Wildlife Tours to Bulgaria BULGARIA
Photo: Barred Warbler.
| Tour Ref. | Days | Dates | Party Size |
Cost |
Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BUL1/10 | 15 | Thursday 13th to Thursday 27th May 2010 | 8 plus leader | £1795 (*£230) | TBA |
*Single room supplement.
Tour Destinations :
- Vitosha Mountains
- Nova Cherna marshland
- Srebarna Reserve
- Cape Kaliakra Nature Reserve
- Durankulak and Shabla Marshlands
- Ropotamo Nature Reserve
- Strandzha Reserve
- Eastern Rhodope Mountains
- Trigrad Gorge
Tour Summary
Bulgaria
This is primarily a birdwatching tour which takes us to a country with a very diverse range of easily accessible habitats offering the chance to see many species of birds in a two week visit. We will visit the Danube Valley, the Dobrudza steppes, the lakes and coastal areas of the Black Sea coast and the Rodopi Mountains and can anticipate recording numerous breeding birds as well as those migrating along the Black Sea Coast. We will also, primarily at Etara and Nesebar, have the chance to get an introduction to the rich culture of the country.
Itinerary
Day 1 : Fly from UK to Sofia
We depart from the UK for Sofia and then transfer by road for the short journey south to the Mount Vitosha area for overnight.
Day 2 : Drive to Etara area,
We will spend our morning in the mountains making our first searches for Spotted Nutcracker, Ring Ouzel, Firecrest and Common Crossbill before departing eastwards for Etara, near Gabrovo. In the latter part of the afternoon, we will have the opportunity to visit the open air museum which is adjacent to our overnight accommodation in Etara.
Day 3 : Nova Cherna and the Danube River
We depart after breakfast driving to the Nova Cherna marshland en route to our hotel where we will arrive for lunch and a two night stay. The marshlands are a good location for Little Bittern, Whiskered Tern, Red-necked, Black-necked, Little and Great Crested Grebes, Penduline Tit and Marsh Warbler. We will also be able to enjoy a breeding colony of Bee-eaters and Rollers near the marshland. In the afternoon, we visit the Danube River in search of Dalmatian Pelicans, herons and woodpeckers before returning to our hotel for overnight.
Day 4 : Srebarna Reserve
A full day to explore the Srebrana Lake Reserve with packed lunch. The extensive reed-beds of the Reserve are home to Dalmatian Pelican, Ferruginous Duck, Pygmy Cormorant, Purple, Squacco and Night Herons, Marsh Harrier and Penduline Tit. Lesser Spotted Eagle, Levant Sparrowhawk and Northern Goshawk breed in the broad-leaved forests around the lake.
Day 5 : Dobrudza Steppes and Kavarna
Today we drive across the Dobrudza steppes en route to Kavarna for a three night stay. The hotel is perched on a hill overlooking the sea giving opportunities to watch for Mediterranean Shearwaters.
Day 6 : Cape Kaliakra Steppe Nature Reserve, Bolata gorge and Yailata Reserve
Today we have a full day tour from Kavarna visiting the coastal headland which forms the Cape Kaliakra Steppe Nature Reserve in the morning. Inland, we hope to encounter Calandra and Short-toed Larks, Isabelline and Pied Wheaters and Stone-curlew, along with Lesser Grey and Red-backed Shrikes, Black-headed and Corn Buntings before taking lunch at a local hotel. In the afternoon we will visit the Bolata Gorge and Yailata Reserve, two rocky valleys running down to the sea with good birdwatching opportunities, including the Eagle Owl, Long-legged Buzzard, Hoopoe, Alpine Swift and possibly Rose-coloured Starling..
Day 7 : Lake Durankulak and Shabla marshland
Another full day from Kavarna takes us to Lake Durankulak, a freshwater lake with extensive reed-beds and open water near the Romanian border, taking lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon we will visit Shabla marshland. During the day we hope to see Paddyfield Warbler, Ferruginous Duck, Collared Pratincole, Little Crake, Glossy Ibis, Gull-billed and Caspian Terns, Bearded Tit, Red-footed Falcon and Long-legged Buzzard. We return to our hotel in Kavarna for our overnight stay.
