This birding trip will bring you to explore the birdlife in a great variety of habitats around Sofia, the Bulgarian capital, including the conifer and broad-leaved forests in the Vitosha mountain, high mountain meadows, marshlands, steppe and Karst areas.
The key species of birds to be seen during the trip include the Great Bittern, Little Bittern, Purple Heron, Great White Egret, Ferruginous Duck, Garganey, Long-legged Buzzard, Short-toed Eagle, Little Crake, Corncrake, Water Rail, European Bee-eater, Eurasian Hoopoe, White-backed Woodpecker (ssp. lilfordi), Black Woodpecker, Grey-headed Woodpecker, Syrian Woodpecker, Calandra Lark, Tawny Pipit, Water Pipit, Black-headed Yellow Wagtail, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Semi-collared Flycatcher, Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush, Ring Ouzel (ssp. alpestris), Isabelline Wheatear, Sombre Tit, Black-headed Bunting, Ortolan Bunting, Rock Bunting and many others.
Best time: mid-April - July
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- Use of binoculars (on request)
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Food and drinks
- Lunch
- Entrance fees
Departure Point
Traveler pickup is offered
Please contact the local provider to set a meeting point (your hotel or some other convenient spot) and time for your tour at least a few days in advance.
- Vitosha Mountain, Sofia, Bulgaria
We start from your accommodation in Sofia about 8.00 a.m. and drive to the Vitosha Mountain. It is the oldest nature park on the Balkan Peninsula and its gorgeous silhouette is visible from almost all positions in the city and is inseparable part of Sofia’ image. The mountain is home of a diversity of bigger and smaller mammals, birds, insects, reptiles and amphibians. In the different seasons 200 bird species can be observed there, of them 120 species breeding within the park’s territory. Typical inhabitants of the spruce forests are the Nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes), Coal Tit (Parus ater), Common Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra), etc.
180 minutes - Dragoman, Dragoman, Bulgaria
The other bird-rich area we are going to visit in the vicinity of Sofia is the Dragoman marsh, which is the biggest natural karst wetland in Bulgaria. It is situated only 35 km north-west from Sofia and covers a valley between two limestone hills.
With over 200 bird species recorded there, the wetland is a protected sanctuary for birds. The ones we may expect to find there include the Great Bittern, Little Bittern, Purple Heron, Great White Egret, Ferruginous Duck, Garganey, Long-legged Buzzard, Short-toed Eagle, Little Crake, Corncrake, Water Rail, European Bee-eater, Eurasian Hoopoe and more.
180 minutes
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
- Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.