Dospat Reservoir is one of the highest-altitude dams in Bulgaria, tucked away in the western Rhodope Mountains among ancient coniferous forests. Stretching nearly 19 km between the town of Dospat and the city of Sarnitsa, it offers some of the most peaceful mountain scenery in the region.

Sitting at 1,200 m above sea level, the landscape shifts beautifully with the seasons — summer brings grazing meadows and potato fields on the rolling northern terrain, while the steep spruce-covered slopes along the southern bank stay green and cool even in the warmest months. Winter transforms the area into a quiet, snow-covered retreat. The town of Sarnitsa and the Krushata neighborhood sit on the northern shore, while most holiday cabins and hotels cluster along the southern bank.

How to get there

• From Batak — mountain road, connects to other Rhodope dams along the way, forks towards Dospat and Sarnitsa
• From Velingrad to Sarnitsa — mountain road, rutted in places and can be challenging
• From Devin or from Gotse Delchev to Dospat — alternative access roads
• Along the south bank — rough dirt track connecting Sarnitsa and Dospat, mainly used to reach holiday spots

Practical information

• Access is rather poor — only four main mountain roads reach the reservoir
• The reservoir is rich in fish, including perch, trout (rainbow, brown, brook), carp, chub, rudd, roach, pumpkinseed, wels catfish, Danube bleak and Carassius species
• Trout are reared in cages within the reservoir — spinning and fly fishing are both popular here

Dospat Reservoir is part of the Dospat-Vacha Hydropower Cascade, though it has no power plant of its own — the water travels onward to the Teshel and Devin power plants, feeding a whole chain of Rhodope reservoirs.