25th June-5th July 2027

(Four to six places)

I’m inviting you on a trip to photograph the small and interesting wildlife in Bulgaria, recognised as the concentrated hotspot for macro photography in Europe. This ten day trip is aimed at photographing some of the amazing macro life found in western and southern Bulgaria, offering many photographic opportunities. It’s not a workshop but a trip with friends and as such, we’ll travel in a minibus to capture some of the most interesting and fascinating subjects in Bulgaria. If you love photographing flora and fauna close up then this is the ideal trip for 2027. Highlights include wild flowers, butterflies, moths, insects, spiders and much more. See here for the comprehensive list of subjects witnessed or photographed during my last visit.

What is included:

• Ten days / nine nights accommodation in en-suite single rooms in three basic though comfortable hotels.
• All (single course) breakfasts, lunches and evening meals plus tea / coffee.
• Minimum four and maximum six photographers required for the trip to take place.
• Ample opportunities to photograph all the wildlife seen on the trip at a relaxed pace. I’ve previously been to all the locations and have the benefit of being able to track the subjects.
• All ground transportation whilst on the trip in a minibus with space for your photographic equipment.
• Life’s too short. Why not enjoy this ten day trip making new photographic friends and develop your photography!

What’s not included:

• The cost of flights.
• This is not a guided workshop though I (or anyone else in the group) might be able to help with any technical issues you may face.
• Cost of additional courses at meal times and any alcoholic beverages.
• Photographic equipment.
• Travel visas and travel insurance.
• Gratuities and tips.
• We’ll be travelling to locations that may have minimal or no internet service so some communication with the rest of the world might be challenging!

Itinerary

Day 1  Following your early morning flight from Heathrow and lunch, the trip starts mid-afternoon from Sofia airport where we collect our minibus then drive an hour northwest towards the Serbian border checking in at our hotel for the next four nights. All meals are included at the hotel. We should be able to get out to our first location to photograph the macro subjects late in the afternoon. On our return, we’ll have our first (evening) meal at the hotel restaurant.

Day 2 We’ll be visiting a number of different areas during our time here to capture the very small wildlife in various wild meadows, mountains, marshes, and river areas. Note that there’s no climbing to be done.

Day 3 Imagine photographing dew covered butterflies roosting as sun rises. We’ll be exploring various locations with activities similar to day 2.

Day 4 What’s not to love about tracking jumping spiders across lichen covered rocks? We’ll be exploring various locations with activities similar to day 2.

Day 5 Following our early morning drive and breakfast, we’ll check out of the hotel and head to our second location. This will be around a 4 hour drive with an appropriate stop for lunch.

Day 5 (Continued) The drive southeast takes us towards the Greek border for our accommodation for the next four nights. All homemade and freshly prepared breakfasts, lunches and evening meals are included at this hotel. After checking in, we should be able to get out to our first site at this part of the country to photograph the macro subjects in the afternoon. On our return, we’ll have our evening meal at the hotel restaurant.

Day 6 We’ll be visiting a number of different areas during our time in the south of Bulgaria to capture the wildlife in various wild subalpine meadows, mountains, marshes, and river bed areas. Different (stunning) terrain and altitudes brings different subjects but the subjects are just as plentiful. Note again that there’s no climbing to be done though the odd path might have a gradual incline.

Day 7 Watching robber flies and dragonflies wiping moisture from their eyes is an amazing experience. Videoing it is even better!  We’ll be exploring various locations with activities similar to day 6.

Day 8 Ants, preying mantis, orchids and lizards are just some of the subjects we’ll hopefully be photographing in various locations with activities similar to day 6.

Day 9 Following our early morning drive and breakfast, we’ll check out of the hotel and drive to our third location in southern part of Sofia. This will be around a 4 hour drive with an appropriate stop for lunch.

Day 9 (Continued) The afternoon drive northwards takes us back to Sofia to stay relatively close to the airport. After checking in at the hotel for our final night of the trip, we’ll be able to drive to a subalpine meadow to photograph the macro subjects in the afternoon. On our return, we’ll have our last evening meal together at the hotel restaurant.

Day 10 Following our final early morning drive and breakfast, we’ll check out of the hotel and drive to Sofia airport ready for our flight back home.

Accommodation & Food

At each location, you will have your own single/double room with en suite and I would describe the hotels as being functional and comfortable rather than luxurious. I have focused on cost over luxury and made sure there is no single person supplement. All (single course) meals are included from the first evening meal to breakfast on the final day. Please ensure that any special dietary needs or allergies are indicated at the time when you come on board.

