А bed in Vegetarium for a healthy life!

Room in Zhelen, Bulgaria

  1. 2 single beds
  2. Shared bathroom
Hosted by Filip
  1. 8 years hosting

Listing highlights

Mountain view

Soak up the view during your stay.

Park for free

This is one of the few places in the area with free parking.

Shared bathroom

You’ll share the bathroom with others.
Taste the healthy lifestyle in the pure nature of the Balkan mountains, discover waterfalls, caves and clifs!
In this family home constructed by the end of 19 s. you will feel the atmosphere of traditional cob houses. Renovated with love, for your comfort. We invite you for a horse ride as well, if you like :)

PLEASE NOTICE: OUR HOME IS 4KM FROM THE ASPHALT ROAD.
ACCESSIBLE BY FOOT OR 4X4.
WE OFFER HEALTHY AND HOME GROWN FOOD FOR 8 EUR/MEAL (reduction for children)
WE OFFER TRANSPORT IF NEEDED.

The space
We are Barbara and Filip living in the village of Zhelen - the most known eco friendly community of Bulgaria.

We transformed this abandoned hamlet of old cob houses with love and passion. Here we share our life with volunteers, trainees and guests.

Rooms are authentical, with fireplace in each one. The common hall provides space to relax, play, read and home cinema. The library is modern and integral. Both indoor and outdoor, eco-friendrly shower and toilets are provided.
The food is healthy and home grown, our cooks are selected after an integral cusine training course.

Literally "Vegetarium" means: "PERFECT ENVIRONMENT TO GROW".

Our “Vegetarium” project aims self realisation through positive development of all three dimensions of the Integral approach:

• BALANCE the character;
• ENRICH the main competences;
• ELEVATE AND STABILISE the level of consciousness.

Our sustainable home and gardens offer the necessary environment for integral development.

We are looking forward to make you experience this fabulous adventure!

Guest access
The room we offer you is an ancient habitat with two beds. As well - you are free to use our beautiful space for gatherings and practices, the shower & bath, the kitchen, but not for cooking without a certain knowledge & practice!
Healthy cooking and eating are the base of the healthy lifestyle - let us supply and cook for you the best food! Of course - you can join the process if you wish: learn the subtleties and experiment while mastering - preparing smoothies, baking bread, collecting and preparing food and drinks from wild herbs, etc. !

SPECIAL PROMOTION UNTIL THE END OF 2025 !
(Price per person):

· FOOD (3 dishes, supplements, snacks, explications in English)
- 24 EUR/day ( 10% discount if booked per week, 30% discount if booked per month);

We live on the top of the mountain - it is accessible by off road jeep or walking. Don't try to come with your city car!
If you come by train and you like walking - the path from Cerovo train station is market with a touristic marks white-yellow-white. It takes 1h. trough the forest, up the hill, amazing panoramic view from the top.
If you come by train and you don't want to walk - we can welcome you on the train station of Svoge with our off road vehicle.
If you come by car and you like to walk - just leave your car on the free parking in Zhelen center and walk following the GPS navigation to Vegetarium guest home. It takes one hour of walk.
If you come by car and you don't want to walk - we can welcome you on the free parking in Zhelen center with our 4x4 vehicle.

PRICES:
A 4X4 WELCOME - 2.2 EUR/km (15 EUR from Zhelen center, 26 EUR from Svoge train station)
To get here by your own - please follow the map which is visible where our pictures are.
(The nearest train station is Cerovo – 1 hour of walk.)
Our vacation program is the most liberal option for staying with us!
You are free to just relax, enjoy the nature, peacefulness, good cuisine and your free time.
You may join one of the many training programs, organised excursions, sports, workshops and other proposed activities.

Other things to note
We are particularly attentive to the food we offer - our cuisine is entirely based on the principles of healthy eating!
It is a predominantly plant-based, low-fat diet rich in minerals, vitamins and easily digestible raw and sparingly cooked foods.
It is an abundance of fruit and vegetable salads and shakes (snacks) with superfoods, cooked and roasted cereal and vegetable dishes with sprouts, delicious sauces with herbal spices and more.
Besides tasting it, you can understand the subtleties of its preparation!
"Let the food be your medicine and the medicine be your food."
These words from the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates are applied in the choice and preparation of our dishes.
Our cooks have gone through a special training in the cuisine of M. D. Dimitar Pashkulev.

Where you’ll sleep

What this place offers

Mountain view
Kitchen
Wifi
Dedicated workspace
Free parking on premises
Unavailable: Carbon monoxide alarm
Unavailable: Smoke alarm

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Rated 4.93 out of 5 from 29 reviews.

