Rural Bulgaria and Birdwatching
DAY BY DAY ITINERARY
Day 1 – Arrive in Sofia. Transfer to your hotel. Evening at leisure.
Accommodation in Sofia in hôtel Saint George ***
Day 2 – September 4 – Sofia – The Rila Monastery – Bansko – Gorno Draglishte
Visit the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral – the biggest and the most beautiful on the Balkan Peninsula, the Parliament, The Statue of St Sofia, the Presidency, the National Theater, the Ruins of Serdica and the Rotonda St George 4th c. AC, the Russian Church, the St. Sophia basilica, which has given the city its name. Departure to the Rila Monastery – the richest historical and architectural monument of the Orthodox enclave, founded in 10th century and transformed to the most important spiritual and cultural center of Bulgaria. The visitor’s first sight of Rila monastery huge towering walls gives the impression of a fortress. However, a step through the archway produces a wonderful surprise. The Monastery’s unrivalled architecture and murals will captivate you. Departure to Bansko. Continue to the village of Gorno Draglishte. Overnight in a guest house. The housewife will prepare a real traditional tasty diner especially for you. B Accommodation in Gorno Draglishte in a guest house
Day 3 – Gorno Draglishte – Bansko – Plovdiv
In the morning take the narrow gorge train from Bansko to Velingrad- the biggest Bulgarian spa resort. The train passes through the picturesque pass of Yundola. Here is also the highest train station in Bulgaria – 1400 meters above sea level. Continue to Plovdiv. Arrive in the late afternoon. Time at leisure to explore the main pedestrian street on your own. Overnight.
B Accommodation in Plovdiv in Villa Antica
Day 4 – Plovdiv – the village of Zvezdelina – boat on the Studen Kladenets dam – the village of Gorno Pole (two nights)
In the morning enjoy a walking sightseeing tour of PLOVDIV: The second largest town of Bulgaria, an area since the time of Philip, King of Macedonia, father of Alexander The Great. The most impressive building of Roman time that has come to us rising above the city is the Antique Amphitheatre by Emperor Mark Avrelii during the 2nd c. A.D. Its magnificent arcade adorned with marble statues is simply breath-taking. Theatre and opera performances are still staged here on warm summer nights. The Roman Stadium is also constructed during the II century and reproduces the layout in Delphi, Greece. After lunch visit the “Eirene” house where have been preserved original Roman mozaics “in situ”. Within the centre of the ancient major town of the Roman province of Thrace remains of stone paved streets, foundations of buildings and columns and ancient fortress walls and gates reside. The Old Plovdiv nowadays is an original living museum, an architectural phenomenon with many of the houses of those times’ most prominent Bulgarians turned into museums, galleries hosting various art exhibitions and festivals. In the late afternoon profit from your free time to explore the beautiful Plovdiv on your own. Now-a-days the pedestrian street is consider the longest pedestriant street in the world – 1750 meters.
Departure to the Rhodopes Mountain. Arrive in the village of Zvezdelina. Have lunch in a local Turkishfamily’s house. In the afternoon take a boat on the Studen Kladenets Dam. If lucky you will see vultures and deers. Departure to the village of Gorno Pole. Spend the overnight in an eco farm « The Wild farm ».
B D Accommodation in the village of Gorno Pole in Guest House “The Wild Farm”
Day 5 – Bird watching in Madjarovo and the are
In the morning meet your local bird-watching guide. Spend the day watching birds. Most probably you will have the chance to see some black storks (Ciconia nigra) and vultures (Gyps). Visit the local Vulture center and learn more about the bird population in this area.
B D Accommodation in the village of Gorno Pole in Guest House “The Wild Farm”
Day 6 – Gorno Pole – Pomorie – Nessebar
Departureto Pomorie. Visit the Pomorie Lake Visitor Center. The attractive exhibition at the Center presents interesting facts and amazing photographs of the saline lagoon. On a special monitor installed in the exhibition hall you can watch live video of the big Sandwich Tern colony breeding in the lake. From the second floor of the building you can enjoy the incredible panoramic view of the complex of protected areas, as the most curios visitors can also use spotting scopes and binoculars. Drive along the lake and visit the « Salt Museum ». Continue to Nessebar – an undoubted jewel of Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, historical and archaeological reserve with ancient archaeological remains of various periods, original churches from the 5th – 17th centuries and more than hundred authentic Revival houses – it is included in the list of UNESCO.
B Accommodation in Nessebar in hotel St Stephan (or similar)
Day 7 – Nessebar – Zheravna
In the morning drive around the Pomorie lake. Pomorie Lake is a part of Burgas lake complex, which is one of the three most significant wetland complexes for congregations of waterfowl along the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. The area of Pomorie Lake and its adjacent territories support 204 bird species, 59 of which are listed in the Red Data Book for Bulgaria (1985). The lake is one of the most important sites in the country for breeding Avocet Recurvirostra avocetta, Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus, Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis, Little Tern Sterna albifrons, Common Tern Sterna hirundo and Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus. It is situated on the Via Pontica migration route and thus particularly important as a migration stopover for considerable numbers of waders, divers, grebes, etc., most of which are included in the Annex of the Bonn Convention. In the late afetrnoon deaprture to Zheravna.
