Bulgaria Photo Tour: Kukeri Festival + Meteora in Greece
Discover Bulgaria’s Kukeri and Meteora in Greece
10 Days, small group
Join us for an unforgettable photography journey through Bulgaria and Greece, crafted especially for those passionate about culture, landscapes, and wildlife. This carefully designed tour offers a rare opportunity to document vibrant traditions like Bulgaria’s Kukeri festivals and Ribnovo’s unique wedding ceremonies, all while exploring some of the region’s most iconic sights. Capture the timeless beauty of Meteora’s monasteries, the winter serenity of Rila Monastery, and the majestic Dalmatian pelicans of Kerkini Lake. This trip balances authentic cultural encounters with breathtaking nature photography, ensuring diverse, rewarding experiences—all under conditions designed with photographers’ needs in mind. We look forward to welcoming you on one of our Bulgaria Photo Tours!
2027 dates: January 9–18
Highlights of the Bulgaria Photo Tours
The Kukeri tradition from Bulgaria
Experience Bulgaria’s centuries-old Kukeri tradition on one of our Bulgaria Photo Tours. Discover an extraordinary ritual where men, women and children dressed in elaborate, hand-crafted costumes and masks chase away evil spirits. In Razlog, you will capture the energy of a vibrant Kukeri festival. Then in Pernik you will catch a special night session illuminated by torches for dramatic imagery and then during the day as the Kukeri go through the towns. Two private photo shoots with small groups of Kukeri ensure intimate, controlled conditions ideal for portraits and detail shots, allowing you to document this unique cultural event with creativity and depth.
Meteora Monasteries – Sunrise to Sunset
Traditional Engagement and Wedding – Ribnovo, Bulgaria
Rila Monastery – Bulgaria’s Spiritual Jewel
Dalmatian Pelicans – Kerkini Lake, Greece
Brief Itinerary – Bulgaria Photo Tours
- Arrival in Thessaloniki (Greece) and transfer to the hotel. Please notice that the tour starts in Thessaloniki, Greece (the second biggest city after Athens) and ends in Sofia, Bulgaria.
- Group meet up over dinner
- Overnight in Thessaloniki
- Travel to where the Meteora monasteries are and afternoon shoot. On the way we will also stop by the site where the father of Alexander the Great is buried
- Overnight near the Meteora monasteries
- Drive time: 6h
- Morning and afternoon shoot at the Meteora monasteries and guided visit to 1 monastery and visiting 1-2 more. We are spending plenty of time here as the weather can be muddy and this increases our chances for a good weather and light
- Overnight near the Meteora monasteries
- Drive time: 1h30
- Travel from Meteora Monastery to Kerkini lake and afternoon shoot of the pelicans
- Overnight near Kerkini lake
- Drive time: 4h
- Morning shoot at Kerkini lake with pelicans
- Travel to Bulgaria and photograph Kukeri with torches at night
- Overnight near Sofia
- Drive time: 3h30
- Seeing Kukeris by day going through villages near Pernik
- Visit Sofia (optional Rila monastery)
- Overnight near Sofia
- Drive time: 2h
- Travel from Sofia to Rhodope mountains
- Attend an engagement ceremony in a Muslim village in Rhodope mountains
- Overnight near Bansko
- Attend the Kukeri festival in Razlog (or alternative)
- Private Kukeri shoot near Bansko
- Overnight near Bansko
- Photograph the village of Kovachevitsa and/or Leshten (if we have time, depending on the timing for the wedding)
- Overnight in Sofia
- Attend wedding in a Muslim village in Rhodope mountains and travel back to Sofia late in the evening
Day 10 – Monday, 18 January 2027
- Departure day
Why travel with us
- Get a real taste of the country
- Experience only what truly interests you
Upcoming Tours
Our interview for B&H Photo Video
Itinerary Map of the Bulgaria Photo Tours
Included Services
- Accommodation for 9 nights in standard double rooms, breakfast included
- 1 night in Thessaloniki (Greece) at 4* hotel in the center
- 2 nights near Meteora, Greece at 3* hotel
- 1 night near Lake Kerkini at 3* hotel
- 3 nights in Sofia at 4* hotel on the outskirts towards Pernik
- 2 nights near Bansko at 3* hotel
- Guiding services
- Local Bulgarian guide, English speaking for 5 days in Bulgaria
- Local guide in Greece in Meteora for a full day
- Tour organizer and photographer from Romania (Daniel Rosca) throughout the tour with experience since 2011 of organizing photo tours for groups of 4–5 participants. For 2–3 participants, the group will be led by a tour organizer in Greece and one in Bulgaria
- Meals, accommodation, and relocation for the guides and tour organizer are included
- Entrance tickets
- Rila Monastery
- 2 Meteora monasteries
- Museum in Veria
- Transportation
- Private transfers from airport to hotel on the first day (or earlier if arriving early) and hotel to airport on the last day, organized by the hotel in Sofia
- In Greece (days 2–4)
- Minivan (7–8 seats: Mercedes Vito, VW Caravelle, Fiat Talento or similar with English-speaking Greek driver) for 2–5 participants + 1 tour organizer
- Minibus (12–16 seats: Mercedes Sprinter or similar with English-speaking Greek driver) for 6–8 participants + 1 tour organizer
- In Bulgaria (4WD vehicles due to possible snow, especially in the Rhodope Mountains)
- 1 car for 2–3 participants + 1 tour guide/organizer
- 2 cars for 4–5 participants + 2 (tour guide and organizer)
- 3 cars for 6–8 participants + 2 (tour guide and organizer)
Excluded Services
- Meals
- Flights to Greece and/or Bulgaria and return
- Travel or medical insurance
- Other services not mentioned in the above section
- Extra nights in Sofia/Thessaloniki
Price, payment & cancellation terms
- The price depends on the total number of participants and will be finalized by November 20th 2026 when we will receive the final down payments and you will be informed by how many people made the down payment.
