Bulgaria family activity holiday
| country: | Bulgaria |
| departures: | 2010: 24 Jul, 31 Jul, 7 Aug, 14 Aug 2011: 23 Jul, 30 Jul, 6 Aug, 13 Aug |
| price: | From £819 - £849 (8 days) per adult and from £619 - £649 per child including flights from the UK. From £649 - £679 per adult and from £469 - £489 per child excluding flights. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Action-packed adventures (and a little culture!) amid the beautiful scenery of Bulgaria
Activity Centre
With its stunning scenery and mountain backdrop, Bulgaria is the perfect place for an action-packed summer adventure holiday. Over the first two days you will enjoy a range of activities and challenges including orienteering, kayaking, walking and a rope challenge.
Camp Fun
The activities will, hopefully, enable you to find the key to the hotel on the third night for a well-earned rest! During the fun, you will also learn how to set up camp, make a fire and prepare food.
Thermal Pools
En route to Devin you’ll see Bulgaria’s largest canyon, join a local family for lunch and visit the impressive Devil’s Throat Cave. The underground waters at Devin feed a number of thermal swimming pools, which you’ll visit during your stay here.
Horse Riding
In Devin you will also enjoy a horse riding excursion (full briefing and instruction provided) and a visit to a local observatory for a tour of the spectacular night sky. The tour ends in Sofia with free time to explore the cosmopolitan capital.
Activity Centre
With its stunning scenery and mountain backdrop, Bulgaria is the perfect place for an action-packed summer adventure holiday. Over the first two days you will enjoy a range of activities and challenges including orienteering, kayaking, walking and a rope challenge.
Camp Fun
The activities will, hopefully, enable you to find the key to the hotel on the third night for a well-earned rest! During the fun, you will also learn how to set up camp, make a fire and prepare food.
Thermal Pools
En route to Devin you’ll see Bulgaria’s largest canyon, join a local family for lunch and visit the impressive Devil’s Throat Cave. The underground waters at Devin feed a number of thermal swimming pools, which you’ll visit during your stay here.
Horse Riding
In Devin you will also enjoy a horse riding excursion (full briefing and instruction provided) and a visit to a local observatory for a tour of the spectacular night sky. The tour ends in Sofia with free time to explore the cosmopolitan capital.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly From UK; Arrive Sofia Upon arrival at Sofia airport you’ll be met by your Group Leader and make the three hour drive to the Rhodope Mountains and your first base near to the Beglik Dam. Located near to the central parts of the Rhodope Mountains, the dam is surrounded by forested slopes, which provide a home for bear, deer and foxes, among other wildlife! It’s a scenic place to do your challenge activities and the perfect natural environment to try lots of different adventures! Tonight your leader will brief you on the week ahead and you’ll prepare your daypack ready for your first day’s activity. Hotel - 1 night (D) |
| Day 2-3: | Challenge Activities Over the next two days you will take part in an action-packed ‘challenge’ event. First you will be split into two teams of seven to eight people, and then set off on your expedition! Starting out from your hotel, you will first navigate through the forests and mountains with a map and compass to guide you. Hopefully, this will lead you to your kayaks, which will be waiting for you, so you can take to the water and complete the next stage of your expedition. The kayaking has an added twist, because you will be tasked with finding your lunch en route – picking up food as you navigate, having fun on the water and enjoying some of the fantastic scenery that surrounds you. Back on dry land, you will walk to your camp for the first night if you can find the second piece of the map to help you get there! The day will end in a wild camp, in the midst of this wonderful landscape, where your guides will teach you how to get the fire going for dinner, set up camp, prepare food and many other survival challenges. The next day you set off from your camp on foot, after having found the map, to take you to your hotel. Along the way, you will go via many different obstacles with rope activities to help you make progress with more speed! The ropes are tied between the trees and, with the help of safety equipment; you will zip across on a rope between the two posts. Great fun! More walking takes you to your hotel, where, if you have obtained the correct voucher and permission, you can enter your accommodation for the night, and have a well-earned lunch and rest in your room! The rest of the day is free. This evening there is an optional excursion to an animal hide to try to spot bear, deer, fox and other wildlife. You will be transferred by 4WD vehicle to shelters in the area, in