Historical sites and Border Tour

Historical sites and Border Tour - Trip Overview

• Journey through 2000 years of Wild Bulgaria’s fascinating history.
• Visit ancient thracian ruins, cave monasteries, roman fortresses, burial mounds, battlefields.
• Our local English speaking tour guides have exceptional local knowledge.
• Bulgaria boasts the best biodiversity in Europe, low industrial pollution and is still relatively unexplored.

EXCURSION ITINERARY

Join us on our exciting and informative historical border tour, covering a distance of 60km –our tour starts in the picturesque village of Planinova. In Roman times the road connecting Europe and Asian Minor passed through this region. Along this route are many examples of the rich biodiversity and lack of industry that Bulgaria boasts, beautiful picturesque scenes, dense forests and babbling mountain streams. There are plenty of photographic opportunities along the way to fill your family holiday scrapbook.

We first drive south-west through an area famous for it’s fruit trees and also pass through the Dervishka Mogila nature reserve(7km), we then turn drive south to Studena village a short distance of 7km away. The next 2 villages on the way are called Sladun and Varnik and we travel 14kms covering this distance. Along the way our guide will regale you with famous tales, myths and legends about this mysterious country. The next village we come to on our trip is Matochina, a village known for it’s abundance of the herb lemon balm. This is our first archaeological stop of the tour – where you’ll be able to stretch your legs, walk around, pose for photographs, stop for refreshments and eat some snacks! Before we enter the village, we will cross a high wire fence! In the past, this fence was electric! Close to this village, on the border between Bulgaria and Turkey is the 'Bukelon Fortress'! The fortress was constructed during Roman epoch and was used and reconstructed during the centuries. In 387 near Bukelon a big battle between Emperor Valent’s troops and the Goths was held. It ended up in total defeat of the Roman army and the Emperor perished in the battle. We then drive 5km offroad to get to Sladun Village. Our next stop is the Stone church near Matochina! This medieval cave church dates from the 10th century and is named after the Epiphany, it was in use until the mid-20th century. The cave church lies 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) southwest of the village. It is a rectangular room with an arch carved out of the rock. Next stop of our tour is the village of Mihalich( 9km) then we turn back to Studena(8km), Dervish mogila(7km) and finally back to Planinovo.

HISTORICAL SITES AND BORDER TOUR - PHOTO GALLERY