Bulgaria: Realm of the Brown Bear
Bulgaria: Realm of the Brown Bear
Bulgaria: Realm of the Brown Bear
8 Days Starting and ending in Sofia
Visiting: Yagodina, Rodopi Mountains, Buynovsko Gorge, Sofia
Tour operator:
Tour code:
WBB
Guide Type:
Fully Guided
Group size:
5 - 12
Age range:
16-99
Special diets catered:
Please inform Exodus of specific dietary requirements
Tour operated in:
EnglishInterests:
Cultural, Gardens & Nature Tours, Volunteering Tours, Wildlife Tours
Activities:
Tour Overview
Join European brown bear expert Julian Perry for a wildlife-watching adventure in the mystical mountains of Bulgaria. We’ll go on daily hikes, recording tracks, scats and other signs of bear activity as part of vital conservation work by local NGO, Wild Rodopi. On two evenings, we visit a bear-watching hide for a good chance to see the animals we have been monitoring. We will also be collecting images from several camera traps set up in the forests. By the end of this trip, we hope you will have seen wild brown bears and gained an understanding and appreciation of these mysterious, often misunderstood, animals.
Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1 : Start Sofia Airport; Transfer To The Village Of Yagodina In The Remote Rodopi Mountains
Location: Yagodina
Meals Included: Dinner
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.
Accommodation: Yagodina Family Hotel (or similar)
Day 2 : Introductory Bear Tracking Walk In The Forests Above Yagodina; Evening Visit To Bear Hide
Location: Yagodina
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Set off on our first bear-tracking walk in the meadows and forests surrounding Yagodina. During the day, you find out about the history of the village and the complex human-wildlife entanglements that exist here. In particular, learn about the necessary requirements for convivial human-bear coexistence, and how this adventure makes a direct contribution to local bear conservation.
After dinner, there is the first opportunity (for a maximum of six people) to visit the bear hide. Visiting the hide usually necessitates having an early dinner so we can be in position before darkness falls. Depending on the amount of activity in the clearing, we may stay until around 10.30pm or, with the agreement of the group, slightly earlier or later.
Accommodation: Yagodina Family Hotel (or similar)
Day 3 : Track Bears And Wolves In The ‘Zone Of Death’; Evening Bear Hide Visit
Location: Rodopi Mountains
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After breakfast, we drive to a nearby village, where we set off on foot through the border zone. During the Cold War period, access to this region, the so-called ‘Zone of Death’, was tightly restricted, and the border itself closed off with a barbed 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.
During our walk, we see remnants of the former military installations, and learn about their impact both on the wildlife and local people. After dinner at the hotel, there will be a second opportunity (for a maximum of six people) to visit to the bear hide.
Accommodation: Yagodina Family Hotel (or similar)
Day 4 : On Foot Through Core Bear Habitats; Evening Bear Hide Visit
Location: Rodopi Mountains
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today we make an exciting exploration in a core region for brown bears. During our walk, we should see numerous signs of their activity, including several of their scent rubbing posts, and learn about the key role these trees play in bear society and reproduction. The bears share this region with a host of other carnivores, including wolves, red foxes, European badgers, pine martens, stone martens, least weasels and European wildcats. Recently, the tour leader Julian also discovered the presence of a golden jackal. On the trail of these animals, we pass through beautiful and remote landscapes, crossing streams, butterfly-filled meadows and peaceful forests, before finally plunging into the depths of a gorge. After returning to the hotel, and dinner, there is a third opportunity (for a maximum of six people) to visit to the bear hide.
Accommodation: Yagodina Family Hotel (or similar)
Day 5 : On The Trail Of Balkan Chamois And Bears In Rugged And Rocky Karst Terrain
Location: Buynovsko Gorge
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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.
Accommodation: Yagodina Family Hotel (or similar)
Day 6 : Circular Bear Tracking Walk Through Remote Carnivore Habitat
Location: Yagodina
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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.
Accommodation: Yagodina Family Hotel (or similar)
Day 7 : Forest And Riverside Walks In Search Of Orchids, Butterflies, Reptiles And Amphibians; Transfer To Sofia
Location: Sofia
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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.
Accommodation: Boutique Hotel Crystal Palace (or similar)
Day 8 : End Sofia
Location: Sofia
Meals Included: Breakfast
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.
What's Included
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All breakfasts, six lunches and seven dinners included
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All accommodation
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Free group arrival and departure transfers available
What's Not Included
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Travel insurance
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Visas and vaccinations
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Single Supplement
Food
Hotel Yagodina is renowned for its delicious traditional local cuisine, offering generous servings of hearty, healthy food, much of it made from home-produced or locally sourced products. Typical meals in the mountains will comprise of:
Breakfast:Â Tea, coffee and milk, with bread, jam, honey and cheese, supplemented in Yagodina by fresh home-made yoghurt and traditional local specialities such as katmi (thick pancakes) and rodopski klin (a rice-based dish).
