Walking and conservation holiday in Bulgaria
| country: | Bulgaria |
| trip type: | Introductory walking holidays |
| departures: | 2009: 29 Aug |
| price: | From £799 - £839 (8 days) including flights from the UK, from £579 - £599 excluding flights. Single supplement £80. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
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introduction to Walking and conservation holiday in Bulgaria
The Rodopi are the most extensive mountain range in Bulgaria. A hauntingly beautiful and mysterious region, according to legend this was the home of Orpheus. The way of life seems to have changed little over the last few hundred years, with local people working the fields by hand and tending their livestock on the surrounding meadows and pastures. The Rodopi are a remote refuge for many exceptionally rare plants, as well as brown bears, wolves, wild cats and prolific bird life. We walk through a variety of landscapes including ancient coniferous forests and rugged limestone gorges, and pass remote timeless villages where we experience the traditional rural way of life. We also visit two impressive caves, and the beautiful Bachkovo Monastery.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly to Sofia; transfer to Yagodina. |
| Day 2: | Walk along flank of the Buinovo Gorge, then continue through the Kastrakli nature reserve. |
| Day 3: | Walk from Zmeitsa along route of ancient Roman road through meadows, forests and fields to the Buinovo Gorge. |
| Day 4: | Walk along the Chairska Gorge; cross the Trigrad Plateau and visit the Devil's Throat cave. |
| Day 5: | Walk around Mt Durdaga through a variety of habitats with an extremely rich flora and fauna. |
| Day 6: | Sveti Ilia ridge walk with panoramic views over Yagodina and most of the Rodopi. |
| Day 7: | Follow ancient trackway via forests and over rock outcrops into the Buinovo Gorge to visit Yagodina Cave; transfer to Sofia. |
| Day 8: | Fly to London. |
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places. award winner
This tourism business won an award in our 2004 Responsible Tourism Awards - organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical, Magazine of the Royal Geographical Societyhow this holiday makes a difference
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In order to preserve the area, our holidays have been developed to support the ongoing conservation programs in the region. These projects aim to establish new nature reserves and protected areas, sustain the traditional economy and develop low impact tourism that is ecologically sound.
At Madzharovo you will be guests of the local nature information and conservation centre, which operates in conjunction with the Bulgarian-Swiss Biodiversity Conservation Programme and the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds. Part of the trip cost, US$150.00 is donated to support these projects, providing vitally needed funds to continue the important conservation of the area. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |
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