Natural Resources in the Region of Smolyan

Smolyan region is a wonderful region, offering many and unique opportunities for eco tourism, hiking, trekking, cave exploring and many more.
The region has great places for adventourists, who search to practice sport in the mountain and relax amongst the beautiful Bulgarian nature.





Here are some interesting sightseeing spots and routes in Smolyan region:
Smolyan Lakes The lakes are located between the town of Smolyan and Snejanka Mountain Peak in the Rodophe Mountains. Back in the past the lakes were nearly 20, but nowadays only seven of the so called “Emerald eyes of the Rodophe” have left.

The Bride’s Rock (Nevestata) is an unique natural landscape, located in the Valley of Cherna River, west of Smolyan.

Chinara is a large plane-tree, located close the Sokolitsa Hotel in Smolyan. The tree is believed to have been carried in Blgaria in the 19th century from Greece. The crown of the tree is enormous.
The age-old plane-tree is part of unique park, featuring a mosque and a church with wooden bell tower, which is the one of a kind in the whole municipality.

The Maid is an interesting rock formation, located close to Shiroka Lyka Village. The beautiful rock resembles the outline of a girl, holding a distaff in her hand. The formation is a result from the rock erosions and the influence of the winds.

The Head is another rock formation near the village of Shiroka Lyka. If you look at the stone from east you will see the profile of a man’s head. The stone is 7 metres high and 5 metres wide.

Smolyan Waterfall is situated east of the town, at Kriva River, not far away from its flow into Cherna River. The waterfall is part of an eco-trail, starting from “Soskovcheto” preserved territory. The trail can be passed through only with guide.

The Underwater Castles of the Rodophe Mountain
The Rodophean Mountain is the oldest folded mountain on the Balkan Peninsula. The presence of many Karst regions has helped for the formation of numerous mountain caves. Most of the caves are a real challenge for many mountaineers, tourists and explorers. The caves can only be visited with guides. Some of the cave clubs in the region also offer special outfits and equipment.

- Uhlovitsa Cave
This is the only cave in Smolyan, which is well equipped and open for tours. It is known as one of the “Underwater castles of the Western Rodophe Mountain” and is included in the 100 national tourist sights of Bulgaria. The cave is located 25 km south of Smolyan and 3 km away from Mogilitsa Village. The entrance of the cave is located 1040 metres above the sea level. The temperature inside is 10 C Celsius all year round. The cave is famous for the so called Abyss Hall, which starts immediately after the entrance. Four deep precipices lay at the west part of the hall. The walls of the hall are covered with fairy-tale cave forms. The end of the gallery has two cave lakes. The stone streams of the so called Diamond Waterfall go all the way down to the second larger lake.
460 metres of the cave are explores and only 330 metres are open for tourists. The highest displacement is 25 metres. The cave was first open in 1984.

- Nadarska Cave
The cave is situated 6 km away of Uhlovitsa Cave. It is very beautiful, but not lit up and facilitated for tourists. You can enter the cave only with special equipment and guide.

- Kaleto Passage Cave
It is located near the village of Koshnitsa and is one of the natural phenomenons of the region.
The cave actually represents a big rock arch, which leads to a top, where the ruins of the ancient fortress “Kaleto” are located.
Here the tourists can enjoy an adrenaline-rush adventure, called “Alpine Cradle”. Special equipment can launch the tourists 40 metres away from the cave entrance, so that they can enjoy an unforgettable view towards the Valley of Arda River.

- Golubovitsa Caves
The two-cave system is located near Koshnitsa Village and is a very interesting spot for keen cave explorers. The caves are hard-of-approach and need special equipment. Inside the caves you can try rope descending, rock climbing and even boating to pass inside deep in the cave, where beautiful sceneries, hidden and kept through the centuries will come into sights. After you go out – another challenge awaits you – the “Alpine Trolley”. It represents a rope facility, which hangs between two distant rocks. Here you can have the chance to pass the 40 metre- long rope line, connecting the two rocks over Esenna River, 20 metres above it.

- Lednitsata Cave
Lednitsata Cave is situated in close vicinity to Shiroka Lyka, in the Valley of Gorski Dol River. The formation of the cave is provoked by tectonic moves, which made the ground layers tear down, while at the same time water dissolved the limy rocks and thus created a unique cave world. Lednitsata Cave is more than 1400 metres long and is the 5th deepest cave in Bulgaria. For millions of years the underground natural powers have been creating majestic rock forms, including rock waterfalls, pearls and many fantastic sculptures of animals and heros. The cave is not equipped for visitors. Special equipment and guide needed for tours.