A Week-Long Hiking Trip in the Rhodopes
- Duration: 8 Days (approx.)
- Location: Sofia
- Product code: HIKERH
About
This nature-hiking itinerary is suitable for tourists of all ages and levels of experience, and allows you to experience the history and legend-abundant virgin nature of the Rhodopes. Every day, the hikes are carried out at a different altitude. The relief and surrounding landscapes are uniquely beautiful and shift constantly before your very eyes.The itinerary will let you discover Rhodopes' own folklore, architecture and the rural life, unchained for centuries.
Highlights
- Get in close contact with the rural lifestyle in the Rhodopes
- See the Sitovo rock inscription, estimated to be 7000-8000 years old
- Visit the Wondrous Bridges rock formation
- Hike up to Mount Karlak
- Experience the Chairi Lakes protected area
- Pass through the Trigrad Gorge
- Explore the Devil’s Throat cave
- Tour the Yagodina cave
- Walk through the Buynovo Gorge
Description
Over the course of 7 days, we’ll take you on a journey to the Rhodope and Pirin mountains’ biggest natural attractions. After your individual arrivals at Sofia Airport, you’ll be transferred by coach to Plovdiv. The first day is dedicated to its historical and cultural sights.
Our trip to the Rhodope mountains begins on the second day. We’ll be transferred across the longer distances by bus, and we’ll hike through the most picturesque and interesting parts of the mountains, through quaint villages, beautiful landscapes at varying altitudes. The route includes a visit to the Sitovo rock inscription – the oldest ancient inscription ever found in Europe, estimated to be 7000-8000 years old. Its meaning is yet undiscovered.
The next day takes us through forests and meadows, up mountain ridges and down what remains of an ancient Roman road. We’ll be visiting one of the most famous natural landmarks in Bulgaria – the Wondrous Bridges, two cliff bridges naturally formed by the erosive activity of the Erkyupryia river. The upper bridge is impressive in size (96 m in length) as well as the size of its opening (43 m tall and 45 m wide), while the lower situated one is impassable and takes the form of a canyon in a cave. The last stop for the day is the Shiroka Laka architectural reserve.
The fourth day is almost entirely dedicated to the beautiful and varied landscapes of the very heart of the Rhodopes, with special attention to the tallest summit in the area – Karlak. Our hike takes us to Mugla village – a small pocket in the mountains that has remained untouched by the passage of time.
On the next day, our trip leads us to the protected natural area of the Chairi Lakes. This is one of the most beautiful spots in the Rhodope mountains – the small lakes with peat-islands are arranged in a plateau surrounded by a crown of hills, and possess a particular and untouched kind of beauty.
On the sixth day, we’ll be exploring two of the Rhodopes’ most impressive natural wonders. The Trigrad Gorge is a spectacular feat of nature – a deep canyon that cuts through the mountain, with sections where the opposing vertical cliffs are so close to each other, there are barely 10 meters between them, and the path is carved into the cliff itself. The Devil’s Throat cave is one of the Trigrad Gorge’s most notable features. Inside its so called Rumbling Chamber is the tallest subterranean waterfall on the Balkans (60 m). Once we’re out of the cave we continue past the village of Trigrad, through a lush forest, and finally to Yagodina cave and its beautiful stalactites, stalagmites and mineral “pearls”.
On the seventh day, we descend through the spectacular Buynovo Gorge alongside the river that cuts through it. We’ll be transferred through Krichim to Sofia for the last overnight.
On the eighth and final day, it’s time to part ways. All members of the tour group will be accompanied to the airport, coach station, train station or sent-off individually.
The price includes
• Accommodation in comfortable hotels and rural houses with private facilities
• Full board treatment from the first day's dinner to the last breakfast
• Transfers by minibus throughout the stay and luggage transport during hotel transfers
• A map of the itinerary
• A professional English speaking tour guide
The price does not include
• The trip to / from Bulgaria
• Alcoholic beverages
• Entrance fees
Notes
Level of difficulty: easy to moderate level
The full itinerary is available on request.
A total of 8 days / 7 overnight stays / 5 days of hiking
