[1] The river takes its source under the name Ribnevo dere at an altitude of 1,816 m some 500 m west of the summit of Modar (1,992 m) in the Chernatisa ridge of western Rhodope mountain range.

Downstream of the confluence with its largest tributary, the Lilkovska reka, the river enters in a deep dramatic gorge until the village of Hrabrino.

At the village of Parvenets, it enters the Upper Thracian Plain, where the riverbed is corrected with protective dikes.

It flows into the Maritsa at an altitude of 164 m in the western neighbourhoods of Bulgaria's second largest city, Plovdiv.

There are three settlements along its course: the villages of Hrabrino and Parvenets in Rodopi Municipality and the city of Plovdiv.