Beautiful Bulgaria – The Smolyan Lakes

Most keen skiers in Europe most probably have at least heard about one of the ski resorts in Bulgaria – Pamporovo. Those of them, who had the experience to ski in Pamporovo surely know the town of Smolyan, situated just a few kilometers away from the ski-resort. And at the same time, very few of the winter tourist in Pamporovo have seen, or at least heard about the Smolyan Lakes. The beautiful Smolyan Lakes are situated on the left bank of the Black River, right in the heart of Rhodope Mountains. The Orpheus rocks rise above them giving the valley mysticism and uniqueness.
At present only seven of the former twenty Rhodope lakes have remained. The highest constant lake is called Matnoto (the turbid) lake, as its name comes from the dense coniferous wood, the shadow of which makes the water look dark, almost black.
The biggest Smolyan Lake is Milushevski dol (Milushevski glen), and it is 178 m long and 4 m deep. Most of its surface is covered with a thick layer of turf, and exuberant grassy vegetation overlays the lake during the summer. Pictures with courtesy of Evgeni Dinev (evgenidinev.com)

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