The village of Borino situated in the Rhodope Mountains has been subject of increased tourist interest for a long time due to its pretty guest houses, delicious homemade cuisine and magnetic Rhodope nature. The mountain in this region flows with a series of high rock formations – the home of numerous eagles, breathtaking gorges and caves, some of which have been adapted for the purposes of tourism. The vicinity of Borino is covered with colorful meadows, wild flowers, herbs and a veil of beautiful butterflies.

The nature reserve Kastrakli, which flows with these motley-winged insects, is situated in close proximity to the village of Borino. Over 450 types of Butterflies flit over the lush greenery of the Rhodope hills. Their life is short. Some of these species enjoy the sun and the flowers for several weeks only. Others die literally few hours after they hatch. However, the exuberance of these delicate, semi-transparent creatures in this Bulgarian region is huge. Experts contend that one can see at least 20 types of butterflies within a two-hour walk in a radius of 100 meters. Some of these butterflies are exceptionally rare for this latitude. Many foreign tourists also arrive to the village of Borino, to see these butterflies and take photos and videos of them. That is why the village council started the construction of a butterfly museum which is to be unveiled later this autumn. The museum is to display a collection of at least 100 odd taxidermy butterflies as well as a rich photo collection. Meanwhile, tourists can visit the reserve and get acquainted with the secret dens of these heavenly insects.

“There is a biosphere reserve in the locality of Kastrakli which is planted with black pine. Most butterflies can be seen in a wide area of meadows and fields covering 120 hectares”, Mayor of the village of Borino Oktay Aliev told Radio Bulgaria. "We made a series of eco pathways. Visitors can reach the butterfly reserve on foot, by bicycle and by car. Currently 3 or 4 people from our village are going under a special training course, in order to become tour guides. They will acquaint visitors will the life and the diversity of the butterfly species in our region.”

The region attracts many mountaineers, rock climbers, speleologists and photographers. Their imagination is lit by the colorful meadows covered with wild orchids. According to experts, the wild orchid is one of the oldest blooming plant species. This flower is rare to be seen out in nature, fans of botany contend. The Yagodinska Cave is situated not far from the village of Borino. It is one of Bulgaria's most beautiful and most visited caves. Tourists often visit The Devil's Throat Cave (Dyavolskoto Garlo), too. It is associated with the legend of Orpheus and Eurydice. The asphalt road which meanders through the Trigrad Gorge takes visitors to some little known hamlets with a population of only several elderly people. The region abounds in pastoral views. Once you reach this place, you would undoubtedly step out of your vehicle, take a walk across the fragrant meadows and take photos of a great diversity of flowers and butterflies. That is why travelers from all parts of Europe can be often seen in this region.

“We welcome guests from France, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, etc”, Oktay Aliev explains. “Most visitors take photos with professional cameras. They learned about us on the Internet. Besides, once they visit Bulgaria, they share their adventure with colleagues and friends and advertise our place.”

Now the village council is in feverish preparation for the official opening of the Butterfly Museum which is also to become a conservation center. The local people hope that when this museum opens even more fans of wild nature will visit Borino in the future. 

English version: Kostadin Atanasov