small groups so as not to disturb the animals, from where you can sit, watch and hopefully observe many different animals. Camp – 1 night, Hotel – 1 night (Bx2, Lx2, Dx2) Your hotel in Beglik has a restaurant and rooms are en suite. The tents are either two or three man and you will need to bring a sleeping bag. Mattresses are provided. Your toilet will be a hole in the ground! NB the exact order and nature of the activities listed above may change. All activities on this trip are designed to be flexible and can be adapted to suit the capabilities of the group. Where required, instruction is provided by experienced guides and always operated in a safety conscious manner. If local constraints or operational considerations dictate, (ie. the weather, which can be unpredictable in the mountains) we may (only if it is necessary) swap the activities or order of them so we can provide the best possible itinerary on your holiday. |
| Day 4: | Devin You leave Beglik this morning and head for the village of Jagodina, situated about an hour away. Your journey today has been planned to give you a genuine insight into the culture and natural history of this magnificent region of Bulgaria. Here you will have lunch with a local family; a great opportunity to discover more about Bulgarian life past and present. From here you will walk for approximately two and a half hours to Trigrad, famous as the site of the largest Bulgarian canyon a distance of around 12km. To reach the village the road follows the meandering Trigrad River and passes through the gorge itself, where sheer rock walls tower some 250m above the road. As well as the gorge, the area around Trigrad village is famous for its cave systems and after lunch you’ll visit one of the most impressive – the Devil’s Mouth Cave - which contains many steep passageways and 18 separate waterfalls. From Trigrad it’s only a short 40 minute drive to reach the thermal spa town of Devin. As recently as 1912 Devin was actually under Turkish rule and today it is one of Bulgaria’s most attractive mountain towns. Many of the hotels in the town offer spa facilities and treatments. On arrival in Devin you’ll check in to your guesthouse. Guesthouse – 3 nights (BLD) Your accommodation for the next three nights is a small private house that is now a guesthouse. It is comfortable pension style accommodation with six rooms in one property and three in another. Bathroom facilities maybe shared. There is a small restaurant (where you can get home-cooked food) and a garden to relax in. It’s a short walk to the town centre from the pension. |
| Day 5: | Horse-Riding & Thermal Pools After yesterday’s visits and sightseeing it’s back to summer activities today and a horse-riding trip into the countryside around Devin. You will be riding for approximately one or two hours today, enabling you to get a feel for the area on your trusty stead. A full briefing will be given before you set off and riding hats will be provided. This afternoon is free. If you wish, you can explore the surrounding countryside by jeep or cycle! There is also the opportunity to go fishing! This evening you’ll meet up with your leader once more and make the hour drive to the Rozhen Observatory. Set at an altitude of 1750m, Rozhen is the largest observatory for the study of astrophysics research in south eastern Europe. There are four telescopes here, one with a lens of two metres in diameter, and you’ll learn more about the night sky on a guided tour of the complex. After your star-filled visit you’ll drive back to Devin. (Dinner this evening will be timed to coincide with the best time for visiting the observatory). (B) |
| Day 6: | Canyon Walk & Thermal Pools This morning you will take a two-hour walk in Devin Canyon. The walk takes you past waterfalls, through fields and meadows, and allows for lovely views of the hills beyond. This afternoon, on return to Devin you’ll visit one of the town’s thermal pool complexes. Unlike the waters in some spa areas, in Devin the water is colourless and pretty much odour free. As well as offering general health benefits, the waters of Devin are reputed to be beneficial for those with cardiovascular conditions and mobility problems - but they also make a great place to relax weary legs! This evening, you can choose to dine at one of Devin’s many restaurants. (B) |
| Day 7: | Sofia Today you leave the mountains behind, and return to Sofia. En route you will visit the stunning Bachkovo Monastery. Founded in 1083 by two aristocrats, the monastery was a centre of religious importance during the 12th and 14th centuries, before being raided by the Turks. Reconstructed in the 17th century, it is now Bulgaria’s second largest monastery (the largest is Rila). The main attraction is the Church of the Sveta Bogoroditsa, with colourful frescoes, and you will have time to see this today. From Devin it’s about a four hour drive back to Sofia, stopping off for lunch in Plovdiv along the way (not included in cost). On arrival you’ll check in at your hotel and have time to freshen up before going out to dinner in a nearby café or restaurant. Your leader will of course be on hand for advice, should you decide to explore further afield, and to help arrange a celebration meal on everyone’s last night together in Bulgaria. Hotel – 1 night (B) |
