Belogradcik, Rajac, and Rogljevo wine cellars

09-10.novembar 2024.

Dates

2 days

Duration

Years

easy

On the northern slopes of Stara Planina, only 50 km from the border between Serbia and Bulgaria, is Belogradčik ("white town"). This picturesque destination is located at an altitude of about 500 m near the Belogradchik rocks, which cover an area of about 90 km² and reach a height of over 200 m. The rocks are made of sandstone and conglomerate, with unusual red and yellow colors.

They are often named after people or objects they are thought to resemble. They were formed over hundreds of millions of years as a result of natural processes of erosion, denudation, growth of mosses, lichens, and other natural factors.

The Belogradchik Rocks are a major tourist destination in northwestern Bulgaria, along with the town of Belogradchik and the Belogradchik Fortress, which includes the rocks as part of its natural defenses, and the nearby Magura Cave, located near the village of Rabisha. Another tourist attraction in the area is the medieval Baba Vida fortress in the nearby town of Vidin on the Danube River.

On this two-day weekend tour. we will go on a hiking tour in Belogradčik. The next day, we will go on a hiking tour from Rogljevo to Rajac, a unique architectural complex of wine cellars from the 18th century in Eastern Serbia.

DEPARTURE LOCATION	The parking lot at the municipality New Belgrade
DEPARTURE TIME	6 h
INCLUDED IN THE PRICE	Transportation from Belgrade One night with breakfast in a 3* hotel in Vidin - double, triple, and quadruple rooms with private bathrooms Hiking tour from Rogljevo to Rajac wine cellars Tours according to the program, all entrance fees and group companion Local taxes
NOT INCLUDED	Other meals and individual costs not mentioned International travel insurance

Additional notes:

Equipment for the Belogradcik, Rajac, and Rogljevo wine cellars tour: Deep hiking shoes or sports sneakers with a stronger sole, and adequate clothing according to the weather conditions. A backpack with the necessary hiking equipment. We also recommend hiking poles. Be sure to bring enough water (1.5-2 l) and some food (sandwich, snacks, energy bars, fruit), a spare T-shirt, long pants or tracksuit, raincoat, sun and wind protection, hat, gloves, and headlamp.
The tour is organized for at least 18 registered passengers.
Conditions for entering Bulgaria: It is obligatory to bring a passport, it is necessary that the validity of the passport lasts at least 3 months before the expiration date.
In case of changes in the monetary market, as well as changes in the prices of carriers and other service providers, the agency reserves the right to adjust the price of the arrangement.
In case of insufficient number of registered passengers or unfavorable weather conditions, the deadline for notification of postponement or cancellation of the tour is 3 days before departure.
Accommodation: double, triple and quadruple rooms with private bathrooms in a 3* hotel in Vidin.
Food: two breakfasts are provided.
Photos used in the gallery: Белоградчик – panoramio Nikolai Karaneschev, CC BY 3.0 , Червените Белоградчишки скали Fonvan, CC BY-SA 4.0, Belogradchik Fortress Entrance Yanko Malinov CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Reservations for the tour of Belogradčik, Rajac, and Rogljevo wine cellars:
- At the time of registration, the entire amount, or ~ 40%, i.e. 45 EUR, and the rest of 70 EUR must be paid no later than November 5, 2024. Payment is made through an account in dinar equivalent at the middle exchange rate of the NBS on the day of payment.
- Own transportation: in case you come with your transport, the price of the tour is 92 EUR. Reservations: At the time of registration, the entire amount, or ~ 40%, i.e. 40 EUR, and the rest of 52 EUR must be paid no later than November 5, 2024. Payment is made through an account in dinar equivalent at the middle exchange rate of the NBS on the day of payment.
Trip cancellations by passengers:
If the Traveler cancels the trip in a timely manner (90 to 45 days), the Organizer has the right to compensation only for the incurred administrative costs.
- 10% if the trip is cancelled 44 to 30 days before the start of the trip,
- 20% if cancelled 29 to 20 days before the start of the trip,
- 40% if cancelled 19 to 15 days before the start of the trip,
- 80% if canceled 14 to 10 days before the start of the trip,
- 90% if canceled 9 to 6 days before the start of the trip,
- 100% if cancelled 5 to 0 days before the start of the trip or during the trip.

