Bulgaria for Birds and Archaeology

‘The Land of Eagles and Thracian Horsemen’

The central Balkan range of mountains which straddles Bulgaria provides ideal habitat for internationally important populations of birds of prey, especially Imperial, Lesser spotted and Booted Eagles, Saker Falcon, Black and Egyptian Vultures and Levant Sparrowhawks. Further east, a great plain extends to the Black Sea, inhabited in antiquity by the Thracian Horsemen whose painted and sculptured chamber tombs provide an insight into their lives. Old fashioned farming methods and a lack of industry result in remarkable flowers and butterflies, especially evident where rare steppe habitat occurs; and the wetlands south of the Danube delta are justifiably famous.

Early summer is the perfect time to make a grand tour of this little-known land, exploring its richly diverse natural habitats; visiting frescoed mediaeval Orthodox churches and well-preserved Roman ruins; discovering the pleasures of Balkan cuisine and excellent Bulgarian red wines; and seeing the recently unearthed finds of Thracian gold.

TRIP ITINERARY

DAY 1

D included

Meeting at Sofia airport in the early afternoon, we have a 20 minute transfer to our 4 star boutique hotel in the leafy diplomatic district, then set off on foot to visit both the National Museum of History with its stunning displays of Thracian treasure and the 13C Boyana church, a World Heritage site with outstanding Byzantine frescoes.

DAY 2

B, L, D included

We depart early, driving east into the Balkan range, through the Valley of the Roses, and visit the remarkable Thracian tomb (replica) at Kazanlak, thought to be the grave of a tribal chieftain of the early 3C BC. The vivid Hellenistic wall paintings are of exceptional quality, depicting the deceased with his favourite horses and servants. We cross the historic Shipka Pass (where honey buzzards often circle) and then explore the museum village of Etara. Traditional crafts - everything from pottery and knife grinding to bread making and woodcarving - are practised in the beautiful old wooden houses, entirely powered by waterwheels, and dippers are often on the stream. Our comfortable hotel in the old Ottoman village of Arbanassi is in traditional style and the tavern restaurant features whole grilled lamb.

DAY 3

B, L, D included

A birdwatching walk takes us across the high plateau in search of red-backed and lesser grey shrikes, corn buntings, golden orioles and short-toed eagles. The dramatically sited mediaeval fortress of Tsarevets at nearby Veliko Tarnovo is approached by a stone causeway leading to the ruined citadel of the Second Bulgarian Empire which flourished from 1185 to 1396. We explore the site on foot, then visit Arbanassi’s richly frescoed 17C churches with their intricately carved wooden iconostases and wander through the village with its picturesque stone and wooden architecture - once the homes of extremely wealthy merchants who traded regularly with Venice, Constantinople and Dubrovnik.

DAY 4

B, L, D included

Travelling north and east today, we descend from the mountains onto the vast rolling plain that was once the Thracian stronghold and visit one of their most celebrated monuments - the Madara Horseman, an enormous eighth century Thracian rock carving depicting a mounted figure spearing a lion and followed by a dog. We spend the late afternoon on Cape Kaliakra, a dramatic headland on the Black Sea that attracts large numbers of migrants, seabirds such as Yelkouan shearwaters, and dolphins and rare Monk seals offshore. Our new small pension has a mehana (tavern) serving traditional Bulgarian meals.

DAY 5

B, L, D included

Our first birdwatching stop is very close to the Romanian border where remnant steppe habitat is ideal for calandra larks, Isabelline and pied wheatears, rollers and stone curlew, plus unusual flowers and a wealth of butterflies - in some years rose-coloured starlings invade in great numbers from Asia. We search for eagle owls at a quarry nest site and at Durankulak Lake we will concentrate on finding Paddyfield Warbler (on the western edge of its range) as well as spoonbills, pygmy cormorant, glossy ibis, Gull-billed and Caspian terns and red-footed falcons.

DAY 6

B, L, D included

An early morning birdwatching stroll along a cart track should produce good sightings of Levant sparrowhawk, which nest in the area. In Varna we stop to see the fabulous collection of 6C BC Thracian gold objects in the Archaeological Museum, then crossing the Balkan range again, we enjoy lunch grilled on an open fire and search for flycatchers woodpeckers and masked shrikes along paths through the oak forest. Our destination is Nesebar, an ancient Greek settlement and Roman port on the coast, where our very comfortable 3 star hotel is ideally situated for exploring the narrow lanes between the wooden houses & the many mediaeval churches on foot.

