Discover Bulgaria on horseback!

This trail takes you to the North side of the Balkan mountain – free and open land without any fences, where you can gallop for kilometers in the Devetaki plateau, enjoying the beautiful scenery of the mountain and the Danube plain. During the holiday you have the chance to explore the greatest historical, cultural and natural landmarks in the area. This experience is supplemented by fine Bulgarian wines and delicious traditional dishes, fruits and vegetables from the local farms and our own gardens.

We understand that enjoying your horse and feeling safe are some of the most important things for a riding holiday. That is why we carefully select our 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.

The terrain is diverse, but mainly smooth and pleasant, giving you the opportunity to ride free from strain and to enjoy with all your senses the amazing nature scenery. You should be a strong, confident rider, capable of all paces and fit enough for long canters through rough areas. Wide-open spaces and gently undulating land provide the opportunity for long gallops. (Please note that during rainy weather the ground may be too slippery for long, fast riding).

• The required level of experience for this ride is Intermediate or Intermediate +

Key information

• Rider weight limit: 209 pounds / 95 kilograms
• Ability: intermediate and higher ability riders
• Number of riders: 4-10
• Average hours in the saddle: 4-7
• Tack type -Western and Endurance high-quality saddles – Ortho-Flex and Podium. Some of the horses are ridden in bitless bridles.
• Horses – Shagya and pure-bred Arabs, East-Bulgarian breed, and cross-bred with Arab horses – all very well-trained, spirited and easily controllable. The height of the horses varies from 150 to 165 cm.
• Guides:experienced and professional, they perfectly know all the horses and routes. They will take care of the horses and your good mood.
  They will take care of the horses and your good mood.
• It is obligatory to have a riding helmet. We also recommend: riding boots or chaps, raincoat and warm clothes, insect spray, sun protection cream.
• Meeting point: Sofia Airport.
• Pace: varying from walk on steeper slopes to a fast pace in open spaces.
  Riding consists of 40% walking, 30% trotting and 30% cantering. This proportion could be changed according to the requirements and the abilities of the riders or weather conditions.

During your stay you will be accommodated in good quality hotels and guesthouses. Rooms are mostly twin with an en-suite bathroom. There are swimming pools and opportunities for spa treatments at most of the guesthouses/hotels. Please note that during the autumn months of September and October outdoor pools are likely to be closed.
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 our garden. Midday meals are in the open-air during the passages and they consist of warm homemade food, beer, cold and hot drinks. We offer ecologically clean food, international and traditional Bulgarian cuisine.

Dates for 2024:
May – fm 04 to 11 – only 1 place left!
June – fm 15 to 22
June – fm 29 to 06 July
August – fm 24 to 31  – Fully booked
Sept. – fm 07 to 14
October – fm 19 to 26

What’s included

• 6 days of riding
• All meals and drinks (including beer & wine)
• 7 nights’ accommodation
• Entry fees as per the itinerary
• Professional guides’ assistance
• Luggage transfers
• Jeep vehicle support
• Airport transfers from and back to Sofia
• Destinations full of historical values

Price: 1680 EUR per person in a double room. +200 EUR for single accommodation.

• Additional activities: bow-shooting, cultural tour around the historic landmarks, visit to Devetaki plateau caves. Massages are available every night upon request for a small additional payment.
• Additional information: two guides – professional riders – with one leading the group and the other following with a jeep and all luggage.
• Accompanying children and young people: over 12 years. All accompanying non-riders will get the chance to participate in the above-mentioned additional activities.

Additional conditions and prices:

1. Minimum number of riders- 4. 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.
2. 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.
3. The routes and the dates could be changed upon the desires of the customers. If a group of min.4 riders wants to change a planned for one date trail to another one, this could be done in case there are no other bookings for this period.
4. Prices can be changed in case of some extreme change of the fuel price.
5. Additional prices:

• Private transfer from/to Sofia – 220 EUR net price.
• Small group supplement (2 or 3 in the group)

           – 350 EUR net price – “The Wild Land of Central Bulgaria” & “Balkan National Park”

           – 400 EUR net price – “Magic gallops in the Devetaki Plateau” & “The Kingdom of Thracians

• Sleeping bag hire – 20 EUR net price.
• Wine tasting with 5 wines and special food for each of them – available in all the trails against 20 EUR per person net price.

