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Southwest Bulgaria > Velingrad > Surrounding areas
Surrounding areas of VelingradAt a distance of 16 km from Velingrad is situated Yundola Recreation Campus, spread in the saddle of the same name, dividing the Rhodopes from Rila Mountain (refer to Rhodopes related chapter herein). To the west of the town, at the narrow-gauge railway line to Dobrinishte is located the highest above sea level railway station on the Balkan Peninsula - Avramovi Kolibi (1455 m above the sea level), also in the dividing saddle between Rila and the Rhodopes, called Avramova Saddle.
The village of Dorkovo is 14 km north-east of the town. In its very end in 1985, the largest paleontological finding of mastodons (from 5-6 million years ago) was discovered. The village has a regular bus connection with Velingrad.
Tsepina - Medieval Bulgarian fortress is located 6 km (along an asphalt road) to the north-west of Dorkovo village. One can walk starting from Tsepina railway station on the narrow-gauge railway line Septemvri-Dobrinishte along a marked trail for about 2.30 hours. The fortress was erected between 11th and 13th century on the place of an old Tracian settlement. In the beginning of the 13th century it had been the stronghold of the Bulgarian boyar Aleksii Slav. The Ottoman invaders destroyed it. Remains of the fortress wall, water reservoirs, churches and other buildings are now preserved.
The Chepino River Bed - the valley of River Chepinska between the Rhodeope subparts Alabak (to the west) and Karkaria (to the east) is about 30 km long. It is a picturesque gorge, through which pass the motorway and the narrow-gauge railway line from Septemmvri to Dobrinishte. Being carried by the low speed romantic train, one can admire the picturesque beauties of the surrounding. Velingrad is a point of departure for many tourist routes, mostly in the Phodopes elevation Alabak (refer to the Rodopes related chapter herein).
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