Nature Photography in Bulgaria

Brown bone (click to enlarge)

Nature Photography Tours.

Nature photography in Bulgaria is in full swing and achieving fame throughout Europe among many nature photography professionals., either flora or fauna. This is a beautiful country that occupies one of the highest places on the scale of biodiversity in Europe. In fact, it ranks second in plant biodiversity, only surpassed by our beloved Spain. Bulgaria has about 4.000 plant species, of which close to 400 are endemic to this Balkan region.

Pelobates syriacus

It also has cataloged 425 bird species, 19 of amphibians, 37 reptiles, 110 of mammals, 68 of dragonflies and nothing less than 224 butterfly species, all concentrated in a territory of an extension of 110.879 km2 (in front of 504.645 km² of Spain). In addition to the 35 Bat species cataloged throughout Europe, in Bulgaria can be found 33 of them, in any of the 5.400 caves found in the country.

Southern White Admiral © Dobromir Domuschiev

Of most species they can be found in a significant number of specimens and have stable populations. For some species, Bulgaria is the best place to observe them and for others it is even the only place where they can be seen and photographed in their natural habitat..

The main reasons for this diversity of flora and fauna are the following:

Pulsatilla states ssp. rhodopaea

– Geographic location: Within europe, Bulgaria is situated on the border between the Continental and Mediterranean climate zones.
– Exceptional biodiversity in relation to a relatively small area that has ecosystems from sea level (black sea coast) to heights of about 3.000 meters.
– Low human population density compared to other European countries: 66,65 hab./km² compared to, for example, the 93,51 inhab / km² of Spain, that is to say a 40% less than Spain. In addition, the distribution of the population is concentrated in large cities, leaving large areas with very low population density..
– Wide network of protected areas that help conserve habitats.

But let's go deeper by mentioning some star species of the photography of Nature in Bulgaria, apart from the birds for which there is detailed information and a sample trip in this web . Among the rest of the Fauna of Bulgaria, butterflies stand out, being the third country in Europe in biodiversity of butterfly species (224 as mentioned before), the most attractive being the Pierrot from the Balkans "Little Tiger Blue" (Tarucus balkanicus),Eastern Festoon (Allancastria cerisyi), Southern White Admiral (Moth reduced) or the Apollo butterfly (Parnassius apollo). Mammals include the common jackal (Canis aureus), The grizzly (until 600 specimens), the gray wolf (until 1200 specimens) and the elusive Suslick (Spermophilus citellus), a type of ground squirrel.

Eastern Festoon © Uri Kolker

Bulgaria's habitats and landscapes are generally unexploited and a big advantage of Bulgaria is that you can walk and access practically anywhere, even to private areas as long as no damage is done, unlike Spain and other European countries where private property, hunting grounds, surrounded, etc. on many occasions prevent the practice of nature photography. And by private vehicle you can access almost any site by dirt roads, thus avoiding having to carry heavy photography equipment or belongings.. In addition, this proximity of the roads to the areas of interest allows even good quality photography from the window of the vehicle because there are also numerous bushes and hedges near the roads where many species nest and hide..

Suslik europeo – spermophilus citellus

And let's not forget the cultural part of the trip, Not only can you take a Nature trip but you can get to know one of the most exotic and different countries in Europe for its Orthodox Christian religion, which is the official one but also with an important Muslim presence, as witnessed by the small mosques and minarets of many towns in the South of Bulgaria.

Lily rhodopaeum Delip.

At hikingeuropa.com we organize nature photography trips, Flora and fauna. We have local naturist guides with 9 years of experience in these trips. We have a wide range of “hides” observational, that are usable throughout the year, included 3 “hides” in troughs.

This years of experience also allows us to know where to find the most attractive species and how to photograph them better..

Golden Jackal © Michele Mendi

If you've never been to this part of Europe and are tempted by what you've just read and seen, please contact us and we will get to work on your preferences. You can join one of our scheduled trips or we can organize one to suit you based on the most convenient time of year for the species of interest to you..