The oldest evidence of human presence in the Rhodopes, flint instruments, was discovered in Borino by an archeological excavation near the current Orpheus Chalet.

Two-thousand years ago in the surrounding areas of Borino lived the Thracian tribe of Bessi.

From these tribes have been discovered Thracian burial mounds on the Turlata Peak, located near Borino, and many shrines scattered throughout the area.

There exists a hypothesis, that on the Videnitsa Peak was located the famous Shrine of Dionysius – visited by Gaius Octavius and by Alexander the Great.

Near Borino ran the direct road from Philipopolis (Plovdiv) to Nicopolis ad Nestum (Gotse Delchev) and Macedonia.

From the Proto-Bulgarians they took the name for the new state, from the Slavs they took the language – Slavic, and from the Thracians their cultural heritage and traditions.

Until 1934, Borino carried the name Karabulak (kara bulak – translated from Turkish which means the "black fountain").

After 1930 Bulgarians began to settle in Borino from villages near Smolyan – Sokolovtsi, Gela, Solishta, Stoikite, and others.

A controversial event in the most recent history of Borino is, as it was called by the government, the “Regeneration Process,” which began in December 1975 and continued until the beginning of 1990.

Also the Borino Municipality is well known for its delicious wild mushrooms – manatarka, maclovka, curnelka, and pachi krak.

Birds include wood grouse, golden eagles, falcons, kingfishers, and the wallcreeper in the Trigrad Gorge.

The reserve is 124 hectares and was created with the purpose to preserve the old growth black pine and natural landscape.

In the Kastrakli reserve there are twenty-five protected plant species, twelve endangered, and eleven categorized as rare.