EZTrip.com International Destination Guide and Hotel Listings

Twelve kilometres beyond Teteven at the end of the valley lies RIBARITSA , a popular mountain village straddling the babbling river Vit - a popular location for bathing in summer. It is served by four daily buses from Teteven, and there's ample accommodation, mostly in the form of private rooms (US$9-18) booked through the tourist office in Teteven, although there are also several rest homes now open to all-comers. The centrally located Pochiven Kompleks Ribaritsa (tel 0678/3450, fax 3450; US$18-36) is one of the best hotels in the area, with a fitness centre, tennis courts and comfortable rooms. There's also a campsite with bungalows (US$9-18) at the western end of the village.

Walks from Ribaritsa head either southwest up the Kostina Valley (also cycleable if you rent a bike in Teteven), where, after 4km, you'll see a monument to Georgi Benkovski , the Koprivshtitsa-born revolutionary killed here in 1876; or south up the Zavodka Valley towards Mt Vezhen which, at 2198m above sea level, is the highest point in the Tetevenska planina. There's a hiker's chalet , Hizha Vezhen (also accessible by asphalt road) some two hours short of the summit. If you are hiking in the area, the 1:65 000 Troyan Balkan   map (on sale at the Teteven tourist office) will prove an invaluable aid.

East of Ribaritsa, the main road climbs out of the Vit valley and crosses the hills towards Troyan, some 40km away. It's another scenic route by car or bike (bikes rented at Teteven can be returned at the tourist office in Troyan), taking in heath-covered moorland and deep forest, although no buses pass this way