Route 3 "Monastery of haidouks"
Town of Topolovgrad – Oreshik village – Damkaya peak – locality of Chernite skali – locality of Petkova Cheshma – village of Kapitan Petko voyvoda – village of Mramor – Babini bozki cave – Dranchi dupka cave – quarry – Ustrem village – “St. Troitsa” monastery – village of Knyazhevo – Sremski defile – Srem village – Sinapovo village – town of Topolovgrad
Duration: 6 - 7 hours
Description:
It is recommended that this route be done by car, combined with hikes to sightseeing. From Topolovgrad on a road in southeast direction is reached Oreshnik village.
From the end of the village, after the cemetery, on a pathway in deforested terrain you can go to the south where is Sakar Mountain. After the first mountain hills the road turns to the east. After climbing a slope path, you will reach to a saddle, from where you can go to the locality of Chernite skali where is also situated an interesting rock complex / geological phenomenon /. The pedestrian passage to them is 3 hours. It is recommended to use a guide or instructions from local people.
On Route 3 from the Chernite skali, you should return to the saddle and should follow the forest road to Damkaya peak, which rises above the villages of Oreshnik and Mramor. It features panoramic views of Sakar, the valley of the Tundzha River, the Monastery heights and the Elhovo Field. There are stone figures of the Thracian Mother Goddess. Several paths descend to the Oreshnik village.
Route 3. - continues to the village of Mramor.
From the Mramor village can be made a pedestrian pass to the karst region southeast of it, as well as to the monastery "St. Troitsa ".
From the southern end of the village you can go to locality of Dranchi dupka. After that you will reach a small saddle and descend to the valley of the Zdravchevsko Dere River. A forest path leads to the river, crosses it and continues on its right coast. After about 500 meters, you need to cross the river and after a hundred meters you need to pass again on its right coast, where is the entrance to the cave "Babini bozki".
From the cave begins 400-500 m steep climb to the ridge of the limestone plateau Dranchi dupka, which is overgrown with thorny bush, hornbeam, red juniper and kukuch. Almost on the ridge there is located the cave "Suhata Dranchi dupka". The cave is 85 m deep and 257 m long. The route continues through a military trench along the entire ridge of the plateau and finish into a small bunker at its southeastern end. From there it has a steep downhill to the nearby marble quarry. You should walk about 400 m on an asphalt road, then turn eastwards and leads through a steep forest trail to the valley of the Manastirska River and the monastery "St. Troitsa ". But before reaching the monastery, about 400 meters above the river there is a path, on which is situated the rock church "Vehtata tsarkva", known as "Karakolyuvata dupka".
Route 3 continues (by car) to the valley of the Tundzha River and Srem village.
Route 3 continues along the artistic defile of Srem of the Tundzha river, which starts south of the village of Knyazhevo. The defile is narrow between 100 and 200 m. The river bed is rocky and rough and it is surround by steep bare slopes. The width of the river reaches 60 m and the average depth is 2 m. There are possibilities for camping, fishing, bird watching and near the road in the defile there are located places for accommodation and meals.
The next village on Route 3 is Knyazhevo. A great Thracian royal home from the Hellenistic Age is being explored in the "Tatarmasha" locality, which is nearness to the Knyazhevo village.
Route 3 follows a visit to the nearby village of Sinapovo. From Sinapovo there is a road to town of Topolovgrad, where the route ends.