Letting yourself stop for a moment in order to hear the silence, to feel the wind… to smile at the sun, and while looking up to the sky to realize how small you actually are – this is exactly how nature makes you feel. It is a feeling of grounding, of inner peace, of true freedom. We should not miss opportunities to remind ourselves of this feeling because going far from it means going far from our own selves. In search for it, we are hitting the trails of Central and North Bulgaria… and we are taking you with us!
We don’t have any time to waste, so we are directly throwing ourselves into the depths of the Devetaki highland and the hidden caves among its divine nature. The Devetaki cave, the Garvanitsa cave and the Stalbitsa cave are taking us deep inside the bowels of the earth… and the cascade of the Krushuna waterfalls, together with the fresh green vegetation around, are getting us carried away in a totally different world that leaves us breathless with its beauty. After the mountain treks, we have some rest and some clean and delicious veggies and fruits as if just picked from grandma’s garden in the house of Ongal. There we can devote ourselves even more to the romance of the wild nature with a nomadic horse riding experience and archery.
We are staying fully bound to nature in the village with no cafes, shops or restaurants… It is where the road ends and the mountain begins with all of its secret trails. There you will find the Belomazhite village and a fabulous place with the warmest hosts – The Legends Art&Forest. It will get you together with people from the Gabrovo Balkan and their wonderful stories and traditions. All of them, in line with the authentic interior of the place, the food from the local farms, the mountain treks during the day and the art of the folk dances, theatre and music, will make you dive into a legendary experience without an analogue.
The third trail leads us right to the northeast of Bulgaria and the Bluskovo village. It is very close to the old capitals Pliska and Preslav, the Madara rider, the Tsonevo dam, and the Wonderful Rocks. Running from the hustle and bustle of the city, we are finding ourselves in Salla Estate – a property amidst arrays of vines with a horse base of elite horses and carriages, which will show you around as well as an excellent wine cellar, which will immerse you in the world of wine. During the whole time in the estate, you will be enjoying full tranquility and relaxation and you will be definitely sensing the love and the attention of the owners to every single detail.
Here we are halfway – we are hitting the fourth trail, which leads us to the Karlovo valley, right between Stara Planina and Sredna Gora, where the Chateau Copsa castle is located. We are sinking in its romance made for two… massages, Finnish sauna, jacuzzi, sun loungers for relaxation overlooking the bay of Stara planina as well as a retro carriage ride among the vast vineyards. And on the last Saturday of May what you can experience at this place is real magic… If you find yourself there during this time, early in the morning you will be taken (by horse!) to the rose valleys near Chateau Copsa for the rose picking ritual. You will have breakfast amidst the roses while looking at the Balkan and you will feel the magic of the signature Bulgarian rose… it is an experience that you will never forget!
We are still on the romantic end, this time near Veliko Tarnovo and the Arbanassi village. We are gifting ourselves beautiful and memorable emotions together! We are creating memories… We are going over the hills of the old city of Veliko Tarnovo for an off-road experience with a jeep. Then horse riding for two… we are rounding out with wine tasting in the boutique winery “Yalovo” and a walk around the cellar. We are going back home happy and recharged from the well-spent time together… and with many stories to tell.
Now we have arrived to the end of our trip around North and Central Bulgaria: the village of Lukovit, just an hour away from Sofia, where the Diplomat Plaza hotel & resort is situated. This is a designer hotel with a unique interior – every room takes you to a different part of the world – from Paris, through Dubai and Chicago, all the way to Hong Kong… And its location is more than ideal: apart from being located in an ecologically clean area with pure air and high ionization, there is a lot of picturesque places in its surroundings. They promise to leave you stunned at the beauty of nature: the Iskar Gorge and the geopark "Iskar-Panega", the canyon of the “Zlatna Panega” river, the “Prohodna” cave (or the so-called “God’s eyes”), the “Svirchovitsa” cave and so much more… And here is a final idea for the lovers of the extreme activities: a bungee jump from the “Prohodna” cave or with even more adrenaline: a bungee jump, pandulus and rappel! Would you dare?