Rhodope Mountains

The western Rhodopes rise in a succession of wooded ridges and deep river valleys south of the Thracian plain. The Vacha gathers water from a wide area of these mountains before flowing north towards the Maritsa; the Chepelarska also descends from the highlands. Caves and steep gorges cut through the limestone country, while the highest slopes have a mountain climate. Forest gives way to open ground on the heights, and the valleys divide the broad massif into separate ridges.