NEOPHRON TOURS Birdwatching Botany Natural History Wildlife Photography in BULGARIA, ROMANIA & Northern GREECE 2019/2020 tour programs Helping the conservation of Bulgaria’s birds and nature ș Sighi oara ANIA TRANSYLV HARGITA ANIA MOUNTAINS CONTENTS TRANSYLV SIBIU FOCȘANI NEOPHRON TOURS 4 BRAȘOV The key to the success of our tours 5 OUR TOURS 6 MOLDOVA GALAȚI UKRAINE Target Birding 7 ATHIANS SOUTHERN CARP DAN BIRDWATCHING TOURS 8 SOUTHERN CARPATHIANS BIO Dunarea SPHEREUBE RE DEL Classic Spring Birding 8 BRÄILA Veche Lacul TA Gorg SER Spring Birding in Romania 10 TULCEA ova VE Lacul Isacov Spring Birding in Northern Greece 11 PLOIEȘTI Spring Migration in Bulgaria 12 PITEȘTI Lacul Autumn Мigration in Bulgaria 13 Rezelm Winter Birding in Bulgaria 14 Winter Birding in Northern Greece 16 Woodpeckers, Owls & Grouse 17 Birds of Prey Tour 18 CRAIOVA Balkan Specialties short tour 19 ROMANIABUCUREȘTI ș BUCHAREST Jezerul Mo tistea Rock Partridge short tour 19 CONSTANTA Red-breasted Goose short break 20 Lacul Oltina Wallcreeper short break 21 DOBROGEA Lacul Bugeac Techirghiol WILDLIFE TOURS 22 The Best of Bulgaria 22 Wild Flowers in Spring 24 Mountain Flowers 26 Brown Bears and Birds 28 Wolves and Vultures 29 Butterfly Tour 30 Dragonfly Tour 31 NATURAL HISTORY & CULTURE 32 Mountain birds, flowers and butterflies 32 BULGARIA Natural History Tour to Romania 34 Wine, Nature and Cultural Heritage 36 BIRD & WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY 38 Bird Photography in Spring 38 Winter Photography 40 Hide Photography 42 LAKE KERKINILake N. P.Kerkini Nes tos DAD IA-LEFKIM Var FOR I-S dar EST N. P. OUFLI Lake Vistonida KAVALA Strimonas PORTO LAGOS NESTOS DELTA Evros Lake Koroneia ALEXANDROUPOLIS EVR GREECE`Lake Volvi THESSALONIKI OS SEA OF MARMARA DEL TA Cape Kaliakra 2 AXIOS DELTA N. P. AEGEAN SEA 3 NEOPHRON TOURS The key to and our contribution Griffon Vulture in the Eastern Rhodopes, the East- ern Imperial Eagle in the Sakar Hills, the Semi-col- the success of to nature conservation lared Flycatcher in the oak forests of the Eastern our tours: Neophron Tours is one of the major tour operators in Bulgaria Balkan Range, the wintering Red-breasted Goose Quality in any aspect of our nature for specialized wildlife holidays. Run by experts with long expe- in the Coastal Dobroudzha and many others. tours and holidays; rience in this type of tours, the company has built up a reputa- We also help local Bulgarian NGOs, and the Wildllife tion for the quality of services offered. Conservation Society (www.wildlifeconservation.bg) Tours tailored to get the best out of in particular, in their crucial work for preservation of Everywhere we go, we always try to support the local service the wildlife of each area; different biodiversity rich areas in Bulgaria and saving providers and promote environment friendly tourism, believ- those areas from deterioration. Under WCS proposals ing that this will greatly contribute to improving the life of lo- several new protected areas have been declared and Tours operated in environmentally cal people and will raise their awareness to wildlife and nature many others have been saved from destruction. By sim- responsible manner, to contribute conservation. ply joining one of our tours, you will contribute to our to the wildlife conservation and to benefit the local people; One of our ultimate goals has always been to raise funds to conservation efforts, as much of our Wildlife Conserva- tion Fund is generated through them. This is the reason help wildlife conservation in the different areas we visit dur- for us to say that Neophron Tours is the logical choice Good organization from logistic ing our tours in Bulgaria. Thanks to funds generated through for anyone who favors responsible travel and loves na- viewpoint, appropriate and spacey our tours and the support of our tour participants, we have ture and wildlife. vehicles; launched a special Wildlife Conservation Fund to help conserve the national populations of a number of rare and endangered Small family-run hotels and traditional species of birds, such as the breeding Egyptian Vulture and food and drinks; Red-breasted Geese Experienced guides with extensive conservation and natural history knowledge and... a great sense of humour. Lilium jankae 4 Coastal Dobrоudzha Egyptian Vultures 5 OUR TOURS Target Birding: IF YOU ARE AFTER ANY OF THESE BIRDS: We offer a variety of birdwatching and other wildlife and natural For the travelers who do not have the time to spare for Dalmatian Pelican, White Pelican, history tours in Bulgaria, Romania and Northern Greece, including longer trips we offer several short breaks, among which the Pygmy Cormorant, Red-breasted Goose, botanical tours, Brown Bear and Wolf viewing, dragonfly and but- highlighted Wallcreeper, Rock Partridge and Red-breasted terfly tours, wildlife