The Wonderful Bridges is a remarkable natural wonder. It is situated in the karst valley of the river Erkyupriya in the West Rhodope mountain on 1450 above the sea level, at the foot of Golyam Persenk peak (2091). The rock phenomenon is situated at a distance of 80 km south from the town of Plovdiv, 35 km north-west from the town of Chepelare and 40 km north-west from the village of Zornitsa.
In the past the bridges had been one entire cave, formed under the destructive activity of the river waters. Parts of it were collapsing with time, forming majestic marble bridges. The large bridge is about 15 meters wide in its wider parts and almost 100 meters long. It consists of three arches, as the largest one is 45 meters high and 40 meters wide.
The small bridge is at a distance of 200 meters from the large one along the river current. It is impassable, 60 meters long, with total height of 50 meters, and the height of the arch is 30 meters. There is also a really small third bridge after it, which is a ponor cave, in which the waters of Erkyupriya river disappear, to appear again on the surface 3 kilometers farther.
You can view both of the two bridges from various perspectives and even descend to the stream flowing beneath them. It possesses a breathtaking beauty. There’s a restaurant called Hut “Wonderful Bridges” where you can sit and savor local cuisine. If you input this name exactly as I’ve written it here into Google Maps, you’ll find easy navigation.
The Wonderful Bridges are included among the 100 National Touristic Places of the Bulgarian Touristic Union, under number 85.
