Shiroka Laka

Shiroka Laka is strung along a river in a narrow Rhodope valley, a village of white two-storey houses with dark timber and small windows built into the slope, protected as an architectural reserve, with arched stone bridges over the water and a church of 1834 built in forty days according to local account. It holds a national school of folk music and dance, which means the village produces a steady supply of gaida players and singers and the sound of practice is part of walking through it. On the first Sunday of March it hosts a kukeri festival, when masked and costumed figures from villages across the region gather to drive out winter, which is the busiest day of its year by a long way.

What you actually see

• White houses along the river - the Rhodope building style in a narrow valley.
• Arched stone bridges - the crossings through the village.
• The folk music school - gaida and singing practice audible in the lanes.
• The March kukeri festival - masked figures gathering on the first Sunday.

When to go

April to October for the village; the first Sunday of March for the kukeri festival, which fills it completely. Half a day otherwise. Winter is snowy and the roads can be difficult.

Honest expectations

Festival day is extremely crowded and accommodation for a wide area books out. Outside it the village is very quiet with limited facilities. The house museum has irregular hours. Roads through the Rhodopes are slow.

Nearby

Gela is up the valley; Smolyan and Pamporovo lie east.