The Rhodope Mountains and it's pretty little villages

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This summer me and my brother decided to go to Bulgaria, do small hikes through the Rhodope Mountains and visit the little villages in the area.

We started our hike in Pamporovo, which in the winter is a famous ski spot, to the Smolyan Lakes. There we went up to the Canyon of Waterfalls, which i highly recommend if you are in the area.



From the canyons we went to Shiroka Laka, amazing little folklore village that would satisfy any budding travel photographer.



Another little village I was impressed by was Zlatograd, which translates to Goldentown. It’s only 2km from the border with Greece and is famous for it’s history as being a trade town in the olden times. Just make sure you go to the central coffee shop, where they offer a ‘Spun Coffee’, which means they brew the coffee in a stove full of sand and then they literally spin it in the air. For more info about the town and all the workshops:



http://bulgariatravel.org/en/object/56/etnografski_komplex_zlatograd

The next stop was Trigrad, and more specifically the two caves there: The Devils's Throat and Yagodinska. I highly recommend this area, it’s mesmerizing. Something you need to consider is getting from Devils throat to Yagodinska, which is either by taxi( get the staff to call it) or by hiking, i think it was around 6km hike.



By Yagodinska Cave you can find many Off-Road trips that will take you to the mountain top, which has a simply amazing view… The driver told us that he not only does off road drives, but also organizes bear watching trips. There is an 80% chance of seeing a bear!!!!!! I will put his details here, as I think he is a good person to turn to for any activities you may wish to do in the area, and he doesn’t charge much.



Stoyan, Mob: [phone] and 0877 621 377





Transport!!!

The public transport is an issue. Most of the connections from attraction to attraction are between small towns or villages, and the bus services are likely to have no service after mid-day. There aren't so many foreign tourists in this area, so a good guide book would be extremely helpful, as most signs and directions are in Bulgarian language. Using taxis is efficient and quite cheap, but be careful to always look out for dodgy taxi companies who overcharge. Usually it’s between 0.49-0.89 leva per km, so more than that is a rip off. Also, trains in Bulgaria are cheaper and slower than buses, much more efficient is to take a bus.



Enjoy your trip if you're planning one!!!!

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Photos

Mursalski tea
Famous for it's many health benefits, this mountain tea is a must try!

Eagle Eye top
Situated close to Devil's Throat cave, it offers an amazing view!

Shiroka Laka village
Small folklore village with traditional style architecture

Canyon of Waterfalls
View from the top of the hill, where the canyon of waterfalls is. Endless green...

Zlatograd
One of the many traditional workshops in Goldentown.

Devil's Throat
A place in the cave where visitors can leave a coin and make a wish....