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Overall rating

  1. 5 stars, 93% of reviews
  2. 4 stars, 7% of reviews
  3. 3 stars, 0% of reviews
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  5. 1 stars, 0% of reviews

Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars for cleanliness

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for accuracy

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for check-in

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for communication

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for location

Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars for value

Where you’ll be

Zhelen, Sofia, Bulgaria

Our place is surrounded by beautiful gardens, forests, little rivers, caves and other miracles of nature. Our community is situated in the hearth of the Balkan mountains - the high parts of the Iskar River Gorge.
On the territory of the village of Zhelen there are different natural, historical and social attractions, here are some of them:
Nature:
•Various panoramic rocks revealing beautiful views to the Iskar Gorge may be found in the immediate surrounding area at a 2 km radius, two acting sanctuaries with ancient trees, a clean tiny river, romantic benches and meadows – places emerging like unexpected gifts in a labyrinth of fragrant, abundant with mushrooms forests and picturesque fields full of aromatic herbs.
•The “Mechata dupka” cave is located at a 2-hour distance. It may be accessed through three entrances – a lower one that leads to the water part of the cave and two upper ones, leading to two parallel wide galleries and a common hall. At places there are cave pearls. It is possible to go inside and reach as far as 5о meters without special equipment and to spot typical cave fauna – cave beetles, lice, bats. Bones of cave bears have been found there too.
Near the cave is the eco farm of our friend Biser where we enjoy the company of many happy and free animals and taste delicious home made dairy products. The hike can be shortened by terrain transport.
•The waterfall “Under the stone” is located at about 2-hours distance in the direction to Gara Bov village. The water fall height is 40 m. It is the starting point of an eco-path through the protected area “Treskavets”, unique with its microclimate, flora and fauna. The eco-path is about 10 km long, and its entire course takes about 3 hours. Along the path, there are several resting places suitable for picnic and rest. You may also see picturesque cascade waterfalls, the highest of which is 80 meters, the cave phenomenon “Kaminata”, as well as remnants of the Medieval monastery “St. Archangel Michael”. The hike can be shortened by terrain transport.
•Izdremets peak (1495 m) is part of the route E3 - Kom-Emine and is located at 5-hour distance. It reveals impressive sights – from Rila mountain to the Danube river. At its foots there are two lakes. The hike can be shortened by terrain transport.
•The rock formation “The jugle” is located close to the train station of the village of Tserovo, at 1-hour distance. This curious natural phenomenon formed by lower Triassic red-coloured quartz sands, aged about 250 million years, is 18 meters high and resembles a mushroom. Some people say that it also looks like a human head. “The jugle” was designated for natural place of interest in 1964.
History:
•At the foots of Izdrimets peak lay the authentic remnants of an ancient Roman route, leading from the ancient mines to the Iskar river. Near the lower lake in the historical area Trastena is located “Trastena” lodge, with capacity to accomodate 30 people, with external sanitary premises and bathrooms, as well as a kitchen and a canteen. Thirty meters to the South lay the remnants of the Medieval monastery “St. Panteleymon”, constructed near an old Roman guard station. According to the legends, at this place there was an ancient Tracian sanctuary, near which centuries later the disciples of Kliment Ochridski built a monastery. At some stage the monastery abbot was the legendary priest Martin Voevoda. The sanctuary was demolished by the Turks during the Kardjaliya times. The only remnant today is “St. Pantaley Patnik” with an old ritual cross. During the Ottoman occupation in this area there was an inn that used to serve the road, where the Turkish Treasury passed. The hike can be shortened by terrain transport.
•The remnants of the Byzantine monastery “St. Kirik and Yulita” of the 12th century are located in the lower part of Zhelen village, on the right bank of the Iskar, in the “Kirik” area – with a commemorate cross made of stone and metal. The hike to get there is about 2 hours can be shortened by terrain transport.
Society:
•In the past 10 years, a “community within the community” has developed on the territory of the village. People looking for life in harmony with nature - a dozen of enthusiasts and several young couples, who come from different countries, have purchased land and houses settling in different parts of the village. We are united by the principles of mutual assistance, environmental agriculture and non-violence. It is our tradition to gather on Saturday nights and share our dinner, sweet talks, dreams and projects.
•It is interesting to visit the “network” of 15 acting cult places with raised ritual crosses named after different Christian saints. On specific dates between May and September, on these places the native citizens perform sacrificial offerings of animals, prepare ritual food, orthodox singing and group feast – “offering gifts for material and spiritual prosperity of the neighbors, as an act of gratitude to God and a prayer for God’s blessing of everyone.” (Orthodoxal church)

Meet your host

Host
45 reviews
4.91 out of 5 average rating
8 years of hosting
My work: vegetarium info
Speaks English, French, German, Russian, and Spanish
I grew up in the capital, studied and travelled in different countries and found myself in the vocation of work for the environment, social unity and personal growth. In the last years I am sharing my life with Barbara from Austria and all our trainees, volunteers and guests. Together we are living what we call the "Vegetarium project". It represents a healthy lifestyle in the beautiful nature of west Balkan mountains, 50 km. North of Sofia. Following the advises of M.D. Dimitar Pashkulev we are slowly growing in to the integral lifestyle approach. What we love and we do is breathing clean air, drinking clean water, enjoying healthy and tasty food, walking and riding a horse in the forest, finding and collecting medicinal herbs, engaging our bodies in to a physical activities enhancing the biodiversity in the area, learning and teaching in different countries the integral approach and its main scientific and spiritual bases, learning and regularly practising breathing, body and psycho regulating technics, dancing or diving in to exciting adventures of meditation.
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Things to know

Cancellation policy
House rules
Check-in: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Checkout before 5:00 PM
4 guests maximum
Safety & property
Carbon monoxide alarm not reported
Smoke alarm not reported
Some spaces are shared