B Accommodation in Zheravna in guest house Yovina Kashta
Day 8 – Zheravna – Veliko Tarnovo
After breakfast walk around the village of Zheravna. Admire its beautiful houses, most of them more than 200 years old. Departure to Veliko Tarnovo – the capital of Mediaeval Bulgaria, the town is one of the most picturesque historical settlements. Start exploring the city with the Tsarevets Royal hill. The neighboring Arbanassi museum village is a genuine gallery of art. A must here is the 15th century Church of the Nativity, repainted in the 17th century. Because of its more than 1200 frescoes, It is also called the Sistine Chapel on the Balkans. Located on the hills above the meandering river Yantra, this city, once a glorious mediaeval capital (1186 – 1393), is now attracting thousands of romantic travelers with its irresistible atmosphere. Mixing the legends of the past with bursting joy of hundreds of young students – this is Veliko Tarnovo today, the second most important University City after Sofia. Overnight.
B Accommodation in Veliko Tarnovo in hotel Gurko 3*
Day 9 – Veliko Tarnovo – Kazanlak – Koprivshtitsa
Departure to Etara – an open air museum. It is the first museum presenting the historic past, economic development and the way of living of the population in 18 – 19th c. The shopping street represents the way crafts were practiced locally in the mid-19th century. Continue to Kazanlak. Visit the Thracian tomb dating to the 4th century BC. The site is included in the list of UNESCO (we will visit the replica). Continue to Koprivshtitsa. The village boasts a large number of architectural monuments from the Revival period, 383 in all, most of which have been restored to their original appearance. Collections of ethnographic treasures, old weapons, National Revival works of art, fine fretwork, household weaves and embroidery, national costumes and typical Bulgarian jewelry has also been preserved. Overnight in a guest where you will also experience a home hosted diner.
B Accommodation in Koprivshtitsa in Hadjidraganovi Kashti
Day 10 – Transfer to the Sofia airport for your departure flight. End of service.
The trajectory of the tour please see here: https://goo.gl/maps/Uc8kDGZv8kA2
The tour price is based on a private tour of two travelers with private transportation and English speaking tour guide (to drive) throughout.
PRICE INCLUDES:
ACCOMODATION
http://bedandbirding-rhodopes.bg/en/en-index.html
TRANSFERS AND TRANSPORTATION
TOURS / GUIDES / FOOD
PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE:
Additional private expenses of a client
All that is not mentioned in section “Price includes”
Travel insurance package
Other meals than stated
Photo/video fees at sites and museums
Bank and pay pal fees
Our vehicles:
Our company is owner of the vehicles that we provide for the tours of our clients. All of them are very comfortable and fully insured. We are aware that your safety is most important, that is why we regularly renovate our car park. Our vehicles pass technical check every month and all of them have perfect air conditioners.
You can see our fleet here.
Confirmation
The travel arrangement and full-day or half-day tours will be officially booked once we have received a 30% deposit payment. After that you will receive a booking confirmation via e-mail. We kindly ask you to pay the balance not later than 7 days prior to your arrival, unless the booking is made 1 week prior to your arrival or if there is not an agreement for paying cash upon arrival. Once we have received the payment, we will send the following to your e-mail address: the invoice, the vouchers (if you have booked self guided tour), and all the other necessary travel-related documents and information.
For visa regime and customs restrictions – Please use the following link
Cancellation Policy
The customer can cancel the travel arrangement and full-day or half-day tour at any moment; however, Easy Bulgaria Travel shall keep a certain portion of the paid amount which will depend on the cancellation period, and which is specified as follows:
21 days prior to departure – no cancellation fee will be applied
21 to 14 days prior to departure – 30 % of the price of a travel arrangement or tour
14 to 7 days prior to departure – 50 % of the price of a travel arrangement or tour
7 to 3 days prior to departure – 80 % of the price of a travel arrangement or tour
3 to 0 days prior to departure – 100 % of the price of a travel arrangement or tour
After the departure or no-show – 100 % of the price of a travel arrangement or tour
In cases of extraordinary circumstances (like flood, fire, earthquake or other), Easy Bulgaria Travel Ltd reserves the right to change itineraries. Easy Bulgaria Travel Ltd will certainly always try to meet customers’ requests and return all the funds that were not spent for the purpose of same travel arrangement or a tour.
Easy Bulgaria Travel Ltd wishes you a very pleasant stay in Bulgaria and will be extremely happy to be your host and to show you the beauty of our country!
Regards,
Pavlina