If the outer journey is calling you, the inner one usually is too. Explore SoulMap at romantrail.com/blogs/soulmap.