The eco-path includes the following sites: Resort Complex Semkovo – Hut Semkovo – “Uplashenata cheshma” (The Frightened Fountain) – “Branishteto” (The Woods) – “Suhoto ezero” (The Dry Lake) and back.
The Eco-path will present to you “Peat land – one of the most interesting wetlands”. During the transition you will enjoy incredible views of the Rila, Pirin and Rhodope Mountains.
- Length: 9.3 km in both directions
- Duration: 2 hours and 40 minutes
Perhaps “peat” does not sound very exciting, but it is part of the long way of the lake turning into a forest. Peat bogs (given the presence of little nutrients, swampy terrain and acidic waters) are a refuge for interesting plant and animal species such as the Balkan Penfly – an insectivorous plant that you will see along the way. Its leaves are provided with special glands that release sticky secretions and “catch” the insects in their trap. Peat and moss have been used for centuries by humans for their antibacterial properties.
When you walk on the surface of a peat, it feels like walking on a “living carpet” of moss.
The area of Belitsa municipality is one of the few places in Bulgaria, where you can not only learn a lot about the peat, but also experience it.
Maps
More Information
- Services: Connect with TIC - Belitsa to ensure a tourist guide.
- Accessibility: Bus, car, train, bicycle, pedestrian.
- Coordinates: 42°02'37.0"N 23°31'36.2"E
- Note: Source: http://www.ecotourismbelitsa.eu/ekopateka_ocharovanieto_na_torfishteto; Project "Belitsa - The Green Fairytale of Magical Mountains and Dancing Bears".
- Opening time: Free access
- Seasonality Appropriate time to visit - spring, summer and autumn.
