8 days tour

Bulgaria: Rodopi Mountains

$ 1,716 .00 USD

Total price per person

Reserve with $1,716.00

Bulgaria: Rodopi Mountains

This tour includes:

Others

All transport and listed activities Arrival & departure transfers

Meals

Breakfast: Usually includes tea or coffee, bread, jam, honey and cheese, supplemented in Yagodina by fresh home-made yoghurt and traditional local specialities, such as katmi (thick pancakes) and rodopski klin (a rice-based dish). Lunch: Picnic lunches will be eaten in the mountains and typically comprise of bread, cheese, salami, salad, biscuits and fruit. Dinner: Will be taken in our hotel restaurant, and will normally include three courses comprising salad or vegetarian soup, followed by a main course, and a dessert of fruit, ice cream or cake/pudding. The cuisine reflects a mixture of Bulgarian, Greek, Turkish and Slavonic influences. We sample many traditional local specialities including smilyanski fasul (a delicious bean soup) and patatnik (grated potatoes, onions and cheese, seasoned with mint and other herbs). Jugs of tap water will be provided on the table with the evening meal. Bottled mineral water, soft drinks and alcohol are not included but can be purchased. There are also several local wines you may wish to try, including an excellent red Mavrud from vineyards on the northern slopes of the Rodopi. Vegetarians and vegan diets: Bulgaria produces excellent fresh vegetables and fruit, so vegetarians are usually well catered for, although in the mountains the variety may be limited to what is seasonally available. Eggs and dairy produce, especially cheese, form the staple part of the diet in the Rodopi region, and are included in most traditional meals, so vegans may find their daily menu more restricted and less varied. Gluten intolerance: Special gluten-free products are not available, so those with a wheat/gluten intolerance should, if needed, bring something to replace the local bread and pastries that make up the breakfasts and picnic lunches.

Transport

A private minibus will be used for all transport throughout the week. The roads in the Rodopi are typically small and winding mountain lanes, occasionally with rough surfaces. Most of the journeys are very picturesque and interesting. Average journeys are 30 minutes to 45 minutes, with a 90-minute drive when climbing Golyam Snezhnik on Day 5. The longer Sofia-Yagodina transfers at the start and end of the trip are approximately four hours, and broken up by a comfort stop at a motorway service station.

Guide

The trip is lead by an experienced local Bulgarian guide who will share their extensive knowledge about the nature and culture of the region.

Accommodation

Our base for six nights is Yagodina, a traditional rural village known for its self-sufficiency and hospitable inhabitants. Home to around 500 people, it is secluded in the Trigrad Karst region, one of the most remote parts of the Rodopi Mountains. Here, we stay in the Yagodina Family Hotel, a small accommodation with comfortable twin and single rooms. Itโ€™s owned and run by a local family and most of the food (including milk, cheese, butter, jam and honey) is either home-produced or locally sourced. Our final night is at Boutique Hotel Crystal Palace, a conveniently located four-star hotel in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia. The 63-room accommodation is in the downtown area, close to city landmarks, including the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. It also has a restaurant serving French, Italian and Spanish dishes, plus a lobby bar with cocktails, coffee and more.

Not included:

Others

โ€” Travel insurance โ€” Visas and vaccinations โ€” Single supplement

Insurance

Start planning your experience

Itinerary of your trip Bulgaria: Rodopi Mountains

  • Day 1 Day 1: Start Sofia Airport; Transfer To Yagodina (Dinner)
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Day 1: Start Sofia Airport; Transfer To Yagodina (Dinner)

      The adventure begins at Terminal 2 in Sofia Airport (Terminal 2), where we meet the leader, before a transfer to the remote village of Yagodina, our base for the next six nights. Accommodation: Yagodina Family Hotel (or similar)

  • Day 2 Day 2: Kastrakli Nature Reserve And Chala Village Walk (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Day 2: Kastrakli Nature Reserve And Chala Village Walk (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)

      Enjoy a day with two separate walks, each with a unique set of wildlife-spotting opportunities. A 15-minute drive after breakfast brings us to the trailhead of our first walk, a hike through the deep gorge and forests of Kastrakli Nature Reserve, renowned for orchids, butterflies and a growing population of Balkan chamois. In the afternoon, after a 30-minute drive to the village of Chala, those still with energy for a second walk can follow a broad grassy ridge spur, offering spectacular views towards Yagodina, before dropping steeply into the Buinovo Gorge, where waits to drive us (10 minutes) back to the hotel. Accommodation: Yagodina Family Hotel (or similar)

  • Day 3 Day 3: The Trigrad Karst Plateau (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Day 3: The Trigrad Karst Plateau (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)