| Day 8: | Trip Ends; Fly To UK Depending upon flight schedules, there may be time for a short walking tour of the Sofia. In common with many European capitals, Sofia has a fascinating mix of historic buildings, museums, parks and galleries to explore. Most of the main sights are located within walking distance of one another making it easy to get around. Amongst the most popular sights you’ll see the Alexander Nevski Church, whose massive domes are reminiscent of St Paul’s in London; the nearby Russian Church with its characteristic gilded ‘onion’ spires; the National Art Gallery and Sofia City Garden. Of course there are shops too. The main shopping boulevard is Vitosha Street but there’s also an extensive indoor market and a couple of former soviet era government buildings, now converted to department stores and malls. The trip ends in Sofia for Land Only clients whist clients travelling on our group flights will transfer to Sofia airport in good time for the return flight to the UK. (B) |
B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner
small group family holiday
This is a 'small group family adventure' - typically you will join several other families and travel in a group of approx. 16 people. The trips are great value and a great way for you and your children to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of time to yourselves. Most adventure kids tend to be aged between 7 and 15, but some are younger (minimum age is usually 5) and some older (perhaps travelling as part of a larger family group). Please check with the operator to confirm the minimum age for this trip how this holiday makes a difference
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On this holiday we use the services of a small agency owned and operated by Bulgarians and you'll stay in family run pensions. During the week we have included a visit to a local visitor centre and lunch with a local family, providing an opportunity to gain an insight into modern day Bulgarian life and culture. We travel in small groups and we use local drivers and a Local Group Leader. This fulfils part of our commitment to make a positive contribution to the local economy and is the best way of ensuring that our money reaches as many people as possible. Local overseas leaders offer a great way to find out more about the local culture, speak the language, understand the day-to-day life around them and help to ‘open doors’ to a fuller experience. Our agent in Bulgaria operates in a responsible manner and is committed to preserving the area in which they work.
Our Responsible Travel Code Clients who travel with us will automatically receive a copy of our Responsible Travel leaflet. This contains details and advice on how you can make a positive difference when you travel. If you would like a copy in advance of travel please contact us. Charity Partnerships The Born Free Foundation is an international wildlife charity that helps animals in need around the world through animal rescues, anti-poaching, support for animal sanctuaries, endangered species conservation, education and public awareness. We ask clients to use their Travellers’ Alert function to which you can report cruelty to animals worldwide and also we visit Ngamba Island, a Born Free supported Chimpanzee Sanctuary, on our Uganda trips. We also support Friends of Conservation – an international charity committed to working with local people to develop a balance between their needs and the wildlife with which they share the natural habitat and ecosystems. Carbon Balancing We offset all of our staff travel, both for commuting to work and overseas trips. We also pay £2 per person to partially offset the carbon used in the destination that they are travelling to. We think that offsetting carbon should be a choice made by the individual traveller therefore we ask clients if they would like to augment this £2 with a further contribution. Similarly we ask if you would like to offset your flights – we have set bandings given to us by our Carbon balancing partners - Blue Ventures Carbon Offset and Climate Care. The Foundation We ask our clients if they would like to donate to our Foundation. Small donations of £1 per person build up quickly and we are able to give one off donations to various small-scale projects worldwide. Recently these have included installing heating in a school in the High Atlas, Morocco, providing school equipment for a new school building in the heart of the Ecuadorian Amazon and providing playground equipment for children at a community centre in northern Tanzania. |
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. |