The Mysteries of the Rhodope Mountains

About

A Rhodope mountain adventure suitable for those who want to combine their love for nature with their thirst for excitement. This tour first takes you to Shiroka Laka - a town in the mounains that keeps the XIX century traditions. Then we drive up 1500 meters to Gela - the legendary birthplace of Orpheus. The tour then continues the Devil’s Throat cave – a place that has inspired countless legends. Turn your sightseeing holiday into an adrenaline holiday and go off-road on a drive through the wilds. The mid-way point of the tour is the Eagle Eye viewing platform that offers a gorgeous panoramic view of the Rhodope mountain slopes from up high. The final stop for the day is the romantic Yagodina cave.

Hightlights

• Pass through the picturesque Trigrad Gorge

• Visit the Revival town of Shiroka Laka and the village of Gela

• Explore the Devil’s Throat cave

• Enjoy an off-road drive through the wilderness

• See the stunning landscapes visible from the Eagle Eye viewing platform

• Visit Yagodina cave

Description

The tour starts witht a drive to Shiroka Laka - a Revival town, that keeps the atmosphere of a XIX century cultural hub. We go on a walking tour around the beauiful streets and nice old houses. Afterwards we go to Gela - a more than 1500 high ancient village, that is said to be the birthplace of Orpheus.

We go through Trigrad, home to the beautiful Trigrad Gorge and the Devil’s Throat cave. The Devil’s Throat cave is one of the Trigrad Gorge’s most notable features. It is 150 years old and home to a colony of over 35000 bats. According to a local legend, the mythical musician Orpheus entered the Underworld in search of his beloved Eurydice through this very cave. The devil’s Throat’s so called Rumbling Chamber is the second largest cave chamber in Bulgaria – it is large enough that the St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral can fit comfortably inside it.

In this chamber is the tallest subterranean waterfall in the Balkans (60 m). The underground river goes into a syphon-tunnel, and where the water flows is yet unknown. At first glance, the river emerges from the depths of the mountain with ease, only 100 m from the entrance, but an experiment in which a large section of the river was dyed showed that it takes over 2 hours for the water to run its full course and come out through the other side. Judging by the speed of the flow and the time it took for it to reach the other side, the subterranean section of the river is 40 km long. The Devil’s Throat truly lives up to its name, and it is considered one of the most mysterious places in the world.

From there go on an off-road drive to the Eagle Eye viewing platform located an hour and a half away from Yagodina cave. We’ll drive through a picturesque part of the Rhodopes until we reach the viewing platform.

Here we’ll stop to enjoy a panoramic view of the surrounding area – breathtaking landscapes as far as the eye can see, a view of the Buynovsko gorge from above, the mountain Rila and Pirin in the distance, and even a glimpse of the mountains of Greece. This platform at the edge of a cliff is where you can feel what it’s like to soar through the sky like an eagle. From there we continue off-road to Yagodina cave. Yagodina cave is 250 million years old, notable for its intricate stalactites, stalagmites, stalagnates and its so called “pearls” – lime beads formed out of the minerals contained within drops of water that fall on the small rocks paving the cave floor. Its beauty and romantic atmosphere make it a popular attraction for couples, and wedding ceremonies are often performed in one of its chambers. It is said that couples that get married in this cave never separate.

Yagodina cave is only a short distance away from the village of Yagodina, where we can stop for some sightseeing and lunch before we head back for Plovdiv. You can try the many local delicacies offered in the village’s traditional Bulgarian restaurant – we recommend the barbecued trout, beef and yoghurt with blueberries for dessert.

Price per person

• For 2-person groups: 75 €

• For groups of 3 persons or more: 60 €

Inclusions / exclusions

The price includes

• Tour guide

• Off-roading

• Lunch

The price does not include

• Entrance fees for the two caves

• Transfers from Plovdiv to Devin: 100 € total for the group (including the return trip and a driver)

Notes

The order in which we’ll visit the caves is entirely optional – the Devil’s Throat and Yagodina cave are roughly the same distance from the Eagle Eye viewing platform.

49 €

per person

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Extreme, Day Tours , Hiking

4800 Девин, България

Starting point - Plovdiv, Bulgaria

1 day

Spring, Summer, Autumn

Live tour guide available in English

Maxiumum number of participants - 10 people

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