Bulgaria's Dragonflies

Tour Code: BGR05

A 9-day tour in search of the dragonflies and other wildlife of the mountains and lowlands in central and southern Bulgaria.

9 days from
£1,695 (Inc flights)
Land only price from
£1,495
book now

Highlights

Summary

Summary

Bulgaria’s wide range of altitudes and habitats host an exceptional range of dragonflies as well as birds, butterflies and other wildlife. We’ll explore bogs, rivers, streams and other key dragonfly habitats, starting in the Balkans, where we’ll look for a wealth of species including goldenrings, and hope to see dragonflies emerging, as well as enjoying butterflies and flower-filled meadows. The Valchi Dol Valley is home to the amazing Odalisque and many butterflies, including Little Tiger Blue and the spectacular Eastern Festoon. Next we transfer to the Rhodope Mountains where the Smolyan Lakes harbour Northern Damselfly and Downy Emerald, and from our final base in the picturesque village of Melnik we’ll look for the Black Pennant, Banded Darter and Bladetail and explore the area’s hot springs for more species before returning to Sofia.

  • Look for Bulgarian Emerald where it was first discovered in 1999
  • Ornate Bluet & Small Pincertail along River Topolnitza
  • Gomphids such as River Clubtail, plus hordes of damselflies at Maritza River
  • Odalisque, Balkan Emerald & Eastern Spectre
  • Scarce & Balkan Coppers, plus rare Russian Heath among rich butterfly fauna
  • Raptors include vultures, eagles and Long-legged Buzzard
  • Balkan Goldenring in the Pirin Mountains
  • Day trip to look for Bladetail and many water birds at Lake Kerkini in Greece
  • Led by expert naturalist guides

Grading

Easy day walks only.

Bulgaria is a diverse and beautiful country, its geographical position and wide range of altitudes and habitats hosting an exceptional range of dragonflies, as well as many interesting birds, butterflies and other spectacular wildlife. This tour is timed to ensure sightings of a good range of dragonflies on the wing. During our ‘dragonfly-quest’ we will visit the bogs, streams, rivers, ponds and lakes in some of Bulgaria’s most beautiful settings, exploring first at the edge of the towering Balkan Mountains before moving on to the spectacular Rhodope Mountains that lie along the Greek border. Finally, travelling through the Pirin range, we will conclude our holiday with visits to the biodiversity hotspots in the Struma Valley in south-eastern Bulgaria and at Lake Kerkini just over the border in Greece. It will be a tour that enables us to see many of the country’s dragonflies (potentially 50 species), plus a host of other wildlife, in beautiful and often dramatic landscapes.

We begin in the shadow of the Balkan Mountains, at the picturesque village of Koprivshtitsa. Here we will look along the River Topolnitza and its tributaries for the localised Ornate Bluet (Coenagrion ornatum), together with the Small Pincertail (Onychogomphus forcipatus) and Sombre Goldenring (Cordulegaster bidentata). Our timing and elevation will mean that some dragonflies might be watched emerging, a fascinating experience. We will also keep a watchful eye above us for the Eastern Imperial Eagles that hunt for Sousliks in the botanically rich grasslands, and search the flower-filled meadows that provide nectar for so many different insects, amongst them such stunning butterflies as the Large and Balkan Coppers and the rare Russian Heath.

Journeying south-eastwards to Krumovgrad, we will pass a roadside Bee-eater colony at which Isabelline Wheatears also breed, and enjoy a picnic lunch beside the tree-lined Maritza River. Here Gomphids such as River Clubtail (Gomphus flavipes) and Green Snaketail (Ophiogomphus cecilia) may be found, together with hordes of Blue Featherlegs (Platycnemis pennipes) that seem to occur everywhere in Bulgaria. The riparian woodland echoes with the calls of Golden Orioles, whilst Rollers take advantage of the abundance of insects beside the river.

From our based in the spectacular Arda Valley, we will visit the Valchi Dol Valley, a fabulous setting for the peculiar Odalisque Damselfly (Epallage fatime) that breeds along a temporary stream. The tiny hawker, Eastern Spectre (Caliaeschna microstigma) and Balkan Emerald (Somatochlora meridionalis) also frequent the stream, where patches of drying mud provide tasty salts for blue butterflies. In fact the whole area is good for butterflies, including the colourful Eastern Festoon and tiny, but perfectly formed, Little Tiger Blue. Overhead, raptors patrol the skies, amongst them Long-legged Buzzards, and Griffon, Egyptian and perhaps even Black Vultures. We will make a pilgrimage to a cool, shady and slow-moving section of the River Deimi Dere near the Greek border. Here the Bulgarian Emerald was first discovered by Dr. Milen Marinov in 1999, although we may be a little too late in the season to see it.

Travelling higher into the Rhodope Mountains, our next base is amongst the coniferous forest through which Nutcrackers, Black Woodpeckers and Crested Tits range. From here we are able to explore sites of contrasting character. At the Smolyan Lakes both Spearhead Bluet (Coenagrion hastulatum) and Yellow-winged Darter (Sympetrum flaveolum) may be found. Finally, further westwards, in the beautiful Pirin Mountains, we will squelch past a wonderful display of orchids in Bulgaria’s largest peat bog and, lower down, look for Europe’s largest dragonfly, the Balkan Goldenring (Cordulegaster heros).

