{"id":45981,"date":"2026-03-26T08:56:42","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T06:56:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vbansko.com\/?p=45981"},"modified":"2026-03-26T08:56:42","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T06:56:42","slug":"route-16-harami-bunar-popovo-lake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vbansko.com\/en\/route-16-harami-bunar-popovo-lake\/","title":{"rendered":"Route No. 16: From Harami Bunar area to Popovo Lake \u2013 the secret path to the watery heart of Pirin"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Most tourists reach the majestic Popovo Lake via the popular trail from the Bezbog hut. However, if you are looking for silence, wild forests and an alternative approach, <strong>Route No. 16<\/strong> is your hidden trump card. Starting from the historic site of Harami Bunar, this brown-marked trail winds through the secluded valleys of the Retij\u00eb River to take you to the largest lake in the Pirin Mountains, far from the noise of the crowds.<\/p>\n<h3>16. ROUTE No. 16 \u2014 Harami Bunar village \u2013 Popovo Lake<\/h3>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f6f7; padding: 20px; border-radius: 8px; border-left: 5px solid #2980b9; margin: 20px 0;\">\n<h4 style=\"margin-top: 0;\">\ud83d\udcca Technical data (Telemetry)<\/h4>\n<ul style=\"list-style-type: none; padding-left: 0;\">\n<li>\u23f1\ufe0f <strong>Duration:<\/strong> About 3 hours (one way, without long breaks)<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udccf <strong>Distance:<\/strong> About 7 \u2013 8 km<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udd25 <strong>Calories:<\/strong> ~800 \u2013 1000 kcal<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udeb6 <strong>Avg. speed:<\/strong> ~2.5 km\/h (moderate forest and rocky terrain)<\/li>\n<li>\u26f0\ufe0f <strong>Min\/Max height:<\/strong> ~1600 m (Harami well) \/ 2234 m (Popovo lake)<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udcc8 <strong>Elevation:<\/strong> About +650 meters of ascent<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udfe4 <strong>Marking:<\/strong> Brown<\/li>\n<li>\u26a0\ufe0f <strong>Difficulty:<\/strong> 3\/6 (Medium)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2>\ud83d\udca1 Interesting information<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The area <strong>Harami well<\/strong> lies on the old military road &quot;Goren Dervent&quot;, built at the beginning of the 20th century, which connected Dobrinishte with Gotse Delchev across the mountain.<\/li>\n<li>The route crosses the lush <strong>Retige River<\/strong>, whose valley hides some of the wildest and most intact forest massifs in Northern Pirin.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Popovo Lake<\/strong> is not only the largest (over 120 acres), but also the deepest in the mountain (29.5 m), known for its characteristic islet, called &quot;Kalimyavka&quot;.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>\ud83d\ude97 How to get there? (Logistics)<\/h2>\n<p>Reaching the starting point requires prior preparation. The terrain <strong>Harami well<\/strong> is located on the black forest road (truck road), which separates high above the villages of Breznitsa and Kremen.<br \/>\nThe easiest way to get to the start is by off-road vehicle (4\u00d74) from the road to Gotse Delchev Hut or the village of Obidim. If you are in a standard car, you will have to leave it significantly lower and add at least another 1-2 hours of hiking on dirt roads before reaching the official start of the route.<\/p>\n<h2>\ud83e\udd7e Description of the route<\/h2>\n<p><strong>1. From Harami well through the forest<\/strong><br \/>\nThe hike starts from the truck road at Harami Bunar, following the brown markings. At the beginning you move through the Lenishki Rid area. The trail is mainly forest, gradually gaining height among beautiful coniferous massifs, passing through the Dalgata Polena and Chalo areas.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. Retije River and Izvorite area<\/strong><br \/>\nAfter about an hour and a half of walking, the trail reaches the key area of Izvorite and crosses the Retije River. Here the yellow marking for the Kremen Lakes and Mount Dzhano (Route No. 18) separates. The area is extremely picturesque and rich in water jumps - an ideal place for rest and refreshment.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. Climbing the rock ledge<\/strong><br \/>\nFollowing the brown markings up towards the cirque, the forest belt begins to give way to the slopes. You will have to overcome a steep rocky threshold (moraines). This section requires more physical effort and attention when walking.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4. Final at Popovo Lake<\/strong><br \/>\nOvercoming the rocky threshold, the vast blue expanse of Popovoto Lake (2234 m above sea level) opens up before you. Here the brown marking ends, merging with the main tourist trails to the Tevno Lake shelter and the Bezbog hut.<\/p>\n<h2>\ud83d\udca7 Basic information about the site (Popovo Lake)<\/h2>\n<p>There is no tourist infrastructure or hut at the lake itself, so you should be prepared with food and equipment for returning or continuing.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\ud83d\udccc <strong>Tip:<\/strong> The water in the lake is ice cold even in August. Swimming in it (as in all Pirin lakes) is strictly prohibited!<\/li>\n<li>\u2600\ufe0f <strong>Season:<\/strong> Recommended from July to September.