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Bulgarian Hiking Club
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Hiking mapTrails, huts, peaks and springs on one mapAll placesHuts, peaks, viewpoints and places to stayBest hikes in BulgariaSeven Rila Lakes, Musala, Vihren and moreMountain hutsHow huts work, prices and rulesHikes near SofiaDay trips by bus, train and carMountainsRila, Pirin, the Rhodopes and seven more

When to go

Best time to hikeWhich mountains are at their best, month by month

Before you go

Things to know before you goEmergency numbers, huts, camping and park rulesWhat to bringWater, food and keeping your phone aliveAm I ready for this?Five questions and an honest assessmentHiking time calculatorWhen to start and when to turn backIf you get lostWhat to do and who to call

Rhodopes

Highest point
Golyam Perelik
Elevation
2,191 m

Forest, karst gorges and villages that still cook the way they always did. Gentler underfoot than Rila or Pirin, and far emptier.

Show this range on the map
History and background

In myth this is the country of Orpheus, and the association is taken seriously here. The Thracian sanctuaries at Perperikon and Belintash are real and remarkable. Bachkovo Monastery dates from 1083, the second largest in Bulgaria. The region is also the heartland of the Rhodope bagpipe and of a genuinely distinct cuisine.

Getting there

Smolyan, Chepelare, Devin and Shiroka Laka are the usual bases, three to four hours from Sofia and much closer to Plovdiv. A car helps here more than in any other Bulgarian range, because the interest is spread out.

When to go

The most year-round range in the country. Lower routes and the gorges are walkable in every month, and the forest gives shelter that the high ranges do not. Autumn, when the beech turns, is the best of it.

Water

Generally good, but this is karst country — water disappears underground and reappears far away, so a stream on the map is not a guarantee on the ground.

What to be careful of here
  • Golyam Perelik itself carries a military installation and the summit is not freely accessible. Plan for Snezhanka or the surrounding tops instead.
  • Caves and gorges here are the real objective danger. Devil's Throat and the Trigrad gorge are managed sites — do not enter cave systems without a guide.
Routes worth the journey

  • Trigrad Gorge and Devil's Throat

    Easy2-3 hours

    Vertical limestone walls and a river that vanishes into the mountain. Short, and among the most striking places in the country.

  • Eagle's Eye and the Buynovo gorge

    Moderate3-4 hours

    A glass platform on a cliff above the Buynovo gorge. The walk up is steep; a 4x4 shuttle runs for those who would rather not.