Butterfly Holidays in Bulgaria
Butterflies of the Eastern Rodopi (Rhodope) Mountains
Balkan Trek's unique and highly rewarding butterfly holiday in Bulgaria offers a thorough exploration of many of the most rewarding butterfly sites in the Eastern Rodopi (Rhodope) Mountains. This butterfly holiday in Bulgaria takes in dramatic volcanic outcrops, a patchwork of stony steppe-type grasslands and scrub, dappled deciduous woodlands, as well as several major river valleys, offering a privileged chance to find and photograph many of Bulgaria’s most sought after butterfly species. By the end of this butterfly holiday in Bulgaria, you will not only have had the chance to find and photograph a spectacular variety of butterflies, but also have had a memorable insight into both the outstanding biodiversity of the Eastern Rodopi (Rhodope) Mountains, as well as the traditional way of life and rural heritage which helps to preserve the wealth of butterfly habitats in this part of Bulgaria.
| Holiday Highlights - Wonderful wild mountain landscapes encompassing an amazing variety of butterfly habitats. - Elusive skippers: Sandy Grizzled Skipper, Yellow-banded Skipper, Oriental Marbled Skipper, Tufted Marbled Skipper, Mallow Skipper, Orbed Red-underwing Skipper, Oberthür's Grizzled Skipper. - Unusual Pieridae: Kruper’s Small White, Eastern Bath White, Small Bath White, Eastern Dappled White and Eastern Pale Clouded Yellow. - Striking Papilionidae including large numbers of Swallowtail and Scarce Swallowtail, as well as more restricted species such as Eastern Festoon, Southern Festoon, Clouded Apollo. - Cryptic graylings: Tree Grayling, Freyer’s Grayling, Eastern Rock Grayling, Great Banded Grayling, False Grayling. - Beautiful blues: Little Tiger Blue, Eastern Short-tailed Blue, Lang’s Short-tailed Blue, Anomolous Blue, Eastern Baton Blue, Green-underside Blue, Iolas Blue, Meleager’s Blue. - Eastern species of more familiar butterflies: Oriental Meadow brown, Balkan Marbled White, Eastern Knapweed Fritillary, Eastern Wood White. - Remote villages preserving unique vernacular architecture. - Opportunities to observe and experience a traditional rural way of life. - Delicious traditional Bulgarian cuisine. - An experienced, knowledgeable and highly informative naturalist 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 butterfly 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 During the course of this butterfly holiday, you will have the chance to explore a number of Bulgaria’s specially designated Prime Butterfly Areas. These Prime Butterfly Areas, incorporate a wide variety of butterfly habitats, providing excellent opportunities to observe and photograph some of Bulgaria’s rarest and most beautiful species. Having been met by the guide and driver in Sofia, we set off for the Eastern Rodopi (Rhodope) Mountains. Although it is a long journey, our butterfly holiday immediately gets into swing when we enter the mountains. Making a succession of stops to search for butterflies in a little explored region, we may uncover some interesting butterfly surprises. Several more elusive butterfly species such as Small Bath White, Eastern Short-tailed Blue, Dryad and Hermit have been recorded hereabouts. There are also Orbed Red-underwing Skipper, Yellow-banded Skipper, Eastern Bath White, Small Bath White, Southern Small White, Purple Hairstreak, Little Tiger Blue, Lattice Brown, Grayling and Large Tortoiseshell, whilst butterflies such as Silver-washed Fritillary and Cardinal are common. A couple of days can then be spent searching for butterflies in the Eastern Rodopi Prime Butterfly Area, offering a chance for many interesting butterfly species such as Mallow Skipper, Eastern Wood White, Eastern Bath White, Lesser Fiery Copper, Little Tiger Blue, Reverdin’s Blue, Blue Argus, Meleager’s Blue, Anomolous Blue, Oriental Meadow Brown, Southern White Admiral and Lesser Spotted Fritillary. During our butterfly holiday in Bulgaria’s Eastern Rodopi Mountains, we can also include a full day searching for butterflies in the Byala Reka Prime Butterfly Area. This remote region, tucked away close to the border with Greece always turns up an exciting assortment of sought after butterfly species such as Yellow-banded Skipper, Eastern Festoon, Eastern Dappled White, Southern Small White, Eastern Bath White, Lattice Brown, Russian Heath, Eastern Rock Grayling and Grecian Copper. Our third area for exploration will be the Arda Valley Prime Butterfly Area, one the most outstanding butterfly regions in Bulgaria. This region deserves to form the core focus for a butterfly holiday in the Eastern Rodopi Mountains. The range of butterfly species that can be seen and photographed here is spectacular, as is the landscape itself, with shimmering reservoirs flanked by spectacular rock outcrops. Over the course of several days, we can explore this region in depth in search of its rarest, most sought-after and most beautiful butterflies, including Oriental Marbled Skipper, Eastern Pale Clouded Yellow, Oriental Meadow Brown, Freyer’s Grayling, Freyer's Purple Emperor, Southern Comma and the Hermit. Further Information If you are interested in a tailor-made butterfly holiday in the Eastern Rodopi (Rhodope) 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 butterfly holiday observing and photographing the outstanding butterflies of the Eastern Rodopi (Rhodope) Mountains! Responsible Tourism Promise All our butterfly holidays in Bulgaria are operated in accordance with our strict Responsible Tourism Policy, ensuring that the butterfly 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. |
