Walking in Bulgaria holiday
Optional Single Supplement: from £160.
Please note some itineraries are reversed.
Description of Walking in Bulgaria holiday
Walking in Bulgaria will take you to new heights, in every sense. Not only does Bulgaria boast the highest mountains on the Balkan Peninsula, Mount Musala, but you'll also discover many of the country's traditional cultural customs alive, well and forming part of a fascinating historical backstory.
It's impossible not to be impressed by the wild and untouched nature of Bulgaria and this ten day walking tour does little to discourage the great sense of wonder that you get from breaking new ground. Figuratively, of course. The size of the group has been limited to just 12 like-minded cultural walking enthusiasts which allows you to stay in locally-owned guesthouses and village homestays. There's no better way to really get to know a destination other than through meeting the people that live there and tasting traditional homecooked dishes after a good day spent walking in the countryside.
Wild, untamed and downright deep and dark best describes Bulgaria's huge forests however, following your expert local guide along a shaded path and out onto flower-filled alpine meadows is definitely the best way to get started on the right foot.
Once you're walking at high altitude, in the Rila, Pirin or Rhodope Mountains, you'll be treated to some stunning panoramic picnic spots as well as vast glacial lakes reflecting scudding white clouds and snow-capped peaks overhead.
Your guide will be sure to explain more about where you are and what you're seeing as well as pointing out tell-tale signs of animal activity as you encounter environments often frequented by wolves, vultures and bears; oh my!
From the UNESCO-listed Rila Monastery and the wine regions around the Melnik Pyramids to the ski resort of Bansko and Trigard's Devil's Throat Cave, this walking holiday in Bulgaria will wow you at every turn as well as providing first-hand experience of one of Eastern Europe's most underrated culturally countries.
Map
Price information
Optional Single Supplement: from £160.
Please note some itineraries are reversed.
Check dates, prices & availability
Travel guides
Holiday information
Responsible Travel
Planet
We have a strict environmental policy to make sure that the environments we visit are not damaged in any way. Our “Leave No Trace” ethic is applied to each one of our trips, and as a responsible tour operator, it is something we are careful and steadfast about promoting. Each one of our guides are trained to uphold, promote and put into practice such responsible behaviour, especially in wilderness areas or whilst traveling to UNESCO heritage sites, which this Bulgaria trip does do.By keeping the group size to a maximum of 12 and through walking through many regions during the tour, we minimise the human and environmental impact on the fragile sites and ecosystems we visit. Along with our small group size, we will be staying in local guesthouses and homestays, directly transferring profit into the local economy and creating a smaller carbon footprint than staying at bigger hotel chains.
We attempt to reduce plastic bottle use wherever possible by promoting use of reusable and filtered water bottles. Our partnership with Water-To-Go provides a discount on filtered water bottles to our clients. We do not provide water from plastic bottles to our clients in country but always ensure there is regular access to drinking water on our tours.
We are promoting the natural beauty and ancient heritage of Bulgaria through visiting not only many monasteries and the Central Balkans National Park, but also the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Rila Monastery and Thracian tomb of Kazanlak. UNESCO Sites are chosen by the UNESCO committee and must "bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to civilisation", "an important interchange of human values" or be outstanding examples of major stages of Earth's history or ecological and biological processes in evolution. Visiting such sites helps sustain the traditions and natural ecosystems of Bulgaria.
People
Responsible travel and sustainable tourism are fundamental ideas that we have been committed to since our conception. It is part of our core sets of beliefs that these words are not simply scattered nonchalantly into our literature and on our website but moreover that they are central to each and every trip. Our adventures are therefore carefully curated celebrating all that is local from the people, to the culture. We believe that a successful trip delivers a unique and authentic journey for our clients, but furthermore benefits the people whose land we have the privilege of encountering.On each Group tour we use local ground handlers. This means that all operational costs go directly into the local economy and help improve employment opportunities in remote regions. Such support can also be seen in our incorporation of homestays, locally owned hotels, family run restaurants and the services of local guides and drivers into our itineraries, which ensures that the money you spend with us goes directly into the local economy and local community.
Throughout the tour we will be walking to authentic Bulgarian villages, little changed over centuries. We will be staying in guesthouses within these charming mountainous villages to support the local tourism industry and to gain a better insight into everyday life here. The best way to share stories and understand new cultures is over a plate of great food and a glass of wine in hand.
On Day 4 we will be enjoying a rustic, traditional Bulgarian feast at a village tavern and on Day 6 with our welcoming guesthouse hosts. Supporting the local food industry in Bulgaria not only maintains the cultural identity of Bulgaria but connects cultures through the most ancient of pastimes, eating!
Popular similar holidays
Amalfi Coast walking holiday, Italy
From £1579 - £2249 8 days including UK flights
Walk in lemon groves and hillside villages
Everest Base Camp small group trek, Nepal
From £2839 16 days excluding flights
Everest Base Camp with an Expedition Leader and Doctor
Gran Canaria walking tours, Canary Islands
From £1000 - £1135 8 days excluding flights
This unique volcanic island reveals unexpected variety
