Botanical Holidays in Bulgaria
Wild Flowers of the Black Sea & Strandzha Mountains
Balkan Trek's unique and highly rewarding botanic holiday in Bulgaria, will take you on an exploration of the wild flowers of Bulgaria's Black Sea coast and adjacent Strandzha Mountains. Walking through a varied landscape of sandy beaches and dunes, jungle-like flood forests, a mosaic of marshes, steppe grasslands, and extensive deciduous forests, we will go in search of some of the rarest and most beautiful wild flowers and endemic plants in Bulgaria. By the end of this botanic holiday along Bulgaria's Black Sea coast and adjacent Strandzha Mountains, you will not only have had the chance to find and photograph a large variety of stunning wild flowers and endemic plants, but also have had a memorable insight into both the outstanding flora and fauna of Bulgaria's Black Sea coast and Strandzha Mountains, as well as the ever increasing threats that these unique and delicate wild flower habitats are facing.
| Holiday Highlights - A stunning variety of beautiful plants such as Asphodeline lutea, Tulipa thracica, Fritillaria pontica, Scilla bythinica, Anemone pavonina, and the two striking paeonies Paeonia peregrina and Paeonia tenuifolia. - Interesting sand dune vegetation including species such as Stachys maritima, Medicago marina, Pancratium maritimum, Eryngium maritimum, Cakile maritima. - Rare local endemics including Silene caliacrae and Aurinia uechtritzianum. - Several unusual orchids such as Ploughshare Orchid (Serapias vomeracea), Pink Butterfly Orchid (Orchis papilionaceae), Violet Limodore (Limodorum abortivum). - The unique vegetation of the Kaliakra steppe and the desert landscape of the Pobiti Kamani with their rare and specialized floras. - Cultural attractions such as the Aladzha Monastery and the ancient coastal settlements of Nesebar and Sozopol. - Time to relax on soft sandy beaches and enjoy the warm water of the Black Sea. - Delicious traditional Bulgarian cuisine. - An experienced, knowledgeable and highly informative botanic guide. NB: Unlike many other wildlife holiday companies in Bulgaria who attempt to cut costs by making their guides have to double up as drivers, we employ separate professional drivers with licensed vehicles for all our botanical holidays in Bulgaria as we believe it is not only safer to have a driver fully focused on the road, but also allows our guides to concentrate fully on looking after you and finding you the wildlife! Further Inspiration In spring, the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria is a perfect choice for a botanic holiday in Bulgaria, as the region’s many beautiful wild flowers and plants are then in full bloom. The botanic richness of Bulgaria’s Black Sea coastline comprises a unique mix of species including unusual representatives of Dacian, Pannonian, Pontic, Crimean and Caucasian floras. Furthermore, the Black Sea shoreline is characterized by a wide diversity of landscapes. As one travels along the coast of the Bulgarian Black Sea, one can search for wildflowers in a wide array of habitats, including a string of wetlands comprising marshes, lagoons and lakes, lush river valleys with dense riparian vegetation, forming some unique longoz flood forests, plus stony steppe grasslands, rocky capes, and some extensive areas of sandy beaches and dunes. A botanical exploration of the Bulgaria’s Black Sea flora and adjacent Strandzha Mountains is, therefore, highly rewarding, allowing the discovery of an ever-changing variety of coastal and forest plant communities and associations. Starting our botanical holiday along the northern section of Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, we will be searching for an exciting selection of rare and beautiful plants including the local endemic Silene caliacrae, as well as Hypecoum ponticum, Stipa lessingiana, Artemisia pedemontana, Ruta graveolens, Nonnea atra, Asphodeline lutea, Scutellaria orientalis, Salvia nutans, Salvia argentea, Salvia aethiops, Bellevalia sarmatica, Onosma taurica, Onosma arenaria, Onosma echioides, Potentilla mollicrins, Potentilla bornmueleri, Limonium gmelinii, and the two beautiful paeonies Paeonia tenuifolia and Paeonia peregrina. Whilst exploring the northern coast, we can include a visit to the strange stone columns of Pobiti Kamani, a desert-like landscape that has its own unique flora with species such as Arenaria rigida, Anchusa velenovskyi, Alyssum borsaeanum, Anthemis regis-borisii, Syrenia cana, Ephedra dystachya, Silene frivaldskyana, Sempervivum zeleborii and Lepidotrichum uechtritzianum. Along the coastal dunes of the southern section of the Bulgarian Black Sea we will be searching the sand vegetation for species such as Eryngium maritimum, Cakile maritima, Centaurea arenaria, Cionura erecta, Galilea mucronata, Linum tauricum subsp. bulgaricum, Silene Šµuxina, Iris suaveolens, Euphorbia paralias, Ammophylla arenaria, Jurinea albicaulis and Leymus racemosus ssp. sabulosus. Other attractive plants that can be seen along the southern coastal strip of the Bulgarian Black Sea shoreline include Tulipa thracica, Fritillaria pontica, Scilla bythinica, Leucojum aestivum, Nymphaea alba, Nuphar luteum, Silene compacta, Geranium asphodeloides and Anemone pavonina. There are also several interesting orchids to look out for such as Ploughshare Orchid (Serapias vomeracea), Pink Butterfly Orchid (Orchis papilionaceae) and Violet Limodore (Limodorum abortivum) Inland, in the far south-eastern corner of Bulgaria, are the remote Strandzha Mountains, where the rolling hills, clad in extensive deciduous forests, shelter their own unique botanic secrets! Here, amongst forests of Quercus hartwissiana, Quercus polycarpa, Quercus dalechampii, Quercus frainetto and Fagus orientalis, one encounters an intriguing relict pre-glacial flora with an unusual mix of species which includes Ilex colchica, Rhododendron ponticum, Daphne pontica, Vaccinium arctostaphylos, Mespilus germanica, Pyracantha coccinea, Hypericum calycinum, Hypericum androsemum, Kickxia commutata, Teucrium lamifolium, Stachys thracica, Cicer montbretii, Lathyrus aureus, Saponaria strandjensis, Epimedium pubigerum, Cicer montbretii, Veronica turriliana, Hesperis theophrastii, Knautia orientalis and Knautia degenii. Further Information If you are interested in a tailor-made botanic holiday in search of the wild flowers and endemic plants of Bulgaria's Black Sea coast and Strandzha Mountains, then please email Balkan Trek with more details of your own special requirements and plans, and we will be happy to design and organize for you a rewarding and memorable botanic holiday exploring the outstanding flora of the Bulgarian Black Sea coast! Responsible Tourism Promise All our botanical holidays in Bulgaria are operated in accordance with our strict Responsible Tourism Policy, ensuring that the botanic holidays we offer in Bulgaria are not only of the highest quality but also help preserve the natural habitats and traditional way of life of the local Bulgarian people. |
