ALPINE CLUB EDELWEISS - BULGARIA

SUITABLE TEAM BUILDING LOCATIONS IN BULGARIA

Our team can provide team building programmes involving mind games and rope gardens in any location across Bulgaria. Our adventure, adrenaline-rush and mountain programmes require adjusting the team building activity to the natural landscape, the season and the specific weather conditions. The team building effort is most beneficial when the game and the exercises are designed for an area offering interesting possibilities. For instance, if the participants are staying in Ribaritsa, the nearby karst plateau of Karlukovo presents a better option for team building activities than the hotel lawn. We strive to offer the best programme in the most attractive locality which is closest to your company’s location or your pre-selected accommodation facilities.

Below you will find information about our programmes mapped by geographical location as well as a brief psychological overview of our adventure programmes.

MAP OF PROGRAMMES

We have provisionally divided Bulgaria in several types of regions and we use their features to generate our specific programmes.

1. Karts regions: This category covers regions of Bulgaria where the landscape boasts caves, canyons, rock arches and other natural phenomena. Such regions are situated at a high altitude and are only marginally influenced by the weather dynamics – which means that our programme can take place even if the weather forecast predicts bad weather conditions across most of Bulgaria. Typical karst settings in North Bulgaria include the Iskar Defile, the valley of the Osam River around Devetaki, and Dryanovo. A cluster of suitable karst locations south of the Balkan Mountain can be found in the Rhodope Mountain at Chudnite Mostove (Wonder Bridges) and Trigrad. Here we have selected only three options from our extensive list of regions: The Iskar River Valley, Underground Trails, and The Mountain of Orpheus. All three choices involve boats, and in two of the programmes the participants will travel across an underground lake.

2. Historic strongholds: Programmes can take place against the natural backdrop of old Bulgarian strongholds. Mount Tsarevets in Veliko Tarnovo and the forts in Lovech and Belogradchik are a few possible locations. A key element in these programmes will be a game of logic based on actual historical facts and events. Activities are based in the lower parts of the country and can take place all year round. A trip by boats along the Yantra River is an essential part of the team building programme called The Walls of Tsarevets.

3. Mountain programmes: "Conquer the peaks together…"  That is out team’s motto and we have often practiced what we preach in various mountains in Europe, Asia and South America. The challenging mountain conditions are a genuine touchstone of human character and a major catalyst for teamwork. In order to adapt our programme for those accustomed to the daily office routine, we have designed 1-day and 2-day activities which develop standard team building elements in a mountain setting. Mind games, climbing, orienteering, biking and paintball battles will make an entertaining programme even for those who rarely look up to the mountains. If you prefer the hotel facilities of Bansko or Borovets, we will offer you programmes in the lower or higher parts of the mountain depending on the season and the weather. You can learn more from our Mountain Echoes programme. If large resorts are not your preferred choice, you can pick smaller picturesque places like Panichishte in the Rila Mountain, Ribaritsa and Troyan at the foot of the Balkan Mountain, or Chudnite Mostove (Wonder Bridges), Devin and Trigrad in the Rhodope Mountain. These are only a few suggestions from our extensive list of mountain choices.

4. Water basins and rivers: Boat games are an essential building block of adventure team building programmes. This type of exercises aims to emphasise communication between the team, performance synergy, leadership, the ability to quickly make right decisions in stressful situations. Almost all our programmes taking place in karst areas or at the sea involve boating. Expanding this activity into a full-scale river journey or a more extreme rafting exercise will certainly boost team building efficiency and impact. We offer activities along the Iskar River around Lakatnik and Karlukovo, the Yantra River at Veliko Tarnovo, the Arda River near Madjarovo, and the mouth of the Veleka River near Sinemorets. Interesting programmes in the Rhodope region include the dams of Batak and Golyam Beglig. The point of departure is Velingrad. You can learn more from our programmes called The Mountain of Orpheus and In Search of Lost Civilizations.

5. Seaside programmes: Programmes cover the Black Sea coastline in Bulgaria and are designed for the large famous resorts as well as wild spots like Kamen Bryag (Rocky Cliffs), Tyulenovo and Silistar. Programmes taking place in spring and autumn can benefit from off-season prices for hotel accommodation and outdoor activities on the beach. River mouths offer an excellent opportunity for boat games. You can learn more from our Jolly Roger programme.

PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS

It is rather difficult to design a programme that can achieve the best possible synergy between any group of people for only one day. Standard team building exercises that can take place anywhere do call for team interaction, but they can hardly go beyond levels of communication and human behaviour that are typical for on-the-job routine. In other words, job hierarchy interferes on the team building day as well. That can hardly lead to any specific resolution or improvement of issues between team members. Another weakness of standard team building is that the participants are not particularly motivated and there are no elements in play that can really force the team to overcome a challenge. On a personal level, standard team building is not always in a position to take off the ‘mask’ we know from our daily life in the workplace.

That said, the main goal of our adventure, mountain and adrenaline-rush programmes is to move beyond the shortcomings of standard team building efforts and enhance the impact of the training. To do that, we introduce a number of elements that at first may seem extreme, but they do more than injecting a fresh shot of adrenaline in the participants. They form new levels of communication between people. Teamwork in a situation of psychological stress and tension in a natural outdoor environment brings out the true character of each participant. That is a powerful liberating experience in human relations and improves team dynamics. The greater difficulty of the programme and the challenging terrain boost the team’s motivation to reach their target. A more extreme programme will require making quick and adequate decisions as well as effective leadership.

In order to effectively build team performance, we use in our programmes many sports elements like climbing, rafting, mountain orienteering and mountain biking, caving, canyoning, paintball, skiing, and other activities. All activities have been specially adapted for team performance and ensure 100 per cent safety.  Anyone can physically do the challenges. The real challenge is the psychological barrier. Overcoming that barrier is the best indicator that the team building programme has been successful.

You can receive detailed descriptions of exercises and information about the intended psychological impact by placing a request for an offer.

PROGRAMME SUMMARIES

The Iskar River Valley *****: Adventure programme on the karts plateau of Karlukovo + the Balkan Mountain above Ribaritsa, Northwest Bulgaria

The Walls of Tsarevets: A programme at the strongholds of Veliko Tarnovo, Lovech and Belogradchik, North Central and Northwest Bulgaria

Underground Trails: Adventure programme in the karts regions of Devetashkoto Plateau, the Iskar Defile and the Balkan Foothills around Troyan, North Central Bulgaria

The Mountain of Orpheus: Programmes in the Central and Western Rhodope Mountain (Velingrad, Devin, Pamporovo, Smolyan, Trigrad, Chepelare), South Central Bulgaria

Mountain Echoes: Programmes in the Rila Mountain and the Pirin Mountain starting from Bansko, Borovets, Malyovitsa, Panichishte, Southwest Bulgaria

In Search of Lost Civilizations: Programmes in the Eastern Rhodope Mountain and along the Arda River starting from Kurdjali, Haskovo, Madjarovo, South Bulgaria

Jolly Roger: A programme at the Black Sea coast, East Bulgaria

The programmes listed here present only a small fraction of potential offers we can provide. If you have trouble selecting the best fit or you want to have a programme in a specific region, please contact us and we will be happy to give you the best team building solution for your team.