A UIMLA guide will lead you on a 6-day snowshoe tour through the breathtaking Rhodopes mountains.
Private
Rhodope Mountains, Rila Mountains
6 Days
Jan - Mar, Dec
High
Beginner
A wonderful snowshoeing trip awaits you! Come with us to the fantastic Rhodopes mountains in Bulgaria! It will be a 6-day excursion in a majestic mountain range that will leave you speechless.
The Rhodopes is the largest mountain area in Bulgaria. It occupies almost a fifth of the entire territory. It is located in the southern part of Bulgaria and it is filled with wild animals in the ancient forests, beautiful green hills (snowy for us) and rural landscapes.
We will also pass through many villages hidden within the Rhodopes mountains. The inhabitants of these villages are both Muslim and Christian, a fact which adds to the marvellous diversity of the area.
Together, we will trek on snowshoes to the Trigrad Cave and gorge and the village of Shiroka Luka (an architectural reserve). Also, we will trek to the village of Jagodina and to the town of Devin, famous for its mineral springs. In addition, you will have the chance of spending the night at local guest houses, so you will get to learn about the locals’ lifestyle and customs.
You don’t have a lot of experience snowshoeing? It’s not a problem since the trip’s difficulty is not high. You can also come with your family and children. We only require you to be in good physical conditions and you are able to trek for 3-4 hours a day.
Do not miss this great opportunity to visit the great Rhodopes in Bulgaria. We will spend 6 days surrounded by nature while practising the extraordinary winter sport of snowshoeing.
Join us and you will have the chance of witnessing the magnificence of one of the world’s most fascinating mountain ranges in Europe. Just send us a request, and it will be a great pleasure to guide you across the Rhodopes.
We can also lead you on a 3 day hut to hut snowshoe tour through the Rila mountains of Bulgaria.
We will drive for 2 hours from Sofia or Plovdiv to Chepelare, a town located in a valley at 110 in the middle of the Rhodopes. Spend the night at a 3-star hotel there. You will have some free time.
We will get at 1800m by taking a chair lift. Reach mountain top Bear’s Mount, for you to enjoy a great view of the mountains. Then, we will snowshoe to the Chernatitsa Ridge forests, inhabited by wild animals which leave visible footprints on the snow. Finally, we will descend to Chepelare by walking for 3 hours. Spend the night at the same hotel.
We will head by car to Trigrad Village, famous for its views, Trigrad Cave and also Trigrad Gorge. While going there we will stop to visit Shiroka Luka village and we’ll take a walk. Then, we will visit the Trigrad cave and its marvellous underground waterfall.
When lunch is over, we will snowshoe for 2 hours to Jagodina, our next sleeping location. Spend the night at local guest houses. There, you can also try homemade dishes and talk to the mountain villagers.
We will walk for 3-4 hours until we reach the mountain top: St. Ilya Mount at 1560m. From this height you will be able to have a breathtaking view of the landscape around. You will have the afternoon free to visit, for example, the Jagodina cave, famous for its stalactites and stalagmites and pieces of historical evidence of past inhabitants nearby. Spend the night at the same guest house.
We will pass through the Jagodina Gorge and then to the town of Devin, which is the area’s biggest settlement. We will see its famous thermal springs. We will walk for about 2 hours along the Devinska River with water so hot that you can take a swim even in winter with snow surrounding you. Finally, we will go back to Devin to spend the night at a guest house or 3-star hotel.
If there’s time, we will visit once more the thermal pools or maybe the cities of Sofia or Plovdiv before your departure. Staying an extra day in those cities might be a nice way to end the trip.
What are some recommended accommodations near our adventure location?
5.0
(7)
Mountain Leader
I work as a mountain leader since 2006, both with individuals and larger organized groups, mainly English speaking.
Together with a group of colleagues we offer a wide-range of activities: hiking, trekking, rock climbing and mountain biking, snowshoeing, ice climbing, ski touring and off-piste skiing.
All our guides are certified, experienced and passionate about their job and will guide you with a smile and care through the wild beauty of the Bulgarian and the Balkan mountains.
Languages
Russian | English | Bulgarian
Certificates
UIMLA
Gaelle
Lyuben is a very good guide. More than a ski touring guide , he is a perfect travel organiser. We were a group of 4 Belgium guys around 50 to make the 4 days touring ski tour. He chose for us a very good family guesthouse, with very good food. He let us discover local thermal bath, traditional restaurant. About ski touring, Lyuben chose each day the best spot possible for the landscape and the snow adapted to the changing weather conditions. Time keeping was perfect. Zero stress for any situation. He has a comfortable car and does not hesitate to drive hours to bring us to the best area or to bring back us to the airport. Very friendly, super adaptive with us, I warmly recommend Lyuben.
Matt
Lyuben and Ivo were excellent. Communication was great. Lyuben helped us hire kit before arriving. Each day was great with a good variety or touring and excellent snow. thank you!
Lissi
Wonderful 9-day hiking in the mountains of Bulgaria and Greece. It was easy to book a trip through the Explore-Share page. They responded quickly, everything was fine and well organized. My whole 9 days were very well organized. Guide picked me up on Sofia's airport and on the 9th day guide taken me back to the airport. Everything in between was organized by Top Guides Bulgaria. The physical effort was great, but it was worth it, wonderful views and very good emotions. I met three guides - Lyuben, Ruslan and Moni. They were very nice and friendly and very good guides. They kept my pace when hiking the mountains and helped and taught me if it was necessary. I felt safe and supported all the time. The hardest part for me was the last part of Mt. Olympus, climbing to the top, it took self-transcendence and a big effort. I haven't been rock climbing before. I am proud to myself that I made it. I was able to do this thanks to Lyuben's support, help and teachings. I am very grateful to him. When hiking in the mountains, you must be prepared to walk up the hill for several hours, which is physically difficult. At this time, wonderful views and feelings gives strength and the will to move on. Guide Moni had taken with him binocular. So we saw the animals and the birds more closer and he had knowledge to talk about them. In the mountains guide Ruslan talked about myths, local culture and nature. On the last day we had the city tour in Sofia. Guide Ruslan introduced me the historical buildings and told many interesting stories about history. All of it was very interesting to listen. The program of the days was very well structured. On the 5th day I felt physically tired and would not have been able to go hiking in the mountains straight away again. According to the plan, came the time to rest: Greece beach, the return trip to Bulgaria, a walk in the beautiful town of Bansko. After that I felt rested and enjoyed hiking in the mountains again. On the evenings of hiking days, you can relax: a delicious dinners in local restaurants, nights in lovely hotels and mountain huts, you can go to a mineral water spa, local market, etc. I am very satisfied and happy about this 9-day trip. Everything was very good. I have great memories and wonderful pictures of it. I definitely want to go back there, at another time of the year: to ski in the winter or to see waterfalls in the spring. Also, I would be happy to use the services of Explore-Share and Top Guides Bulgaria again when hiking in other regions.
Alexander
A few words about the wonderful guide Kaloyan Peichev. He is a very responsible guide, a wonderful skier and a generous teacher, he has professional knowledge of mountains, snow, etc. and a very kind person.
Jane
Amazing trip..... 100% recommend this trip... Lyuben was both professional and friendly. We loved it. A great activity to do with a non-skier in tow.
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