Beglika, Rodopi mountain

Overview

Rodopi (Rhodope) mountain is one of the mountain ranges in Balkan peninsula, situated in its eastern part, mainly in Bulgaria, and a little part of Greece. Its highest peak is Golyam Perelik (2191 m). Its western border is Mesta river, separating it from Rila, Pirin and Falakro mountains. Its northern and eastern borders are Marica river and Upper Thracia plain, and its southern border is White Sea Thracian plain and Aegean sea. Rodopi mountain consists of a rich system of ridges and summits, divided by deep valleys and canyons. Its western part is higher than its eastern part. The higher parts of the mountain are covered mainly by coniferous forests- pines, spruces, and fir trees and these forests makes the largest and the Europe southernmost taiga. There are not alpine type peaks in Rodopi, but its landmark are the deep forests and the labyrinth of valleys and canyons, proper for many days of hiking, cycling, fishing and camping. Beglika is an area in the western part of Rodopi. It is situated in Batak mountain ridge. There are two main peaks nearby- Golyama Syutkya (2186 m) and Batashki Snezhnik (2082 m). The terrain is quite plain, so these peaks are not clear exposed. The area is rich of many streams and small rivers, branched in a labyrinth of valleys, finally gathered in Devin river to southeast and Sarnena river to south. There are few dam lakes in the area- Golyam Beglik, Beglika, Toshkov chark, Shiroka polyana and few others small lakes. The whole area is covered by almost 100% taiga- coniferous forests, with many glades and meadows on the valleys and near the lakes. You can meet bears, wild pigs, sometime wolves, deers and other typical European forest animals. There are not constant cities and villages in the area, but only some seasonal settlements as well as small resorts. The nearest towns are Batak and Dospat, as well as few villages- Sarnitsa, Zmeitsa and Rakitovo. Some parts of Beglika are made reservations.

Getting There

There is a paved road in good condition, which cross Beglika from north to south, between the towns of Batak and Dospat. You can reach Batak or Dospat by bus from Plovdiv or Pazardzhik cities. Then there was a bus 2 or 3 times a week crossing on this road, so the better option is hiking, cycling or hitchhiking from these two towns. Beglika area is

in the middle, about 25 km from each of them.

Camping

The area is excellent for camping, especially near the dam lakes and small river coasts.