Penguin Travel Office Denmark: Frederiksberg Alle 32, 1820 Frederiksberg C, Tlf. 33 21 51 00; Fax 33 21 51 50; e-mail: [email protected]

Dossier Ref. BGHR_03 Horseriding Holidays Rides Issued: January 2007

Horse riding in Bulgaria: from/to ferent characters. Do you really want to explore Bulgaria - do it on a horseback. Highlights reachable on a one day excur- It’s simply one of the best ways to expe- Iskar Ranch sion (not included): rience the country and the people. On the - Rila Mountains are the highest in Bulgaria horseback you will gain knowledge of the and on the whole Balkan Peninsula with Mount nature, flora and fauna, historical sights, Musala - 2925 m a.s.l. They occupy the prestig- architecture etc. You will pass through ious 6-th place in the European “classification”, the most fantastic landscapes and you preceded by Caucasus, the Alps, Sierra Nevada, will have the most impressious views. And the Pyrenees and the Etna volcano. at the same time you will meet the peo- - Borovets (30 km) well known skiing resort in ple were they are in the country side: In a Borovets the Rila Mountains with cable lift up to 2500 m harmony between nature – horses and the and starting point for hiking in the mountains. famous – still existing – Bulgarian hospi- Mount Musala - Bird watching in some of the neighbour- tality. ing territories in the Rila Mountains (for watch- ing Black and Syrian Woodpeckers, Red-backed Riding Holiday on Iskar Ranch Rila Mountains Shrikes, Crested Tits, Goldcrests and Firecrests, Do you dream of a vacation, being taken Nutcrackers etc.) Whole day excursion: Birding care of you from the arrival to the depar- for departure. You will have a riding guide from in Rila Mountains – 1 person: 750 DKK or 100 ture and your biggest worry is whether Riding base Balkan through the trail with good EUR; 2-4 persons 490 DKK or 65 EUR per person you have little bit of extra space for the knowledge of English. (including transfers and guiding, excluding food). dessert? Here the whole family is togeth- - GT: Group tours: The only difference is the This special day excursion has to be pre-booked er with the horses and nature. At Iskar group consists of mostly Danish riders. so that we can secure you a guide specialist. Ranch, there are many possibilities to ex- - Rila Monastery (130 km - the biggest and plore the big area either on horseback or Difficulty grades: 1-2-3 most popular Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. horse cart. Experience the animal life at This riding holiday is a different way to explore Lies in the very Rila Mountains, at 1,147 meters the closest touch or just relax on the dam’s the country, its nature and culture. It is intended above sea level. It is the most popular tourist coastline, while the kids amuse themselves for those of you who want to change the riding site among all monasteries in Bulgaria equally for in the calm water. Housing at Iskar Ranch grounds or the short Saturday riding tour with its size, natural surroundings, architecture, wall is nice and cosy and the kitchen serve the riding in the wild nature of South-Eastern Europe paintings and ancient history. The monastery typical Bulgarian village cuisine. A stay at in a tempo which suits you best. The daily rides was declared a national historical monument in Iskar Ranch is a real family vacation even will be organized with challenges suiting you ex- 1976, while in 1983 it was inscribed in UNESCO’s if some family members are not enthusi- perience. A different skill grade is necessary for list of world heritage. astic about horse-riding, but are fonder of the various tours. Here is a short description of - Sofia (60 km) - The capital of Bulgaria. Found- a photo safari or simply prefer walking to the difficulty grades we operate with: ed seven thousand years ago, Sofia is the second riding. 1. For all those who have no or just a little ex- oldest city in Europe. It has been given several Season: All year perience. names in the course of history and the remnants 2. For those with experience relevant to 1-2 of the old cities can still be seen today. Near So- years of a riding school. You should have tried fia lies Boyana church, which is one of the most the different paces and individual tours in the valuable memorials of Bulgarian and European open fields. culture. The church boasts frescoes, acclaimed 3. You have several years of experience and you by specialists as “the best examples of eastern are well-trained in riding in all paces, on chal- mediaeval art during its twelve century history”. lenging terrains and you can ride horses with dif- Further: sightseeing, shopping, market, opera

DEPARTURES 2006 Every Saturday upon request

Group size: Min 2

Tour type: IT+/IG/GT Our tours are divided in different tour types, re- gardless of being guided or not or if someone travels alone or in a group. We have prepared your vacation so that you can concentrate on new impressions and experiences, awaiting you all the time. Here is a description of this tour: - IT+: Individual tours with a guide: There is a local guide provided for the days of your stay. In this particular tour you will be met by a rep- resentative - IG: International group tours: Multi-national tours with a guide accompanying you through- out the whole trip, meeting you at the airport upon arrival and leaving you at the airport again

