Bulgaria & Northern Greece: Spring Migration Magic – CONFIRMED

Day 1. Your Balkan adventure begins with a meet-and-greet at Sofia Airport. For guests arriving on morning or midday flights, we offer a complimentary transfer to the heart of Sofia for independent sightseeing. The tour officially gets underway at 16:00 (4:00 PM) as our vehicle heads south towards Sandanski (please note, late arrivals after this time will require a private transfer at an additional cost). Along the way, we break our journey at the dramatic Kresna Gorge—a critical ecological corridor and world-famous migratory bottleneck. Here, we scan the cliffs and skies for soaring Griffon Vultures, Peregrine Falcons, Western Rock Nuthatches, and Crag Martins. In the evening, we reach the thermal spa town of Sandanski, appreciated for its mild Mediterranean microclimate. We will gather for a welcome dinner to get to know our fellow travelers and preview the birds and wildlife ahead.

Day 2. Today we cross the border into Greece for a full-day excursion at Lake Kerkini, one of Europe’s most celebrated spring wetlands. This scenic sanctuary will be alive with nesting and migratory birds. On the open water, we search for Great White and Dalmatian Pelicans, Pygmy Cormorants, Eurasian Spoonbills, Glossy Ibises, and Black Storks. We will carefully scan the reedbeds and shallows for Black-winged Stilt, Little Bittern, and an impressive variety of herons, including Purple, Squacco, and Black-crowned Night Heron.  The lakeside reeds resound with the breeding songs of Great Reed, Savi’s, and Cetti’s Warblers, alongside Penduline Tits. Beyond the shore, we explore deciduous woodlands, arid steppes, and rocky scrublands. Key targets here include Eagle Owls, Levant Sparrowhawks, Long-legged Buzzards, and the elusive Rock Partridge. The local forests host Syrian, Grey-headed, and Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers, plus the cryptic Wryneck. Additional avian highlights include European Red-rumped Swallows, Calandra Larks, Semi-collared Flycatchers, and three species of shrikes (Masked, Woodchat, and Lesser Grey). To round out a spectacular day, the open hillsides should reward us with colorful buntings, including Cirl and Ortolan Bunting. In the afternoon, we head back across the Bulgarian border to the peaceful village of Ognyanovo, known for its mineral baths, where we will spend the night.

Day 3. After a scenic two-hour drive, we arrive at the majestic Trigrad Gorge, a towering limestone canyon and the renowned realm of the Wallcreeper. Here, we can spot species such as Peregrine Falcon, Alpine Swift, Crag Martin, Black Redstart, Dipper, Grey Wagtail, Coat Tit, Goldcrest and other forest specialities. During the late afternoon, our focus shifts to the region’s impressive mammalian wildlife. We will split the group into small subgroups of four, escorting you to specialized bear observation hides. Set deep in prime territory, we will spend the evening hours waiting for the majestic Brown Bear to emerge. Afterwards, we transfer to the nearby spa town of Devin for our overnight stay.

Day 4. During the morning, we set out on a scenic transfer east towards the Arda River valley and the Eastern Rhodopes. Our destination is Madzharovo, featuring a unique landscape shaped by an ancient volcanic crater. As the pine forests give way to jagged cliffs and open oak woodlands, the surrounding bird scenery shifts dramatically. We plan to arrive in time for an afternoon introduction to the Balkans’ raptor kingdom. Overnight stay in Madzharovo.

Day 5. For many, a true birdwatchers’ paradise will look much like the beautiful area of the Eastern Rhodopi. A sense of timelessness and harmony is tangible in this land of rich birdlife. During our stay, we will admire beautiful rock formations which Griffon and Egyptian Vultures call their home, a scenic river with Black Storks wading in the crystal clear water, an array of enchanting bird songs, wild orchids, and butterflies. There is truly no need to spoil your upcoming experience with further verbal descriptions of the region. The species we will try to see within the day are: Egyptian Vulture, Griffon Vulture, Booted Eagle, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Long-legged Buzzard, Black Kite, Golden Eagle, Eleonora`s Falcon, Black Stork, Chukar Partridge, Blue Rock Thrush, Rock Nuthatch, Rock Bunting, Ortolan Bunting, Cirl Bunting, Sardinian Warbler, Olive-tree Warbler, Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler, and many other more common species.

Day 6. Following a healthy breakfast, we will enjoy 2 hours of birding in the vicinity of the town of Madzharovo. Then we continue to the Sakar Mountains, an area of extensive rolling hills and vast pastures. We will stop at several spots to try and locate Imperial Eagles, Lesser Kestrel, shrikes (Maskes, Red-backed, Woodchat and Lesser Gray), Isabeline Wheatear, Lesser Spotted Eagle and Black-headed Bunting, as we travel eastwards to the Southern Black Sea coast and the town of Bourgas, where we stay for 2 nights. Our expected highlights of the day are Eastern Imperial Eagle, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Short-toed Eagle, Booted Eagle, Long-legged Buzzard, Isabelline Wheatear, Black-headed Bunting, Masked Shrike, Olive-tree Warbler, Woodchat Shrike, Red-backed Shrike, Cirl Bunting, Rock Bunting etc.

Day 7. The town of Burgas is bordered by a series of lakes with different salinities. Atanasovsko Lake has been transformed into salt pans, and represents the place in Bulgaria where the highest number of birds has been registered. It remains an important and safe (its northern part is a nature reserve) stopover site for waterfowl and waders using the Via Pontica flyway. Vaya, also known as Burgas Lake, stands as one of the largest wetlands in Bulgaria. It is shallow and rich in fish—a favourite place for Dalmatian and White Pelicans, Great Crested Grebes, Little Grebes and different gulls and terns to feed. Another interesting wetland complex rich with avifauna is Madra Lake and Poda Lagoon—a mosaic of reedbeds and open water bodies. It will be a slow-paced day of birding as we move from lake to lake and also watch out for heading north migrants. Highlights of the day: Dalmatian and White Pelican, Pygmy Cormorant, Whiskered and Little Tern, Avocet, Kentish Plover, Squacco Heron, Greenshank, Spotted Redshank, Mediterranean and Slender-billed Gulls, Terek, Broad-billed, Wood, Marsh and Curlew Sandpipers, Shellduck, Great Reed Warbler.

Day 8. We spend our final morning scanning the coastal wetlands and quiet sea coves of Bourgas for any missed seasonal rarities, gulls, or late migrants. In the afternoon, we leave the Black Sea coast behind and embark on our comfortable transfer west across the Thracian Valley back to the capital city of Sofia. In the evening, we will enjoy a farewell dinner to celebrate the incredible variety of species seen and photographed throughout the tour. Overnight in Sofia.

Day 9. Following breakfast at our hotel, you will have free time to explore Sofia’s historic center at your own pace, perhaps visiting landmarks like the majestic Alexander Nevsky Cathedral or enjoying a local caf?. We will provide timely transfers to Sofia Airport to coordinate with your departure flights, bringing your memorable Balkan birding journey to a seamless close.

Accommodation: 3-star hotels on B&B basis, shared accomodation