Monasteries cut out of the rock, ancient Thracian sanctuaries, mystic fairy hobbit-type houses, fascinating caves (including Prohodna cave / Eyes of God), eco-trails, natural phenomenons, rivers, canyons, healing water springs, mysterious legends, fantastic views, and much more.
Your vacation will be a combination of history (ancient Thracian, middle ages and communist), beautiful nature, and newly hand-made fairy figures located randomly in the whole region to make you feel like you are walking in a fairy tale.
Your host Diana Chavdarova is an ex corporate worker. After losing her job at the end of 2016 she did a trip around the world and then moved to a small Bulgarian village where she welcomes other travelers to the magical land she lives in!
Accommodation
On the second floor there are 4 double bedrooms and one shared bathroom. Two of the bedrooms have been renovated, 9 square meters each, with double beds. The other two bedrooms are kept in their original style typical for communist years, 16 square meters each. One has a double bed, and the other has 2 single beds. The renovated rooms face the large back garden, while the larger rooms are facing the quiet street, the local museum and the amazing view to the sunset.
Lunch: some lunches will be packed and you will have a picnic at places with nice views or by the river. Other lunches will be at local restaurants, located in the middle of nature with stunning views.
Dinner – at the house: every day you will try different traditional Bulgarian dishes, conforming your special diet requirements.
Most products will be locally produced, depending on the season – rabbit, chicken, duck, cheese, honey, eggs, milk, fruits, vegetables, etc.
Walking in magical Bulgaria
A sample of the things you’ll visit:
- 800 Year old monasteries, built inside the rocks at very high levels above the river
- A 2000 year old sanctuary of the Thracian god of medicine, later named Asklepios in the Greek mythology
- Charming fairy hobbit-type houses that will make you feel like you are in the Hobbits’ world
- Fascinating caves including the world famous Prohodna (Eyes of God) and one of the most beautiful caves in Bulgaria – Saeva Dupka
- Beautiful eco-trails with amazing views, rivers or among enormous rocks
- Natural phenomenons such as canyons and healing hot water springs
- And much more…
All these magical places are located 10 to 30 minutes-drive from your accommodation. Once you get to a certain area, the points of interest are located at walkable distances from each-other. In case you get unexpected difficulties walking during your vacation you can still visit most of the places by car too. Therefore most of the tours are suitable for all ages.
The most exciting part is that most of these places are still largely unknown to foreign tourists and you will explore them almost alone, often without other people around.
Itinerary
You’ll receive a detailed suggested day-to-day itinerary. But you can also choose to tailor your holiday based on your own preferences.
This is an example of what your itinerary might look like with 12 hours of sunlight during the day:
Day 1 (Arrival)
- Airport pick-up
- This day will be designed separately for each group according to the time of arrival
- Transfer by car to your accommodation and dinner
Day 2:
- Transfer by car to Karlukovo village
- Rock monastery Saint Marina
- Walk to “Zadanen Dol” and the Iskar river
- Visit to Cave “Prohodna”
- Lunch at a restaurant with an amazing view
- Visiting the small hobbit houses
- Stand at the edge of the Eyes of God and see inside Prohodna cave from 50 meters high
- Two more caves – Svirchovitza and Bankovitza with the unexplored yet carved lines and holes in the rocks made by the ancient Thracians 2000 years ago
- Transfer by car back to the house
While walking from one place to another you will see impressive and colorful stone-made butterflies and flowers “in the middle of nowhere”, hand-made by a local person who’s dream is to make visitors feel like they are in a fairytale. You will also see a small Stonehenge.
Day 3:
- Transfer by car to the Iskar river
- Walk along eco-trail “The rock fall” – one of the biggest rockfalls in Europe
- Walk by the river, with a surface so flat and undisturbed that it creates the so called natural phenomenon “The water mirror”. Across the river there is a huge rock-wall which was the home of at least 12 monasteries, hidden in holes located at surprising heights.
- At the end of the walk you reach the fairy hobbit houses. These two are private homes, but the owners keep their yards open for visitors at all time.
- Ancient Thracian observatory “Provatrenika”
- Picnic by the river
- After lunch you will walk trough an old abandoned railway in the woods that will get you to the rock monastery Saint Nikola
- Return will be by an eco-trail called “Sedmovratitza”, which uncovers stunning views to the whole area and the Iskar river below.
- Visit 400 years old church located in the garden of the biggest psychiatric hospital in Bulgaria
- Sunset view at “Besedkata”
- Transfer by car back to the house
Day 4
- Museum “The house of Sergey Rumiantzev”
- Transfer by car to Zlatna Panega village
- Sanctuary of the Thracian god of medicine
- Abandoned old communist casino with lake view
- “Periloto” – a place where locals wash their carpets
- Walk through the village Zlatna Panega with its old shabby communist blocks that people still live in. The blocks where once built for the workers in the huge cement factory located in the village
- The walk continues outside the village to a local guest house where you will have home-made lunch by the swimming pool with an amazing view
- Go back to the village and transfer by car to Brestnitza village
- Visit one of the most beautiful caves in Bulgaria “Saeva Dupka”
- Walk in the woods to a small canyon
- Visit to an ostrich farm
- Horse riding
- Transfer by car back to the house
Day 5
- Bulgaria is famous with its 47 Spa resorts with healing hot water springs. This is why we would recommend you to have a recharging and relaxing Spa day at Chiflik or Shipkovo village in the middle of your holiday
Day 6
- Walk from Rumyantzevo to Lukovit using an abandoned railway built in communist times for the cement factory
- Lukovit town (city centre, church, walk by the river with the hundred ducks, the rock-made gas stations with the UFO, Fred Flintstone car and other rock sculptures)
- Start the eco-trail “Iskar-Panega” – one of the most famous and beautiful eco-trails in Bulgaria
- Lunch – picnic by the river at one of the spots on the eco-trail
- Finish the eco-trail and visit the “Golden Park” – another hobbit-type place but quite a bit bigger in size – the most impressive of all
- Transfer by car to an animal farm (tasting of seasonal fruits and vegetables from the garden, honey, cheese, rakia, wine)
- Stop at “The small island” in Petrevene village
Day 7
Day 8 (day of departure)
Dates and Availability
This walking holiday is available all year round and can start on any date, depending on availability.
If your time is limited, your stay can be adjusted on your availability. The price per night for short stays is 130 EUR per person
Apart from all sightseeing you could include the following in your holiday at no additional cost:
- One Spa day at a healing hot spring water resort
- Rock climbing (you’d have to bring your own equipment)
- Gun shooting
- Visit to an animal farm
- Horse riding
- Canoe trip
- Bulgarian national dances lessons
Optional activities that could be included at an additional cost:
- Bungee jump from Prohodna cave (Eyes of God) – 30 EUR
- Paragliding – 50 EUR
- Parachute jump – 180 EUR
- Golf – starting from 30 EUR
- Mountain biking
Please contact the holiday provider, through the contact form, for more information.
