Rodopi mountains hiking vacation in Bulgaria

Planet

Activity:
Few vacations have as little detrimental impact on the environment and local residents as a walking trip. Erosion on and adjacent to popular paths is a growing problem in certain places and therefore our trip leaders encourage clients to stick to advised routes in order to minimise this. We do believe in leaving no more than footprints although this tour actively encourages guests to talk to local people, visit local cafes and restaurants, and to purchase traditional crafts. We also leave behind a positive impact by paying entrance fees to certain areas and sites which contribute to their upkeep e.g. the ‘Devil’s Throat’ cave at Trigrad Gorge, where Orpheus is claimed to have emerged from the Underworld after failing to reclaim his wife.

Water:
Water is a really important issue with walking trips and whilst we must stay hydrated, it is also vital that we have a system for providing clean water without causing lots of waste with plastic bottles. We suggest that instead of repeatedly buying bottled water, guests should re-fill a singular bottle.

UK Office:
It all starts at home so we have first worked at reducing our carbon footprint in our UK Offices. Through energy conservation measures and recycling policies, we are proud to be actively reducing the waste produced and our impact on the environment. We support various projects all over the world to try and give something back to the places we visit.

People

Accommodation and Meals:
You will spend most nights in Yagodina village, which is a traditional rural settlement, known for its self-sufficiency, hospitality and agricultural lifestyle. The hotel is family run and produces some of its own food. By using this smaller, yet characterful accommodation, we are improving the employment and income opportunities in this remote community. They endeavour to supply cleints with fresh, locally grown produce and regional specialities, such as Yagodina yoghurt, thick pancakes called ‘katmi’, bean soup- ‘smilyanski fasul’ and ‘patanik’, which is a delicacy made from grated potatoes, onion, cheese and mint.

Local Craft & Culture:
This trip really aims to celebrate and share the rural, agricultural lifestyle of the people in the Rodopi Mountains, which in other places has been overtaken by modern life. There are plenty of products in Yagodina which have been made by the villagers that are totally unique to this area, such as food, wine and handicrafts. We aim to support these traditional processes of manufacturing with our commerce. During the trip we also arrange for the local folk dance group to perform for our clients and teach them traditional songs and dances. Again, we pay the folk group a fair wage and they often receive tips from this as well, so we are really making a positive impact on local people.

Group Size:
This small group tour has a maximum of 16 participants, meaning that we have a low impact on the environments and communities we visit and are able to ensure that we do not disrupt or lead to the displacement of local people. The small number also allows us to stay in unique, family-run hotels that cannot benefit from coach tours and other mass tourism due to their limited sizes.