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udecf\ufe0f <strong>Nearby accommodation:<\/strong> The closest point for overnight stay is the Bezbog hut (about 1 hour and 20 minutes walk along the yellow\/green markings).<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udcf1 <strong>Scope:<\/strong> Around the lake itself, the range is variable, but there is usually a weak signal from the saddle.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>\u26a0\ufe0f Important to know<\/h2>\n<p>This route is used significantly less frequently than the classic Bezbog \u2013 Popovo Lake trail. <strong>The brown marking<\/strong> It can be erased or difficult to track in some places in the forest, so using a GPS app (with a pre-downloaded track) is highly recommended.<br \/>\nThere is plenty of water when crossing the Retij\u00eb River, but in the initial stage, stock up on at least 1 liter.<\/p>\n<h2>\u2753 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Is the trail suitable for mountain biking?<\/strong><br \/>\nYou can reach Harami Bunar on the dirt road by MTB, but the hiking trail itself up to the lake becomes too steep, narrow, and rocky to ride.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Is it safe from wild animals?<\/strong><br \/>\nThe Retige Valley is wild and rarely visited. Encounters with wild boars, roe deer, and sometimes <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/vbansko.com\/en\/yes\/park-on-the-dancing-mechki-belicza\/\"   title=\"bears\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"7264\">bears<\/a> are possible. Move in a group and speak normally to alert animals to your presence.<\/p>\n<h2>\ud83d\udd17 Nearby routes<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#\">From Popovo Lake to Bezbog Hut (the fastest way to civilization)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#\">From the Izvorite area to the Kremenskite Lakes (yellow markings)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#\">Transition from Popovo Lake to Tevno Lake shelter<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u041f\u043e\u0432\u0435\u0447\u0435\u0442\u043e \u0442\u0443\u0440\u0438\u0441\u0442\u0438 \u0434\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0438\u0433\u0430\u0442 \u0434\u043e \u0432\u0435\u043b\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0435\u043d\u043e\u0442\u043e \u041f\u043e\u043f\u043e\u0432\u043e \u0435\u0437\u0435\u0440\u043e \u043f\u0440\u0435\u0437 \u043f\u043e\u043f\u0443\u043b\u044f\u0440\u043d\u0430\u0442\u0430 \u043f\u044a\u0442\u0435\u043a\u0430 \u043e\u0442 \u0445\u0438\u0436\u0430 \u201e\u0411\u0435\u0437\u0431\u043e\u0433\u201c. \u0410\u043a\u043e \u043e\u0431\u0430\u0447\u0435 \u0442\u044a\u0440\u0441\u0438\u0448 \u0442\u0438\u0448\u0438\u043d\u0430, \u0434\u0438\u0432\u0438 \u0433\u043e\u0440\u0438 \u0438 \u0430\u043b\u0442\u0435\u0440\u043d\u0430\u0442\u0438\u0432\u0435\u043d \u043f\u043e\u0434\u0445\u043e\u0434, \u041c\u0430\u0440\u0448\u0440\u0443\u0442 \u2116 16 \u0435 \u0442\u0432\u043e\u044f\u0442 \u0441\u043a\u0440\u0438\u0442 \u043a\u043e\u0437. \u0421\u0442\u0430\u0440\u0442\u0438\u0440\u0430\u0439\u043a\u0438 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":38509,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1033],"tags":[5067,13654,13664,13661,196,1924,5723,13663,5397,13662],"class_list":["post-45981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-planinski-marshruti-i-razhodki","tag-dobrinisthe","tag-kafyava-markirovka","tag-kremen","tag-marshrut-16","tag-pirin","tag-planinski-prehod","tag-popovo-ezero","tag-reka-retizhe","tag-treking","tag-harami-bunar"],"acf":[],"cubewp_post_meta":[],"taxonomies":["\u041f\u043b\u0430\u043d\u0438\u043d\u0441\u043a\u0438 \u043c\u0430\u0440\u0448\u0440\u0443\u0442\u0438 \u0438 \u0440\u0430\u0437\u0445\u043e\u0434\u043a\u0438","\u0414\u043e\u0431\u0440\u0438\u043d\u0438\u0449\u0435","\u043a\u0430\u0444\u044f\u0432\u0430 \u043c\u0430\u0440\u043a\u0438\u0440\u043e\u0432\u043a\u0430","\u041a\u0440\u0435\u043c\u0435\u043d","\u041c\u0430\u0440\u0448\u0440\u0443\u0442 16","\u041f\u0438\u0440\u0438\u043d","\u043f\u043b\u0430\u043d\u0438\u043d\u0441\u043a\u0438 \u043f\u0440\u0435\u0445\u043e\u0434","\u041f\u043e\u043f\u043e\u0432\u043e \u0435\u0437\u0435\u0440\u043e","\u0440\u0435\u043a\u0430 \u0420\u0435\u0442\u0438\u0436\u0435","\u0442\u0440\u0435\u043a\u0438\u043d\u0433","\u0425\u0430\u0440\u0430\u043c\u0438 \u0431\u0443\u043d\u0430\u0440"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vbansko.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vbansko.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vbansko.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vbansko.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/53"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vbansko.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45981"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/vbansko.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45981\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45982,"href":"https:\/\/vbansko.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45981\/revisions\/45982"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vbansko.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38509"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vbansko.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vbansko.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vbansko.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}