Detailed Itinerary

Day 1. After arrival in Bucharest we will need three hours to reach our first destination near Caracal. If the flights and the traffic allows we do some birding on the way at a fine oxbow lake where Little Bittern, Pygmy Cormorant, Barred  and Savi’s Warbler all occurs and a great introduction to some Eastern European birding. Night in Caracal.

Day 2. This morning we visit a wonderful oak woodland in search of the highly localised Semicollared Flycatcher. They were found to breed here just a few years ago but we have a good chance to come across this much desired bird. While birding in this woodland we can come across Lesser Spotted, Middle Spotted, Black and Green Woodpeckers, Wryneck, Icterine Warbler and Common Redstart. In the sky we will look out for Black Stork and Lesser Spotted Eagle. After our morning birding we will travel north into the Carpathians and with some birding stops we will reach our accommodation near Sibiu. Night near Sibiu.

Day 3. Today we will try to reach the higher areas in the Fogaras Mountains where we hope to find Alpine Accentor and Water Pipit in amongst breathtaking European scenery. Birding in high altitudes of course going to be weather dependent but this time of the year we have a great chance to have a good sunny day. Later we will start travelling to the Torockói-hegység of the Western Transylvanian Mountains (Island Mountain). We will arrive to the picturesque valley in the early afternoon and start to explore this fantastic area. Agriculture is still as it was hundreds of years ago and the birdlife is superbly adapted to this coexistence. If we are lucky we can already come across some of the special birds of the area such as Corncrake, Crag Martin or Ortolan Bunting. We have a superb view to the Székelykő Mountain from our hotel and after dinner we will track down Eurasian Scops Owl. Night in the Rimetea (Torockó) Valley.

Day 4. We have a full day to explore this wonderful area of the West Transylvanian Mountains (Island Mountain). After a pre breakfast birding in the garden we will visit various limestone gorges, rock faces and scree where we hope to find Golden Eagle, Peregrine, Woodlark, Red-rumped Swallow, Rock Bunting and if we are lucky even Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush. Around the more wet and bushy areas we will search for Corncrake, River Warbler, Great Grey Shrike and Ortolan Bunting. The rather scarce Sombre Tit has its most northerly corner in its distribution here but we should be very lucky to find one. Most of the day will be spent on foot without much travelling so we can relax and enjoy this lovely landscape. Night in the Rimetea (Torockó) Valley.

Day 5. After a final birding in this area we will leave for the Harghita Mountains. On our way to our next base we will stop to look for woodpeckers in a mature beech and oak woodland where have a chance to find Grey-headed, Green, Black, Middle Spotted or even White-backed Woodpecker. If time enables we will have a lunch in Segesvár (Sighisoara), the city where Dracula (Vlad Tepes) spent his childhood. Early afternoon we will drive towards our next base and include a stop on the way to try for Thrush Nightingale. After arriving to the Harghita region which will be our host for the next two nights we will visit one of our hides for Carpathian Borwn Bears late afternoon. Night in Hargita area.

Day 6. Today we will travel to the magnificent Bicaz (Békás) Gorge in the Hasmas Mountains National Park an impressive site with tall limestone walls. This is the realm of the Wallcreeper and we should have great looks of this special bird with a spectacular view of the gorge as well. The cold Gyergyó Basin is in full color by late May with many wild flowers. This area has a very cold climate and many ice age relict plants can be found here as well as Great Grey Shrike, Common Rosefinch, Garden Warbler, Marsh Warbler and Grasshopper Warbler. We will also look for Carpathian Brown Bears on one or possible two afternoons depending on our schedule and success with birds. This time of the year we have very good chances to see this fascinating creature of the Transylvanian pine woodlands. Night in Hargita area.

Day 7. This morning we will visit the endless pine forests of the wonderful Harghita Mountains in search of birds. If lucky enough we can find some of the more scarce species like Western Capercaillie, Pygmy Owl, Eurasian Nutcracker or Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker. Later we will drive towards the picturesque Bucegi Natural Park. On the way we will visit the lovely Szentpál Fishponds where we can pick up a great selection of waterbirds and reedbirds like Ferruginous Duck, Savi’s Warbler and Bearded Tit. This tiny location has an amazingly long birdlist and we have good chance to find some late migrants for our list. We will arrive to our accommodation in the late afternoon and if time allows we can do birding around the accommodation. The mature Beech woodland around here holds Red-breasted Flycatcher, Wood Warbler, a good selection of woodpeckers and with luck we can even come across a mighty Ural Owl. Night in Bucegi Natural Park.

Day 8. We will have some optional pre-breakfast birding around our hotel. After breakfast we will discover the Bucegi Natural Park alpine zone, over 2000 m high where our main target will be the ’balcanica’ race of the Shore Lark. On our way we can look for birds like Water Pipit, Goldcrest, Firecrest, Alpine Swift, Crested Tit, Ring Ouzel and Common Crossbills are all possible here. After a few hours birding on the roof of Transylvania we will reluctantly leave this wonderful area and drive to Bucharest where the tour ends.