tours

CYCLING TOUR IN THE RHODOPE MOUNTAINS

Rhodope Mountains – land of fairy tales and myths, home of the legendary musician Orpheus and the brave Spartacus. A mesmerizing labyrinth of green valleys, rocky ridges and picturesque old villages.
It is also one of the most popular for tourism and outdoor activities areas in Bulgaria. Here the opportunities for road cycling on picturesque routes with small or no traffic are virtually limitless. And what better way to explore this beauty. “Adventure Trails” invites you to an unforgettable eight day ride in the Great Rhodopes.

Day 1. Arriving at Sofia airport. Meeting with your mountain bike tour guide and transfer to a nice family hotel in the town of Velingrad – the SPA capital of the Balkans, situated deep in the very heart of the Rhodopes. Accommodation and short briefing about the tour. Dinner and overnight.

Day 2. Daily distance: 28 km. Breakfast. Today is the first day of cycling, so it is an easier route for acclimatization. Trough the beautiful aging pine forests of the western Rhodopes we will reach one of the largest mountain dams in Bulgaria – a vast lake, the Batak reservoir, surrounded by green ridges and summits. Lunch will be a picnic. Following the coastline of the dam we will reach the historic town of Batak – one of the symbols of Bulgarian struggle for liberation from the Ottoman empire. Accommodation in an authentic family owned hotel. Dinner and overnight.

Day 3. Daily distance: 28 km. Breakfast. Morning start from our hotel in Batak. Today we will cycle trough some of the most scenic spots of the Rhodope mountains: amazing centuries-old pine and beech forests, vast meadows and mountain lakes. Lunch will be a picnic. In the afternoon we will arrive at the Beglika lake – the most picturesque and impressive one of the Great reservoir system of the area, located at 1550 meters above sea level. Accommodation in a forest cottage used by the local hunters. Traditional dinner and overnight.

Day 4. Daily distance: 42 km. Breakfast. Its day for a longer but very scenic cycling route. Continuing to travel through the Rhodope great reservoir system we will reach the largest of them all, Dospat lake, which offers really breathtaking postcard views. In the nearby town of Dospat we will have lunch in a restaurant. This town is the capital of a very unique local community – the Pomatsi – Bulgarians, which have adopted the Islam during the Ottoman dominion. In the afternoon our route continues through a picturesque valley to the village of Borino – we are entering the central Rhodope mountains. Accommodation in a comfortable family hotel. Dinner and overnight.

Day 5. Daily distance: 32 km. Breakfast. Today is the day for canyons and gorges. Start from our hotel downhill through a rocky valley to the beginning of the Buynovo canyon – an eight kilometers long and only 15 meters wide gorge, where the road is squeezed between vertical rocks that close up above our heads hiding the sky. At the end of the canyon is one of Bulgaria’s most famous and visited caves, Yagodina. Visit to the cave and lunch – picnic. In the afternoon we will continue to the even more impressive Trigad gorge, where we will visit the legendary Devil’s throat cave. Accommodation in a comfy family hotel in the nearby village of Trigrad. Dinner and overnight.

Day 6. Daily distance: 27 km. Breakfast. Morning start from our hotel and a day of following the main stream of Vacha river. It is one of the easiest legs of our cycling tour – only downhill. On the way we will visit many interesting and untouched by the modern times villages and, of course enjoy the freshness of the Rhodope forests. Lunch will be a picnic. In the afternoon we will have the chance to see the stunning rock formation “The Elephant”. Today’s end of cycling is in the town of Devin Accommodation in a nice family hotel in the town. Dinner and overnight.

Day 7. Daily distance: 41 km. Breakfast. Morning start from the family hotel to the high parts of the mountain – the beginning of today’s route is uphill. After we reach the higher ground the roads winds through the ridges of Rhodopes reaching an altitude of 1700 meter above sea level. Lunch will be a picnic. In the afternoon we will pass nearby one of the highest summits of the massif – Batashki snejnik (2082 m.). Descent to a village, where we will leave our bikes. Nearby is a town we already know – the historic Batak. Accommodation in our old hotel. Dinner in its traditional restaurant. Overnight.

Day 8. Breakfast. Transfer to Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, short tour and departure from Sofia airport.

Price includes:

  • All the accommodations, mentioned in the program
  • All the dinners, mentioned in the program
  • All the breakfasts, mentioned in the program
  • All the lunches, mentioned in the program
  • All the transportations
  • All the bike equipment, needed for the tour
  • The instant assistance of a licensed, english speaking cycle tour guide
  • The Instant support by vehicle (except first half of day 7)

Price does not Include:

  • All the drinks, during dinners
  • Tickets for museums and historical monuments
  • Tips and personal expenses

Minimum/maximum participants: 2 to 18

Tour difficulty: Moderate

Suitable for: People with some cycling experience in good shape; children elder than 14 y. o.