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TransRhodopi Long distance biking trail

The TransRhodopi Long distance mountain biking trail is developed in the Rhodopi mountains in Bulgaria. The trail is mainly off-road.

It is built using dirt mountain roads, forest paths and small country roads. Over 70% of the route is traffic-free. The total lenght of the route is around 500 km.

lyubino bike

The trail passes through lovely countryside, nature reserves, remote villages, fortresses, churches, rivers, lakes, and cultural heritage. The TransRhodope trail provides both easy and difficult mountain cycling. Some parts might be a challenge to novice cyclists, but a real pleasure for experienced ones.

The route starts at the village of Trigrad (Smolyan area) and runs east through Pamporovo resort, Kardzhali lake, Studen Kladenets area, Ivaylovgrad where it ends in Madzharovo.  It is also possible to make an alternative detour which ends in Kardzhali. arda meanders

The trail is red color marked in the terrain and each day trip has an easily found start/finish location.

Have in mind that Rhodope mountains are not perfectly well developed for mountain biking tourism and this is the first long-distance bike trail of its kind. Facilities for bikers, as well as routes and signs are basic and stay more on the adventurous side. Local people are very kind though, and local cuisine is exceptional.

The trail is divided in 17 sections (day trails) from 11 to 53 km each.

All daily trips (tracks) can be downloaded from AllTrails.com HERE

 

Day by day trips:

Day 1: The village of Trigrad – the village of Mugla – length 14 km

Day 2: Mugla village - Pamporovo resort – length 26 km

SEE directions for Trigrad - Mugla - Pamporovo

Day 3: Pamporovo resort – the village of Momchilovtsi (information center) – length 15 km

SEE directions from Pamporovo to Momchilovtsi

Day 4: Momchilovtsi - Banite or Vishnevo (next village)  - length 40 km

SEE directions from Momchilovtsi to Banite

Day 5: From Banite to the village of Lyubino (Melanya house) – length 30 km (Alternatively you can stay the night at the house "Pri Mitaka" on the bank of the lake Kardzhali (11 km from Lyubino) or at the hotel "Chamdere" in the village of Borovitsa (16 km from Lyubino). long-legged buzzard

See directions from Banite to Lyubino

Day 6: Lyubino village – the village of Glavatartsi - length 31 km

See directions from Lyubino to Glavatartsi

Day 7: Glavatartsi – Letovnik (Happy Hippy hostel) - length 25 km

See directions from Glavatartsi to Letovnik

Day 8: Letovnik – Kroyatsite lodge at Studen Kladenets lake - length 26 km

See directions from Letovnik to Kroyatsite

Day 9: Lodge Kroyatsite - Studen kladenets (guest house is La Place - Studen kladenets) - length 22 km

See directions from Kroyatsite to the village of Studen kladenets (at the dam)

Day 10: Studen kladenets - Padalo (small village on the edge of the mountains, sleep is possible in house Toni - available only on request, call in advance) - length 20 km

See directions from Studen kladenets to Padalo

transrodopi_bikeDay 11: Padalo - Pelevun (Kaloyanovi kashti B&B) - length 45 km

See directions from Padalo to Pelevun

Day 12: Pelevun - Ivaylovgrad (Armira Hotel, Luxor Hotel) – length 21 km

See directions from Pelevun to Ivaylovgrad

Day 13: Ivaylovgrad – the village of Borislavtsi (Trakiyska kashta) - length 46 km

See directions from Ivaylovgrad to Borislavtsi

Days 14 and 15: Borislavtsi - village of Gorno pole ( The Wild Farm) - Rabovo – length 36 km

See directions from Borislavtsi to Rabovo

Day 16: Rabovo - Gnyadovo – length 21 km

See directions from Rabovo to Gnyazdovo

Day 17: Gnyazdovo - Kardzhali - length 23 km

See directions from Gnyazdovo to Kardzhali

bike ivaylovgrad

Alternative detour to Kardzhali

Day 13А: Ivaylovgrad – Gornoseltsi (accommodation possible in a farmhouse) – length 20 km

Day 14A: village of Gornoseltsi - Madzharovo (nature conservation center of the BSPB or The old nest) - length 36 km

See directions from Ivaylovgrad to Madzharovo

Day 15A: Madzharovo - Strandjevo - Iron bridge (Perpera & Arda complex) – length 30 km

Day 16A: Iron bridge - Kaloyantsi - Gnyazdovo (village at the bank of Studen kladenets lake. Accommodation is possibe at Mihaela Lake Retreat) – length 26 km

See directions from Madzharovo to Gnyazdovo along Arda river

Day 17: Gnyazdovo - Kardzhali - length 23 km

 See directions from Gnyazdovo to Kardzhali
deer

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These seventeen sections (day trips) are the "backbone" of the trail. Each one could also be visited as separate daytrips. Besides this main route there are additional local trails, some of them marked as well. So in each region tourists can optionally hike or ride several additional trails.

The trail is marked in red – mainly red triangles with white, but also tourist marking white-red-white, as well as indicative signs along the road.  

A TransRhodope map with hiking and biking mountain routes is available. MAp can be ordered from MapFox.de

The trail is described in details on the map, as well as local trails, accommodation places, sites of interest, information centers are pointed. The map gives an overview of other long-distance trails, passing through the Rhodope mountains such as Rudopia, Euro Velo 13 (Iron Curtain trail) and the Sultans trail.

The initiative to develop a long-distance Rodopi route comes from the New Thracian Gold in partnership with the foundation "House for books and adventures."

For more information or help, e-mail us at: mihaela.kircheva [@] gmail.com

Download the GPS tracks.

If you like what we do, support us by donating to this bank account:

Bulgarian Post bank, office Kardzhali:

IBAN: BG84BPBI81701606513236, BIC: BPBIBGSF

For more information about the association behind the New Thracian Gold network, click HERE.

transrodopi map

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