“Ride through the land of the Thracians”
8 Day The Kingdom of Thracians Horse Riding Tour in Bulgaria
Spa Hotel, Hisarya, Plovdiv Province, Bulgaria
Bulgaria Horse Riding Tour
This trail will take you into the Bulgarian Rose Valley and Sredna Gora Mountain, the land of Thracians, mineral springs, roses, and fine wine. The main goal of this carefully designed holiday is to give great pleasure to your body, senses, and mind. It is a wonderful combination of unique nature, ancient culture, healing springs, delicious food, and wine.
Key information
- Rider Weight Limit: 209 pounds / 95 kilograms
- Horse Height Range: 15 to 16 hands
- Tack Type: Western and Endurance high-quality saddles - Ortho-Flex and Podium (Some of the horses are ridden in bitless bridles)
- Horse Breed: Shagya and pure-bred Arabs, East-Bulgarian breed, and cross-bred with Arab horses
Meet the instructors
Maria
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Highlights
- 6 days of horse riding
- Approximate daily riding time: 4 - 6 hours
- Explore and ride through destinations full of historical values
- Experienced and professional guides who perfectly know all the horses and routes
- 1 massage and entry fees as per the itinerary are included
- All meals and drinks (including beer and wine) will be served
- Airport transfers from and back to Sofia Airport (SOF) are provided
- 7 nights’ accommodation
Skill level
- Intermediate
Styles
6 days with instruction
Group size: 4-10 participants
Airport transfer included:
Sofia Airport
Accommodation
You will be accommodated in luxury hotels, the majority of which have hot mineral water. There are swimming pools and opportunities for spa treatments in nearly all places. Rooms are mostly twin with an en-suite bathroom. Almost all hotels are situated out of towns or villages, so you will be able to rest well in the peace and quiet of nature.
If a single rider wants to share a room with somebody else, but there is no other suitable person to share, then he/she will have a single accommodation and has to pay its additional tax.
- Night 1: Hisarya - Spa hotel
- Night 2: Krasnovo - Spa Hotel Aqua Termi
- Night 3: Koprivstitsa - Eagle Rock Hotel
- Nights 4 and 5: Strelcha - Sredna Gora Hotel
- Night 6: Starosel - Wine and spa complex
- Night 7: Hisarya - Spa hotel
Program
Galloping through gorgeous valleys and Sredna Gora’s untamed nature, then relaxing in hot mineral pools with a glass of fine wine, this trail offers marvelous landscapes, good horses and equipment, luxury hotels, delicious food, and more. Alfa Riders LTD & Alfa Centaur LTD understand that enjoying your horse and feeling safe are some of the most important things for a riding holiday. That is why they carefully select horses and train them to be reliable, easily controllable, and brave.
Your horse will be carefully chosen, according to your requirements and abilities. The guides will prepare the horse for you every day, so you can just relax and enjoy your holiday. Sredna Gora is one of the smoothest mountains for riding in Bulgaria, without steep climbs or descents, with a level ridge great for canters and an amazing 360-degree view of all the highest mountains - Rila, Pirin, Rhodope, and Balkan mountains.
This trail goes on for three days into the mountain and three days into the valley, so you will get to explore the deep, century-old beech forests and marvel at the breathtaking sights of the mountain.
Lovely canters between rose gardens and free herds of cows in the valley complete the experience. The required level of experience for this ride is intermediate or higher. You should be a strong and confident rider, capable of all paces, and fit enough for long canters through rough terrain.
Day 1
- Pick up from Sofia Airport (SOF) and transfer to the town of Hisarya, a famous spa resort, located 180 kilometers southeast from the capital.
- Accommodation in a spa hotel with a swimming pool and sauna.
- Welcome dinner, briefing, and rest at the hotel.
Day 2: About 26 kilometers / 4.5 hours of riding
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Arrival at the stable. Introducing the horses to the riders, final preparations, and instructions by the guides.
- Picnic in a nice wooden shelter next to Matenitsa village, situated at the foot of the mountain.
- Afternoon ride to Krasnovo village, famous for its mineral baths situated on the southern slopes of Sredna Gora Mountain.
- Accommodation and dinner in the new spa hotel, Aqua Termi. Before dinner, you can have aquatic relaxation procedures and massages, and swim in the mineral water pool.