The organizer reserves the right to correct prices due to changes in the monetary market or changes in accommodation or transportation prices, as well as the right to change the travel program (order of certain contents in the program due to objective circumstances).

Price list number 1 from 18.10.2024.

With this program are valid General conditions of travel organizer of the travel agency Explore Balkans doo.

license number OTP 22/2024, A category.

First day (Saturday): Belgrade - Magura cave - Belogradčik - Vidin

Departure from Belgrade from the parking lot of the municipality of New Belgrade at 06:00. Driving on the highway through Paraćin, then Boljevac and Zaječar towards Belogradčik. This picturesque town is located about 50 km from the border crossing between Serbia and Bulgaria (Vrška čuka).
On the way, we will first visit the Magura cave, which is located in the village of Rabisa. The cave is about 15 million years old and 2.5 km long. The cave drawings are among the most significant works of art of the European Late Paleolithic period. The main part of the cave is divided into six chambers of different sizes. The largest is called the Ark, it is 128 m long, 58 m wide, and 21 m high. In that spacious hall, music concerts are held during the Christmas and Easter celebrations. The tour of the cave along the well-maintained path takes about 45 minutes.
This is followed by a 30-minute drive to Belogradčik, where we will visit the fortress and Belogradčik rocks unusual shapes and colors. The walking tour, with breaks for photography, lasts about three hours. The fortress, also called Kaleto, dates back to the Roman Empire. Its two-meter-high walls surround the hill with rocks where the fortress is located. The hiking tour and tour with photo breaks last about four hours. Information about a hiking trail: the path belongs to the easy category, it is about 10 km long, with an ascent and descent of about 250 m.
In the late afternoon, we leave for Vidin, the city on the Danube, where we will be accommodated. We will drive for about an hour. We will stay in a hotel. We will have free time for walking and dinner. We will stay overnight.

Second day (Sunday): Vidin - Rogljevo and Rajac wine cellars - Belgrade

Breakfast. Leaving the hotel.
Drive for about an hour to the village of Rogljevo in Eastern Serbia. Departure on the hiking trail from Rogljevo wine cellar via Smedovac to Rajaci wine cellars. Information about a hiking trail: the path belongs to the easy category, it is about 16 km long, without significant climbs. It takes about 6 hours of hiking on grass and dirt roads.
Rajac, Rogljevo, and Smedovac, three neighboring villages with rich winemaking history and beautiful wine cellars, form a special part of the vineyards of Negotinska Krajina. These villages have the most fragrant red wines, which are a happy combination of good soil, lots of sun, and an altitude of 150 to 250 meters. Wine cellars represent a unique architectural complex of wine cellars created from the middle of the 18th century to the 30s of the 20th century. The complex consists of 270 pubs around the central square with a fountain in Rajac and 170 in Rogljevo. They were built of hewn stone and logs, and covered with tiles. The cellars are partially buried in the ground so that the temperature varies very little during the year, and on the first floor, there are rooms for staying during the harvest and nurturing of the wine.
In Rajac, we will visit some of wine cellars, as well as old cemetery which is included in the list of protected cultural monuments because of the tombstones that were built from the 18th to the first half of the 20th century. The monuments are beautifully and richly decorated. These unique monuments were made by the same masters, stone carvers from the south of Serbia, who are also responsible for the appearance of the oldest buildings, i.e. wine cellars.
Late lunch and purchase of wine in one of the pubs in Rajac.
Departure for Belgrade in the late afternoon. Return to Belgrade in the evening, the exact time of return depends on road conditions and road breaks.