1/3 ٠ [email protected] ٠ www.penguin.dk ٠ Fax 33 21 51 50 ٠ To book please call 33 21 51 00 Penguin Travel Office Denmark: Frederiksberg Alle 32, 1820 Frederiksberg C, Tlf. 33 21 51 00; Fax 33 21 51 50; e-mail: [email protected]

Dossier Ref. BGHR_03 BULGARIA Horseriding Holidays Iskar Rides Issued: January 2007

PERSONAL EXPENSES As you can see from the itinerary it is possible to stay in Iskar Rach with just a few pocket money. You’ll need money for your drinking only and to buy excursions on spot if you intend to go out of the ranch during the week. Then you will need some extra money to cover car transports and entrance fees. Additional money for souve- nirs and personal things could also be spent in that case. That is why it is always necessary to have Bulgarian money in cash. Last chance to exchance money is in the airport of Sofia. Please remember that this tour is bringing you to rural Bulgaria. The payments in Bulgaria are usually made in “LEV” (BGN), which is the official curren- cy. The exchange rate with EU and USD is quite changing sometimes, but approximately it is: BGN:EU - 2:1; BGN:USD - 1,6-1. As for the Dan- ish krone the rate of exchange is approximately: BGN:DKK – 1:4. Credit Cards can not be used on this tour (Credit Cards can be used primarily in some shops and restaurants in the biggest cities. Usually it is marked on their front doors if Credit Cards are accepted. Cash Points (“bankomates”) are more frequent - again in the biggest towns and theatre. riding tours could be combined with picnics in only!). Traveler’s cheques take quite a lot of time - (110 km) is the second largest Bul- the woods, campfires etc. Just tell the guide your to handle and not each bank deals with them (in garian city and the cultural capital of Europe wish and it will become a reality! many cases it takes even few days since their for 1999. The Rennaissance town of Old Plov- Other options are the visits to some places of deposition in the bank!) - thus they are not rec- div was built during the 19-th century. Today it interest in the shape of one-day trips. We rec- ommended! has survived as a unique architectural ensemble ommend excursions to: Sofia, Rila Monastery or on the three hills. The Old Plovdiv is declared Borovets. Here are some examples of comparative costs in an architectural museum reserve with over 150 /B+L+P+LP+D/ Bulgaria (NB: prices in mid-range restaurants!): monuments of culture - houses from the National - Coffee - 0,25 € Revival period. Day 8. In the morning farewell breakfast and - Tea - 0,25 € ITINERARY saying goodbye to the horses and the guides - Beer (0,5 l) - 0,5 € Day 1. After welcoming you at Plovdiv Airport you will put the end of this journey. Then you will be - Soft drink (0,5 l) - 0,3-0,6 € will be transferred to Iskar Ranch (110 km). This transferred to the Airport for departure. - Bottle of water (0,5 l) - 0,3-0,6 € is the place where you will spend the biggest part /B/ - Bottle of mark red wine (0,75 l) - 5-8 € of your stay. - Three-course lunch - 3-5 € /D/ ACCOMMODATION - Lunch pack - 2-2,5 € The stay in Iskar Ranch is based on 7 nights Day 2-7. The first morning the ridig guide will with full board as per above. (B = breakfast; L take you to the stables and together you will = Lunch; LP =Lunch package; P = Picnic, D = choose your horse for the week. Usually you ride Dinner). In one of the two lodges on the ranch 2 back to lodge for lunch and after a rest you ride rooms are sharing private facilities – in the other go out riding in the territory of the ranch. On a one all 4 double rooms have private facilities. normal day you ride out 2-3 hours in the morning and 2-3 hours in the afternoon. You ride within THE RANCH the territory of the Iskar Ranch in coniferous and Iskar Ranch is situated 60 km south from Sofia broad-leaved woods among numerous grazing and spreads over 4000 ha with big open mead- flocks of Red deer, Fallow-deer, Roe deer, Wild ows, fields, a forest and a small lake. Nearest boar (really amazing experience!). One day you town is about 20 km from the ranch. maybe prefer to stay at the little private lake and You ride the whole week within the ranch. The have you lunch there. Another day you may wish ranch itself is like a big playing ground for riders to go photo hunting from a horse back. … All the - no cars, nearly no asphalt, lots of natural paths and plenty of nice horses. Enjoy yourself with big nature experiences in a large, wild and nice rid- ing world. Is just like riding your own horse. Iskar Ranch has more than 30 horses: East-Bulgarian half-breeds, Hanover and Arabic horses. They are well-trained, patient and calm. Saddling is Western and military type.