Day 3: About 35 kilometers / 6 hours of riding
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Start from Krasnovo village, ride through rose gardens, and up into the heart of the mountain.
- Lunch at the beautiful Buntovna Hut at an 1180-meter altitude. It is located in an old beech forest in the historic area of Konska Polyana, Kulata, and Kanara, offering an amazing view.
- Afternoon ride through the deep beech forest and the lovely open mountaintop, ending up near the town of Koprivshtitsa.
- Accommodation in the new hotel ”Eagle Rock”, situated in the middle of the mountain hills, where you can hear the sheep’s bells playing a song. The hotel has a swimming pool, a Jacuzzi, and a sauna.
- Dinner of local meals and wine.
Day 4: About 25 kilometers / 4.5 hours of riding
- Ride through an untouched forest to the spa resort in Strelcha and reach the very top of the beautiful peak “Wolf” (1240 meters), with an amazing panoramic view of the Upper Thracian Plain and the surrounding mountains.
- Picnic under a cozy wooden shelter just a few kilometers down the “Wolf” peak.
- Overnight in the hotel “Sredna Gora”, with a hot mineral pool, sauna, and massage center.
- Before dinner, you will have time to relax with a massage and swim in the mineral water pool.
- Dinner at the hotel’s traditional-style restaurant.
Day 5: About 12 kilometers / 2 hours of riding
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- After breakfast, you will have a 2.5-hour ride in the beautiful area of Strelcha.
- Lunch at a restaurant, followed by a guided tour of the historical museum in the town of Panagyurishte. The museum complex includes the vaulted hall of Panagyurishte’s treasure, the historical exposition dedicated to the April Uprising, the Dudekova House, the Jounova House, the Sinia Hadjidimitrova House, the Byala Hadzhidimitrova House, the House of Raina Knyaginya, the Tuteva House, the Lekova House, and the Drinova House.
- Enjoy some free time for shopping and exploring the charming galleries, craftsman shops, and coffee retreats.
- Dinner and night at the hotel.
Day 6: About 28 kilometers / 5 hours of riding
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Ride through rose fields and nice vineyards, and along sandy lakes.
- Picnic in a cherry garden next to the village of Krastevich.
- Accommodation in the luxurious wine and spa complex, Starosel.
- Before dinner you can enjoy the nice spa center or join a wine tour.
- Dinner at a nice restaurant in the complex.
Day 7: About 25 kilometers / 4 hours of riding
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Visit of the Starosel Thracian Cult Complex. It is the largest preserved Thracian king complex with a temple-mausoleum in Southeast Europe. It dates back to the 5th century BC. You will get to learn about the mysterious Thracians and their amazing cultural heritage and historic significance.
- Beautiful, long gallops among meadows, riding near Pyasachnik artificial lake, the biggest in the area. with a panoramic view of the mountain.
- Picnic in the meadows near Panicheri village.
- Afternoon ride across forests, meadows, and along lakes, doing a full circle which ends in Hisarya.
- Accommodation in a spa hotel with a swimming pool and sauna.
- Visit to the remains of a fortress wall, belonging to the ancient Roman town Diocletianopolis, the third largest in the ancient Thrace province. Hisarya was an active Roman spa resort and was at one point used as a rehabilitation center for wounded Roman soldiers.
- Farewell dinner in the evening.
Day 8
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Leaving for Sofia.
- Departure from Sofia Airport (SOF).
Pace
The pace varies from walk-on steeper slopes to a fast pace in open spaces. Riding consists of 40 percent walking, 30 percent trotting, and 30 percent cantering. This proportion could be changed according to the requirements and the abilities of the riders or weather conditions.
Equipment
Alfa Riders LTD has both Western and Endurance high-quality saddles - Ortho-Flex and Podium. Some of the horses are ridden in bitless bridles. It is obligatory to have a riding helmet. They also recommend riding boots or chaps, raincoats and warm clothes, insect spray, and sun protection cream.
Horses
Alfa Riders LTD has Shagya and pure-bred Arabs, East-Bulgarian breeds, and cross-bred with Arab horses - all very well-trained, spirited, and easily controllable. The height of the horses varies from 150 to 165 centimeters.
