Rural tourism

Rural tourism in Bulgaria originated in the mid-1980s in the region of Stoikite and Shiroka Luka in the Rhodope Mountains. Then the valley of the Upper Arda, the Elena and Troyan area were made famous. Currently, rural tourism is available in all regions of the country. In Thrace, it develops in Sredna gora and Sakar mountains, the villages around Plovdiv, Stara Zagora, Haskovo, Svilengrad and Yambol. Village tourists visit locals who live in a house with a garden. They have direct access to almost everything in the house and garden. They try the home-cooked and traditional cuisine of the farmers, often eating with them. They have the opportunity to become actively involved in the household and leave with a little mud under their nails. Resting in the countryside, tourists regain contact with the land, think more about organic food, interact with animals and plants. Thus, they enrich their knowledge of nature, and very often are guided in the immediate vicinity by their hosts. In rural tourism, services are much more personal and friendly. There are no large groups, no strict program, travel is an exciting experience.