Weather can turn severe even in summer; keep away from energy infrastructure and carry warm, windproof clothing.
Stays 
Boby Dimitrov from Sofia, Bulgaria · CC BY-SA 2.0Places · High Rila above Sestrimo
Belmeken Reservoir
Язовир Белмекен
A high-altitude reservoir lies in open Rila terrain near sports bases, alpine meadows and the Belmeken summit.
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Visiting advice
Photos & short video
Bulgarian food
Local food →Local food
Batak potatoes · Rhodope beans · Panagyurishte eggs · forest berries
Yeasted pancakes
Katmi
Soft, slightly tangy pancakes traditionally cooked on a clay sach and served with sweet or salty fillings.
What's in it Flour, water or milk, yeast, eggs and salt; sometimes yogurt.
K kapustin / Wikimedia CommonsRegional · vegetarian
Patatnik
A fragrant Rhodope potato dish with onion and herbs, crisp outside and soft in the middle.
What's in it Grated potatoes, onion, mint or savory, salt and sometimes cheese.
Wikimedia Commons contributorsWhole-roasted lamb · feast
Cheverme
A whole lamb turned slowly over wood fire for a communal Rhodope celebration.
What's in it Young lamb, salt and sometimes a simple herb or butter baste.
Марина1972 · CC BY-SA 3.0Clay-pot stew
Gyuvech
A slow clay-pot bake in which meat, seasonal vegetables and rice exchange flavours for hours.
What's in it Pork, lamb or beef, peppers, aubergine, okra, tomato, potato or rice, depending on season.
Mpb eu / Wikimedia Commons · public domainCheese bread · breakfast
Tutmanik
A soft, pull-apart yeast bread layered or rolled with white brined cheese and butter.
What's in it Flour, yeast, milk or yogurt, eggs, butter and sirene cheese.
Jeroen Kransen · CC BY-SA 2.0Baked main · home cooking
Bulgarian moussaka
Unlike the aubergine-led Greek version, Bulgarian moussaka layers diced potatoes and minced meat under a tangy yogurt topping.
What's in it Potatoes, minced meat, onion, tomato, paprika, savory and an egg-yogurt topping.NEARBY
Public transport
Висока Рила над Сестримо
© OpenStreetMap contributors · Open Database License · availability depends on local mapping
Map
Directions
02
Directions
Buses and trains
First reach Kostenets or Belovo by train or intercity bus. Confirm the local bus in advance; when it does not match your return time, pre-book a licensed taxi for the last kilometres.
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Nearby places
Klearchos Kapoutsis from Paleo Faliro, Greece · CC BY 2.0VelingradVelingrad mineral springs
Минералните извори на Велинград
Bulgaria's best-known spa town spreads through a pine-lined Rhodope valley with dozens of mineral sources.
Read the guide
Nikolai Karaneschev · CC BY 3.0BatakBatak history & reservoir
Батак и язовирът
A mountain town preserves a difficult chapter of Bulgarian history beside a vast forested reservoir.
Read the guide
Paffka · CC BY-SA 3.0SarnitsaSarnitsa & Dospat Reservoir
Сърница и язовир Доспат
A small Rhodope town looks over long blue reservoir arms framed by conifer forest.
Read the guide