Somewhere in the west

In the Western Rhodopes you will find snow landscapes fascinating with their crystal purity. Rock formations, age-old coniferous woods, deep precipices, and swift-flowing rivers, making their way through stony vertical gorges. The views give food to the fantasy of anyone who has eyes to see and a heart to rejoice at this eternal beauty.

The local villages and towns are unaffected by mass tourism, each of them having an ancient church or mosque. For centuries Christians and Muslims have lived together in complete understanding, in harmony with the Rhodopes nature. If you decide to stay at the village of Borino, Teshel, Trigrad, Yagodina, etc. you will easily find accommodation in the so-called guest houses. With modern conveniences up to the standards of tourism they offer just about the same conditions as first-class hotels in the resorts. Only the difference is that here it is quieter, cleaner and one feels as if “visiting with his granny in the country”, under the mindful care of the hosts. You could not resist any of the local specialties you will be offered. Homemade pickles, banitsa with potato and rice filling, sheep sour milk, roast lamb, patatnik, baklava, and other delights for the palate.

In the womb of the mountain

It is would seeing the close-by natural landmarks. Despite the heavy snow, the roads are cleared, and the sites described in the tourist guides are accessible. Yagodinska Cave is one of the most beautiful in Bulgaria, with its fascinating stalactites, stalagmites and cave pearls… A wonderful creation of nature is also the Trigrad Gorge. The wild water of the Trigradska river runs in the deep gorge, where it has carved fantastic forms in the jagged rocks that rise up to 250 m. Here, near the roaring water is the cave called Devil’s Throat, opened for visitors.

At the time the ancient Thracians threw into it chieftains killed in the wars, believeing that this is the entrance to the underworld. In the big hall of the cave, which is so big that it could accommodate the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia, is one of the largest underground waterfalls in Europe. Its icy water drop down from a height of 42 m.

An attraction for the curious travelers is the village of Kesten, near the border with Greece, snug under the snow cover. To get to this isolated place however you need a jeep or pickup, capable of going across the snowdrifts on the asphalt road. In the surroundings of the village, inhabited by some thirty aged villagers, rises the silhouette of a little volcano, which has been active millions of years ago – a splendid destination for a 2-hour hike (going and back) by the snow-covered footpath.

On the way back, fatigued and a bit chilly, you are bound to run into some local inhabitant who would invite you insistently to go into his house to get warm by the fire over a glass of homemade wild-plum brandy and chick-peas. The people here are very hospitable and friendly. Every traveler is welcomed by a smile and widely opened doors. A common sight here in this part of the mountains are the dozens of arched bridges over the foamy Rhodopes rivers. Some of them are 200-300 years old.

Todor Todorov from the information centre in the village of Borino says: “We have attractions but they ae more typical for the winter season. The sparsely populated areas let you get a taste of the beauty of the Western Rhodopes. The private hotel-keepers offer trips to Kemera Bridge, which is an architectural landmark, Its foundations are from the times of the Thracians, then in was rebuilt in the Roman period. In the Middle Ages it was restored and used  during the Ottoman yoke. This facility, linking the two banks of the Devinska river, is 36 m long and 18 m high. Another site that can be visited in winter is the natural phenomenon Devil’s Bridge over the river Borinska, not far from Yagodinska Cave. At this place the cliffs are hanging over the river at a height of about 12 m, forming a natural passage. There are three successive waterfalls along the river course. We have a project, which will be started soon, for the construction of the most extreme ecopath in Bulgaria. It will pass over these waterfalls. For this purpose, stone stairs are envisaged and a watch platform, hanging at a height of 30 m.”

If you have a sled or skis, you can go Stoikite where there is a ski-track and tow

Words and views from Manastir – the highest village on the Balkan Peninsula

The village is perched at 1,500 m above sea level, in the bosom of the Rhopodes. Should you feel an urge to go into the heart of the mountain, go via Asen’s Fortress and the Bachkovo Monastery, where the miracle-working icon of the Holy Virgin is kept, and driving along a winding romantic road in the defile of the river Asenitsa within an hour you will be in Manastir. Thracian pots (4th c. BC) have been found here. There used to be two monasteries here but they are not preserved.  In the first half of last century the state border passed above the village.

You will be accommodated in a pretty village house or family cottage. In winter the snow decorates the green pines and falls down in big flakes for hours. The air is as if of liquid crystals. Here man is a guest of nature, which is always silent and enchanting.

While you sip sparkling wine and have tasty monastery dishes by the fireplace, a bagpipe-player and singers in fork dress come in and sing Rhodope songs.

Your local guide is Eng. Vasil Stefanov. He is native of the Rhodopes and his heart desire is to engage in rural and alternative tourism. One of his biggest designs is for a ski-run and tow in the area of Manastir. “Small investments in publicity, journalist trips and pooling in networks can yield results in medium-term. The situation should be assessed and a solution found. There are interesting places and ways to attract more people. when they realize they need to “charge their batteries” at places like Krastova Gora, for example, where you can go to from Manastir, through a gallery of ancient trees.  In the village centre we have a tourist dormitory, we are prepared for people of all kindsof budget.

Here you wake up from the ring of bells, greeting the sunrise. The mountain is awaiting you! Glades studded with herbs and wild flowers and strawberries in the summer and like a white fairytale from a picture postcard in winter. The people here have lived for millennia in harmony with nature, preserving wild and virgin nooks of beauty and incredible diversity.

It is not by chance that Manastir is in the centre of the Kormisosh mountain reserve for wild animals. Don’t be surprised if a roe dashes before your eyes. Don’t get angry if a shaggy-tailed squirrel drops a pinecone on you, and those strange sounds are the mating song of the wood grouse. You can discover the beauty of the age-old spruce and beech woods for days. Another good news: the Western Rhodopes are unique in their negative ionization of the air – something very good for your health.

In the surrounds of Manastir you can see countless things: an ancient Roman road along the ridge of the mountain, Prespa Peak, from which in clear weather you can get a glimpse of the Aegean, the Rozhen Observatory – a cosmic place. From here the song “Izlel e Delo haidutin” took off to land on Voyager, alongside the music of Bach, Bethoven and Mozart, in quest of other civilizations.