about a thousand kms fully guided
2 days on a bike
2 nights in a bed
2 countries
a million and a half corners
Any bike above 250cc welcome, adv or dual sport for the best experience
No prior experience on longer journeys necessary
BGN 400.00 with your bike
BGN 800-900 with a rental bike
Bookings open until 08.08.2025
Why do we like it?
The Rhodopi mountains a re so varied and so beautiful that spending two days in them gets you questioning if your eye could ever get used to seeing so much beauty. Also - corners. Loads of delicious, sumptuous, swoopy, asphalt spaghetti just following streams up and down ridiculous gorges, in and out of shady old forests and beautiful hill climb tracks disguised as "public roads". There's a challenge for everybody here, and pleasurable experiences for all skill levels.
Oh and did we mention that it's mostly quite high up above sea level, so the August heat isn't that much of an issue? It is.
Is it for you?
Hell yeah!
Are you new to riding long distance? Let us know, we will pay special attention to you. You will be comfortable, we promise!
Are you experienced? You will love the road selection and the likeminded company. You are going to enjoy it
Fancy a bit of off-roading - we have some optional sections you can explore with one of our highly experienced guides.
The weather at this time of year
Morning temp average is 15 - 20 Celsius
Day temp average is 25 - 35 Celsius
Rain: seriously unlikely but even if it does, ask your mom if you are just sweet or actually made of sugar. In case she confirms the latter, take the 15 minutes you need the day before to pack a rainsuit.
Sunrise is at 06:23
Sunset is at 20:28
The Program
Friday
We meet up at the Lukoil station in Knyazhevo, so we can exit Sofia easy and ride to Bansko. Once we're checked in the hotel if anyone wants to have a bit more of a ride we can go up to Banderitsa. Later in the evening we will have some dinner, beers and get to know the group.
Start:
End:
Ride time:
Ride distance:
max elevation:
Sofia @ 18:30
Bansko @ 20:30
2 hrs
160 kms
1150 m
Saturday
We wake up early to ride through some of the most stunning scenery in Bulgaria. Our focus for the day - the western part of the mountain. It's all fairytale forests, designer lakes and custom made passes. Off-road minded people can opt to go on some easy shortcuts while the tarmac group sticks to choice asphalt all day. Whoever gets to the rendezvous points first gets to wait for the others longer. Around the end of the day we swing out from the western and central bits and drop down to the eastern portion. We love that ride.
Start:
End:
Lunch is in:
Ride time:
Ride distance:
max elevation:
Bansko @ 09:30
Zlatograd @ 20:30
Yes :)
11 hrs
350 kms
1600 m
Sunday
Oh rarely do you get such a treat getting back home. We've lined up that unknown bit - the Greek Rhodopi are softer somehow, fewer roads, more secluded yet ever so beautiful. We will go into a Bond villain lair style industrial setting, we will ride what's essentially a closed circuit to train some quick cornering, we will even see the sea before we take the more familiar ride home. It's a fantastic Sunday, you really don't wanna miss. Off-road bits also available for those who want them, again.
Start:
End:
Lunch is in:
Ride time:
Ride distance:
max elevation:
Zlatograd @ 09:30
Sofia @ 20:00
Yes :)
10 hrs
520 kms
1200 m
Price
BGN 400.00
payable 50% in advance up until 07.08.2025
remaining 50% due until 14.08.2025
Extras are... well, extra.
What's in
Guides, a bed in a double room with a almost sure to not snore motorcyclist (free earplugs), traveler's insurance (10k BGN limit) and road assistance in case the bike or you decide to misbehave
What's out
Food, fuel & beer pretty much. We don't know if we can afford your drinking habits, so do please take care of them yourself. We did some light estimations on how much you'd need, they are somewhere below.
Extras
Additional passenger is + BGN 200.00
Single room accommodation is + BGN 200.00
Rental motorcycle
CF Moto 450 MT / Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 is + BGN 400.00
Yamaha Tenere 700 / Honda Transalp 750 is + BGN 500.00
What about the bike
This is a great route for all bikes. That said, you might struggle to keep up if your bike is under 250cc, but anything above that, really anything that can sustain 100kph will be excellent.
The route is 100% asphalt, off-road is completely optional
Coming? Great! Consider:
Gear
Our guides carry these, so we think you don't need to double up on them: A basic first aid kit, tire puncture repair kit, inner tube for anything nastier than a nail, zip ties, so, so many zip ties... a rope, some electrical tape and a basic toolkit. Anything special that makes you or your bike run, you should take yourself. In our dreams we all ride naked, right? No? Just us? Oh, well either way when awake we take this stuff seriously, so although we're not saying that's how you should ride, we ride with full face helmets, full suit without the thermal liners and some serious boots. We might opt out for enduro gear, as it vents easier and it is more hot than anything else. Hydration bladder might come in handy. Waterproof gear if it rains: it won't rain. If you're missing bits, ask us, we will try to help out. Remember, always wear all of your gear, even when having sex.
Luggage
A common thing is to overdo this and end up carrying half the stuff you own "just in case". Don't do it - it ruins your bike's handling, it looks ridiculous and it's annoying to carry it. The "just in case" bit is perfectly covered by a 100 BGN note in a pocket somewhere - it can be exchanged for extra clothes, forgotten charger cables, etc. That said, focusing on the fact it will be warm or hot, pack these: - pair of walking shoes; - 4x clean underwear; - 4x non-stinky t-shirts; - something long-sleeved in case you get cold easily - 2x shorts - a toothbrush if you own enough teeth to justify one ; All of them will fit in a backpack if you don't have dedicated motorcycle luggage. Whatever you use, tie it down on the bike. Carrying it on your back wears you out for no reason. Waterproofing luggage if it rains: it won't rain
Pocket money
Other than the fee, which covers the stuff we said it covers, you need maybe EUR 50 and BGN 250 in your pocket. We estimate: - about BGN 100 for fuel. We will refuel mostly almost exclusively in Bulgaria except for once in Greece and not a full tank at that. Considering a 5l/100kms consumption this should be plenty; - about EUR 20-30 for food in Greece and BGN 100 in Bulgaria - about BGN 30 for tiny shiny trinkets, to bring home and remind your significant other that you have thought of them on this trip...so essentially, bribe money Which reminds us - keep some cash on you. Bill splitting is annoying otherwise.
Some pictures from last time
Ended
400 Bulgarian leva