Most Inspirational Moment
Seeing the bears from the hide. The views were a close second
Thoughts on Group Leader
Friendly and well informed and a good communicator
Advice for Potential Travellers
Take good boots and a walking pole for on the screed.
Reviews
Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers
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Reviews
Bulgaria Bears. Excellent walks at a steady with informative breaks
Inspiring views with Julian who was very well informed and put the information across in any easily understood and entertaining way. Only saw one other group in the week and the occasional person on the walks.. Hotel and food was plane and good
What's not to like?
Lovely hotel with super staff (Thank you Maria and team) good local food and beautiful scenery.
Interesting and scenic walks punctuated by examination of scats, bear ‘mesage’; trees, orchids, birds and mammals,
Most Inspirational Moment
My first real life sighting of brown bears in the wild. A lovely introduction to Bulgaria too. I knew so little about the country and its history and certainly hope to return.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Julian is incredibly knowledeable, and thoughtful group leader.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Worthwhile adding a coupel of nights in Sofia if you can. It's not quite your average capital city and it gives some historical context. The airport is at the end of a train line so meeting the group there is easy.
A really great week
Beautiful scenery, great walks, lovely people and good food. And of course bears.
Most Inspirational Moment
Its hard to pick one! Seeing bears, the great views, the excellent food.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Julian is incredibly knowledgeable and full of enthusiasm for Bulgaria, the people and, most of all, the bears. His patience and good humour were unfailing and he gave exactly the right amount of information at the right time. The best leader on any Exodus trip that I've been on.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Do take a box for your lunch, do take some honey home and do get Maria's cheesecake recipe.
Suggestions
Bulgaria is a good destination for vegetarians.
What an amazing place!
This was my first ever trip with exodus and it was absolutely incredible. The scenery was beautiful, the walks were great, plenty of opportunity to look for bear activity, and one of the best experiences in my life. We saw a bear and cubs, and that was such an amazing sight! Julian and the staff at Yagodina were lovely, the group were very friendly, and it was just simply a lovely trip!
Most Inspirational Moment
I think it was the 4 hours spent in the hide one night not actually seeing anything and remembering that the bears are wild animals and so when we went on another night and seeing the bear and cubs arrive, that was the most awe inspiring moment! I also loved going to the summit of the mountain and looking at the incredible panoramic view of mountains and forest! simply a view that would take me back there in a heartbeat!
Thoughts on Group Leader
Julian was very accommodating, very friendly and very knowledgeable. He could answer any question that the group had and more!
Advice for Potential Travellers
Take a moment to sit on the side of the mountain and take in the views. Even if you don't see a bear the walks are worth it!
Suggestions
Thank you so much for making my first exodus trip a memorable one!
Wonderful bears!
Beautiful scenery, fantastic guide. Observing bears was a real highlight.
Most Inspirational Moment
Seeing mother and cubs at the hide and their interaction with the wild boars.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Julian "I'll tell you later" is a charming, knowledgeable, engaging guide. We learned a lot about bears, other fauna and flora, the culture and history. I've done a number of these trips and he's one of the best guides I've ever had.
Advice for Potential Travellers
I found some of the walking quite strenuous - you must be fit. Walking sticks are useful.
Bulgaria: The Realm of the Brown Bear
A wonderful week in the magnificent Rodopi Mountains. Excellent walks, lots of flora and fauna with very good photographic opportunities. Led by such a great guide who gave us insights into the local culture and taught us so much about the bears that roam this fascinating wild corner of Europe.
Most Inspirational Moment
Seeing a bear from hide (as well as the wild boar and their piglets). The wonderful array of wild flowers and butterflies in the alpine meadows were just stunning. Some awesome lizards! The traditional local dishes made with naturally grown ingredients are very tasty too :-)
Thoughts on Group Leader
You would be hard pressed to find another guide as passionate and informative as Julian. He has such an in depth understanding of the bears and wildlife as well as the language, culture and customs of Bulgaria. A very likeable and friendly guide.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Take the opportunity on the non-bear hide evenings to walk around the village. We saw hedgehogs snuffling about about early evening and stunning sunset views can be seen from the little white church on the hill.
Suggestions
If you are interested in wildlife and walking in a beautiful natural alpine region then this is the trip for you!
Bulgaria, The Realm of the Brown Bear
We had an excellent trip, learning about the evolution, distribution, habitat, food and habits of bears. We studied and measured ” bear ” trees and scats and were able to deduce the age and sex from these! The walks were well varied through stunning scenery.
Most Inspirational Moment
Seeing a bear from the hide for the first time. There was also stunning mountain scenery
Thoughts on Group Leader
Julian was very knowledgeable, well organised and kind and patient.He has built up an excellent relationship with the local villagers . I was very impressed with his Bulgarian !
Advice for Potential Travellers
There was (for me) some quite strenuous hiking and I was very glad I had taken good boots and walking poles.
Suggestions
I Love Bulgaria !