Balkans Uncovered in July Despite the sweltering heat and humidity we encountered during thus trip, I enjoyed the itinerary very much. My knowledge of the history of this area was limited prior to the tour, and I cane away with a new appreciation for the resilience of the citizens and their efforts to rebuild and maintain their communities.
This was my first walking holiday and must admit it was a title too much for me. But to put that into context I had a pacemaker fitted 5 weeks prior to the trip and didn't want to cancel. The holiday was mostly walking up and down mountains looking for signs of bears - including trees, paw prints, log movements, and the obvious thing all bears do in the woods! So if you like walking and hiking then you will enjoy this part of the holiday.
The hotel was fabulous, food was lovely, staff were excellent, rooms great, and overall much better than expected.
The expert guide Matthew was great, helpful, funny, knowledgable and looked a little like a cuddly bear (don't tell him that)
The hide you get to go on an evening to have the chance to see the Bears feeding is perfect. We were very lucky seeing bears on both evenings I went. The other half of the group saw bears also and this can't be guaranteed but was great. One thing to note is the journey to the hide was fun but very bumpy and so not great for anyone who is injured or getting over surgery.
Organisation of the trip was perfect, everything ran to plan and very well put together and organised.
So overall really good holiday, but be warned you will need to enjoy walking lots!
Lovely part of the world with stunning scenery. The wild flowers were at their best when I visited in May. A very different pace of life to home but interestingly even the cow herds on the upper meadows had their smartphones. My son loved the first and last days best with climbing under/over all the fallen trees and fording the fast running river - such a contrast to the ridge walks and alpine meadows. Our guide Neli was very knowledgeable about the area, flowers and birdlife, and very patient with all our questions. It would have been very difficult to find some of the paths on our own. The walking pace was accurately described as leisurely. The accommodation was comfortable, the wifi better than at home, the food excellent and the beer just so cheap!
Florin PredaTravel Expert in Bulgaria and Romania
