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For birdwatchers, the chief attraction of the eastern Rhodopes is the nature reserve on the River Arda, established in 1994 under the Bulgarian-Swiss Biodiversity Conservation Programme. The gorges of the Arda are one of the few breeding grounds in Europe for four different vultures (the Egyptian, Griffon, Black and White-headed), and the habitat of eight kinds of falcons , and nine kinds of woodpecker , as well as black storks, bee-eaters and other species. Falcons catch mice, lizards, hamsters, snakes, butterflies and birds, while the vultures feed only on carrion, cleansing the environment of pathogenic micro-organisms. You may also catch sight of the now scarce karakachan sheep , an endemic Bulgarian strain, once herded in large numbers by the nomadic Karakachan people, who would drive them to winter pasture in northern Greece. Stricter border controls and collectivization under the Communist regime led to their decline, but they are now being successfully bred on the reserve, along with the traditional breed of sheepdog, to protect them from prowling wolves. Guided tours are arranged through the Nature Information Centre (daily Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat & Sun 11am-5pm; tel 03720/280 or 345) off the road by the bridge across the River Arda, near Madzharovo. Besides photos of the birds, mammals and flowers within the nature reserve (named in Bulgarian and Latin), there are three cosy double bedrooms (US$36-60) for the use of visitors, which should be reserved well in advance, through the information centre. Breakfast or full board can be provided, at extra cost. If the birdwatchers' chalet is full and you don't fancy staying in a block of flats in nearby MADZHAROVO , 3km west, staff at the Nature Information Centre can arrange private rooms (US$20 per person) in the agreeable village of BORISLAVTSI on the opposite bank of the Arda, 6km from the birdwatching centre and 4km from the nearest feeding site. They can also arrange transport or nature walks in the vicinity.
For information on other birdwatching sites, contact the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BDZP), 1111 Sofia, PO Box 50 tel & fax 02/722640, bspb_bg@main.infotel.bg . There's also a regional centre in Plovdiv (tel & fax 032/626212, bdzp_pd@plovdiv.techno-link.com ).
Buses from Haskovo are the only means of reaching the reserve without a car. There are two services daily (except Sat) to Madzharovo (9am & 3.15pm), and one taking a different route to Borislavtsi (3.20pm except Sat). While there are no buses from Krumovgrad to Madzharovo, there are two (6.30am & 12.30pm) from Krumovgrad to Studen Kladenets, a village set in a lunar landscape 30km upriver from Madzharovo, where the ravines of the Valchi Dol are home to another vulture colony , though there is no visitors centre nor anywhere to stay here.
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