Kupena Reserve

Kupena (Rhodope Mountain, about 3 km southeastern from the town of Peshtera) was declared reserve on September 24, 1961. Is was established to protect the landscape, the beautiful scenery and the interesting and valuable flora, fauna and biological system. Because of the comparatively low altitude (500 to 900 m) the most spread trees here are the Scotch Pine and Spruce, which form forests of the age of nearly 150 years. Besides them the reserve protects Oak Trees, Hornbeam, bushes, etc. Kupena is inhabited by hares, martens, swallows, partridges, eagles, falcons, and many other animals and birds. The wild goat is one of the reasons for declaring the reserve. In the 80s of the past century there were about 100 representatives but because of the poachers in the beginning of the 90s it was almost completely annihilated. Nowadays only a small flock is protected here. The reserve is passed by the big water shed ridge, starting from the Batashki Snejnik summit and going down between the river Vacha and Stara. The slopes in the reserve are sheer and hardly accessible. On the rights of the Kupena summit are the vertical slopes of Steneto. Below these rocks of few hundred meters are found the entrances of the caves that are also hardly reachable. A breathtaking canyon is formed between Steneto and Kupena. The Water Cave is in the upper part of the canyon but the basic attraction here is the Snejanka cave – not big, but amazingly beautiful.