Bulgaria: Realm of the Brown Bear

Setting off from Sofia Airport, we begin an interesting four-hour transfer to the Rodopi Mountains. Our destination is the remote mountain village of Yagodina, our home for the next six nights. During dinner, our leader will give a welcome briefing about the week ahead and the work of Wild Rodopi, whose brown bear research and conservation project you will be assisting. Stay: Hotel Yagodina (or similar) (B/L/D).

After breakfast, we set off on our first bear tracking walk, which will lead us into the surrounding forests searching for, recording and interpreting evidence of Brown bear activity such as scats, prints and various feeding signs. During the walk, there will be an introduction to safe bear/human interaction and behaviour. In the evening, half the group will have their first visit to the bear hide. Visiting the hide usually necessitates having an early dinner so that we can be in position before darkness falls. Bears are attracted to the hide by the presence of corn but are not dependent on this for their diet. Depending on the amount of activity in the clearing we may stay until around 11 pm, or with permission of the group earlier or later. Stay: Hotel Yagodina (or similar) (B/L/D).

After breakfast, we drive to a neighbouring village, where we set off on foot through the border zone. Access to this region was once tightly restricted, and the border itself closed off with a barb-wire fence that was impenetrable to wildlife. With the fencing now removed, this border area is now freely roamed by wolves and bears, allowing Greek and Bulgarian populations of these species to intermix, thereby enhancing gene flow and their long-term health and viability. After returning to the hotel, and dinner, the second half of the group will have its first visit to the bear hide. Stay: Hotel Yagodina (or similar) (B/L/D).

Today we make an exciting exploration of a core region for brown bear and grey wolf. Red fox, European badger, pine marten, stone marten and European wildcat are also common here, and recently, during his research, the tour leader Julian has also discovered the presence of golden jackal. Following on the trail of these animals through hauntingly beautiful and remote landscapes, we cross streams, butterfly-filled meadows and peaceful forests, before finally plunging down into the depths of a gorge. This evening, after dinner, the first half of the group will have their second visit to the bear hide. Stay: Hotel Yagodina (or similar) (B/L/D).

Setting off on foot from our hotel, we make a steep, steady climb up the stony flank of the mountain ridge above the village. Here in spring and early summer, there are several interesting species of orchid to be found, as well as numerous butterflies. On reaching the ridgeback, we follow an eroded track to a wonderful cliff-top viewpoint. The rocks here are home to several typical cliff-dwelling species of bird including the beautiful wallcreeper, peregrine falcon, rock thrush, crag martin and alpine swift.

At certain times of year, it is also possible to spot other raptors gliding over, such as golden eagle, short-toed eagle, booted eagle, long-legged buzzard, Eurasian hobby and common kestrel. The wonderful views remain with us throughout the day as we continue our walk, zig-zagging steeply down into the depths of the Buynovsko Gorge on a rough and stony path that leads through a favoured feeding region for both brown bear and Balkan chamois. This evening, the second half of the group will have their second visit to the bear hide. Stay: Hotel Yagodina (or similar) (B/L/D).

After breakfast we set off from the hotel on foot, beginning a long and strenuous, but highly rewarding bear tracking adventure. Having left the village pastures behind, we begin a long steep climb that sees us enter a forested region that is regularly patrolled by brown bears and grey wolf. Especially exciting is the fact that Balkan lynx, a species considered extinct in Bulgaria for almost a century, has very recently been recorded here again! The forests here also harbour many secretive birds such as hazel grouse, black woodpecker and crested tit.

The midpoint of our trail leads us out onto a spectacular rocky crest, from where there are stunning views towards Greece, across waves of forested ridges that make a perfect trans-border corridor by which the large carnivore populations of Bulgaria and Greece can intermix. Having traversed the crest, our descent then leads us steeply down through more silent forest, and finally back out into the meadows and cultivations above Yagodina. Stay: Hotel Yagodina (or similar) (B/L/D).

Leaving Yagodina on foot, we start the day with a short walk along a beautiful forest path, which in spring and early summer sprouts an exceptional variety of orchids. An ancient Thracian packhorse route, this path is often used by bears feeding in the surrounding forests on beech mast and ants. After meeting our bus, a 45-minute drive brings us to the beautiful valley of the Devinska Reka, where we spend a couple of hours walking a delightful riverside trail. As well as being home to Eurasian otters and a variety of riverine birds, such as dipper and grey wagtails, the valley also forms the heart of a specially designated Prime Butterfly Area and provides the perfect habitat for many rare and beautiful butterfly species. Having enjoyed a picnic lunch beside the river, we then complete the transfer (3hr 30min) back to Sofia. Stay: Boutique Hotel Crystal Palace (or similar) (B/L/D).

This trip draws to a close after breakfast. If you want to spend a bit more time in the city after our wild adventures, speak to your sales representative about extending your stay (B).