Bulgaria · June 2027 · A Rose Aroma Tour
Travel with Peter Holmes to Bulgaria's Valley of the Roses at harvest time, when the fields are in bloom and Kazanlak holds its world-renowned Rose Festival.
Register your interestA celebration of the rose
Snow Lotus' Damask Rose oil comes from Bulgaria's Kazanlak valley, the Valley of the Roses, where the roses are still picked by hand at first light.
In June 2027, Peter Holmes is taking a small group there for the harvest. You'll stand in the rows while the pickers work, see how thousands of blossoms become a few drops of oil, and join Kazanlak for its world-renowned Rose Festival, before going on to the ancient city of Plovdiv and the Black Sea.
It's a celebration of the rose, for centuries an emblem of women and femininity. Peter gives a lecture every day, so you can earn CEUs on this Rose Aroma Tour.
See it for yourself
A short news film from Kazanlak's world-renowned Rose Festival, the celebration this trip is timed around.
Film: "Festival brings thousands of tourists to Bulgaria's Rose valley," AP Archive, via YouTube.
The route
Every day includes a lecture from Peter, so you earn acupuncture CEUs as you travel.
Day 1Wednesday, June 2
Fly in from wherever you are and settle into Bulgaria's capital. Everyone arrives on different flights, so the first night is in Sofia: time to rest, find your luggage, then meet the group over dinner at a historic restaurant, with light music playing.
Day 2Thursday, June 3
On the way east, a stop in Koprivshtitsa, a quaint mountain town of painted 19th-century houses and cobbled lanes. Then over the hills to Kazanlak, in the heart of the Valley of the Roses.
Days 3–4June 4–5
Early mornings in the rose fields with the local pickers, and a visit to the distillery Snow Lotus sources its rose and lavender oils from, the one Peter rates the best. Then Kazanlak's world-renowned Rose Festival. Peter will talk about the rose as he knows it, as an oil and in Chinese medicine.
Day 5June 6
For those who'd like it, a mystery tour on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast. We'll keep the destination a surprise – and all the more enjoyable once we land there.
Days 6–8June 7–9
From the Valley of the Roses the route turns south. On Day 8 we explore the historic town of Plovdiv, one of Europe's oldest cities, with its Roman theatre, cobbled old quarter and painted Revival houses.
Day 9June 10
The journey ends here. Fly home from Sofia, or why not carry on? Istanbul, Budapest and Athens are all a short flight away.
Dates, hotels and day plans are provisional and may change as we finalise the trip.
Your host
Peter Holmes, LAc, MH, is the founder of Snow Lotus and a longtime teacher of essential oils and Chinese medicine. He's the author of Aromatica and Channeling Fragrance. Snow Lotus sources its rose, lavender and German chamomile oils from Bulgaria.
This trip is a chance to see that source with him, in the place itself.
Good to know
Places are limited, so the group can stay small enough to visit the fields and distilleries properly.
A lecture from Peter every day. Earn CEUs on this Rose Aroma Tour.
Planned with an experienced Bulgarian tour operator who runs Rose Festival trips every year.
To be announced shortly. Register your interest and you'll hear first, with the payment schedule.
Fly into Sofia (SOF) on June 2. Book the flights that suit you; arrival details will follow.
June 2027
Register your interest and we'll send you the full itinerary, price and booking details as soon as they're confirmed. There's no commitment yet.
Until we land in Sofia · June 2, 2027
