Route: Sofia - Rila monastery – Bansko - Baykushev fir – Dobrinishte – Dobarsko - Womb cave – Tatul – Kardzhali dam –
THE sacred triangle
AND Perperikon - Orlova Chuka cave – Ivanovo rock monasteries – Rusenski Lom – Neolithic settlement near Durankulak - Durankulak lake – natural reserve park - Varna historical museum -
THE Madara horseman – Small
AND Big Madara caves -
THE dripping waterfall -
THE Thracian tombs
OF Sveshtari – Krepcha rock monastery – Buyuk Calle - Adventure tourism at
THE “Winners’ spring”.
PROGRAM
DAY 1:
Departure from Sofia. Visit to
THE Rila Monastery. Arrival to Bansko, „Kap House” hotel, dinner.
PROGRAM
DAY 2:
Breakfast
AND visit
THE Baykushev Fir. Lecture on
THE 1300-year-old tree
AND THE beneficial powers
OF Nature. Lunch in a local restaurant - traditional cuisine. Transfer to Dobrinishte
AND visiting
THE unique archeological excavations
OF 8 000-year-old culture
OF Karanovo. Visit to a healing spa, in which,
THE legend says, Alexander
THE Great took a bath. Dinner
AND traditional music.
PROGRAM
DAY 3:
Breakfast. Visiting
THE unique church „St Theodore Tiron
AND Theodore Stratilatus “ in Dobarsko. These two saints are patrons
OF THE Christian army.
THE spring coming from beneath
THE church is believed to be healing, as legend says,
THE 14 000 blinded soldiers
OF tsar Samuil cured their wounds here. They founded
THE village
AND built
THE church. It was painted by a mysterious author who dared painting Jesus Christ as an astronaut.
THE unique frescoes show
THE Son
OF God sitting in something, which strikingly resembles a high-tech shuttle,
AND under his feet one can see
THE contours
OF THE atmosphere
AND stratosphere.
THE monument is under UNESCO protection. Lunch. Transfer to Kardzhali, “Trifon Zarezan” hotel on
THE bank
OF THE Kardzhali dam, dinner.
PROGRAM
DAY 4:
Breakfast
AND visit to
THE Thracian sanctuary Womb cave.
THE natural opening
OF THE cave has been additionally processed by a human hand to resemble vulva. On
THE DAY OF THE vernal equinox
THE sun ray expands enters through a whole above
THE altar
AND stops there for a while fluttering.
THE action personifies fertilization,
THE sacred marriage between Mother Earth
AND THE Sun –
THE resurrection
OF life. Lunch at
THE Kardzhali dam. Visit to Tatul -
THE sanctuary
OF Orpheus.
THE legend says that
THE Orpheus’s grave is here. It is supposed that here astronomic observations were done as an integral part
OF THE Thracian ritual practices. Dinner with traditional music.
PROGRAM
DAY 5:
Breakfast. Visit to
THE third ancient temple
OF THE Sacred Triangle – Perperikon. Perperikon is considered to be
THE famous in
THE ancient times sanctuary
OF Dionysus. Lunch in a local restaurant. Transfer to Targovishte. Arrival to “TERRA EUROPE” hotel, dinner, history lecture
AND instructions.
PROGRAM
DAY 6:
Breakfast
AND transfer to
THE second longest cave in
Bulgaria – “Orlova chuka”.
THE parts
OF THE cave near its entrance were inhabited during
THE Paleolithic
AND THE Stone Age (40 000 – 80 000 years ago). Here
THE man’s predecessor –
THE Cro-Magnon lived, struggling in battle for territory with ancient cave bears
AND THE Neanderthals. Orlova chuka is inhabited by
THE largest bat colony on
THE Balkans - about 10 000 bats. Lunch. Visit
THE Ivanovo rock-hewn monasteries.
THE rock-hewn churches near Ivanovo have
THE statute
OF an archeological reserve
AND it is under
THE protection
OF UNESCO. Unlike
THE traditional orthodox churches, here all
THE walls are covered with frescoes as if carpeted.
THE original paintings bearing renaissance features come 200 years earlier than those in Western Europe. Return to
THE hotel
AND dinner.
PROGRAM
DAY 7:
Breakfast
AND transfer to Durankulak. Visit to
THE largest
AND most ancient Neolithic settlement in Europe dating back to times 7 250 years ago. This is
THE place, where a script is found, which is 1 500 years older than those we know from
Egypt AND Mesopotamia. Here a proto-Bulgarian calendar was also found which in its accuracy competes with
THE Mayan calendar.
THE excavations are located in natural reserve park, part
OF Via Pontica – one
OF THE major routes
OF migrating birds in Europe. One can also see remains
OF THE most ancient masonry in Europe. Lunch in a local restaurant. Visit to
THE Varna museum. Return to Targovishte
AND dinner.
PROGRAM
DAY 8:
Breakfast
AND transfer to Madara. Visit to
THE Madara horseman, a UNESCO monument. Visiting caves, once inhabited by pre-historic people
AND THE natural phenomenon -
THE dripping waterfall. Lunch. Visit to
THE Thracian royal tomb in Sveshtari – a UNESCO monument. A complex
OF ancient tombs, showing grand funerals, which used to turn into feasts. Evidence
OF THE mysterious Thracian culture at
THE basis
OF European civilization, setting
THE beginnings
OF wine production. Return to Targovishte
AND dinner.
PROGRAM
DAY 9:
Breakfast
AND departure from Targovishte. Transfer to
THE village
OF Krepcha. Vist to
THE cave monastery containing
THE most ancient inscription in Cyrillic alphabet
AND an exhibition
OF Icons. Lunch in Krepcha – boxed lunch. Transfer to
THE “Winners’ spring”. Instructions
AND dressing. Making fire
AND election
OF a Chieftain. Lecture on
THE legends about
THE Aryan tribes
AND THE Hyperboreans. Honey-tasting. Lecture on
THE healing
AND magical properties
OF honey. Archery contest, making jewellery
AND pottery. Milking sheep
AND goats. Yoghurt curdling. Dinner around
THE camp fire
AND local wine tasting. Folklore songs
AND accompaniment
OF bagpipes. An ancient ritual with jumping over
THE fire
AND lecture on our ancestors’ symbols. Spending
THE night in
THE cave (if desired). Transfer for those, willing to spend
THE night in
THE hotel.
PROGRAM
DAY 10:
After breakfast transfer to
THE „Winners’ spring” for those, spending
THE night in
THE hotel. Breakfast. A walk to
THE ruins
OF Buyuk Calle castle. On
THE way back – collecting flowers for wreaths
AND rods for spears. Lecture on
THE herbs
AND THE meaning
OF THE wreath. Making spears, fishing, cleaning
THE catch
AND making wreaths. Lunch. Adoration in
THE sanctuary
AND placing “lucks”. Lecture on
THE Thracians,
THE Thracian Sun cult. Corn grinding, wool picking
AND wool spinning. Lecture Making a totem on a copper plate. Dinner. Transfer to Targovishte
PROGRAM
DAY 11:
Breakfast
AND transfer to Sofia.
PROGRAM
DAY 12:
Free
DAY in Sofia for a stroll
AND shopping.
PROGRAM
DAY 13:
Breakfast
AND departure.
Per person (all inclusive) – 1490 EURO (for groups
OF 20 to 40 persons).
Price: € 1490
Email: office@viacenturytour.com
Phone: +359896741781
Skype: via.century.tour