Bulgarian History Trail

- camping ride in the Balkans

A nine day riding holiday steeped in history.  The trail follows natural paths and roads of the ancient Bulgarians. On this trail you will get the feel of life as it was hundreds of years ago. It is truly an area of historic natural scenery- wild and beautiful. We ride through the capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom Veliko Turnovo (1185-1396), the capitals of the First Bulgarian Kingdom- Pliska and The Great Preslav (681-1018) and finish at the famous monument of the 8th century “The horseman of Madara”.  Riders sleep in tents and enjoy ‘showering’ in the beautiful lakes and rivers. You will stay in cozy family run hotels on your first two and last night. Fresh food will be delivered to us on the trail 3 times a day- riders get together and prepare it over the camp fire themselves.

IT-BGRT01 
Rates include English speaking guides, all meals that riders prepare over the campfire on their own during camping days, 7 riding days
8 days/7 nights $ 1,245    Single  $65
    -- based on € 795 / 40
Non rider rate: $935  ( € 595)
2008 Dates:
05/03-05/11    06/21-06/29    09/20-09/28
Meeting:  Sevlievo
Airport:    Sofia
Transfer: Incl. from Sofia airport at set time
Pace:        4-7 riding hours per day
50% Walk 30% Trot 10% Canter
Level:       Low Intermediate+
Tack:        Western and English: Ortho-Flex,  McClellan, Podium and others
Horses:    Shagya Arabs, East-Bulgarian breed, Anglo-Arabs and other warm blood horses - all well broken and calm. The height of the horses is from 150 to 165 cm.
Min/Max:  4-8 riders

Additional information: a jeep with a mobile phone connection follows the group with the luggage and supplies food three times a day.
Accommodation: In cozy family hotels for the first two and the last night, in tents for the rest of the nights.
Meals: ecologically clean food, prepared from wholesome local produce, international and Bulgarian cuisine; soft drinks, beer and wine included.

Itinerary
Day 1   Pick up from Sofia Airport and transfer to the town of Sevlievo, 190 km east from the capital. You will be accommodated in a nice family hotel with a small swimming pool. Riders meet the guides and will have a first look at the horses and equipment, choosing a suitable one.  Welcome dinner and night at the hotel.
Day 2    Breakfast in the hotel. We then ride along the Yantra river valley through beautiful forests and rolling green hills towards the Tower of Ledenik. This interesting tower was built during the Second Bulgarian Kingdom (1185-1396). Its first floor is a museum, showcasing regional culture and traditions from the past 150 years.  We lunch nearby a small waterfall in the open fields.  The traditional Hotel "Ledenik" offers us dinner and rooms for the night.  About 34 km riding.
Day 3   Breakfast in the hotel. Ride out from Ledenik past a few small villages and through beautiful natural scenery. Visit the Merdanya Monastery.
Highlights:
About 1.5 km from the present monastery, ruins of a Medieval Monastery have been found, which was probably built in the time of the king Ivan Assen II (about 1190). The old monastery was destroyed at the time of the Turkish occupation. In the middle of the 19th Century the rich resident of Elena – Hadji Kesaree Horozov bought the ex-monastery’s lands and in 1853 built the new church and the living space around it. He also became its first abbot and participated actively in the struggle for national liberation. After the death of the abbot, most of the monks left the Monastery and it started falling into disrepair. Later it was repaired and turned to a convent.
We lunch in the open fields. We ride to our camp site for the evening- a lonely fountain on the plain.  Dinner and overnight next to the fountain.  About 35 km riding.

