Sinanishko Ezero is a lake in the Pirin Mountains, southwestern Bulgaria. It is situated below the Sinanitsa Peak in a small cirque at an altitude of 2,181 metres. With depth of 11.5 metres the lake is among the 10 deepest lakes in the mountain range. Its waters pour out under the ground but they appear on the surface 120 metres away from the lake and form the beginning of the Sinanishka river.
A popular route which goes to Sinanishko lake starts from Vihren Hut. The trail begins from the fountain located in front of the parking area next to the hut and is marked with white-blue-white stripes. Initially it follows the Banderitsa River but after a kilometre or so it forks to the right and begins to ascend towards Muratovo ezero (Muratovo Lake), located at 2230 metres of altitude – a beautiful resting and picnic spot 40-50min away from the hut. After the lake the path begins to climb more and more steeply towards the Banderishka porta (Banderitsa Gate; 2500m of altitude). Once it’s been climbed, the more difficult part of the hike is over. At the gate, the path to Sinanitsa goes on to the right. After an hour of walking along an almost even path you get to the Sinanishka porta (Sinanitsa Gate) where a steep but short descent follows. Soon the path becomes more slanting again and after 10-15min it leads you out on the meadow in front of the hut and the lake next to it.
The second trail leading to Sinanishko ezero starts from the locality of Varbite. To get there you have to travel by car to the town of Kresna. Once inside the town turn left at the fork to Vlahi (there’s a sign on which is written Влахи). After 5km or so the road parts in two and a sign saying ‘Hotel Sharaliya’ marks the right way. You need to drive further up for a long time along a road that has quite a lot of forks and several bad sections. Just follow what seems to be the main path and you will get to the locality of Varbite where the asphalt ends. From here continue along the dirt marked with white-yellow-white markings until you reach the locality of Peshterata. This last part of the path is kind of rough and may not be suitable for most cars. From Pesherata to Sinanitsa hut and Sinanishko ezero you’ll have to go on foot anyway. It is an almost incessant ascent but there are not many really steep sections. In normal pace, the distance will take about 2 and a half hours.
You can also reach the locality of Peshterata starting from the village of Vlahi. As a whole, the route is not car-friendly so it’s much better if you stay in Vlahi, let’s say on Friday evening, and then devote a whole day (7-8 hours) to get to Sinanitsa Hut on foot.