photography and natural history tours. Cultural Goose short breaks, as well as the Balkan Specialties short Lesser White-fronted Goose, Ferruginous Duck, Booted Eagle aspects are never forgotten. The tasty food and good wines of the tour. Eurasian Black Vulture, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Balkans add to the flavour of our tours. Our birding tours can be combined with botany or viewing Lesser Spotted Eagle, Long-legged Buzzard, Our birding tours set during the breeding and migration of the Brown Bear, Wolf, Golden Jackal and other mammals. Brown Pallid Harrier, Red-footed Falcon, birds are very rewarding and much in demand. The great number Bears are quite easy to observe, especially in spring when Levant Sparrowhawk, Rock Partridge, of species that can be seen during these periods is quite impressive they come out of hibernation and actively search for food. Hazel Grouse, Corncrake, Caspian Gull, – over 200 bird species are possible in 10–14 days! Bulgaria holds stable Brown Bear and Wolf populations – about 900 bears and 1500 wolves, while Romania is one of White-winged Tern, Eurasian Eagle Owl, Spring and summer round-tours include the richest and most at- the best European destinations for Brown Bear viewing. Ural Owl, Tengmalm’s Owl, Pygmy Owl, tractive bird areas in the region. On these tours you can see and enjoy an incredible diversity of birds, including a great number of We offer several botanical itineraries, which introduce you White-backed Woodpecker, Eastern and South-eastern European bird specialities, like the Rock to the great wealth of Bulgarian wild flora. Special attention Grey-headed Woodpecker, Syrian Woodpecker, Partridge, Pygmy Cormorant, White Pelican, Dalmatian Pelican, is paid to the Bulgarian and Balkan endemics, numbering Alpine Accentor, Rufous Bush Robin, Long-legged Buzzard, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Red-footed Falcon, more than 250 species. Paddyfield Warbler, Eastern Orphean Warbler, Lesser Kestrel, Levant Sparrowhawk, Spur-winged Lapwing, Alpine The unique character of the Bulgarian butterfly, moth and Accentor, Rufous Bush Robin, Paddyfield Warbler, Olive-tree Warbler, Olive-tree Warbler, Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler, dragonfly fauna leaves unforgettable memories for the par- Semi-collared Flycatcher, Pied Wheatear, Masked Shrike, Rose-color- Semi-collared Flycatcher, ticipants in our tours. ed Starling, Black-headed Bunting and many others. Red-breasted Flycatcher, Pied Wheatear, On our amphibian and reptile tour you have the chance to Spring and autumn migration tours focus on the spectacular an- Isabelline Wheatear, Sombre Tit, see and photograph a remarkable variety of species, which nual migration of tens of thousand of birds of prey, pelicans, storks are typical for the Black sea and the Eastern Mediterranean Western Rock Nuthatch, Masked Shrike, and passerines along the Black Sea coastal flyway known as the Via regions. Spotted Nutcracker, Wallcreeper, Pontica – one of the major bird migration routes in Europe. Some 70 % of the European raptors, thousands of White Pelicans, Black Storks All these aspects are combined in our natural history tours. Black-headed Bunting or other southeastern specialty birds, and Common Cranes, more than 100 000 White Storks pass over. We manage a well developed network of bird and wildlife Winter birding tours will take you to the Bulgarian Black Sea coast photography hides in Bulgaria, which provide excellent oppor- we can help you! – the wintering grounds for hundreds of thousands of wild geese, tunities for photographing many attractive species of birds, among which almost the whole population of the globally threat- like Eurasian Griffon, Eurasian Black and Egyptian vultures, THE ITINERARIES SUGGESTED IN THIS ened Red-breasted Goose. In the recent 30 years up to 62 000 Red- Black Kite, Pygmy Cormorant, most of the European herons BROCHURE CAN BE MODIFIED OR WE breasted Geese spend the winter in the area of the Shabla lakes. and egrets, a big variety of garden and forest passerine birds CAN DESIGN A TAILOR-MADE TOUR, Thanks to their small area, good shelter conditions and the tradition- and woodpeckers, as well as some mammals of particular in- CONCENTRATING SPECIFICALLY ON al winter cereal crops around, these two lakes have become famous terest, like the Golden Jackal. Thanks to the great experience YOUR REQUESTS AND THE TIME YOU as the best spots for watching and photographing these attractive and knowledge of our team we can bring you to some of ARE READY TO SPEND! and rare birds. The less severe climate on the southern Bulgarian the best spots in Bulgaria, Romania and Northern Greece for coast and the Aegean coast of Northern Greece allows us to enjoy photographing Red-breasted Goose, Dalmatian Pelican, Little