Rhodope Mountains

Between Pirin and the western Rhodopes, the Mesta River runs south through mountain basins and gorges. On its western side Pirin rises in steep ridges, with glacial lakes among the high rocks and coniferous forests on the slopes. Across the valley the Rhodopes form a broader upland of wooded ridges. Together the mountains frame the route of the river as it makes its way toward the Aegean, dividing two neighboring ranges of the southern Balkans.