Bulgaria: Realm of the Brown Bear

The trip was absolutely wonderful. Julian Perry is so enthusiastic and so so knowledgeable about the wildlife and flowers of the Rodopi mountains it is impossible not to have a great great holiday. The hotel is comfy and the food is delicious and Mari and her team can’t do enough to make sure you enjoy your stay.

Enjoyed all aspects of holiday, accommodation and hotel staff, excellent and friendly guide, welcoming local people, beautiful countryside, interesting facts on Bear , Wolf and other wildlife presence.

This was a wonderful walking holiday with the added bonus of following the "theme" of the bears which live in the Rodopi mountain area. The walks were Moderate, but Julian led at a relaxing pace to ensure that we could explore the beauty of the flower meadows, butterflies and other wildlife. The hotel in the village of Yagodina was brilliant, with substantial and varied local cuisine, rooms to a good quality, and freindly staff. Despite four evening vists to the bear hide (we were only a small group) we didn't actually see any bears, but finding signs of them during the walks, such as footprints, marking treees, etc made us really feal that they were probably "behind you" all the time! Overall, a peaceful, relaxing and rewarding walking holiday.

Very enjoyable trip, excellent guide and guiding, great exploration of local flora, fauna and foods.

This trip was even more that the brochure suggests. Every day was an experience and adventure, every mountain trail an education and sometimes a challenge. A really great opportunity to experience nature at its best!

If you enjoy walking in pristine mountains , are interested in bears in particular , wildlife in general and eating local food then this is the trip for you

We enjoyed our week with Julian down in the Rodolpi Mountains, trekking the hills and meadows, on the lookout for the wildlife of the region. We loved it all. The landscape (sort of alpine-esque) is gentle in places and vigorous in others. Every day the walks took us to new areas and vistas. People have impressions of what Bulgaria is going to look and feel like and this week resets those expectations completely. We summoned up the energy to head to the hide a couple of times and loved it there - a real "in the moment" way to spend three hours. The hotel was welcoming and comfortable with ample delicious local specialties to fuel our efforts. Travelling in September we were surprised by how many flowers were still out, the butterflies and insects, the huge range of funghi, not to mention the very varied bird and mammal life of all sizes. There was the familiar, and the new, at every corner.

From sitting in a hide observing a glittering night time scene , to searching for Chamois from a hillside viewpoint , this trip encapsulates the world of the Brown Bear explained by the expert Julian Perry . He leads the group across an outstandingly scenic mountain terrain and presents the techniques to track and record the presence of Brown Bears in a non-intrusive way . We were very adequately accommodated in a centre-based family run hotel from where we walked or were driven to local forestry trails and areas used by Bears. With a tremendous knowledge of the ecology of the region , the leader identified and enabled us to observe and photograph flora and fauna including many wildflowers , birds , reptiles , mammals , amphibians and insects.

Our base in a small, traditional village in the mountains was perfect for walks into the surrounding area. The biodiversity of the Rodopi mountains is amazing and our exceptionally knowledgeable leader helped us identify mammal scats and tracks, birds, reptiles, insects and plants, many of which were new to me. The walks were at a gentle pace, allowing plenty of time for photography.

This was a truly wonderful trip that combines hiking, wildlife and scientific research, in a unique blend of 'eco-research-tourism'. Exodus - please offer more tours like this!