DAY 7

B, L, D included

The day is devoted to a thorough investigation of the 3 lakes surrounding Burgas, probably Bulgaria’s most important bird area, and we hope to see most of the following species in good numbers: Night, Squacco, Purple and Grey herons, White and Dalmatian pelicans, collared pratincoles, White-tailed sea eagle, Short-toed eagle, honey and long-legged buzzards, Little and Great white egrets, avocets, black-winged stilts, Ruddy shelducks, ferruginous duck, slender-billed, little and Mediterranean gulls, Savi’s, reed and Great reed warblers and sombre tits. Returning to the Nesebar peninsula, there is time to visit the small ethnographical museum before a fresh fish supper.

DAY 8

B, L, D included

We head next for 3 days exploring the eastern Rodopi Mountains, one of Europe’s most important regions for raptors, as well as a paradise for butterfly and flower enthusiasts. As we travel inland we will be looking out for lesser spotted eagles as they characteristically quarter low over the mountain meadows, and short walks in appropriate habitat should produce Masked shrikes, cirl and Ortolan buntings, rock nuthatches (perhaps at their extraordinary, volcano like, mud nests) and rock and blue rock thrushes. A modern, family-run 3 star hotel with a swimming pool and a good restaurant makes a comfortable base for the next 3 nights.

DAY 9

B, L, D included

The scenery in this area is stunning, ranging from rugged gorges and peaceful river valleys to broad upland meadows and extensive undisturbed forests. Roads are poor and visitors are very few, so the environment has been protected from the impact of pollution and the variety of butterfly species is particularly striking eg. Balkan marbled white, Apollo, Cardinal, brimstones, garden tiger. Dark red helleborines can be found and the orchid species include Burnt, Bug, Balkan Lizard, Loose-leaved and Fragrant. We walk through a remote rural valley and later investigate a megalithic complex of standing stones, rock altars and, according to legend, the tomb of Orpheus.

DAY 10

B, L, D included

A particular highlight today will be a visit to the nearby ‘vulture restaurant’, established by dedicated local ornithologists to entice back the near extinct Black vulture. There are also colonies of Egyptian and Griffon vultures on the surrounding cliffs and impressive numbers of raptors are seen regularly - Short-toed, Booted, Golden, Imperial and lesser spotted eagles, long-legged buzzards and lesser kestrels. Near the village of Kladenets we follow tracks along riverbanks and search for black storks fishing for frogs in the shallows, with nightingales, black-headed buntings and Orphean warblers singing from thickets and pallid swifts, red-rumped swallows and bee-eaters flying overhead.

DAY 11

B, L, D included

The transition into the western Rodopi Mountains is marked by a wilder landscape with huge cliffs and deep rocky valleys. Our goal is Perperikon, the very recently rediscovered second Oracle, once as famous as that of Delphi, and later lost for millenia. We clamber steeply up a stony path, emerging to stand at the very altar where Alexander the Great received the prophecy that he would conquer the world…

Driving on, we visit the splendid Bachkovo monastery, founded in 1083, as we travel north to Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s second city, with a well - deserved ‘must see’ reputation. Once settled into our antique-filled 4 star hotel, we set off to explore the intact historic centre on foot, following cobbled lanes past restored wooden mansions, Byzantine churches, art galleries, mosques and tree-filled small squares to reach the highlight, the magnificent Roman theatre. Built during the reign of Trajanus in the second century AD, it was rediscovered after a landslide in 1972 and carefully restored. Our farewell dinner is in a restaurant recently voted one of the best in Bulgaria.

DAY 12

B included

A final opportunity for souvenir shopping, or visiting the excellent ethnographical museum, before a mid morning departure for Sofia airport and flights onward.

Price includes:

All accommodation for Days 1 through 12 on a double shared basis

All meals with wine at lunches and dinners, other than those excepted in the daily notation

All land transportation as described except during free periods

All entrance and sightseeing fees except during free periods

Specialist ornithological guiding

Gratuities for hotel and restaurant staff

Visa and Health Requirements

Visitors from the EU and the US currently require a valid passport, but not a visa, for entry to Bulgaria. If you are a national of any other country, please check visa regulations with your nearest Embassy of Bulgaria.

At present there are no specific and compulsory health requirements for entry to Bulgaria. Residents of countries in the EU can only claim free (emergency) medical treatment in Bulgaria by presenting their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which is issued in the UK by the Department of Health. You may also wish to check the advice given to travellers by the FCO.

Insurance

It is essential, and a condition of booking, that you protect yourself with a suitable travel insurance policy as soon as you book a trip. Follow this link for a quote for a policy available to UK residents.

If you are already insured or a non-UK resident, please inform us of your policy at the time of booking.