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Wild Flower Watching
13 Days/12 Nights
Day 1: Arrival in Sofia
Arrival at Sofia Airport and meeting the group. Transfer to Sofia and accommodation at centrally located 4* hotel. Free at leisure. Dinner at the hotel. Overnight.
Day 2: Sofia – Vitosha Mountain
After breakfast we will start our tour in the Vitosha Mountain Nature Park (20 km from Sofia) with its variety of habitats – sub-alpine shrubs and grasslands, natural coniferous forests with alpine meadows, peat lands and rocky biotopes. The Vitosha Nature Park is a home to a variety of wildlife, including 1500 species of higher plants, 31 species of which are Balkan endemics. Some of the key plant species to be seen there: Lilium jankae, Lilium martagon, Geum coccineum, Jovibarba heuffelii, Senecio pancicii, Dactylorhiza saccifera, Gentiana lutea, Gentiana asclepiadea, Dianthus superbus, Silene roemerii, Cirsium appendiculatum, Cirsium heterotrychum, Heracleum verticillatum, Pinguicula balcanica, Dactylorhiza cordigera, Bruckentalia spiculifolia, Viola dacica, etc. In late afternoon back to the hotel and dinner. Overnight.
Day 3: Sofia – Rila Mountain
Breakfast. Departure to Borovets resort in Rila Mountain (100 km from Sofia). Accommodation in good 4* hotel with bath tubes in the rooms. Walking tour to Former Royal Palace “Tsarska Bistrica”. Built between 1898 and 1914, it served as the hunting lodge of King Ferdinand of Bulgaria and his son Boris III. Dinner at the hotel. Overnight.
Day 4, 5, 6: Rila Mountain
These three days you will spend exploring the rich flora of Rila Mountain. The Rila is the highest mountain on the Balkan peninsular. More than 200 lakes sparkle amidst the alpine meadows and rocky screes, giving birth to some of the biggest rivers on the Balkans. For six months of the year thick snow covers the mountain’s alpine share and the heavy ice bounding the lakes reigns long after the arrival of spring. Then comes the time of rare and beautiful mountain flowers like Aquilegia aurea and Geum bulgaricum, the blue blossoms of Gentiana pyrenaica, the dark-pink of the heavenly Primula deorum, a local endemic, and many more rare or localized flower species. In the coniferous forests, subalpine grasslands and rocky areas in the Rila National Park we will try to find Dianthus microlepis, Leontodon rilaense, Jasione bulgarica, Jasione laevis ssp. orbiculata, Potentilla haynaldiana, Saxifraga pedemontana, etc. In the lowlands, on our way to the Rila we will explore dry grasslands, shrub communities and secondary forests of Quercus pubescens and Carpinus orientalis holding Jurinea consanguinea, Centaurea immanuelis-loewi, Centaurea salonitana, Allium albidum, Anthylis aurea, Scabiosa argentea, Scabiosa triniifolia, Hypericum rumeliacum, Digitalis lanata, Micromeria cristata, Edraianthus serbicus, etc. On one of this days we will visit the famous “Rila Monastery” - picturesque located in the heart of Rila Mountains. It is the most famous monument of Bulgarian culture, spiritual centre of Bulgarians for more than 10 centuries. The icons, iconostasis and murals are samples of the outstanding Bulgarian renaissance art schools from the National Revival period. The interior is a beautiful interlace of colonnades arches, wooden staircases and verandas. The museum keeps a rich collection of books, manuscripts and icons. The Rila Monastery is listed as a UNESCO cultural heritage site.