- 3500 EUR/person for a group of 3–5 participants
- 4500 EUR/person for a group of 2 participants
- Single room supplement is 450 EUR/person
- We encourage you to reach out to your photographer friends who may be interested and sign up together. For 2 or more participants signing up together we offer a discount of 100 EUR for each participant.
- The price is calculated for payment done through bank transfer or wise.com. Payment is also possible through credit card or PayPal, in this case an additional 5.5% will be added to cover the transaction fees. If the final number of people in the group will vary or if changes are made to the itinerary the price will vary as well.
- Payments
- Down payment of 800 EUR/person to confirm the spot
- Due amount to be paid by the 20th of November 2026 (by this time we will know the final number of participants and the due amount for each)
- Cancellation policy
- No penalties if cancelled/postponed before making the first down payment or if a replacement is found.
- 800 EUR if cancelling participation after making the first down payment and until November 20th 2026 (since the price is variable depending on the group size, we need to keep this % of the down payment).
- 40% of total if canceling after November 20th 2026 and until January 1st 2027.
- 60% of total if canceling between January 1–6 2027.
- 75% of total if canceling after January 6 2027.
- If we don’t have at least 2 people signed up by October 9th 2026 we will return the money you have paid or discuss about having a private tour. Please book flights which are refundable/changeable or book them after this date.
About The Tour Organiser
Since 2011 Daniel Rosca organized over 70 photo tours in Romania and more recently in Greece, Bulgaria, Poland and Czechia. Some of the photo tours were private. And most of them were done in partnership with well-known photo tour companies and tour leaders like Natural Exposures (Dan Cox), Jim Cline Photo Tours (Ralph Velasco, Tonya Colson, Jeremy Woodhouse), Strabo Photo Tours (Kathy Adams, Tom Bol), Light and Land (Paul Sanders, Astrid McGechan), Dan & Jill Burkholder, Julie & Alan Ross, Photo Quest Adventures (Deanne Fitzmaurice – Pulitzer Prize Winner and owner of ThinkTank, Mirjam Evers, Najat Naba), Raul Touzon, Beniamino Pisati, Tim Volmer, Juris Kornets, Sorin Onisor and more. From all those, Daniel learned, improved and developed his own approach to photography which is best described as travel photography. He enjoys experiencing and photographing traditions and old ways of doing things, quaint towns, sites of historic importance and charming landscapes throughout the seasons. He focuses much more on “seeing”, approaching people, capturing stories, composing and simply enjoying the place and focuses less on camera technicalities.
He previously lived in Belgium, Poland, Turkey, Egypt and worked for Microsoft.
Important information about the Bulgaria Photo Tours
- This photo tour of Bulgaria and Greece is organized by Daniel Rosca in partnership with Presiyan Petkov (Bulgarian guide and photographer)
- During this tour, we aim to bring you to the right place at the right time to capture the Kukeri festival, landscapes, and other subjects included in the itinerary. The tour organizer and guides can provide photography guidance and feedback on composition and subject approach, but they will not focus on very technical photography aspects. Participants are expected to be independent shooters and to know their camera well
- The Surva festival in Razlog (where Kukeri perform) is usually held during a weekend in January. The exact date is announced only about 2 months in advance. Since the photo tour covers two weekends, the itinerary may be reversed. Accommodation will be booked only after the festival dates are confirmed. If the suggested hotels are unavailable, alternatives of similar quality and price will be provided, depending on availability
- Experiencing a wedding or engagement party in the Rhodope Mountains is a special opportunity, but confirmation of such events (and possible participation) is typically available only 3–4 weeks in advance
- According to Romanian legislation, a contract will be signed for this photo tour. You can read the general terms and conditions on our website:
The authors of the pictures on this page are Presiyan Petkov, Clyde Rogers and Daniel Rosca.
Please click on the image to view it at the best quality.
