RHODOPES

The Rhodopes is the most charming mountain in Bulgaria combining the smooth ovals of the landscape to beautiful nature and picturesque by their architecture villages to the hospitality of the local people and the legendary songs of Orpheus. It covers the southernmost part of the country and is the major chain in the Rila Rhodopes Massif. Its highest peak – Golyam Perelik (2191 m) – ranks it in 7th position among the highest Bulgarian mountains.

The location of the Rhodopes in the southeastern part of the Balkan Peninsula determines to a great extent the climate, which is defined as transitory. The annual average in the Eastern Rhodopes is higher and more stable in the range 12-13 °C. In the Western Rhodopes, due to the greater altitude, the annual average is between 5 and 9 °C. The clement climate combined to a number of other factors favorites the development of resorts and tourism. There are more than 40 chalets and about 15 hostels in the towns and villages of the Western Rhodopes. Hundreds of kilometers of tourist paths are marked and some of them are also good for ski marches and biking.