Lunch:Â Picnic lunches in the mountains typically include bread, cheese, salami, salad, a chocolate bar and fruit. Many guests also like to bring an extra portion of the local speciality served at breakfast.
Dinner: Will be in the hotel restaurant, and will normally include three courses comprising either a salad or vegetarian soup, followed by a main course, and a dessert of fruit, ice cream, or cake/pudding. The cuisine reflects a mixture of Bulgarian, Greek, Turkish and Slavonic influences. We sample many traditional local specialities including smilyanski fasul (a delicious bean soup) and patatnik (made with grated potatoes, onions and cheese, then seasoned with mint and other herbs). Jugs of tap water will be provided on the table with the evening meal. Bottled mineral water, soft drinks and alcohol are not included but can be purchased. There are several Bulgarian wines you may wish to try, including an excellent red Mavrud from vineyards on the northern slopes of the Rodopi Mountains.
Vegetarians and vegan diets: Bulgaria produces excellent fresh vegetables and fruit, so vegetarians are usually well catered for, although in the mountains the variety may be limited to what is seasonally available. Eggs and dairy produce, especially cheese, form the staple part of the diet in the Rodopi region, and are included in most traditional meals, so vegans may find their daily menu more restricted and less varied.
Gluten intolerance: Special gluten-free products are not available, so those with a wheat/gluten intolerance should, if needed, bring something to replace the local bread and pastries that make up the breakfasts and picnic lunches.
Accommodation
Our base for six nights is Yagodina, a traditional rural village known for its self-sufficiency and hospitable inhabitants. Home to around 500 people, it is secluded in the Trigrad Karst region, one of the most remote parts of the Rodopi Mountains. Â
Here, we stay in the Yagodina Family Hotel, a small accommodation with comfortable twin and single rooms. It’s owned and run by a local family and most of the food (including milk, cheese, butter, jam and honey) is either home-produced or locally sourced. Â
Our final night is at Boutique Hotel Crystal Palace, a conveniently located four-star hotel in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia. The 63-room accommodation is in the downtown area, close to city landmarks, including the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. It also has a restaurant serving French, Italian and Spanish dishes, plus a lobby bar with cocktails, coffee and more.Â
Check out our Q&As
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What is the maximum group size?
12
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Can you assist with pre or post tour accommodation?
We are happy to assist with pre and post tour accommodation. Please enquire for detailed information.
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Is there a supplement for solo travellers?
If you would like to be paired with a tour member of the same gender, there is no additional charge. A single supplement can be requested if you would like your own room.
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Are children permitted to take part in the tour?
Minimum 16 year age people can go this tour.
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Are flights included in this tour?
International flights are not included with this tour.
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Are vaccinations required for this tour?
There are no mandatory vaccination requirements. Recommended vaccinations are: Polio, Tetanus, Diphtheria, Typhoid, Hepatitis A, Yellow Fever. The risk of malaria is slight but you may wish to consult your GP or travel health clinic for further advice.
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Do you require a visa for this holiday?
Visas are not required for Bulgaria for British and other EU passport holders. Other nationalities should check with the relevant authorities.
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Who is Exodus Travels?
At Exodus Travels, we've been exploring the world for nearly 50 years. From Walking and Trekking, Cultural and Cycling, Responsible Wildlife, to Polar and our new Premium Adventures, we are proud to offer award-winning small group and self-guided tours to 100+ countries worldwide.
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Are the local guides on the tour English speaking?
yes.
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Are airport transfers included in this tour?
Yes, Transfers for group flights.
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What happens if I need to change my holiday date once I’ve booked?
If you wish to make any changes to your booking, particularly if you need to alter any flights booked through us, please let us know as soon as possible. There is a booking or flight amendment fee of £40 per change and flight amendments often incur extra airline costs depending on the changes to be made and if the ticket has been issued or not.
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How long has the tour company been trading?
Exodus has been trading since 1974
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What documents will I receive before I travel?
Your final joining instructions and flight details, if booked with us, will then be sent out 2 to 3 weeks before departure. If you would like a hard copy posted, or if you require these any earlier, please contact the customer operations team. We advise that if you are booking connecting travel before receiving these, please ensure you leave plenty of time.
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Do you operate a “single share” option and how does it work?
Travellers are welcome to opt to share a room with a tour member of the same gender for no additional charge. If you'd like your own room, we can request a single supplement so that you will have your own room throughout.
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Can I join the tour once it has departed?
You are welcome to meet the group after the tour has departed however there is no reduction in rate for joining a tour after the departure date.
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