Steneto Natural Reserve

The biosphere reserve Steneto is located in the Troyan mountain, in the upper stream of the Cherni Osam river. It was proclaimed as a natural reserve on April 5 1979. It was established to preserve the nature in the majestic gorge Steneto and is included in UNESCO’s “Man and Biosphere” programme. The reserve is a home of the greatest variety of forest and rock birds on the Balkans. Steneto is also the area most densely inhabited by brown bears in Bulgaria, and Bulgaria has been acknowledged as one of the most important bear areas in Europe. In the past, the bear was one of the most popular big mammals in Stara Planina. The Karst region of the reserve is strewn with many caves, including Kumanitza – one of the longest water caves in Bulgaria (1656 m) and Raychova dupka (377m) – the deepest cave in Bulgaria.

Location