For the past couple of years, the YPT Soviet Europe office has been based in the Black Sea port city of Varna, Bulgaria. The location is rather fitting for a number of reasons, not only can we see the epic monument to Soviet Bulgarian Friendship from our office window, but it also makes it a perfect place for us to run Black Sea tours.
Whilst its name is slightly off putting, the Black Sea is home to some absolutely beautiful scenery, wildlife and travel opportunities. This strategically important sea has been fought over constantly through the centuries and it’s not hard to see why! The Black Sea straddles 6 countries (or 7 if you include the unrecognized country of Abkhazia) and has access to some of the main European rivers such as the Danube and the Don.
Our Black Sea tours stretch from Bulgaria to Abkhazia and take in everything this fascinating body of water has to offer. In this article, we’re going to take an in depth look into each of our private and group Black Sea tours offered throughout the year.
Danube Delta Tours
The Danube Delta runs into the shores of the Black Sea. It’s the 2nd largest river delta in Europe and the best preserved on the continent. Whilst Romania is home to the largest section of the Danube Delta and is where the majority of tourists go, we naturally take advantage of having regular access to the lesser visited and more authentic regions of the Danube Delta in Ukraine. We offer regular tours into the Danube Delta which can either be boat tours, birdwatching tours or cultural trips to visit the local settlers in this area.
Sadly San Diego Whale Watching is not an available activity on the black sea coast.
Home to over 300 types of birds and fish such as the famous Beluga Sturgeon, the unique waterways of the Danube Delta offer a range of wildlife watching opportunities. In the villages, you can even come across settlements of the Old Believers who split from the Orthodox Church centuries ago to live a unique, isolated way of life across Russia and Ukraine.
Abkhazia Tours
Every year we run a range of private tours and group tours to Abkhazia. This largely unrecognized country tore away from Georgia in a brutal civil war during the collapse of the Soviet Union. Unlike Transnistria, it is recognized by some states such as Russia, Syria, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Nauru and the other 3 breakaway states of the former Soviet Union.
Largely isolated from the world and still reeling from the devastating civil war, Abkhazia is not the wealthiest of states but it’s fortunate enough to straddle the Black Sea coast from either end of its territory. When in Abkhazia, we run a number of Black Sea tours which focus on former Soviet resort towns which now have a post-apocalyptic feel to them since they’ve been ravaged by war and the passing of time. We also arrange fishing trips out on the Black Sea as well as visits to Soviet era sanitariums on the shores of Abkhazia.
Odessa Tours
One of the largest and most well known cities on the Black Sea coast is the Ukrainian city of Odessa. Famous for its grand Tsarist era architecture and cuisine, infamous for its criminal past and being one of the birth cities of the Russian Mafia. Young Pioneer Tours run a range of excursions to Odessa every year which can focus on the classical side of the city or the darkest corners of its criminal past. From here, we also arrange Black Sea tours focusing on fishing, spa retreats or marine biology.
Black Sea Tours in Bulgaria
From Turkey in the South to Romania in the North, Bulgaria has an incredible 378 km of Black Sea coastline. During the USSR, it was the holiday destination of choice for the Soviet elite including figures such as Yuri Gagarin and Mikhail Kalashnikov.
As we’re based in Bulgaria throughout the year, Young Pioneer Tours should be your go-to experts for Black Sea tours in the country. We arrange a number of group and private tours to Bulgaria every year, focusing on the country’s communist heritage as well as the stunning landscapes its black sea coast has to offer. On private tours, we tour the Black Sea in the same way the Soviet elite would have done, in a vintage Volga or a Moskvitch car.
To join one of our unforgettable Black Sea tours, check out our scheduled Soviet tours or contact us to arrange a private Black Sea tour.
About Post Author