7. Arrival time required: between 12:00 and 16:00 h or something very close to this time. The clients, arriving outside the appropriate time should have a special transfer.
8. Departure time required: between 11:00 and 15:00 h or something very close to this time. The clients, departing earlier than the appropriate time, should have a special transfer. The 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.
9. The standard packing list is:

– helmet and riding pants,chaps

– good raincoat

– sun-protection cream

– spray against insects

– flat comfortable shoes for walking, while visiting the landmarks (there is an old pavement on few places)

– the other staff depends on the riders- cloths, etc. Good to have some light jacket even in the Summer

Itinerary: From Riding Club ”Alfa”, located near the town of Sevlievo, to the village of Skalsko, Dryanovo monastery, village of Ledenik, village of Emen, village of Karpachevo, Krushuna’s Waterfalls & The Magic Caves and back to the Riding Club.

Day 1:

• Pick up from Sofia Airport and transfer to Sevlievo, placed 190 km northeast from the capital.
• Arrival in the town of Sevlievo and accommodation in Hotel Incanto, which has a sauna and jacuzzi.
• Initial Instructions by the guides. (Can be done at the next morning, depending of the arrival time)
• Dinner and rest in the hotel.

Day 2:

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Arrival at the stable.
• Introducing the horses to the riders, final preparations and instructions by the guides.
• A ride throughhills and beautiful forests with small creeks, nice meadows and lakes.
• Midway stop for a picnic on a beautiful meadow.
• Arrival in Gesha village, where the guest will be accommodated into a nice guest house with a swimming pool.
• Dinner and night in the guest house “Gesha Holiday”.
• About 23 km (4-4.5 hours) of riding.

Day 3:

• Breakfast at the guest house.
• Visit by car of the Dryanovo Monastery and the “Bacho Kiro” cave above it.
• Start from Gesha village northward to the village of Ledenik, galloping through beautiful meadows and fields, walking along the small canyon and nice forests.
• Midway stop for a picnic next to Kereka village.
• Arrival in Ledenik village. Traditionally styled complex “Chiflika” offers dinner and shelter for the night, as well as a nice swimming pool.
• About 29 km (5 hours) of riding.

Day 4:

• Breakfast at “Chiflika”.
• Visit by car of Veliko Tarnovo – capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom (1185-1396).

Highlights:
In 1185, brothers Asen and Peter led the uprising against Byzantine rule, marking the creation of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom. Asen was crowned Tsar (King), and ancient city Veliko Tarnovo, with more than 7000 years of history, was chosen as the capital. Tsarevets, Trapezitsa and Momina Fortress were the three main fortified hills, surrounded by the water barrier of Yantra river. Tsarevets Hill and its natural inaccessibility made it the center of supreme control of the state, which earned it the name “City of the Tsars”. As former seat of the Tsars, it hosts the remains of more than 400 houses, 18 churches, the royal palace, an execution rock and more. During the Middle Ages, the town was among the main European centres of culture.

• Next up is the village of Emen. You will ride along Yantra River and gallop through fields and meadows until reaching the village.
• Picnic next to the village of Balvan.
• Arrival at the beautiful country style hotel “Imenieto”, with a swimming pool.
• Dinner and rest at the hotel.
• About 22 km (4hours) of riding.

Day 5:

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Heading northwest to the village of Karpachevo. Riding through the beautiful meadows and fields, enjoying amazingly long gallops into the Devetaki plateau, whose attitude of 500-600m offers you a 360-degree panoramic view.
• Picnic under the shades near Krasno gradishte village.
• Night in the beautiful Karpachevo guesthouse “Ongul”.
• About 35 km (6 hours) of riding.

Day 6: (Rest day for the horses & riders!)

• Breakfast at the guesthouse.
• After breakfast you will have a short, but beautiful ride on beautiful wild paths in the Devetaki plateau above the waterfalls.
• Lunch after the ride at the guesthouse.
• Visit by car of the remarkable Devetaki cave, placed 15 km from Krushuna. A part of the movie “The Expendables 2” with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis was captured in the cave in Nov. 2011.
• Walk to the amazing Krushuna Waterfalls.

Highlights:

Krushuna’s Waterfalls – a unique natural water cascade, consisting of many rapids and small basins. The region is green and wild, with a large variety of plant and animal species. This picturesque area is rich in limestone caves with springing streams and rivers. The biggest cave, called Boninska, holds Bulgaria’s longest underground lake (800 m).
Krushuna’s Waterfalls are a National park.

• Dinner and Night in the beautiful Karpachevo guesthouse “Ongul”.
• About 12 km (2 hours) of riding.

Day 7:

• Breakfast at the guesthouse.
• Ride from Karpachevo village to the vertical cave ”Garvanitsa” on the plateau, then to the lake of Kramolin.
• Picnic at the lake.
• After lunch you will ride through the valleys of the rivers Magara and Krapets, the ride ends in the village Kurmiansko, from where the horses are transported back to the stable.
• Accommodation in Hotel Incanto, which has a sauna and jacuzzi.
• About 35 km (6 hours) of riding.

Day 8:

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Leaving for Sofia.
• Departure from Sofia Airport.