Upper Arda valley
The Upper Arda Region
Where the longest Rhodope river begins, a few kilometres from the Greek border, in a corner of Bulgaria most travellers never reach.
The valley
The Upper Arda region lies in the eastern part of the Western Rhodopes, south of Smolyan and close to the Bulgarian-Greek border. The Rhodope range covers some 18,000 square kilometres in all, 14,738 of them in Bulgaria. This is where the Arda, the longest Rhodope river, has its source, and several small villages sit in its valley.
The area keeps a well-preserved natural environment and holds some of the most beautiful caves in Bulgaria, formed millions of years ago. Its cultural heritage includes the Agushevi Konatsi, and the region is also connected with the figure of Rufinka. The villages hold on to their history, traditions and sense of community, and local people are known as genuine, kind and hospitable.
The society documents eight routes across the region, among them Nadarska Cave, the Lisagora tower, Varadsko Fortress, Mount Kom and the source of the Arda at Ardin Peak. Taken together, the region offers preserved nature, cultural heritage, accessible walking routes and traditional hospitality in a thinly populated but historically rich corner of Europe.
Nearby
Other attractions in the area
The valley holds more than the society's own routes. A lit cave high above the river, the great konak in the village, a cave you cross by boat: each is looked after by someone else, and each is worth a morning. Their keepers are the people to ask about tickets and opening hours.
Uhlovitsa Cave
The show cave next door, high above the Arda at around 1,040 metres, with lit paths, metal steps, corallite formations and a run of small underground lakes that fill in early spring. It is managed separately from the society, with its own tickets and seasonal opening hours, so check those before you set out.
tdkarlak.com · in Bulgarian · their number: +359 87 858 84 90
The Agushevi Konatsi
The great Rhodope konak in Mogilitsa itself, a few steps from the village centre: the largest preserved feudal complex in the mountains, a national cultural monument since 1964, and open to visitors as a museum with its own hours and its own keeper.
agushevitekonaci.com · in Bulgarian · their number: +359 889 399 919
The Golubovitsa Water Cave
A wet cave in the Garga Dere gully on the road between Koshnitsa and Mogilitsa, crossed by boat in a waterproof suit rather than walked. It does not run all year: the water has to drop first, which usually means somewhere from mid-June onwards, and a wet spring pushes that later.
hodih.com · in Bulgarian · their number: +359 878 450 800
Mogilitsa keeps more beauty than any one society can show you, and we would rather you saw all of it. Tell a guide what draws you and they will thread these into your days.