Dear Traveler, I will tell you the story of Penguin Travel. But it is the story of a man, not a company. The name of the mastermind behind the fantastic journeys to unusual places is Dimiter Popov. Yet everybody calls him Dimo. I recorded a chat with Dimo a couple a weeks ago. He is talking about his passion to travel, his discoveries, what a trusty traveler should not miss. This is the 25 years story of exploration, discoveries and dedication to a passion, which turned into a... mere »
Teheran, Iran Dear Traveler, You heard the phrase – It’s all about the journey, not the destination. The original proverb, wrongly attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson is – Life is a journey, not a destination. It has become a popular cliché, but there are moments you realize how true it is. Traveling to Iran was one of these moments for me. It is a life changing experience someone considering himself a traveler should put in his top three places to visit. Going back to the proverb,... mere »
A Dhow on the Sand Bank, Mozambique Dear Traveler, There is a country in the South-East of Africa you know by name, but probably don't have a clear idea what stands behind that name. Often people associate Mozambique as a neighbor of the Republic of South Africa. Those of us born in the 60's still keep the image of a country thorn apart by a civil war and devastated by a weird Marxist experiment. Our journey revealed a land of immense beauty, a jewel every dedicated adventurous traveler... mere »
A journey across 8 Balkan countries | Discover the unprecedented cultural mix of Europe’s busiest historical crossroad | Enjoy the flavors and the magic of countries rich in traditions and legends | Through the scars of the wars from the 90’s, the beauty of the nature and the people of the Balkans tell the story of nations who’s fate was and will be to survive together “Of everything that man erects and builds in his urge for living nothing is in my eyes better and... mere »
Transsiberian Railroad Dear Traveler, This is the story of the most incredible journey I ever had. Finally at home, I try to put in order all the memories of places and encounters during the almost 8,000 Kilometers across Europe and Asia with the Trans-Siberian Express. The actual Trans-Siberian is exactly 9,289 km from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok, being the longest railroad on the planet. You can take this route as well, but I will tell you about the variation more precisely told... mere »
Dear Traveler, When I told some friends I am going to North Korea, I got the same question from everyone: What can be interesting in this country? I laughed, explaining that this is the last authentic communist regime. We have to grab the opportunity to see it before it disappears in history books. But there is a deeper reason. My curiosity always pushes me to look for beauty in everything. I was sure there would be something genuinely beautiful behind the mass media clichés about North... mere »
Dear Traveler, When I was a teenager (back in the 70's), there were no computers and "smart" gadgets of any sort. Can you imagine! We were writing letters on a paper with a pen, posting them in post boxes. Our music was the hyper modern Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side of the Moon" or Bowie's "Space Oddity". And the literature of my youth was the science fiction. We grew up with the books of Arthur Clark, Isaac Asimov, Strugatsky brothers or Ray Bradbury. It is Bradbury's "Martian chronicles" that... mere »
Dear Traveler, I discovered recently an interesting overlap map, showing the real dimensions of the African continent. Our colonial ancestors modified "a bit" the immensity of the newly conquered and exploited continent. It is an obvious attempt to exaggerate the importance of their European homelands. How pathetic! But even this illustration is incorrect. Because the fourth biggest island on the planet, Madagascar (587,713 km2) is more than twice bigger than the eighth – Great Britain... mere »
Discover winter mountain of Bulgaria Discover Pirin Mountains during winter The incredible views of Pirin Mountains Photo Winter in the Bulgarian Mountains Story and images by Emil Danailov Spending the night on Mount Polezhan, even during the winter, is not a big challenge. Some do it at 6, 7 and even 8,000 meters altitude in far harsher meteorological conditions. With its 2.851 m above sea level, Polezhan is minuscule according the Himalayan standards, being although one of the... mere »
Skiing in Iran - really? This could sound like a pleasantery, but yes, you can really ski in Iran! In a matter of fact, Iran is mostly a mountain country counting hundreds of peaks above 4000m. The highest peak is Mt Damavand, an old volcano with an elevation of 5,609m! Winter in Iran is tough, and massive snow layers cover most parts of the country from December to March. Back in the sixties, under the reign of the Shah Mohamed Reza, the first proper ski resort of Iran was built in Shemshak.... mere »