      After breakfast, we drive to the neighbouring Trigrad gorge, where we make a short pause to scan the towering cliffs for the elusive wallcreeper, a delightful bird that flutters around like a butterfly on the rock faces, flashing strikingly crimson wings. We then spend the rest of the day hiking through the rugged heart of the Trigrad karst plateau. Following a maze of traditional trails and tracks, we thread our way through this wonderfully picturesque wilderness, rewarded by an ever-changing succession of landscapes and vistas. The region has been designated a Prime Butterfly Area, on account of the numerous rare species that can be found here. It also boasts outstanding flora, including many endemic species. Accommodation: Yagodina Family Hotel (or similar)

  • Day 4 Day 4: Traverse The Highest Peaks Of The Rodopi Mountains (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Day 4: Traverse The Highest Peaks Of The Rodopi Mountains (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)

      After breakfast, we set off in our bus for a 90-minute drive east into the highest part of the Rodopi Mountains. Having reached the end of the driveable road, we begin a wonderfully panoramic hike along the main ridge of the Rodopi Mountains. First, we skirt just below the military base on the summit of the Rodopiโ€™s highest peak Mt. Golyam Perelik (7,188ft/2,191m), before ascending Mount Golyam Snezhnik (7,178ft/2,188m). Having enjoyed the expansive views from the rolling open pastures, we then start to drop down into the forest, making a long descent to the tiny, picturesquely situated village of Gela, which according to legend was the birthplace of Orpheus. Here we will be met by our bus for the drive back to Yagodina. Occasionally, during May, late-lying snow makes it impossible to traverse the flank of Mount Golyam Perelik, so instead the leader will arrange an alternative lower-altitude walk in the mountains south of Yagodina. Accommodation: Yagodina Family Hotel (or similar)

  • Day 5 Day 5: In The Footsteps Of Orpheus (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Day 5: In The Footsteps Of Orpheus (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)

      Having finished the previous dayโ€™s walk in the village of Gela, the supposed birthplace of Orpheus, we continue with the Orphic theme today, by following in his footsteps to the site of an ancient Thracian sanctuary where Orpheus is believed to have met his death. As well as being steeped in a fascinating mix of myth and mystery, todays walk also offers some lovely remote walking, where we share our trail with wolves and deer, and can often hear the eerie cries of black woodpeckers echoing through the forest, adding to the excitement and magical atmosphere. Accommodation: Yagodina Family Hotel (or similar)

  • Day 6 Day 6: Hike In The Bulgaria-Greece Border Zone (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Day 6: Hike In The Bulgaria-Greece Border Zone (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)

      A half-hour drive up the picturesque valley of the Buynovska Reka brings us to the village of Buynovo, where we start our walk. Today we wander amid the mountain meadows and forests along the border with Greece. Nowadays this is a tranquil region, peacefully roamed by wolves, bear, wild boar and roe deer, but during the Cold War it was known as the Zone of Death, a forbidden area patrolled by armed border guards ordered to prevent anyone trying to escape across the Iron Curtain into Greece. During our walk, we see remnants of the old border fence and former military bunkers, plus we learn more about this interesting, but dark, period of Bulgarian history. Accommodation: Yagodina Family Hotel (or similar)

  • Day 7 Day 7: Forest Walk And Riverside Nature Trail. Transfer To Sofia (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Day 7: Forest Walk And Riverside Nature Trail. Transfer To Sofia (Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner)

      Before making the long transfer back to the Bulgarian capital, we have the chance to enjoy two final short, but highly picturesque nature walks. Having had breakfast and said our farewells to the staff at the hotel, we set off on foot, picking up yet another section of former Roman road, now a beautiful forest trail that is famed for its great variety of orchids. Suddenly the path emerges at a shelter, perched high on a rocky viewpoint from which one can gaze down into the Buinovo Gorge below. From here, the trail steadily descends to the river and road where we meet our bus, for a 45 minute drive to the town of Devin. Here we start our second walk of the day, following a delightful, specially-constructed nature trail along the valley of the Devinska Reka. As well as being extremely photogenic in its own right, the trail passes through another Prime Butterfly Area, offering the chance to see yet more rare and beautiful species. After a picnic lunch by the river, we then make our way back to the bus, before completing the final transfer (3 hours 30 minutes) back to Sofia. Accommodation: Boutique Hotel Crystal Palace (or similar)

  • Day 8 Day 8: End Sofia (Breakfast)
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Day 8: End Sofia (Breakfast)

      This trip draws to a close after breakfast. If you want to spend a bit more time in the city after our walking adventures, speak to your sales representative about extending your stay.

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Experience Style

Experience Style

Mixed

There will be challenging activities such as hiking, biking, canyoning and trekking, but youโ€™re also going to have other means of transportation and relaxed moments to just chill.

Accomodation level

Accomodation level

Medium

This accommodation includes essential services like a hot shower, electricity, and a nice and comfy bed.

Experience Type

Experience Type

Small Group

Youโ€™ll be accompanied by a small group of travelers just like you.

Physical Rating

Physical Rating

Average

There are several physical activities that last from 2 to 6 hours in easy terrains, low altitude flats, or water experiences. Please ask if youโ€™re not sure this applies to you.

Age range

Age range

Min: 16 / Max: 99

Age range allowed for this experience.

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