THE KINGDOM OF THRACIANS

This trail will take you into the Bulgarian Rose Valley and Sredna Gora Mountain – 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 awonderful combination of unique nature, ancient culture, healing springs, delicious food and wine. 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 & equipment, luxury hotels, tasty food and more!
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.

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-degrees view of all the highest mountains – Rila, Pirin, Rhodope and Balkan mountains. This trail goes on for 3 days into the mountain and 3 days into the valley, so you will get to explore the deep, century-old beech forests and to 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 Intermediate +

You should be a strong and confident rider, capable of all paces and fit enough for long canters through rough terrain.

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: 4-6
• 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.

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.
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.

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Dates for 2025:
April – fm 12 to 19
May – fm 12 to 16 – Fully booked
May – fm 17 to 24 – Fully booked
Sept. – fm 19 to 23 – Fuly booked
Sept. – fm 27 to 04 Oct. – Fully booked
Oct. – fm 11 to 18 

What’s included

• 6 days of riding
• All meals and drinks (including beer & wine)
• 7 nights’ accommodation
• 1 massage
• 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: 1830 EUR per person in a double room. + 200 EUR for a single accommodation.

• Additional activities: 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. 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 25 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 the town of Hisarya to Krasnovo village, the town of Koprivstitsa, the town of Strelcha (2 nigths), to Starosel and back to Hisarya.

Day 1:

• Pick up from Sofia Airport and transfer to the town of Hisarya – famous Spa Resort, placed 180 km southeast from the capital.
• Accommodation in a Spa hotel with swimming pool and sauna.
• Welcome dinner, briefing and rest at the hotel.

Highlights:
Hisarya is a small resort town in central Bulgaria, located in Plovdiv province. It sits at an elevation of 368 m. Hisarya has 22 hot water springs that have been actively used since ancient times. Water temperatures vary from 44-55˚C. This area has always attracted settlers due to the abundance of water. Thracians first settled here IV-III century BC. Later, the Romans arrived to these lands, transforming the town. They built a marvelous city, 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.

Day 2:

• 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 in 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.
• About 26 km (4,5 hours) of riding.

Day 3:

• 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 1180 m 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.
• About 35 km (6 hours) of riding.

Day 4:

• Ride through an untouched forest to the Spa Resort Strelcha and reach the very top of the beautiful peak “Wolf” – 1240m, with an amazing panoramic view of the Upper Thracian Plain and the surrounding mountains.
• Picnic under a cosy wooden shelter just a few kilometers down the “Wolf” peak .
• Overnight in hotel “Sredna gora” with a hot mineral pool, sauna and massage centre.
• 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.
• About 25 km (4.5 hours) of riding.

Day 5:

• 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 to the Historical Museum in the town of Panagyurishte. The museum complex includes the vault 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, 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.
• About 12 km (2 hours) of riding

Highlights:
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.

Day 6: 

• 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 & Spa Complex Starosel.
• Before dinner you can enjoy the nice Spa centre or join a wine tour.
• Dinner at a nice restaurant in the complex.
• About 28 km (5 hours) of riding.

Highlights:

Wine tasting of 5 different wines, each of them accompanied by special food – available for 25 EUR per person net price.

Day 7:

• 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 centre for wounded Roman soldiers.
• Farewell dinner in the evening.
• About 25km (4 hours) of riding

Day 8:

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