Bulgaria - Walking and Wildlife Holidays

Holiday Profile

Encircled by the rivers Mesta and Maritsa, the Rhodope (Rodopi) Mountains are the most extensive mountain range in Bulgaria, covering a vast area in the southern part of the country, and rolling on across the border into Greece. A hauntingly beautiful and mysterious region, according to legend this was the home of Orpheus, and his spirit still seems to live on here in the music and culture of the local people. Wherever you go in the Rhodope (Rodopi) Mountains you cannot help but come into contact with its past. Ancient rock tombs and sanctuaries, fortresses and churches, all serve as reminders to the long-standing economic, cultural and strategic significance of the region. In many places in these mountains, time seems to have stood still and you encounter a rural way of life which seems little changed over the past few hundred years. Here the local people continue to maintain a traditional rural existence working the fields by hand and pasturing their livestock on the surrounding meadows and pastures.

Until recently, one of the least-known and least-visited corners of Europe, the Rhodope (Rodopi) Mountains are now internationally acknowledged for their unique flora and fauna. Almost 2000 species of plants can be found in the region, including many rare and endemic species, several of which grow nowhere else in the world. The fauna is equally diverse, particularly the birdlife. Approximately 300 species, some 70% of Bulgaria's bird fauna has been recorded in the Rhodope (Rodopi) Mountains. Among these species, 115 are listed under Annex II of the Bern Convention, 90 are considered to be of conservation importance in Europe, and 4 are globally threatened. Especially striking about the bird fauna of the Rhodope (Rodopi) Mountains is the high concentration of raptor species. An amazing 37 of the 38 species of birds of prey known to occur in Europe can be found in the Rhodope (Rodopi) Mountains, and the region is internationally recognised as one of the two natural European refuge areas for birds of prey, having the highest aggregation of diurnal raptors in Europe.

The outstanding biodiversity of the Rhodope (Rodopi) Mountains is closely linked to ancient agricultural methods, and especially to the traditional grazing throughout the mountains. Unfortunately today, economic changes have led to a decline in these activities, and a steady depopulation of the region. This unique birdwatching holiday in the Bulgaria's Rhodope (Rodopi) Mountains has been specifically developed to provide a comprehensive birdwatching exploration of the region as well as providing support to a major on-going conservation project, the aim of which is to thoroughly research and map the local flora and fauna, to establish new reserves and protected areas, and to help sustain the traditional economy of the region, along with the development of low impact ecological and rural tourism.