Multi activity holiday in Bulgaria
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.
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
Reforestation in Pirin National Park
Pirin National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of our favourite national treasures. The area we have chosen to work with was severely damaged by a large forest fire in 2003. The fire burned 70 hectares of old growth forest - predominantly pines (Pinus heldreichii, Pinus peuce Grieseb and Pinus nigra). The first two are endemic species existing only on the Balkan Peninsula, and are in danger of extinction. The 2003 fire cut their population significantly. One of the primary footpaths in the park ran through this section of forest and cannot be used now. No authority has attempted to change this extremely bad situation - for the environment, for the park, and for the local people. For this reason, we decided to start the first ever reforestation project in Pirin Mountains National Park.
Reforestation in Vitosha Nature Park
Vitosha is the first Nature Park on the Balkans, established in 1935. It is very near to the Bulgarian capital and this makes it a well-visited destination for all people living in Sofia. Sadly, 2001 a huge storm fell down large areas of the spruce woods in different parts of the mountains. Odysseia-in was involved, financially and voluntarily, to cooperate reforest these regions.
In 2007 and 2008 our staff fulfilled the needed stages in the reforestation of a 6-decare forest. The project was fulfilled with the help of the Vitosha initiative group, the State Forestry Unit Sofia and the Vitosha NP Directorate. In 2009 we will continue our work in other sections of this area.
The 3 Euro Campaign
In September 2008 we launched a campaign for donation of 3 to 6 Euro per customer (who books a tour with us) for the Coalition “Let Nature Remain in Bulgaria”. Our appeal already received understanding in several tour operators from Spain, France, England, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. They all are happy to donate funds for nature conservation and public awareness in Bulgaria. We believe that this campaign is very important and it can create a good marketing tool to achieve a very successful Destination Bulgaria in 2009 and the years after. We hope that the positive change in Bulgaria’s green policy is possible and in this way we want to involve more Bulgarians to feel part of it.
Community
We share the responsibility for protection of Bulgaria’s unique cultural and natural heritage by setting an example of successful and sustainable tourism through our work, and also by supporting and running projects to give back to our environment, and our communities. We run small groups to create more meaningful interactions and minimize impact.
Our overnight stays are specially chosen to be typical for the region visited and to support a wide range of small and poor communities, with accommodation primarily in family-run guesthouses and B&Bs, in villages and small towns. By visiting less-known communities, we provide a source of income to people in rural areas and make sure that our money stays local.
We can say with pride that through our business we have achieved significant success and have encouraged several communities to support responsible tourism. We estimate that each year we pay about 400.000 Euro to our suppliers in rural Bulgarian regions. Our suppliers there are family-run guesthouses and small hotels, mountain huts, local guides, local transportation companies, etc.
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