04/02/2013

At the most magical, east part of Rhodopa Mountain we found farm Ecoagrobio. Behind the complicated name is something very simple – one man’s dream. Living up in the mountain in a natural rhythm and surrounded by pristine beauty is what Georgi has wished for ever since he can remember. And here he is today, proud owner of a farm in the village of Chernichino. In 2007 Georgi decided to take care of an endangered species, Rhodopa short-horned ox, the oldest aboriginal breed in Europe. For a…

21/01/2013

PlanaKon is a horse riding center located in the heart of Plana Mountain – in the Valley of Planstitsa River, only 35 km away from Sofia. Plana is a small Mountain at the foot of the bigger, Vitosha Mountain. The landscape of Plana is fascinating – it is covered by mixed forests and glades, showered with flowers and fresh grass. In the past the area was covered by century old beech forests but with time they have been lumbered and now only few of the giant trees have survived. The forests now are…

28/12/2012

The Wild Farm is located in the village of Gorno Pole in the Eastern Rhodope Mountains in Bulgaria. This family-run farm is managed by Blagovesta (Betty) and Nikolay Vasilevs. The family raises some 500 heads of cattle from two local breeds –the Rhodope gray and the Rhodope shorthorn cattle (both protected breeds). They also have sheep, horses and bee hives. Betty and Nikolay apply only traditional farming practices in their farm, and they have devoted their lives to developing the Wild…

11/12/2012

A friend told us there was a small horse farm very close to Sofia, about 25 km away. All of us adore horses, but almost no one has one – breeding is hard and very expensive. So we are excited like little children when we arrive at the farm, a lovely family house with a beautiful garden, and a few Karakachan dogs living in the backyard. To our surprise there is also a pigeon-cage, accordingly inhabited. All the animals are pure Bulgarian breeds, including the pigeons; they are called “kabatci”, a special…