Day 1: Leaving Sofia Airport we set off for the Rhodope (Rodopi) Mountains. Our journey takes us through the Sredna Gora Mountains and across the Thracian Plain, where we should be able to glimpse Great Egret (Egretta alba) in some of the rice fields beside the motorway. Having crossed the river Maritsa, where we can pause briefly to observe an important wintering site for Pygmy Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pygmeus), we reach Asenovgrad, a small town nestled in at the foot of the Rhodope (Rodopi) Mountains. Our accommodation for the night is a beautifully restored 19th century town house.

Day 2: We begin the day by visiting the Bachkovo Monastery, one of the largest and most atmospheric in Bulgaria. Leaving the Bachkovo Monastery we then drive on through the Chepelarska Gorge and into the heart of the Rhodope (Rodopi) Mountains. Having passed through the Pamporovo ski resort and the town of Smolyan, we enter the valley of the river Arda, the longest river in the Rhodope (Rodopi) Mountains. Following it upstream, we will stop off to visit the beautiful Uhlovitsa Cave, and then enjoy snowshoeing on the Kainadinski Massif, a remote region that is home to carnivores such as Brown Bear (Ursus arctos), Wolf (Canis lupus), and Wild Cat (Felis silvestris), as well as Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus) and Wild Boar (Sus scrofa). Our accommodation for the next two nights will be the little Rhodope (Rodopi) Mountain village of Arda, where we will stay in a warm and welcoming family-run guesthouse.

Day 3: A full day spent snowshoeing on the Ardinski Massif, the mountains above Arda village which mark the border with Greece. Here there are old mixed forests that are home to birds such as Hazel Grouse (Bonasa bonasia), Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius) and White-backed Woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos). We will also be snowshoeing through typical Rhodope (Rodopi) Mountain landscapes with wonderful rolling meadows and pastures, as well as some small picturesque hamlets.

Day 4: Leaving Arda, we make our way back north-west through the Rhodope (Rodopi) Mountains, stopping off for snowshoeing on the Perelik massif beneath Mt. Golyam Perelik (2191m) the Rhodope (Rodopi) Mountain's highest peak. As well as being a region frequented by Wolf (Canis lupus), it is also a good place to see birds such as as Siskin (Carduelis spinus), Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla), Sombre Tit (Parus lugubris), Hazel Grouse (Bonasa bonasia), Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus), Nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes) and Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius). Finally we finish our transfer to the remote Rhodope (Rodopi) Mountain village of Yagodina where we will be based for the next three nights in a small family-run hotel renowned for its delicious traditional food.

Day 5: We start the day in the dramatic Trigrad Gorge, visiting the so-called "Devil's Throat" Cave, an enormous chasm from which Orpheus is said to have emerged after his fateful trip to the Underworld. The cave itself is one of the most important hibernating sites in Bulgaria for Schreiber’s Bat (Miniopterus schreibersii) which are found here in colonies numbering several thousand, as well as for small numbers of Long-fingered Bat (Myotis capaccinii). Furthermore, the rocks around the cave entrance are one of the best sites in Europe for seeing Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria). Having visited the "Devil's Throat" cave, and tried to spot these beautiful little birds, we make our way back to Yagodina on foot, snowshoeing around the Durdaga massif through some of the wildest forests in the region which are roamed by Brown Bear (Ursus arctos), Wolf (Canis lupus), Wild Cat (Felis silvestris), Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) and Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus).

Day 6: We begin today's walk by snowshoeing our way along the gorge of the Chairska River, an important site for Dipper (Cinclus cinclus). There then follows a steady climb through ancient forests, including some wonderfully old specimens of Crimean Pine (Pinus nigra ssp. pallasiana), before emerging onto glorious open meadows where in winter one can sometimes glimpse Wild Boar (Sus scrofa), Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes), Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus). After snowshoeing across these, we then cross a section of karst plateau, before finally dropping down into the Trigrad Gorge where our bus will be waiting. However, before driving back to our hotel in Yagodina, we can if necessary spend some more time looking for Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria) in the region of the "Devil’s Throat" Cave.

Day 7: We start the day by dropping down into the spectacular Buinovsko Gorge where we will visit the Yagodina Cave, one of the most beautiful caves in Bulgaria, and world renowned for its variety of cave formations including stalagmites, stalactites, draperies, flowstones, dendrites and cave pearls. We will spend about an hour in the cave looking at the various cave formations, and perhaps also seeing some hibernating Greater Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) and Lesser Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros). Finally we set off on the long drive back to Sofia following a route via the picturesque Krichim gorge.

Day 8: Morning sightseeing in Sofia, before transferring to Sofia airport.