There are very few jobs where once a year you get to pack your bags and head off to some new destination – what a perk! However, in this case I wasn’t exactly looking forward to the unknown as I’d been to Bulgaria twice before. On both occasions I was a student heading off on a skiing holiday to the cheapest destination I could find. Bulgaria in my mind was a country on the edge of Europe, with a lot of friendly people and a good value skiing infrastructure, but it's not a place to go in the summer hiking.

Now, 5 years after my last skiing visits I was back and driving with the guide Ivo and KE group to the Rila Mountains, surrounded by a landscape that reminded me of Yosemite. This couldn’t be the same country I had seen in winter, could it?

I wasn’t the only one blown away by the beauty of Bulgaria. My fellow travellers were totally amazed by this stunning alpine-like region, which includes the country’s highest peak, a monster of a mountain, Musala (2925m). In true KE style, we kicked off the week with an ascent of Musala, and yes, standing on the summit I felt ashamed of my previous opinion of Bulgaria. The scenery was absolutely jaw-dropping, and to make it even more special, we were the only group on the mountain!

Next up was a really lovely day's hiking, completing a circular walk amongst the Seven Rila Lakes. This was a great day out if you love walking in the mountains. It took around 8 hours with just over 1,000m ascent and descent.

Our next day was rather atmospheric, with low cloud meaning our final ascent of Maliovitsa didn't offer the views we'd enjoyed the previous days, however in the afternoon the sun came out as we immersed ourselves in the beauty of the Rila Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

After these few days of wonderful hospitality and delicious food, we were all a little sad to leave the Rila Mountains. However, the Pirin Mountains were now calling. I felt truly miniscule surrounded by these gigantic peaks, topped off with razor-sharp ridges and as I packed my rucksack in preparation for our overnight in a mountain hut, I felt rather anxious! This next section on the holiday involved my first night in a mountain hut and my first time traversing a high mountain ridge attached to a cable.

The dark lake mountain hut was a fantastic experience. After a day's walking to the hut, it felt a million miles from anywhere. We gained huge respect for the hardy lady who lived in and ran the hut, along with her young son. The following day, after a delicious pancake breakfast, we enjoyed a long undulating ridge walk and had an early night in the old town part of Bankso, before our next big day.

Today was to be our most memorable day in the Pirin Mountains as it included the summit of Vihren at 2917m and the traverse of the Marble Ridge. In all honesty, I’m not a huge fan of narrow paths and sheer drops, even when protected by via ferrata cables and a harness! However, I had nothing to worry about as were in the capable hands of Ivo, our highly experienced mountaineer and guide with whom KE has worked for over 10 years. With my heart pounding and plenty of encouragement from Ivo, I felt like the ‘Queen of the Mountains’ as I conquered the airy Marble Ridge! That evening we enjoy a huge celebratory dinner in our Bankso hotel.

Looking back on our final morning, as Ivo drove us back to Bulgaria's capital, Sofia, I felt like we had all been on a fantastic, secret mountain journey, following rarely-travelled trails through the heart of this surprising country.

>> View Ridges and Summits of Bulgaria