FAQs:

Do I need a visa to visit Bulgaria when travelling from the UK? No, British citizens do not need a visa to enter Bulgaria for short visits. You can travel for up to 90 days within any 180-day period for tourism, business, or to visit family. Your passport must be valid for at least three months beyond your planned departure date and issued within the last 10 years. 

What time do we start in the morning? The insects are heliothermic so can only move after basking in the sun. To get the best photographs, we need to leave the hotel at around 05:15am to take advantage of their inability to move around.

How many photographic sessions are there per day? This will vary depending on the location but it is generally two sessions unless we are travelling between sites so losing one shoot during the travelling time. On some occasions, we might be able to squeeze an extra mid morning session or extend the afternoon session by foregoing some relaxation time. 

Roughly speaking, how long (time-wise) are photographers on a shoot? Duration can be as short as 90 minutes or as long as 3.5 hours though many factors can affect this timing such as time of day, weather, proximity to meal time, location, etc.

What fitness level do I need? You’ll need to be able to climb in & out of the minibus, have a reasonable level of vision to find the wildlife, carry your own photographic equipment and be able to walk the relatively short distances from the minibus to the wildlife locations. We don’t intend doing any hill climbing though one or two (optional) paths might be a little on the steep side and in the heat of the day, might be demanding.

What weather conditions are expected? Because we are staying at three different locations, I can only give approx guidelines on weather conditions as follows: average min/max daily temps are 15°C-28°C; average daily chance of clear sky 75-85%; average daily daylight is 15 hours; average monthly rainfall is 30mm-45mm.

Are there any toilet facilities whilst in the countryside… Due to the remote locations, public toilets are not available during the photo shoots.

What guarantees are offered that the wildlife will be there? In wildlife photography, I can offer no assurances that it’ll turn up, though empirical data says it usually always does.

Do we take the same photos as other wildlife photographers who’ve been here before us? There won’t be any ‘tripod holes’ in the regions that we visit. We have to find our individual wildlife to create our own photos. As a group, we have many pairs of eyes to locate our subjects.

Does this trip provide wheelchair access? Unfortunately because of the terrain being accessed, most routes are inaccessible for users of wheelchairs or any other mobility aids.

What To Bring:

• The flight from the UK has a generous allowance of 23kg in the hold and two bags (if required) totalling 12kg in the cabin.
• Photographic equipment might include full frame mirrored or mirrorless camera (& spare body); various macro / micro lenses; extension tubes / extender; close-up filters; sturdy tripod(s); mini tripods; additional lighting (macro flash or continuous LED); focusing rail; remote shutter release; reflectors; clamps; camera manual(s); waterproof protection for your camera; memory cards; spare batteries; various chargers; head torch, binoculars, laptop / hard drive to download images; power cables; extension cable; UK to European adaptor; rucksack to carry your gear; etc.
• Suggested lens lengths: 100mm macro 1:1, 50mm macro 1:2, 35mm macro 1:2, MP-E65mm 5:1 (or similar); 100-500mm telephoto if you want to photograph any birds, 1.4x extender.
• Clothing: Suitable clothing for warm climates (pastel colours, silent, etc); good (worn-in) walking / hiking boots; waterproof trousers for those early morning starts; jumper for cooler evenings, a light rain jacket just in case…
• Sun cream; sun hat; sunglasses; various sprays & creams for protection against potential insect bites; anti-midge net; knee-pads.

Cost per person

• Accommodation, most of the meals & transportation = £1495.
• Return flights to UK (allow around £400).
• Non-refundable deposit = £395.
• Balance of £1100 payable around six weeks before departure date.
• These prices are based on current fuel, accommodation & other prices. Outside events beyond my control may affect the overall price and may have to subsequently increase but I’m trying to keep the cost of this trip to minimum.

Bulgarian Wildlife:

The above photos are some of the wildlife we might see on the trip and are:

1. Variable Burnett Moth
2. Robber Fly Lying In Wait
3. Female Jumping Spider
4. Bush Cricket
5. Robber Fly In Morning Dew
6. Marbled White At Sunrise
7. Red Assassin Bug
8. Meadow Grasshopper
9. Preying Mantis
10. Robber Fly With Prey
11. Shield Bug
12. Bronze Bellied Glandular Bush Cricket
13. Video Of Robber Fly Wiping Moisture From Its Eyes

Further Information:

Please Contact Me, +44 (0) 7540 163136 or jmalls@me.com to discuss content, availability or to book your place on the trip.

© Jeremy Malley-Smith LRPS EFIAP DPAGB BPE3*  |  jmalls@me.com  |  +44 (0) 7540 163136