Did you ever think you could spend all your holidays on two wheels? Well not 100 per cent of the time of course – a bus will load your bike (or the bike that you will use for the forthcoming few days) from Sofia and will unload it in the foot of the mountain range that you choose to conquer, or near the next gorgeous part of lovely Bulgaria. From there on, it will be you, your mechanical vehicle and your backpack.
As you are reading this, the guides of Bikearea – the organisation that came up with several routes for two-wheeled adventures – have packed up and left for Sredna Gora (Middle forest mountain, situated in central Bulgaria, between Stara Planina and Gornotrakiiska nizina). The bus dropped the guides and tourists in Koprivshtitsa, the picturesque little village that is the best cultural and ethnographic tourism site. From there, they are embarking on a three-day 50km bike tour, which will take them through Koprivshtitsa, the Sredna Gora ridge and Thracian graveyards in Starosel and Kozi gramadi.
If that sounds like something you’d like to do, you can join them on the their next trip on June 29 – July 1. This trip will explore Osogovo mountain on the Macedonian boarder. There, you can climb up 750m in altitude on your bike, covering 57km over three days on only forest paths and tracks. Staying at the highest point of Osogovo mountain, you have the choice of spending the night in the mountain hut, named after the mountain, or to pitch a tent under the sky. Or maybe even just sleep under the stars; its warm outside!
Now, if you’re feeling very fit, pack your bigger backpack and prepare for a very special 10 days in the Rhodopes. The trip is called Rhodopea and promises “10 days, that you won’t forget”. On this tour, Bikearea will be crossing the Rhodopes on a route connecting the protected areas in this mountain range. “On this way we have the opportunity to touch to eight reserves and 28 protected zones, showcasing the unique Bulgarian natural heritage,” the organisers said. The route also passes through Perperikon, various rivers, waterfalls and the dam lakes Studen kladenets and Ivailovgrad, nestled in the heart of the Rhodopi. If you choose to spend your holidays this way, be prepared for the entire 370km on your bike. The tour dates are July 7 to July 16.
The next trip is from July 19 to July 22 and will take the more sport-active tourists to the high-mountain lakes of Beglika and Shiroka polyana. Here, the cyclists will have the opportunity to also enjoy the virgin nature of the West Rhodopes, a few of the other water reservoirs in the neighbourhood and the biosphere reserves of Mantaitsa and Beglika. The trip covers a distance of 82km, which is a bit more than 20km a day.
At the southern-western Bulgarian border you’ll find another medium-sized mountain – the Belasitsa. It is very near the western foot of the Pirin mountain. If you’d like to try your new mountain bike there, the dates for Bikearea’s trip to Belasitsa are July 26 to 29. From Sofia, they will take you to a mountain hut above Petrich from where will start your biking holiday. It will continue to the hills above Struma river, near Kresna and also to Vlahi village. Belasitsa is not such a well known Bulgarian destination and therefore quite untouched by human hands. It’s highest peak – Radomir peak - is 2029m and you will have the option to climb it. Nearby there are some unique and interesting volcanic rock formations that you can explore.
In August Bikearea is offering four more three to five-days trips in the Rila, Rhodope and Pirin mountains, covering the regions of Belmeken (“where Rila meets the Rhodopes”), the Arda springs and birth place of famous Bulgaria folklore singer Valya Balkanska, the picturesque region of Kovachevitsa village in the Western Rhodopes, which is an architectural reserve, several caves and “the forgotten villages of South Pirin”.
September starts for bike-lovers with the route “from Maritsa to the Black Sea” over the border paths of the Sakar and Strandja mountains, which will take place during the first nine days of the month and will end with four days rest in the Sinemorets Black Sea coast area.
During this month, Bikearea also will take groups to Greece – Kapadokiya (September 23-28) and to Thassos island (September 13-16). In October there will be two more tours in Bulgaria, in Stara Planina and in the Rhodopes, after which bike-lovers will say good-bye to the autumn forest and prepare their equipment for the winter season in the city.
The adventures that Bikearea organises combine interesting natural and cultural landmarks and they are oriented towards exploring a certain region, therefore many nights are spent in the same starting point. It is your decision whether you sleep in a mountain hut or your own tent. The organisers define the planned routes as of medium difficulty, and they usually take forest paths and rarely used small asphalt roads. A minimum number of eight people is needed to run each trip – so what are you waiting for?
During the trips, Bikearea provides supporting transport for luggage and bicycle spare parts, and in case you don’t own a bike or a tent, those could be provided for you as well on your request. For more information about prices and exact routes go to www.bikearea.org.
