Dancing adventure - tour the unique folk dances of Bulgaria (with taste and spirit, yeehoo!) - 15 days

15 days / 14 overnights on FB – May 28^th – June 11^th 2019
Magnificent sceneries… fine sand beaches, sea and sun… beautiful mountains and pristine natural places… pure water… delicious food, remarkable wines and spirits… authentic native hospitality… beautiful folk dances, unique in rhythm and sound… lots of fun all the time…
This is the tour!
Bulgaria is World famous for its folklore and unmatched variety of folk dances. It is quite common on various occasions the Bulgarians to stand up and dance having fun, trying to give the best of themselves, instead of just sitting and watching for fun the dancers to perform.
Be part of this adventure!
Sure you can! Taaa – Taaa – Ta-ta… Yeehoo! :)

Program details:
1^st day (Shopi ethnographic area)
Overnight in *** hotel in Sofia
We start the day meeting our instructor-choreographers for about 2 hours.  The training is focused on two of the most widely known Bulgarian folk dances – Ra-che-‘ni-ca and ’Pra-vo Ho-‘ro. Lunch follows, and then a walking tour and some free time in the capital Sofia. The day ends with dinner at a traditional Bulgarian restaurant with a folklore show program.

2^nd day (Northern ethnographic district)
Overnight in *** hotel in Arbanasi or Veliko Tarnovo
We depart to the old capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom – Tarnovo and the outstanding town-museum of Arbanasi. In both places there will be sightseeing and free time. The training presents the beautiful E-’le-ni-no Ho-‘ro.

3^rd day (Dobrudzha ethnographic region)
Overnight in *** hotel in Sts. Constantine and Helen resort or Albena
After breakfast we are going to the Northern part of the Black Sea coast. We will visit Varna – the third biggest town in Bulgaria, also known as the sea capital of the country.  The same day we visit the magnificent Aladzha Monastery – one of the few cave monasteries in Bulgaria. The dance of the day is ’Sbo-ren-ka.

4^th day (Dobrudzha ethnographic region)
Overnight in *** hotel in Sts. Constantine and Helen resort or Albena
We are not touring – just a day to enjoy the fine sand beach, sea and sun. We will have a repetition of all the dances we learned till the day and get a bonus dance from the area, the easy and enjoyable – ‘Var-nen-sko Ho-’ro.

5^th day (Thracian ethnographic area, Strandzha sub-region)
Overnight in *** hotel in Sozopol
We are moving south to the romantic and artistic ancient town of Sozopol. We’ll have fun along the cobblestone streets of the old town and its bustling beaches. Here we learn the Thracian Ra-che-‘ni-tsa (a bit different from the one you know from day 1 - you’ll have to tell the difference).

6^th day (Thracian ethnographic area, Strandzha sub region)
Overnight in *** hotel in Sinemorets
In the morning we depart further down south to the small village of Bulgari in The Strandzha Mountains. This is the only place where the barefoot dance on smoldering embers called “nestinari” is still performed as a ritual in its almost authentic form. During the day we will repeat the dances we already know, out in the open air. We will have the opportunity to witness the ritual activities around the celebrations dedicated to Sts. Constantine and Helen and to dance together with local people. In the evening we will have a unique experience watching the authentic nestinari dance.

7^th day (Rhodopе ethnographic area)
Overnight in *** hotel in Ivaylovgrad
Heading towards the town of Ivaylovgrad, we will pass through the Thracian beehive tomb at the village of Mezek. It is the largest and one of the most impressive tombs of Mycenaean type in Bulgaria, famous for the remarkable archaeological find – a bronze sculpture of a wild boar in natural size. We will have the opportunity to taste some outstanding Bulgarian wines at the Katarzhina wine cellar, which will help us learn easily the next dance in our tour from the Rhodope area – ’Svor-na-to Ho-‘ro.

