The Chervena Stena reserve

The Chervena Stena (The Red Wall) is one of the four biosphere reserves in Rodopa Mountain protected by UNESCO and announced for a unique world heritage. The most beautiful area in the Chervena Stena is the valley of Sushitsa River. It is the hardest accessible valley in the Rodopa Mountain, with exceptionally steep slopes. There is a lot of trout in the river and a population of otters as well. You can see bears, wolves, and deer in the reserve, but the biggest attraction is the wild goat. The preserve is like paradise for the day and the night birds of prey, as the rock eagles are the most interesting. The area is full of caves. One of the most spectacular caves is the Ahmetiova Dupka (The Hole of Ahmet). There is a 5 m high stalacton in the beginning of its only hall, which is 40 m long. Another interesting cave is the Topchika. There are no cave formations in it, but you can see rock pictures made by primitive people. After archeological excavations flint tools and full skeleton of cave bear were found in Topchika. A real challenge for the speleologists are the caves Ivanova Voda (Water of Ivan) and Druzhba (Friendship), which are deep abysses with 131 m and 211 m depth. There are several Thracian sanctuaries in the area of Chervena Stena, two of which are Belintash and Karadzhov Kamak (The Stone of Karadzha). They are beautiful and unapproachable rocks, facing one another. In the tombs round them coins, silver ornaments and pottery from the centuries B.C. were found.