One of the poorest countries in the world is among the richest in spirit and hospitality. And trekking Gorillas is a highlight of every tour This could sound like a pleasantery, but yes, you can really! Uganda is less known among the travelers still, but it is truly amazing country! Once you step there, you will fall in love with everything you see – the unspoiled nature, the unique fauna and the friendly people. Statistically this is one of the poorest countries in the world. But it is rich... mere »
There are strict rules to follow in the Kingdom, but the remarkable cultural heritage inside makes the efforts more than worth It took really long for Saudi Arabia to decide to open for random tourists. But now it is finally on and Penguintravel immediately put the destination on its belt! The Kingdom – known as the spiritual birthplace of theIslam, now has new approach to attract visitors and that's why the visarequirements are changed. The changes are so big, compared to the past... mere »
Join Akwasidae in Ghana to witness the golden time of Ashanti Kingdom and become part of Jesus Christ's baptism during Ethiopian Timkat festival in the "African Camelot" If you love Africa and you are inspired to learn a lot about its traditions and culture, then visiting the continent during some of its biggest festivals is just a mission to cover! There is no better time to see the very heart of Africa then the one when hundreds of locals gathered on the streets, showing the best of their... mere »
Qeshm Island in the south coast of Iran has one of the most amazing nature on our planet and is a delight for the eye. But the island can offer much more – a delight to the soul and for the mind. Local traditions are so colorful and unknown for the western citizens, that being lucky to see them your own eyes is an adventure one could never forget. The most popular and celebrated tradition in Qeshm is the ZAR ceremony. It is different even to the customs and traditions in the other... mere »
If you look for a journey along the Mediterranean Sea, then do not miss a trip along Turkey's longest hiking trail - the Lycian Way, known also as the "the trail of ghosts". The Lycian way is a 509 km way-marked footpath around the coast of Lycia in southern Turkey, from Fethiye to Antalya. It was researched, designed and implemented by the Brit Kate Clow. Kate was a passionate walker. In the mid of 90-s she submitted the idea of creating a long-distance footpath which Turkey didn't have at... mere »
Perhaps many travelers and Roman sites hunters will be surprised to hear that the northern part of Algeria is dotted with Roman ruins. Not only it is full of them, but it ranks on second place about this feature, after Italy only! The civil war during the last decade of 20th century put Algeria aside from the main tourists roads in Africa. Today the country is struggling to rebuilt its tourism reputation, trying to picture itself as a calm and safe land, with friendly people.... mere »
Some people name the Karakoram Highway the "Eight World's Wonder" and this is not exaggerated. The highway crosses the ancient Silk Road. It is running from Hasan Abdal in the Pinjab province of Pakistan to Kashgar in China. The road is stretching at about 1300 km and with its height of 4800 m is in fact the the highest paved international border. The highway is considered to be one of the greatest engineering achievement of the 20th century. Its building started by both the governments of... mere »
19.11.2024 13:24
November kan føles som en meget lang måned, hvis du venter på nyt om den kommende skisæson i Bansko, Bulgariens skisportssted no.1. Lige nu kører snekanonerne takket være gunstige vejrforhold og byen summer af begivenheder for bjergentusiaster i optakten til vinteren. En af de største attraktioner er Bansko Film Fest, en årlig international begivenhed, der fejrer bjergkultur, eventyr og...
23.08.2024 15:03
Den meningsfulde rejse handler ikke alene om at se nye steder; det handler om at kunne forbinde sig med de kulturer, der giver stederne liv. Afrika tilbyder med sine vidtstrakte landskaber og utallige traditioner, uovertrufne muligheder for eventyrere, der længes efter autentiske oplevelser. Nedenfor finder du 5 af vores yndlingsfestivaler og -traditioner, som du kan opleve på vores rejser i...
29.04.2024 16:51
Siden Middelalderen har pilgrimme valfartet til Galicien og Santiago de Compostela i det nordvestlige Spanien og byen er i dag det mest berømte pilgrimsmål i den kristne verden. I byens katedral menes de jordiske rester af apostlen Jakob at være gemt og bevaret i et smukt udsmykket relikvieskrin og det er det man som pilgrim afslutter vandringen med at se. Apostlen Jakob var ifølge Det Nye...
25.04.2024 16:14
Syrien byder dig velkommen igen! I årevis har Syrien været præget af borgerkrigen, og begivenheder, der ramte dagens nyheder. Men i dag er landet langsomt ved at vende tilbage til et roligt og fredeligt liv, og mange steder er igen åbne for turister. I 2022 genoptog vi vores rejser til Syrien og er glade for at få muligheden for igen at vise dig alt, hvad landet har at tilbyde sine besøgende....