Trigrad

Situated in south-west Bulgaria close to the border with Greece, the village of Trigrad is composed of three settlements in a stunning setting near the impressive Trigrad Gorge.

The village of Trigrad lies in the western Rhodope Mountains. In spring, the meadows near the village are full of flowering orchids, while butterflies include mountain and clouded Apollo, black-veined white, Balkan copper, Alcon large blue, turquoise blue, heath fritillary, Balkan fritillary, Ottoman brassy ringlet and eastern large heath.

The nearby Trigrad Gorge is a dramatic location where huge 250-metre-high cliffs tower over a deep valley. Trees of the local subspecies of black pine grow right out of the rocks here. One excellent local butterfly site is 1,200 metres above sea level and gives breathtaking views of the gorge. Butterflies here include two endemic species: Higgins’s anomalous blue and Kolev’s anomalous blue.

There is always a chance of seeing a gorgeous wallcreeper on the cliff face, while other birds here include black, grey-headed and great spotted woodpeckers, Alpine and pallid swifts, red-rumped swallow, crag martin, peregrine, nutcracker and Eurasian hobby.

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