Our final base, the picturesque and historic village of Melnik with its strange, pyramid-shaped rock formations, lies amongst the foothills of the Pirin range. From here we will explore the shores of Lake Kerkini, well-known for its Dalmatian Pelicans and many other water birds, hoping to find Bladetail (Lindenia tetraphylla). We will search for the elusive Black Pennant (Selysiothemis nigra) and a wide range of other dragonflies that breed in ponds and lakes near the Struma River and across the Greek border at Lake Kerkini. The nearby hot springs at Rupite sound an odd place to look for dragonflies, but not all of the water there is nearly boiling! In this, one of the hottest parts of the country, insects are everywhere. As well as dragonflies and butterflies, these include two truly spectacular Orthopterans: the armadillo-like Bradyporus dasypus and the huge predatory bush-cricket Saga hellenica, a bush-cricket that feeds on bush-crickets!

Our journey back to Sofia gives us the chance to visit yet another of Bulgaria’s biodiversity hotspots, the Kresna Gorge.  Here the insect theme continues, with various clubtails and Sombre Goldenring to be seen, plus a host of butterflies along woodland rides — a fitting conclusion to our holiday!

DETAILED INFORMATION
Itinerary

Outline Itinerary

Day 1
Fly Sofia and transfer to Koprivshtitsa
Day 2/3
Madzarovo
Day 4
Pamporovo
Day 5
Dospat
Day 6/8
Melnik
Day 9
Transfer Sofia and fly London
cloud_downloadDownload Full Itinerary
What's Included

What's Included?

  • Flights
  • Accommodation: Simple but comfortable hotels with private facilities.
  • Food: All included in the price.
Reviews
Dates & Prices

Dates & Prices

2025

Departures Availability Cost
Fri 20th Jun – Sat 28th Jun SPACES £1,695
Book Tour Show Details
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Regional Departures:
On certain tours it is possible to depart from a regional airport (rather than London). If a regional departure is possible, we indicate that here.
Regional Departures are available. Call 01962733051
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£1,495
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£225

2026

Departures Availability Cost
Fri 19th Jun – Sat 27th Jun SPACES £1,795
Book Tour Show Details
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Regional Departures:
On certain tours it is possible to depart from a regional airport (rather than London). If a regional departure is possible, we indicate that here.
Regional Departures are available. Call 01962733051
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£1,595
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£245 
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Butterfly Watching Holidays Led by Expert Naturalists


Who can fail to be delighted by butterflies – the intensity and variety of their colours, their delicate beauty and fascinating life cycles? Our tours allow butterfly-watching enthusiasts to observe marvellous species all around the world. Sadly, butterflies are in decline in many regions. To help prevent the loss of these beautiful creatures, our butterfly holidays make a direct contribution to their conservation.




Naturetrek Butterfly Tours


    

  • We offer an excellent range of dedicated butterfly holidays
    • 

  • All tours are led by a Naturetrek butterfly-watching expert
    • 

  • Although butterflies are the main focus of our butterfly tours, we also take time to observe other wildlife
    • 

  • By booking one of our dedicated butterfly holidays you will automatically be making a contribution to their conservation.
    • 



Here’s a selection of our dedicated butterfly tours:
Although we include butterfly-watching in many of our holidays, we offer a wide selection of dedicated butterfly tours, including:



Naturetrek & Butterfly Conservation 
As a top category ‘Gold’ corporate sponsor of Butterfly Conservation (BC), we donate around £1,500 annually to the charity. As well as this, since 2002 we have donated 10% of all income generated by our annual programme of butterfly tours that we run in partnership with BC, and give BC membership to all non-members joining the tours.




Our specialist recommends...







"I'd recommend Naturetrek's Butterflies of South Africa holiday. On this butterfly holiday we look for butterflies in the Wajkkerstrom (montane grassland), which supports a wonderful diversity of species. Closer to home I'd suggest our Butterflies of Hungary tour, or Butterflies of Croatia for unspoilt landscapes and a density of butterfly-life rarely seen in western Europe now." 

Tom Brereton - Operations Manager




 


All Butterfly Watching Tours



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Dragonfly Watching Holidays Led by Expert Naturalists


Dragonflies are certainly not for the faint-hearted! They are fearsome insects – if you are their size or smaller! They are also dazzlingly beautiful, with a wide array of hues and forms. Our dragonfly tours take you to some of Europe’s top habitats where we have the best chances of witnessing a range of species and their behaviour.


Naturetrek Dragonfly Tours


We like to respond to your specific wildlife interests and, in recent years, we have had an increasing number of requests for dedicated dragonfly holidays. We are pleased to be able to offer a selection of tours which focus on exploring habitats where some of Europe’s most diverse and spectacular dragonfly species are found.


All of our dragonfly tours are accompanied by at least one specialist leader. On some tours there may be a second leader with a different area of natural history expertise. Some highlights of our dragonfly holidays may include: observing clouds of damselflies as they emerge in late spring from pools, watching them hover over a lake or stretch of grassland, or witnessing a fight to the death between territorial males.


We’re equally comfortable providing opportunities for the dedicated enthusiast to debate the finer points of identification with our expert guide, or to simply enjoy their beautiful display of colours and forms.




Our specialist recommends...






"I’d recommend our Sardinia’s Dragonflies tour – it has about 35 species, most of which are not found in the UK, and its proximity to Africa means it hosts some rather exotic species such as Banded Groundlings. Island Bluetail will interest the real enthusiast, whereas Copper Demoiselles are a bit easier to find." 

David Smallshire - Tour Leader


 




All Dragonfly Watching Tours

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Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?

For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.

Enquire
Why Naturetrek?

Why Naturetrek?

At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:

  • The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
  • Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
  • Outstanding value and exceptional customer service

Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!