Bulgarian Rivers

Bulgaria has 526 rivers longer than 2.3 km. The only navigable river is the Danube, which lies along the North Bulgarian border. The longest rivers on the territory of Bulgaria (in km): Iskar (368.0 km), Toundga (349.5 km), Maritsa (321.6 km), Osum (341.0 km), Struma (290.0 km), Yantra (285.5 km), Kamchiya (244.5 km), Arda (241.3 km), Louda Kamchiya (200.9 km) and Roussenski Lom (196.9 km).

The only navigable river is the Danube which flows along the northern part of Bulgaria. The Danube is an important transport link to the Central European countries and Russia and Ukraine, and also main source of water for irrigation of the Danube Hilly Plain.

The rivers of Bulgaria, which originate mostly in the Balkan Mountains and flow either north to the Danube or south to the Maritsa, are used for waterpower and for irrigating crops. The nation’s waterpower resources are plentiful but significantly underutilized.

There are good prerequisites for the development of adventure tourism: wild waters – rafting and canoe, diving, hanggliding and paragliding in the river valleys of Vatcha, Iskar, Chepelarska, Struma, and Mesta rivers.