The Arda river forms amazing meanders that make the most beautiful landscapes in the Rhodope Mountains. The Arda river is 272 km long, originating from a karst spring called Ardabashi at the foot of Mount Ardin, which from a little stream becomes wide river, in some places up to 300 meters. The shores of Arda river have been populated in the ancient times, with built fortresses in almost every turn, to protect one of the most important roads connecting Byzantium with Rhodopes. This beauty has survived in decades, because today this part of the Rhodope Mountains is sparsely populated. There is almost no livelihood.