TERRAIN The area of Iskar Ranch is flat and low hilly, providing opportunities for both riding through woods and also for galloping on the meadows.

2/3 ٠ [email protected] ٠ www.penguin.dk ٠ Fax 33 21 51 50 ٠ To book please call 33 21 51 00 Penguin Travel Office Denmark: Frederiksberg Alle 32, 1820 Frederiksberg C, Tlf. 33 21 51 00; Fax 33 21 51 50; e-mail: [email protected]

Dossier Ref. BGHR_03 BULGARIA Horseriding Holidays Iskar Rides Issued: January 2007

- Nessebar, - small towns (founded by the ancient Greeks) with picturesque Old Quar- ters and a specific atmosphere. - Lozenets - a peaceful small village with a beautiful beach. Only 4-5 km from the forests of the Strandzha Mountains where you can go walking or biking.

ABOUT BULGARIA Internet country code - .bg Time zone – UTC/GMT + 2 hrs. (summer time). Territory - 110 912 sq. km. Population - 7 538 000 (2003) Capital city - Sofia (1 182 698 people in 1992) Biggest towns - Plovdiv, Varna, Bourgas, Rouse, , , Mountains - 37 (biggest - Balkan Mountain: length - ~ 550 km.; width - ~ 30-60 km.); (highest - Rila Mountain - peak Musala - 2 925 m.a.s.l.) Boundaries - N - Romania; E - Black Sea (coast- line 378 km.); W - Yugoslavia, Macedonia; S - Greece, Turkey; Distribution of the lands - 0 - 400 m.a.s.l. - 59,8 %; 400 - 1000 m.a.s.l. - 27,6 %; 1000 - 2000 Tipping. It is common in Bulgaria to tip for serv- + 40 or even + 45 C). Noontime in July-August m.a.s.l. - 11,9 %; over 2000 m.a.s.l. - 0,7 % ice in restaurants, hotels, taxis etc. (5-10%). In could sometimes be quite hot over open terri- Mean year temperature - + 10,5 °C (Abs. Min. some restaurants you’ll find an extra service fee tories. Rainfalls or short but heavy showers are - -38,3 °C ; Abs. Max. - + 45,2 °C) on the bill. Eventual tipping the staff is at your possible, being a bit prolonged during spring and Mean rainfall per year - 416 - 650 mm. in the own discretion. late autumn. lowlands; 650 - 1193 mm. in the highlands Protected areas - 3 national parks, 10 nature EQUIPMENT AND CLOTHING EXTENSIONS parks, 55 reserves, 35 managed reserves, over Hard-toed boots with a medium heel; repellent Yes, e.g. The Black Sea Coast. 350 protected areas and 500 natural monu- (for mosquitoes, flies and ticks); riding pants or This is a unique proposal, which gives you the ments jeans ; gloves for hand protection; riding helmet; opportunity to stay in Bulgaria for one week rain gear; lightweight windproof riding jacket; more an incredibly low price! Penguin Travel can This trip dossier is made with the best intentions hat or cap for sun protection; sunglasses with UV offer a great variety of means of accommoda- to inform you properly in advance about what protection; sunscreen lotion and lip balm. Towel tion - from home stays (no meals) to 2, 3 and you can expect. But things changes, unforeseen if you want to swim in the lake. Detailed packing 4-star hotels (BB or HB) on the Bulgarian Black situations can occur and Iskar Ranch keeps the list will be provided prior to departure. Sea Coast: right to carry out the tour in the best and safest - Sunny Beach - a big modern resort with way. If you need further information pls. don’t HEALTH INSURANCE & VACCINATION hundreds of hotels, cafes, pubs, casinos, water- hesitate to contact us. All riders must be in possession of a health in- sports facilities etc. surance valid for riding in the mountains. For vaccinations we recommend that you check for latest requirements with your doctor or health clinic. Some medical sources recommend vaccine against hepatitis A+B, diphtheria, thyfoid, tick borne encephalitis travelling in certain areas of Eastern Europe, at specific times of the year.

PASSPORT & VISA EU citizens are allowed to entry Bulgaria without visa and stay as tourists for up to 90 days. It is recommended that your passport is valid at least up to 3 month longer than you plan to stay in Bulgaria. Other nationalities/ types of passports: Please contact nearest Bulgarian Embassy for re- quirements. Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Denmark: +45 39 64 24 80 (information about visa). In UK: +44 (020) 7584 9400 (Consular section).

WEATHER Temperatures expected for the period May-Octo- ber are between + 15 and +35C (rarely reaching

3/3 ٠ [email protected] ٠ www.penguin.dk ٠ Fax 33 21 51 50 ٠ To book please call 33 21 51 00