8^th day (Thracian ethnographic area)
Overnight in *** hotel in Plovdiv
We get a break from the dance training and visit 3 significant places: an exquisite architectural monument from the Roman era – villa Armira; the archaeological complex of Perperikon – one of the most ancient monumental megalithic structures, entirely carved into the rocks, where the famous Temple of Dionysius is located; the Bachkovo Monastery – one of the largest and oldest East Orthodox monasteries in Europe dated back to the 11^th century AD.

9^th day (Thracian ethnographic area)
Overnight in *** hotel in Plovdiv
The day is dedicated to Plovdiv – the oldest city in Europe and second biggest Bulgarian town. Remains of ancient, medieval, National Revival and modern culture coexist and are interwoven into the unobtrusive, irresistible and eternal beauty of this city. During the training we will learn a new dance – Pai-‘dush-ko Ho-‘ro.

10^th day (Pirin ethnographic area)
Overnight in Bezbog, Vihren or Yavorov hut
We will enjoy The Pirin Mountains. First we will visit Bansko ski resort and then go up the mountain. There will be walking tours, hiking and open air dance trainings. It is time to start learning some extraordinarily beautiful dances from the Pirin area like Dzhan-‘gu-ri-tsa and ‘Ma-le-shev-sko Ho-‘ro.

11^th day (Pirin ethnographic area)
Overnight in Bezbog, Vihren or Yavorov hut
We have the same program as the previous day.

12^th day (Shopi ethnographic area)
Overnight in *** hotel in Koprivshtitsa
Departure to Koprivstitsa – an authentic village from the Bulgarian National Revival period.
Nestled in the foot of The Sredna Gora Mountains, the village charms with its picturesque ornamented old houses and their large eaves, stone fences and wide wooden gates. Learning Chet-‘vor-no Ho-‘ro.

13^th day (Thracian ethnographic area)
Overnight in *** hotel in Hisarya
Again, the day will be a mixture of sightseeing and dancing.  We will start with Starosel – the Thracian temple complex, which is the oldest ever found Royal Thracian complex with a mausoleum. Then we continue to Hisarya – a town founded in 4^th – 3^rd century BC, famous for its healing mineral waters. After that we will visit the most significant tombs in The Valley of The Thracian Kings.
The last new dance will be ‘Tri-te ‘Pa-ti.

14^th day (Thracian ethnographic area) –
Overnight in 3***hotel in Hisarya
Trainings, SPA and relax. Repetition of all dances.

15^th day – June 11 ^th
Arrival in Sofia and transfer to the airport for the return flights.

Overnights in Bezbog, Vihren or Yavorov huts could be in rooms with shared bathrooms.

This tour provides the opportunity to observe the unique Bulgarian ritual and dance called "nestinari", which is held on June 3^rd

The tour is amusing – it is a good opportunity to have an active vacation with some daily dance exercises. All dances are taught on-site in the region, which they are native to and combined with sightseeing the most remarkable natural, historical and archaeological landmarks. The program is suitable for all ages and requires no previous dance experience.

Price per person in a double room:
In a small group (4 – 8 tourists) – 3266 Euro / 6,388 BGN
In a medium group (9 – 15 tourists) – 2,760 Euro / 5,399 BGN
In a big group (16 – 40 tourists) – 2,530 Euro / 4,949 BGN

Supplement for single accommodation 450 Euro

Prices include:
Transport according to itinerary, transfers from/to Sofia airport, English/Spanish speaking guide and guided assistance throughout, professional choreographer, professional musician, 14 overnights based on FB (breakfast, lunch and dinner), all entrance fees.

Prices DO NOT include:
Flight tickets, drinks, tips and personal expenses.

Booking terms:
500 Euro for reservation;
The rest of the sum (according to the group size) is payable 20 days before arrival date.

Individual and tailor-made tours are available upon request. Please, contact us for details!
Guided service in other languages is available upon request. Please, contact us for details!

All videos are produced by Bulg Folk