Hiking trips and cultural journeys for women: Bulgaria's Mountains ...

Hiking trips and cultural journeys for women: Bulgaria's Mountains ...
Join Adventures in Good Company for combination of mountain hiking and cultural exploration in the fascinating country of Bulgaria.

Our trip provides the opportunity to discover the amazingly rich cultural and natural heritage of Bulgaria's remote Rhodope, Pirin and Rila Mountains, with plenty of opportunity to interact with local people and learn about their way-of-life. In particular our trip offers a unique insight into the local Pomak (Bulgarian Muslim) community as much of our time will be spent staying in and walking amongst traditional Muslim villages. By way of contrast,we will also visit four of Bulgaria's most striking Orthodox Christian monasteries! This trip is for: women in moderate physical condition who want to learn about the history and culture of Bulgaria, and also enjoy hiking in beautiful countryside. Following traditional shepherds' paths, forest tracks, and ancient Roman roads, we walk leisurely for between 2-5 hours per day, with plenty of time to stop for photographs, look at nature, and talk to local people. Our daily walks will take us through a mixture of silent forests and open meadows, as well as over some rough and rocky terrain. Although for the most part moderately gentle, there will be an occasional steep ascent and descent.Accommodations:comfortable tourist-class hotels that are classified two to three star by the Bulgarian classification system. These hotels offer twin rooms with private facilities. Where possible, we try to use smaller more atmospheric hotels. Maximum group size: 12Trip price: $1475 (deduct $100 for registration prior to 1/12/08). The fortress is a part of the Rodopi line fortresses which guarded the northern Byzantine territories from the invasions of the Slavs and was an important protector of the Bachkovo Monastery, the second largest in Bulgaria. As well as looking round the monastery itself, we will also have a gentle walk in the beautiful valley behind it. At the edge of a botanic reserve, we will find several interesting chapels tucked away in the forest. After a picnic lunch we drive on into the heart of the Rhodope Mountains, stopping off at the picturesque village of Shiroka Luka, famous for its traditional architecture. From there we complete our transfer to Yagodina village, a very remote and friendly mountain settlement which is inhabited by Pomatsi (members of the Bulgarian Muslim minority). This is the site of the so-called “Devil's Throat” cave, an enormous cavern from which Orpheus is said to have emerged from the Underworld. Then from the nearby village of Trigrad, we set off on foot again back to the village of Yagodina following the line of a former Roman road. This is one of the most spectacular in the country and has numerous breath-taking stalagmites, stalactites, and other unusual cave formations. We then set off on a long but extremely picturesque drive west through the Rhodope Mountains, stopping off on route to look at an ancient Roman bridge and also the attractive village of Dolen, famed for its traditional vernacular architecture. They will demonstrate their rich tradition of weaving and handicraft making and also prepare us a home-made lunch. Leaving the village, we drive across the southern Pirin Mountains via the Popovi Livadi pass to arrive in Melnik, the smallest and perhaps most beautiful town in Bulgaria, stunningly set in an amazing sandstone gorge. First we make our way to the village of Kurlanovo, from where we climb up to the remote Chapel of “Sveti Iliya”. We then drop down to the village of Rozhen for lunch, before making our way on to the nearby Rozhen Monastery. This monastery, one of the most picturesque and tranquil in Bulgaria and one of the few Bulgarian monasteries from the Middle Ages, has survived relatively intact up to present days. Here we will visit the Rila Monastery, breathtakingly situated beneath a backdrop of jagged peaks. We'll start with a visit to the hermitage of St John of Rila and have the opportunity to purify ourselves as we climb out a tunnel from his cave (this is optional). We will then take a short walk in the surrounding “Rila Monastery” Nature Park to the monastery itself. We'll take time to look at the many icons and soak up the atmosphere of the monastery itself. Later in the afternoon, we transfer to the other side of the range and our hotel at Borovets, the Rila’s most famous resort.Walking Time = 1 hour; ascent is 260 ft; descent is 590 ft July 19: Climbing Mt. Musala (9600 ft) the highest peak not only in Bulgaria but on the whole of the Balkan PeninsulaA fitting finale to our holiday. Using a cabin-lift to take us up from Borovets to 7,600 ft, we then set off on foot to climb the peak. The first part of the hike follows a long ridge to the ruins of a former Soviet-era ski project before starting steadily up. From there the ascent is steep and rocky in places, but very rewarding. However, as this is an out and back walk, it is possible for those who don't want to do the whole climb to stop off at a couple of convenient refuges and wait for the rest of the party to return. We will return to Borovets on the same chairlift, making a total hike of 4 to 6 hours. We'll have a short guided tour and then some free time to enjoy the sights of Bulgaria’s capital city, before getting on the plane for home or on to the next adventureBorovets, the Rila’s most famous resort. If for some reason that doesn\'t work, select the full address, copy it, then paste it into the address field of your web browser and hit \'enter\' or \'return\'. Site designed by Sharp Innovations, Inc.