Day 7, 8: Pirin Mountain
After breakfast on day 7 departure to the town of Bansko, located in the foot of Pirin Mountain. Accommodation at good 4* hotel with bath tubes in the bathrooms. We will stay here in the next two days. The Pirin Mountain’s astonishing nature is included in the borders of the Pirin National Park. The Park’s relief is of strongly expressed alpine character. Emerald glacier lakes reflect the surrounding peaks and sharp crests. Enormous spruce and white fir forests, thick pine-scrub formations and vast mountain meadows spread below. Some of the Macedonian pine trees (Pinus heldreichii) in the Park are more than 1000 years old. We will explore the forests of Pinus heldreichii and Pinus peuce, subalpine grasslands and rocky biotops in Pirin Mountains, where we will look for: Verbascum davidoffii, Daphne oleoides, Campanula velebitica, Arenaria pirinica, Erysimum drenovskii, Brassica jordanoffii, Saxifraga luteo-viridis, Saxifraga sempervivum, Arabis ferdinandiicoburgii, Veronica kellererii, Papaver degenii, Viola grisebachiana, Viola perinensis, Oxytropis urumoffii, Leontopodium alpinum, Galium stojanovii, Dryas octopetala, Salix reticulata, Gymnadenia frivaldii, Onobrychis pindicola, Aubrieta inttermedia, Saponaria bellidioides, etc.
Day 9: Rhodope Mountain
After breakfast on day 9 we will depart to the Western Rhodopes Mountains. Arrival in Pamporovo resort and accommodation at good 4* hotel with bath tubes in the bathrooms. Compared to the previous two mountains the Rhodopes Mountain is lower, with milder climate and rounded, pine-clad hills, occasionally cut by streams and rivers winding through deep gorges. Over 2000 species of plants have been recorded there, 90 of which are endemic to the Balkans. In the northwestern part of the mountain we expect to find Campanula lanata, Sempervivum erythraeum, Armeria rumelica, Onosma aucherana, Geum rhodopaeum, Astragalus centralpinus, Linum capitatum, Viola rhodopaea, Dianthus deltoides, Dactylorhiza baumanniana, Campanula sparsa, Carduus kerneri, etc.
Day 10: Rhodope Mountain
This day we will dedicate a to region of the Trigrad gorge, looking for Abies borisii-regis, Haberlea rhodopensis, Morina persica, Sideritis scardica, Scabiosa rhodopensis, Arenaria rhodopaea, Micromeria cristata, Petkovia orphanidea, Trachelium rumelianum, Hypericum montbretii, Secale rhodopaeum, etc. Back to the hotel. Dinner and overnight.
Day 11: Rhodope Mountain
One day tour to the region of the picturesque Smolyan lakes, surrounded by rounded, pine-wood slopes, we will be looking for Menyanthes trifoliata, Utricularia sp., Equisetum fluviatilis, Betonica officinalis, Potamogeton natans, Carex rostrata, Sparganium emersum, etc. Then we will explore the northern share of the mountain for Gentianella bulgarica, Digitalis viridiflora, Silene saxifraga, Gentiana cruciata, Silene asterias, Silene velenovskyi, Onosma rhodopaea, Marrubium frivaldskyanum, Campanula glomerata, Coeloglossum viride, Lychnis coronaria, Lilium martagon, Dianthus cruentus ssp. turcicus, Aquilegia nigrescens, etc.
Day 12: Sofia
Departure to Sofia. On the way stop over for visiting the visit to Assenova Krepost – Assen’s Fortress (12-14century) and the Saint Petka Petrichka Church. It preserves small bits of wall paintings dated from the 14-19 centuries. It is one of the most valuable representations of sacral architecture in Bulgaria. After that visiting the Bachkovo Monastery - the second biggest Bulgarian monastery (founded in 1083) is chiefly known for its original architecture, rich collections of old icons, jewelry, coins and church plate. The Holy Trinity and St. Nicholas church (1840) contain some of the first murals painted by the celebrated National Revival artist Zahari Zograph.
Arrival in Sofia. Accommodation at centrally located hotel. Free at leisure. In the evening – farewell dinner in Folklore restaurant. Overnight.
Day 13: Departure
Breakfast. Transfer to the airport.
RATES:
Please send to us your flight details and number of the participants in order to recieve our precise offer.
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