Bulgaria self drive vacation

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION

This self-drive walking vacation around Bulgaria’s UNESCO sites not only supports the protection of the country’s important cultural heritage, but also invites guests to walk the environs of the Pirin and Rila Mountains. Both ranges are considered of great importance for biodiversity and conservation and the Pirin Mountains are, consequently, also protected by UNESCO, except for the ski resorts. With all our tours, we encourage our guests to travel to or within Bulgaria using buses and trains.



ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE

Responsible travelers can explore a very highly protected area, where important flora includes coniferous forests of Macedonian Pine and Bosnian Pine and many species of ferns, and fauna in both parks includes brown bears, wolves and pine marten.

Many of the routes used in this tour have been either developed (or existing trails selected) in collaboration with local authorities and local communities. A number of the trails have also been way-marked and are regularly maintained; an important measure taken in order to prevent people from straying from the intended routes, therefore reducing any damage to the immediate surroundings of the trails.

We have an in-house responsible tourism expert, who shares tips and advice with our guests in trip notes, blogs and newsletters. For example, on how to practise responsible hiking with regards to the environment and wildlife, giving tips on environmental charities they can support, practising responsible wildlife watching and taking care to protect the marine environment when hiking or swimming. Before departure, guests are also encouraged to bring their own water bottles and to avoid single-use plastic during their trip.

We remind guests to always practise Leave No Trace throughout their vacation, especially as we are aware that waste management has been a point of contention for Bulgaria since joining the EU. We remind guests not to add to the problem by bringing lots of packaging with them or buying single-use plastic while they are there.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY

The accommodation on this vacation is mostly in small locally owned guest houses where breakfasts are included. As lunches are not included in the cost of the vacation, we encourage our guests to buy lunches and snacks in local shops, and we make plenty of recommendations for dinners in local eateries. As this vacation takes guests into rural areas, this directs tourist spend directly into local Bulgarian’s family coffers, a world away from the mass tourism of Bulgaria’s all inclusive coastline resorts. All of our host accommodations can provide picnic lunches too, paid for locally, and we work closely with them to avoid single use plastics when packaging them. We always advise our guests to bring their own reusable sealable lunch box, and refillable water bottles of course.

Directing guests to local food in the Pirin and Rila Mountains regions is important to us, not only so that they have an enjoyable cultural experience, but because they are also supporting the local gastro-economy. Katya, our tour manager, knows all the best places to find local specialities such as patatnik potato dish, cheverme or slow cooked lamb, smilyan beans and kapama, a spicy hearty mountain stew. In addition, our daily trip notes direct guests to good local eateries. Katya also reminds guests to always practise Leave No Trace throughout their vacation.

EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY

All of our partners in Bulgaria are locally employed and play an essential role in contributing to the local economy. At home, we have a strict policy to pay all our own employees and team members a living wage and fair wage, with vacation entitlement. In the hiring process, we prioritise experience, qualifications and passion, emphasising that race, gender, sexual orientation, or nationality are not factors of consideration. We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace based on skills and expertise. We also endeavour to support any guests with visible and non-visible disabilities or any special requirements, when possible.