Rhodope

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Geography

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Mountains & Rocks in Bulgaria, Greece

Rhodope

Page Type: Mountain/Rock

Location: Bulgaria/Greece, Europe

Lat/Lon: 41.60111°N / 24.57417°E

Activities: Hiking, Mountaineering, Mixed, Canyoneering, Skiing

Season: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

Elevation: 7188 ft / 2191 m

Page By: Spirit

Created/Edited: Mar 18, 2008 / Mar 26, 2008

Object ID: 389064

Hits: 1179

Page Score: 0% - 0 Votes

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Table of Contents

Overview

Getting There

Red Tape

Division of the Rhodope Mountains

Peaks

External Links

Images

Overview

Rhodope Mountains on the map spelled "Rhodopi Planina".

The Rhodope (sometimes spelled Rodope, Rhodopi, Rodopi) mountain is the widest mountain range on the Balkan Peninsula. About 80% of Rhodope lays in Bulgaria with the rest in Greece. Its highest point is the Golyam Perelik summit which rises 2191 meters above the sea level. There are 8 more summits over 2000 meters.

The mountain range has two subdivisions: East Rhodope and West Rhodope. The eastern subdivision is relatively low with all 2000+ peaks being situated in the western part.

There are many spectacular caves in the mountain and several canyons.

Getting There

After you land in Sofia, you should travel by bus, train or car to Plovdiv, Pazardzhik or Velingrand. Note that the trains in Bulgaria are archaic and the bus lines are considered much better and comfortable. From there you can travel by bus to any major point in the mountain such as touristic attractions, resorts, towns and villages.

Red Tape

Generally the access to every summit is free of charge, though some summits might be closed at certain times of the year and one should inform the local authorities when attempting to summit. The entrance to the caves is not free, but it is inexpensive. Something like $10 is the normal fee.

Division of the Rhodope Mountains

Western Rhodope

The Western Rhodope is the higher section of the mountain chain. The average elevation is 1098 meters. It includes the following mountains:

- Alabak
- Velishko-Videneshki Dyal
- Snezhanka
- Syutkya
- Dabrash
- Batashka Planina
- Devinska Planina
- Perelik
- Bukova Planina
- Chernatitsa
- Dobrostan
- Radyuva Planina
- Prespanski Dyal

The Eastern Rhodope is the lower part of the mountain. The average elevation is just 320 meters. The following mountains comprise that section of the Rhodope Mountains:

- Chukata
- Gorata
- Valchepolska Kotlovina
- Haskovska Halmista Zemya
- Dragoyna
- Mechkovets
- Maglenik
- Gyumurdzhinski Snezhnik

Peaks

There are 9 peaks in the Rhodope Mountains which are above 2000 meters. These are:

Golyam Perelik - 2191 m
Shirokolashki Snezhnik - 2188 m
Golyama Syutkya - 2186 m
Malak Perelik - 2147 m
Golyam Persenk - 2091 m
Batashki Snezhnik - 2082 m
Malka Syutkya - 2078 m
Malak Persenk - 2074 m
Prespa - 2000 m

External Links

Rhodope Mountains in Wikipedia
A website, dedicated on Rhodope
The Snezhanka peak in the heart of the Rhodopes