ESCORTED SMALL GROUP TOURS TO BULGARIA

The southeast European country of Bulgaria is often overlooked as a tour destination, as many travellers associate the entire Balkan region, including Bulgaria, with the unrest and violence that has permeated several of its countries’ histories. Though modern-day Bulgaria itself seldom makes headlines in this context, it is a country whose allure is constantly overshadowed by the chronic trouble that sporadically rears its head in the Balkans and whose abundant treasures of scenery, culture and people remain under a perpetual shroud because of it.

Dating from the seventh century and taking its name from the Bulgars, who first settled in the region, Bulgaria is a nation with a long and proud heritage, much of which is yet evident in the customs and traditions of the people and from the architectural remnants of long ago that remain dotted about the landscape. Reaching the pinnacle of its power and influence at the turn of the tenth century, Bulgaria declared war on the mighty Byzantine Empire in 924AD and was almost successful in achieving a victorious end, but was instead forced into subjugation, where it remained for more than a century and a half.