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Wild Flower Watching
offered by supplier M18975 (view this supplier profile)
Key Information:
Tour Duration: 8
day(s)
Group Size: 8
- 25
people
Destination(s):
Bulgaria
Specialty Categories:
Wild Flower Viewing
Season: January - December
Airfare Included: No
Tour Customizable: No
Minimum Per Person Price: 300 Euro (EUR)
Maximum Per Person Price: 400 Euro (EUR)
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Tour Itinerary:
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. On the way you will enjoy watching flowers. Dinner at the hotel. Overnight.
Day 4: Rila Mountain.
This day 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.
Days 5 - 6: Pirin Mountain.
After breakfast departure to 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. Lunch in local restaurant.
The road proceed 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 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 7: Sofia.
Departure to Sofia (220 km.). Arrival in Sofia. Accommodation at centrally located hotel. Lunch in local restaurant. City tour of Sofia visiting the Crypt of St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral, Russian church, the Parliament and Boyana Church (dated 1259, known for its 13th century murals, famous for their exceptional realism; the church is one of the Bulgarian sites under UNESCO protection. Free at leisure. In the evening – farewell dinner in Folklore restaurant. Overnight.
Day 8: Departure.
Breakfast. Transfer to the airport.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Also see tour packages in:
Europe
Bulgaria
Nature & Wildlife
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, ext: 18975
