Our tour will start from your accommodation in Plovdiv and from there we will go to the Rhodope Mountains passing through the pretty town of Asenovgrad. Our first attraction will be the beautiful Asen’s Fortress, where we will see the remarkable remains of King Ivan fortress. He was a famous ruler of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom. There we will explore an ancient church dating from the 13-th century painted with some authentic pieces of iconography. You will have an opportunity to go at the top of the fortress where you will enjoy an incredible 360 degrees panorama all over the Rhodope Mountains, Asenovgrad town, The Thracian Valley and the imposing Balkan Range with its highest Botev Peak.
Our next stop will be the second largest monastery in Bulgaria - the Bachkovo Monastery. This monastery was founded in 1083 and it is one of the most sacred places in the Bulgarian history. Inside the monastery we will see the main church of Virgin Mary built in 1604 where a valuable icon of Saint Mary from 11-12th century AD is being kept. According to the legend and the big number of healed people this remarkable icon is believed to be miracle working. There can also see the Archangels’ Church dating to the 12-th century. The monastery refectory is another jewel in the complex which has preserved colorful murals from 1643. The panoramic mural painting on the outside wall of the refectory represents a bird’s eye view of the monastery with all the surrounding buildings from 1807. In the second monastery yard we will visit the Saint Nikola church built between 1834 and 1837.
At the end, we will continue the tour to The Wonderful Bridges situated in the heart of the lovely Rhodope Mountains. This unique nature phenomenon consists of two rocky bridges (height of 45 m) over a small river. The marble bridges were formed by an earthquake and the erosive activity of the once high-water river. In summer on the weekends the longest zip line on the Balkan Peninsula (240 m) stretching between the 2 bridges is available for the more adventurous travelers.