Day 8 : Nesebar and Bourgas
Our journey today takes us south along the Black Sea coast to the Bourgas area, visiting two sites en route, the Goritza oak forest and Varna Lake. In the forest, we have a good chance to see Semi-collared Flycatcher, Short-toed Treecreeper, Hawfinch, Great, Middle and Lesser Spotted, Grey-Headed, Green and Black Woodpeckers. Varna Lake will hopefully yield Ferruginous Duck and Ruddy Shelduck. We will call at the ancient town of Nesabar for lunch before going on to Bourgas which will be our base for the next three nights.
Day 9 : Ropotamo Nature Reserve
A full day tour from Bourgas with packed lunch takes us to the Ropotamo Nature Reserve, which includes wetlands, the River Ropotamo and part of the Strandza Mountains with broad leaved forests, sand dunes and coastal land. Species encountered will hopefully include Middle, Great Spotted, Black and Grey-headed Woodpeckers, European Honey-buzzard, Booted Eagle and Short-toed Treecreeper.
Day 10 : Bourgas area lakes and wetlands.
Today we stay in the Bourgas area and take a packed lunch on our visit to the Mandra and Vaya freshwater lakes and other wetland sites north of Bourgas. We will be travelling to extensive reed-beds, flooded meadows, marshes, low hills and oak forests. Such a diverse range of habitats promises an excellent selection of birds including Pygmy Cormorant, White Pelican, Dalmation Pelican, Eurasian Spoonbill, Slender-billed, Mediterranean and Little Gulls, Pied Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Marsh Sandpiper, Sombre Tit and White-tailed Eagle. We return to our hotel in Bourgas for overnight.
Day 11 : Strandza Forest National Park and Madjarovo
We depart after breakfast for Madjarovo visiting the Strandzha Forest Nature Park en route to our base for the next two nights. In Stranszha we will expect to see the Masked Shrike, Olive-tree Warbler, Sombre Tit, Ortolan, Black-headed Bunting and Middle Spotted Woodpecker.
Day 12 : Strandzha
A full day visit with a packed lunch takes us to the nearby Studen Kladenetz region, a rocky, sparsely vegetated area of volcanic origin with stunted shrubs and few large trees. It is also one of the premier areas in Europe for birds of prey and Golden, Eastern Imperial, Booted and Short-toed Eagles, Long-legged Buzzard, Egyptian, and Griffon Vultures, the last two regularly visiting a feeding station. Many smaller species including Pallid Swift, Rock and Blue Rock Thrushes and various tits, buntings and warblers will be in evidence.
Day 13 : Madzharovo cliffs and shrubs and Trigrad area in the Western Rhodopes.
Day 13 begins with a morning birding in the Madzharovo area, where Black Storks nest and Black, Griffon and Egyptian Vultures, Common Raven, Scops Owl, Black-headed Bunting, Rock Nuthatch and many more species can be seen. After lunch we drive to the Trigrad area in the Western Rjodopes for a two nights stay in a family-run hotel. Around the hotel we will be looking for Common Crossbill, Rock Bunting, Pallid Swift, Black Redstart and Crag Martin.
Day 14 : Rodopi Mountains, including Trigrad Gorge
Our last full day in Bulgaria takes us to a number of sites in the Rodopi Mountains including the magnificent Trigrad Gorge where we will be in search of Wallcreepers along with Alpine Swift, Crag Martin, Spotted Nutcracker, White-throated Dipper and Peregrine Falcon. We return to our hotel for overnight.
Day 15 : Flight back to the UK
We leave Trigrad after breakfast, driving the 250km to Sofia to connect with our flight to the UK, pausing en route to look for Syrian Woodpecker and Red-rumped Swallow. Our flight lands in the UK late in the afternoon.