Words From My Customers
Luane and Roger McGowan
Active Seniors, Hawaii, USA
“Maria is enthusiastic, well versed, energetic and loads of fun. She exceeded our expectations with a broad spectrum of experiences customized from our wishes: hikes in nature, local festivals with foods and wines, house and monastery tours, folklore dancing, informative town walks and the very personal touch of sharing time with her family. She also generously takes wonderful photos of the tour. We always looked forward to our meals together.
She balanced our touring time with free time perfectly and having her as our driver enhanced our Bulgarian experience. It was our good fortune to select Maria and she is now a dear friend.”
Nancy Schiller
President & CEO, America for Bulgaria Foundation, USA
“Balkan Thrill is the perfect name for the tour company run by Maria Mitova. It is a thrill to work with Maria. She brings creativity, positive energy, and enthusiasm to showcasing the wonders of Bulgaria.
I have had the pleasure of working with Maria on several occasions and have been delighted by the experience.”
Susan and Rick Hibberd
US family working in Bulgaria since 2019, USA
“Our trip with Maria was filled to the brim with an imaginatively planned itinerary, visits to both historical and quirky sites, beautiful scenery, and a huge amount of fun and laughter. We unreservedly recommend a trip with her.”
Christo Peev
CEO, Motion Software (Exadel), Bulgaria
“The experience of being with your team for a whole weekend surrounded by the stunning Bulgarian nature organized by BalkanThrill was unforgettable! Maria is the most creative and cheerful adventure guide I ever worked with.
I highly recommend her as a chief organizer for company retreats around the world!”
Aashi Chopra
Erasmus student in NL, India
“One of the best tours I’ve attended so far! I took the fashion tour with Maria. The best thing was it did not feel like a tour at all! It felt like a friend was showing me around local designer places in the city. She was knowledgeable, very patient while I was trying out all the designer outfits and flexible with her time.
I connected with her more than I’d connect with a tour guide. It was an incredible experience and I’d 5/5 recommend anyone who has an interest in fashion and culture.”
Katrin Steiner
European Patent Attorney, Germany
“If you wanna see Bulgaria, put yourselves in the caring hands of Maria! Knowledgeable, enthusiastic and flexible, she turned our tour into a beautiful and utterly memorable experience, despite having to circumnavigate a few unforeseeable obstacles like strikes.
She sure knows the sweetest spots of her country and will make sure you get to see as many of them as possible. And being treated to her grandma’s jam for breakfast sure hasn’t hurt either.”
Aleksandra Mihaylova
Expat, mother and nurse, USA/Bulgaria
“Words can’t describe how pleased we are with our tour in the Rhodope mountains with Maria. She has a warm personality, motivated, experienced, impeccable attention to detail. From the moment we contacted her, we knew we were in good hands and that it would be a great experience. And it turned out absolutely amazing!
Every single part of the tour was very well organized and executed. Maria has such a wide experience and knowledge in so many different areas. She is fun, engaging, and very accommodating.
You know what? Just book a tour with her and find out for yourself. There is no way you’ll be disappointed. She is that good. You don’t come across people like her every day. Looking forward to our next trip with her and will strongly recommend her to all our friends and family.”
Raia Dragneva
World traveler and dancer, France
“Pour celles et ceux qui voudraient découvrir ou redécouvrir la Bulgarie de manière originale, authentique, aventurière, je vous recommande l’agence Balkan Thrill fondée par mon amie Maria Mitova. Amoureuse de son pays et de son histoire, connaisseuse de ses plus beaux recoins et surtout d’une bonne humeur inégalée : c’est le guide rêvé (et je peux en témoigner!)”
English:
“For those who would like to discover or rediscover Bulgaria in an original, authentic, adventurous way, I recommend the agency Balkan Thrill founded by my friend Maria Mitova. In love with her country and her history, knowledgeable of its most beautiful corners and above all with an unmatched sense of humor, she is the dream guide. And I can attest to that!”
Diana and Nasko Oskov
Coach and Software Architect, Seattle, USA
“Me and my husband took the opportunity to spend a special weekend organized by Maria. The boutique weekend escape was way more eventful and magical than we expected. We met incredible people, participated in amazing experiences and enjoyed the majestic nature that Bulgaria has to offer.
Maria has a good approach and is very flexible with everything. We stayed in a cozy, authentic stone house in a small village in Rhodope Mountain.
Learning and hand making butter and cheese was a priceless experience. The butter and the cheese tasted so much better when you put your own effort into making it. This also gained us so much appreciation of the craftsmanship of these products.
Climbing one of the highest and steepest hills with a 77 years old local hunter and reaching breathtaking views was a phenomenal experience.
Diving into the remote small village, setting foot into the life of the local people, hearing their stories and learning from their experience left us with dazzling wisdom and a completely different life perspective.
This escape brought us astonishing experiences, great friends and heartwarming memories that we will cherish.
Thanks Maria!”
Victor Schiller
Investor, Board Member, Catalyst, USA
“Some friends booked Balkan Thrill for a day in the Bulgarian countryside so I didn’t know what to expect… What a wonderful day!
Maria took us to a friend’s rose farm and we picked roses in the fields. These are the roses used to make precious rose oil. It was a great way to get away from the city and enjoy some outside time.
Then Maria made a wonderful afternoon picnic appear. It was a delight of local foods. The relaxed pace was perfect.
After the rose picking and picnic we visited one of the most tidy and beautiful villages I have ever seen and a Socialist Museum in an old movie theater. There were 30+ old cars and thousands of household items from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. Maria translated some of the old posters that gave us a better feel for the times.
The last stop was a late lunch in a restaurant perched high above a beautiful lake.
Truly a wonderful day and we would have never found this without Maria’s expert care and guidance.”
Pasko Paskov
CEO, Step-Soft, Bulgaria
“Maria is the most dedicated person I know. She will always find ways to surprise you, and present the best and least known gems in Bulgaria and the region. If you’re looking into an adventure, you’ve come to the right place!”
柯又子 (Yu-Yu)
Doctor (MD) and world traveler, Taiwan
“Maria is really an expert guide. She showed me the best of the Balkans. Though I didn’t know much about Bulgaria before I got there, it became my best destination and I stayed for over a month. I will recommend to everyone.”