Guides
The riding guides are experienced and professional and know all the horses and routes well. They have a sound knowledge and awareness of safety and look after horses and guests out on a ride. The leading guide is able to take sole charge of riders and encourage you to enjoy riding and plan together with you the riding time and the breaks.
There will be two guides of professional riders, one leads the group and the other follows the group with a jeep and all the luggage. They will take care of the horses and your good mood.
Notes
- Accompanying children and young people over 12 years: All accompanying non-riders will get the chance to participate in the above-mentioned additional activities.
- A trail for 2 or 3 riders will be confirmed to run if the clients agree to pay the small group supplement in case the minimum of 4 is not reached.
- The routes and the dates could be changed upon the desires of the customers. If a group of a minimum of 4 riders wants to change a planned trail date to another one, this could be done in case there are no other bookings for this period.
Instructors
Maria Toneva
Maria will be one of your guides during this tour.
Location
This tour will take you from the town of Hisarya to Krasnovo village, the town of Koprivstitsa, the town of Strelcha (two nights), to Starosel and back to Hisarya.
Hisarya
Hisarya is a small resort town in central Bulgaria, located in Plovdiv province. It sits at an elevation of 368 meters. Hisarya has 22 hot water springs that have been actively used since ancient times. Water temperatures vary from 44 to 55 degrees Celcius. This area has always attracted settlers due to the abundance of water. Thracians first settled here IV-III century BC.
Later, the Romans arrived at these lands, transforming the town. They built a marvelous city, with wide streets, stunning courtyards, villas, marble baths, aqueducts, sewage systems, and an amphitheater. Ruins from the Roman period are still well-preserved in the modern city of Hisarya.
Panagyurishte
The museum serves the Apriltsi Memorial Complex, dedicated to the participants in the April Uprising of 1876, and the historical site "Oborishte". The Panagyurishte treasure is by far the richest and most brilliant gold hoard yet discovered which was unearthed by accident by three brothers – Pavel, Petko, and Michael Deykovs in 1949, during clay digging near the town of Panagyuriste. The Panagyurishte gold has been dated to the 4th century BC.
Food
Meals are all-inclusive, except for hard drinks; the hotels and houses provide breakfast and dinner, offering delicious traditional dishes, fruits, and vegetables from the local farms and gardens. Midday meals are in the open air during the passages and they consist of warm homemade food, beer, and cold and hot drinks. They offer ecologically clean food and international and traditional Bulgarian cuisine.
The following meals are included:
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Drinks
The following drinks are included:
- Water
- Alcoholic beverages
The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:
- Regular (typically includes meat and fish)
If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation
Things to do (optional)
- Cultural tour of the town of Koprivshtitsa Architectural and Historical Reserve
- Visit of Thracian Temple Complex, Starosel
- Visit to the impressive remains of the ancient Roman city of Diocletianopolis
Spa treatments
One massage is included. Additional massages are available every night upon request for a small additional payment.
What's included
- 6 days of horse riding
- 1 massage
- 7 nights accommodation
- All meals and drinks (including beer and wine)
- Transfers from and to Sofia Airport (SOF)
- Entry fees as per the itinerary
- Professional guides’ assistance
- Luggage transfers
- Jeep vehicle support
What's not included
- Hard drinks
- Private transfer from and to Sofia: 220 EUR
- Small group supplement (2 or 3 in the group): 400 EUR
- Sleeping bag rental: 20 EUR
- Wine tasting with 5 wines and special food: 25 EUR per person
- Airfare
How to get there
Recommended Airports
SOF
Sofia Airport
109 km
Transfer included
Arrival by airplane
Please arrange your flight to arrive at Sofia Airport (SOF). Transfers from and to this airport are included.
- Arrival time required: Between 12 - 4 p.m. or something very close to this time. Clients, arriving outside the appropriate time should have a special transfer.
- Departure time required: Between 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. or something very close to this time. Clients, departing earlier than the appropriate time, should have a special transfer. Clients, departing later than the appropriate time will not have to pay for a special transfer, but they will be left at the airport together with the earlier departing riders.
Airport: Sofia Airport
Airport transfer included: Sofia Airport
No additional charges. You can request this in the next step.
Cancellation Policy
- A reservation requires a deposit of 14% of the total price.
- The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
- The rest of the payment should be paid on arrival.
For this organizer you can guarantee your booking through BookHorseRidingHolidays.com. All major credit cards supported.
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