HOLDING THE 16th ANNUAL HIKING TRIP

Rector of the Technical University - Sofia
 Prof. Dr. Georgi Venkov 
invites all teachers, staff and doctoral students from
the Technical University, together with their relatives, to participate in

The program for the two days of the hike is as follows:

Day 1 (20.06.2026, Saturday): Departure at 8:00 by buses from behind Block 2 of TU-Sofia. The buses are expected to arrive at the parking lot in front of USOB – Semkovo around 11:30.

The TU – Sofia recreational base is located 17 km from the town of Belitsa, nestled in the foothills of the Rila mountain at an average altitude (a.s.l.) of 1650 – 1700 m.

Check-in at the recreational base and lunch.

After lunch, around 14:30, optionally – a short walk to Semkovo Hut and the lake next to it, located in the area of Plavishte, northeast of the Semkovo resort. The hike takes about 30 minutes one way. After returning to the base, time for a short rest.

Dinner at 19:00 in the canteen-restaurant with a short musical-entertainment program featuring the student rock band 'Paranoid'.

Day 2 (21.06.2026, Sunday): Breakfast 6:30 – 7:00 in the canteen-restaurant of USOB – Semkovo. At 7:30, departure of the two groups of more prepared and less prepared tourists (beam 1 and beam 2) on the following routes:

Route RAY 1 (for prepared tourists): The RAY 1 group heads to Semkovo Hut, from where it moves in a north-northeasterly direction along the Stankova River valley towards the Gorni Kuki saddle (2435 m). The route initially passes through coniferous forests and gradually transitions into an alpine zone with dwarf shrubs. From the saddle, the group heads southeast to climb Vrh Sredny Vrah (elevation 2532 m) - a short break at the summit for photos and enjoying the panoramic views. Return along the same route to the saddle, from where the group proceeds along the ridge in a west-northwesterly direction towards Vrh Vapa (elevation 2528 m). Time for photos and lunch (dry food and water, which everyone brings themselves), enjoying the landscape with dozens of Rila peaks. After the break, the group continues west-northwesterly along the ridge and shortly after deviates south to descend towards the Vapa Lakes (elevation 2270 m). Here, the RAY 1 group meets the RAY 2 group, and together they return to USOB - Semkovo. The total length of the trek for RAY 1 is 18 km with an elevation gain of +1000 m / -1000 m.

Route RAY 2 (for less prepared tourists): The RAY 2 group will have a shorter trek and a more relaxed pace. Initially, the group heads to Semkovo Hut. From there, it first goes briefly west and then north, along the Vapata River valley and the "Following the Glacier" eco-trail towards the Vapa Lakes (elevation 2270 m), located southeast of Vrh Vapa.

The route initially passes through coniferous forests and gradually transitions into an alpine zone with dwarf shrubs. The upper, larger of the two lakes is the highest point of the RAY 2 trek. There, the group settles for a break, lunch (dry food and water, which everyone brings themselves), photos, and contemplation, waiting for the RAY 1 group to join them and return together to USOB - Semkovo. The return path to the base is again along the Vapata River valley and the "Following the Glacier" eco-trail. The total length of the trek for RAY 2 is 13 km with an elevation gain of +640 m / -640 m.

The least prepared tourists on the second day may stay around the rest base and visit some of the nearby entertainment facilities in the resort.

After the two groups from beam 1 and beam 2 return to USOBS – Semkovo, luggage will be collected from everyone and they will be accommodated in the buses.

Departure for Sofia around 18:00 and arrival at TU – Sofia after 21:00

– will take place in block 1, room 1151-3, tel. 02/965 2020 – "Social Services" department.

– registration and payment of reservations from 06.04.2026 to 30.04.2026 incl., from 09:30 to 12:00 and from 13:30 to 15:00.

USOB – Semkovo has rooms with 2, 3 and 6 beds, as well as apartments with the possibility of overnight stay for up to 4 people. All rooms have their own bathroom. It is desirable for colleagues to group into rooms so that no beds are left empty. The goal is for more colleagues to be able to join the hike.

For mountain insurance, full name and EGN are required. Those who already have mountain insurance must provide a copy with the policy number and validity period.

The above schedule is valid under good weather conditions and the participants' fitness. In case of emergency, unforeseen problems in meteorological or road conditions, blockage of road sections, or other insurmountable obstacles, changes to the program may be made at the organizers' discretion.

Two of our mountain guides are senior lecturers from the Department of Physical Education and Sports. We will also contact the local mountain rescue worker in Semkovo resort, who is from the SAR – Razlog detachment.