Day 4  Breakfast in the open fields.  Start from the fountain and ride through beautiful fields, wild and exotic mountains, and forests around the Stara Reka river. We cross the river several times.  Lunch again in the open fields. Overnight and dinner in tents near an old mill close to a fountain.  About 30 km riding.
Day 5  Breakfast beside our campsite in the green fields. We ride out on an old stone road dating back to Roman times. Lunch in the open fields. Dinner and overnight in tents near Velikdenche village. A waterfall with a small pool is located by the camp site. About 35 km riding.
Day 6  Breakfast in the open fields. From Velikdenche village we ride along vineyards and on the shore of an artificial lake- Krasnoseltsi. The ride continues on an ancient Roman road, past an old fountain and leads us to the remains of the Byzantine basilica of the 13th century. Ride along the foot of Preslavska Mountain on an eco-trail. We arrive at a hunting lodge on top of the mountain. Lunch and dinner in the open fields. Overnight in tents.  About 40 km riding.
Day 7  Breakfast beside the camp in the open air. Ride from the hunting lodge through the old forests of Preslavska Mountain to the remains of the capital of the First Bulgarian Kingdom- The Great Preslav.
Highlights:
The town of Veliki (The Great) Preslav is situated at the foot of the Preslavska mountain. It is here where the River Gorna Kamchia overflows in the vast valley on its way to the Black sea. These fertile lands have been settled since the ancient times. The name of the town is of Slavic origin. Around the beginning of the 9th century (probably after the khan Krum’s wars with Byzantium) the Bulgarians started to build a well fortified settlement which later became an important military-strategic center and a residence of the Ichirguboila – the third person after the khan. In the first century of its existence, the town developed rapidly, fortified by a strong wall, water-supplied and modern. The remains of the khan’s castle show that there must have been running hot and cold water and under floor heating. In year 893 the highly-educated son of Khan Boris- Simeon- became the new ruler of Bulgaria. He proclaims The Great Preslav as the new capital of the country. In the next 80 years the town goes through a phenomenal bloom, becoming a center of the politics, diplomacy, crafts. It reaches remarkable architectural achievements and wide literary and educational activities. An ancient author writes that Simeon built his great capital for 28 years, but the archaeological excavations prove that the town continued its development under the rule of his son- Petar. Probably in the 30th-40th years of the 10th century Preslav reached the peak of its magnificence and earned the name ‘Great’.It is curious, that in the writings of the Turks, which visited the Balkan peninsular at that time, Konstantinopol is called “Stambul”, but Preslav is called “The Great Stambul”.
Lunch at the open fields. Arrive at a famous monument from the 8th century- “The horseman of Madara”
 Highlights: The Madara Horseman is located in the north-east of Bulgaria, 20 km from the town of Shumen, near the village of Madara. The relief was cut in a vertical rock at 23 m during the 8th century. It measures 2.6 m in height and is 3.1 m wide at the base. The relief comprises a life-size horseman, a lion, a dog, and Greek inscriptions. The horseman is wearing a knee-length garment and is holding reigns in his left hand. With the right hand, he throws a spear at the lion lying by the horse’s front legs.The man’s right foot is thrust in a stirrup. A dog is runs behind the horse.
The image is believed to show the victorious khan Tervel. It bears resemblance to the scenes of triumph in eastern Iran and the artistic traditions of antiquity. The details of the relief mean it is likely of Proto-Bulgarian origin. The proto-Bulgarian inscriptions, written in Greek, announce events in Bulgarian-Byzantine relations under the rule of the khans Tervel, Khormisosh, and Omurtag during the 8th and 9th centuries. One of the inscriptions reveals the forceful abdication and exile of the Byzantine emperor Justinian in 705. Having managed to escape, Justinian sought help from the Bulgarians. Khan Tervel and his army helped him to recover the throne of Byzantium. In return, Tervel received honours and gifts, and recognition of the title of Caesar- Tsar, as well as land south of Hemus and an annual tax from Byzantium.
The Madara horseman is a part of the national history and archaeology reserve of Madara. It was once connected with the large worship complex of heathen temples, palaces and houses, and other premises, built by khan Omurtag on the Madara rock terrace. At the rock base, there is also a large cave called the Nymphs’ Cave, where the Thracians worshiped their deities in ancient times. Scientist have found many prehistoric cult figures and tablets dedicated to the three local nymphs, Zeus, Heracles, Dionysius, Cibbela, the Thracian Horseman-hero Heros, etc. The Madara horseman is the only rock relief in Europe dated back to the early Middle Ages. The Rider of Madara is a unique example of the Bulgarian mediaeval art. It is included in the UNESCO list of cultural monuments with world significance.
Dinner in the open fields, overnight in tents.  About 45 km riding.
Day 8 Breakfast at the campsite. We ride from the “Horseman of Madara” to the first Bulgarian capital- Pliska - about 15 km.
Highlights:
Two centuries after the founding of the  Bulgarian Kingdom 681 to 893 AD, Pliska has been the main political, military, cultural and economical center of the country. Pliska is also one of the most impressive monuments of European Medieval architecture. Its outer town is surrounded with moats and covers 23 sq km. The old Bulgarians had a preference for the plains to build settlements as they were steppe people. The explorers of the ancient capital have noticed three stages in its building:
I.                   The Palace of Khan Krum is one of the most remarkable monuments of the first stage. It was supplied by secret tunnels which allowed the people to leave the town unnoticed. The Palace had a large water storage system and baths- very modern for that time.
II.                 The huge buildings of the second stage are connected to the name Khan Omurtag, who made enormous efforts to make Pliska one of the biggest East-European centers. The Big Palace is the best preserved edifice of the internal town. The palace is 52 meters long and 26 meters wide. The Small Palace is one of the most imposing buildings in the Citadel being much more exquisite and richly decorated. In Pliska there were innovations such as heating systems, bathrooms with complicated installations, and windows with glass.
III.              The third stage could be described as the period of the early-Christian buildings with impressive measures. The Great Basilica is the most remarkable of them. With its 2920 square metres it was the largest Christian church on the Balkan Peninsula for its time. The imposing three-nave basilica was 100 metres long and 30 metres wide. It was in the centre of a monastery complex of sophisticated architecture. Pliska is the town where the Christian faith was adopted as an official religion of the Bulgarian people in the 9th century. In the year 886 Prince Boris I received the disciples of the creators of the Slav Alphabet- the brothers Cyril and Methodius.
Lunch in the open fields. Transportation by car back to the stable in Sevlievo. Dinner and a farewell party in a cozy family hotel.
Day 9   Breakfast in the hotel. Visit some local landmarks, depending on your departure time. Transfer to Sofia Airport for your flight.