Hidden Villages - Kovachevitsa and Leshten + Narrow Gauge Train Journey for 2 Days!

An exciting adventure through the hidden villages in the Western Rhodopes for 2 days!

Travel by narrow gauge train, stroll through beautiful Bulgarian villages frozen in time...

Narrow Gauge Train September-Avramovo Station - Bansko - Kovachevitsa - Leshten + hidden element

Price from Burgas: 112€ (104€ with included mountain insurance for holders of the Eliteclub DIAMOND card)

Price from Varna: 119€ (111€ with included mountain insurance for holders of the Eliteclub DIAMOND card)

See more about the Eliteclub Cards here: ELITECLUB

This adventure participates in the game "Every 13th trip is on us" - you can read more here.

A guide from Info Point will accompany you during the trip. A transfer bus with comfortable seats.

Total route length from Burgas 900km, from Varna 1160km

From this excursion, you can collect the following number of stamps from the 100 National Tourist Sites: 1 pc

• Difficulty level: 1 out of 10 - The rating is subjective and is based on the accumulated experience during the excursion. For example: 10 is the highest level of difficulty with the most strain (like climbing Mount Vihren), 1 is without transition and additional physical exertion.

Day I

07:30 - 12:00
Departure from Burgas to the September station with a short break along the way;

12:36 - 15:30
Exciting journey by the narrow gauge train September-Avramovo;

15:45 - 16:45
Arrival in Bansko and heading to the hotel;

17:00
Check-in at the hotel and free time in Bansko.

Opportunity for an organized dinner for an additional fee

Day II

07:30
Check-out from the hotel

08:30 - 09:30
Departure for the village of Leshten

09:30 - 10:30
Exploring the village and time for photos

12:00 - 12:30
Departure for the village of Kovachevitsa

11:00 - 14:30
Free time for lunch and exploring the village

14:30 - 21:30
Departure for Burgas and Varna + 2.5 hours

Description of the visited sites:

Narrow Gauge Train September - Dobrinishte
Experience the romance comparable to a "journey" back in time on the only functioning railway line with a gauge of 760 mm in Bulgaria, namely the September - Velingrad - Dobrinishte line!
The narrow gauge train September - Velingrad - Dobrinishte is part of the Guide to European Railway Timetables published by the German Railways (DB). The guide presents the most interesting railway lines in Europe.
The narrow gauge line is a total length of 124.7 km. It connects the Thracian Plain, the Rhodopes, Rila, and Pirin. From September to Velingrad, the line passes through the Chepinska River gorge. Here, passengers can enjoy the wild beauty and unique nature. The line crosses the Chepinsko basin and heads towards the Avramovo saddle, which separates Rila and the Rhodopes. Here is also the highest station on the Balkan Peninsula - Avramovo station, at an altitude of 1267 m above sea level. From there, along the Mesta River, the narrow gauge train reaches the Razlog basin, at the foot of Pirin, where its final station is Dobrinishte.
The average speed of the narrow gauge train along the route is 40 km/h.

Kovachevitsa
Kovachevitsa rises at 1000 meters above sea level in the Western Rhodopes. It belongs to the municipality of Garmen, about 25 km from the town of Gotse Delchev. The village is located in the basin of the Kanina River, better known as the Bloody River. The climate is gentle to the locals, as winter is relatively mild, and summer is pleasant and cool. The population today is only 50 people, but fortunately, the depopulation of Bulgarian villages is not felt here to such an extent due to the large tourist flow.

The history of the mountain village is indeed impressive. There has been life in these lands since ancient times. Finds from the burial mound in the Rudarya area from the late Iron Age and the Thracian sanctuary from the 1st millennium BC in the Kozia Kamak area are just a small part of the evidence of the rich historical past. North of Kovachevitsa, in the area of "St. Constantine", some of the most valuable national finds from the late 4th and early 3rd centuries BC have been discovered - the bronze helmet and bronze armor. Generally, the location of the land of Kovachevitsa in ancient times was strategic, as an ancient road connecting Nicopolis ad Nestum and Philippopolis passed nearby.

Leshten
The first thing that will greet you in the village of Leshten is the view of the houses perched on the steep slopes of the mountain, built in the Kovachevitsa architectural style. They still preserve the true spirit of the Bulgarian village.

Among the architectural monuments stand out the church "St. Paraskeva" from 1836 and the cell school. The frescoes of the church stand out with their bold strokes and bright colors. According to historical data from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Leshten is predominantly a Bulgarian village in the Nevrokop region.

Bansko
Bansko is located at the foot of Northern Pirin at an altitude of 927 m above sea level. It is 56 km from Blagoevgrad, 145 km from Plovdiv, and 150 km from Sofia. Near the town begins the Pirin National Park. The Glazne River flows through Bansko. The climate is mountainous and allows for snow cover from December to April, and the alpine character of the Pirin mountain provides excellent conditions for professional and amateur skiing. There is a station on the narrow gauge railway September - Dobrinishte. Southwest of the town, there are mineral waters.

The offer includes:

• Transportation with a licensed bus from Varna, Burgas, and Stara Zagora;
• Ticket for the Rhodope narrow gauge train;
• Guide from the agency during the trip;
• 1 overnight stay in a 2*/3* hotel;
• Travel insurance with a limit of 1000 BGN for persons up to 70 years old (people over 70 are not insured).

The offer does not include:

• Entrance fees for the visited sites
• Personal expenses
• Travel cancellation insurance (Covers the prepaid expenses under the contract for organized travel that cannot be refunded by the Tour Operator in case of events due to which the Insured cannot undertake the trip, up to the agreed limit.)
• Single accommodation in a hotel is charged an additional 20€ per night

Additional information:
*Possibility of departure from - Varna, Obzor, Sveti Vlas, Sunny Beach, Nessebar, Ravda, Aheloy, Pomorie, and Sarafovo

• Required documents – valid ID card;
• Registration and payment method: 50% deposit upon registration and signing a contract for organized tourist travel; remaining payment – up to 3 days before the departure date;
• Minimum number for the trip to take place – 15 full-paying tourists;
• Notification period for cancellation of the trip by the agency due to insufficient number of registered tourists – 3 days before the departure date.
• Seating in the bus is according to the order of registration;

For more information +359889150480