Most Inspirational Moment
I really enjoyed learning about all the ancient myths of the area, enjoying a totally secluded and quiet wilderness and tracking brown bears whilst learning so much about them.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Julian was brilliant, an extremely knowledgeable and passionate wildlife expert, and you could tell he genuinely loved his job. A great tour leader, always very organised and the trip ran very smoothly. Julian was also very funny and sociable and was very much a member of the group. I learnt so much from him about the Brown bears, wolves and all the species living in the Rodopi as well learning about the local culture and way of life, and Bulgaria's interesting history. His stories about local myths and legends were great and kept us all entertained especially during the more challenging walking days. He made sure the group stayed together during the hikes, and was very intuitive as to when anyone in the group needed a rest.
Advice for Potential Travellers
As all the food is local produce and made at the hotel, it's very important to give lots of notice if there is any dietary requirements such as vegan, gluten free etc. This can be catered for as long as they know in advance. The town is very small and rural so no option to buy food or snacks elsewhere. We enjoyed a 3 course meal included every night, home cooked at the hotel. As a vegetarian, I ate well every day, lots of beans, eggs, cheeses and fresh fruit and veg. The hotel made a different local Bulgarian breakfast delicacy every day and always had a selection of lunch items for us to make our own packed lunch. Lovely staff at the hotel.
For the hiking, I'd strongly recommend getting some hill walking practice in, as we trekked in mountain region, the trails were almost never flat! Bring blister plasters, proper breathable hiking socks and break in your hiking boots in advance! Good ankle support boots were very much appreciated as the terrain is often rocky and uneven. Some items i included in my day back which came in handy were binoculars, a sun hat, extra blister plasters, a waterproof, some snack bars and a large water bottle.
A lot of my group also had hiking polls which they found very useful, especially on the days with more descents.
