The Rodopi Mountains are a hauntingly beautiful and mysterious region which, according to legend were the home of Orpheus. Today they offer a refuge for many exceptionally rare plants, as well as brown bears, wolves, wild cats and a prolific number of butterflies and birds.



This holiday provides the opportunity to discover the amazingly rich cultural and natural heritage of these remote mountains as we walk through a variety of landscapes including ancient coniferous forests and rugged limestone gorges, we also visit two impressive caves, and engage with the local people who maintain their traditional rural existence, working the fields by hand and tending their livestock on the surrounding meadows and pastures.

Our base for six nights is Yagodina, a traditional rural village known for its self-sufficiency and the hospitality of the inhabitants. It’s isolated and tucked away in the Trigrad Karst region, one of the most remote parts of the Rodopi Mountains. Here we stay in the Yagodina Family Hotel, a small hotel offering comfortable twin and single rooms with wifi. It’s owned and run by a local family and most of the food (including milk, cheese, butter, jam and honey) is either home-produced or locally sourced. Our final night is at Boutique Hotel Crystal Palace, a conveniently located four-star hotel in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia.