Bulgaria: Realm of the Brown bear

Setting off from Sofia airport we begin a long but interesting 4-hour
transfer to the Rodopi Mountains. Our destination is the remote mountain
village of Yagodina, where we will be based for the next 6 nights. During
dinner, our leader will give an opening briefing about the week ahead and the
work of the local NGO ‘Wild Rodopi’ whose Brown bear research and
conservation project you will be assisting.

*Hotel Yagodina or similar*

Day 2

After breakfast, we start the day with a visit to the nearby Yagodinska
Peshtera to discover the rich variety of cave formations and cave life that
are found within, including some rare cave invertebrates, several species of
bat, and a family of Fat (or Edible) dormice. Part of the cave system was
once utilized as a prehistoric dwelling, so provides the ideal place to
discuss the evolution of bears and their relationship with early Man.

Returning to the village, we then set off on our first bear tracking walk,
which will lead us into the surrounding forests searching for, recording and
interpreting evidence of Brown bear activity such as scats, prints and
various feeding signs. During the walk, there will be an introduction to safe
bear/human interaction and behaviour. In the evening, half the group will
have their first visit to the bear hide. Visiting the hide usually
necessitates having an early dinner so that we can be in position before
darkness falls. Bears are attracted to the hide by the presence of corn but
are not dependant on this for their diet. Depending on the amount of activity
in the clearing we may stay until around 11 pm, or with permission of the
group earlier or later. 

*Hotel Yagodina or similar*

Day 3

After breakfast, a short drive brings us to the trailhead for the start of a
beautifully varied walk in a little-visited part of the region. Having forded
a shallow stream, we then follow a series of old forestry tracks that are
also used as a convenient network of trails by Brown bears. This area is not
only rich in butterflies and birds, but is also of great historical interest.
During our walk, we will visit a site which, according to some historians and
archaeologists, was the place where Orpheus was torn to pieces by the wild
Maenads, the female followers of Dionysus. It certainly seems a suitably
mystical and atmospheric spot that fits in well with Ovid’s poetic
description of these dramatic events. After dinner, the second half of the
group will have its first visit to the bear hide.

*Hotel Yagodina or similar*

Day 4

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 climb up to the
highest peak where we are rewarded with 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. 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 first half of the group will have their second visit to the
bear hide.

*Hotel Yagodina or similar *

Day 5

Having made our way out of the village on foot and crossed an area of rolling
open pastures, we begin a steady climb into the forest, following a route
that is frequently used by both wolves and bears. The further we climb, the
wilder the landscape feels, and in places, the forests are punctuated with
clearings and meadows that are often grazed by Roe deer and Wild boar, and
where in early summer a variety of rare flowers and butterflies can be seen.
Later in the day, we drop into the dappled shade of a river valley, a
favoured place for bears, and also a suitable habitat for more interesting
plants and butterflies. After supper, there will be another visit to the bear
hide for the second half of the group.

*Hotel Yagodina or similar*

Day 6

After breakfast we set off from the hotel on foot, beginning a strenuous but
highly rewarding bear tracking walk. Having left the village pastures behind,
we begin a long steep climb that sees us enter a densely forested region that
is roamed not only by several Brown bears, but as our camera traps have
shown, a variety of other carnivores including Wildcat, Grey wolf, Red fox,
European badger, Pine marten and Stone marten. 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 brings us out onto some wonderful rock
outcrops 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. Our descent then
leads us down through more silent forest, and what is the heart of core Brown
bear habitat. Here we should see plenty of signs of bear activity, including
several trees that they have bitten, scratched and rubbed, giving us a chance
to learn more about other fascinating aspects of Brown bear behaviour.

*Hotel Yagodina or similar*

Day 7

Leaving Yagodina on foot, we start the day with a short walk along a
beautiful forest path, which in spring and early summer is renowned for its
exceptional variety of orchids. Formerly an ancient Thracian packhorse route,
this path is often used by bears when 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 will spend a couple of
hours walking a delightful riverside trail. As well as being home to Eurasian
otter and a variety of typical riverine birds such as Dipper and Grey
wagtail, 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 (3 hours 30 minutes) back to Sofia.

*Hotel Hill or similar*

Day 8

Fly to London.