27th June to 6th July 2026 (6 places including myself)

This is a nine day / eight night trip, aimed at photographing some of the amazing macro life found in western and south Bulgaria. This is not a workshop but it is a holiday with friends and as such, you’ll be transported by myself. Macro highlights include wild flowers, butterflies, moths, insects, spiders and much more macro subjects. I have an extensive list of subjects that were photographed by the group on my last visit. Contact me for a copy of the list.

Days 1 – 4   We’ll be photographing exciting subjects in meadows, mountains, marshes, and river areas. Note that there’s no climbing to be done.

Day 5   A mid-morning drive southeast takes us towards the Greek border for our accommodation for the next four nights. If you need to relax at some point, the hotel does have a well-equipped sauna / steam room.

Days 5 – 8   Different terrain and altitudes brings different subjects but they are just as plentiful.

Day 8   An afternoon drive takes us back to Sofia to stay relatively close to the airport

Day 8-9   If time allows, we can venture out late afternoon to find more subjects in a wild meadow and depending on the flight time we might be able to squeeze in a short early morning photo-session before taking the short drive to Sofia airport for our departure home.

Since this is a holiday with friends, tuition is not being offered but I am always willing to assist where required especially with lens choice, camera settings,  improving field craft skills, macro lighting, focus stacking / bracketing to achieve greater depth-of-field when using wide apertures etc. This trip is aimed at photographers at all levels with a good range of equipment including a mirrored or mirrorless camera and various macro / micro lenses, sturdy tripod, laptop to download  images, memory card, spare batteries, etc.

There won’t be any ‘tripod holes’ in the region and the wildlife won’t be reliant on us. As this is holiday aimed at photographing the small wildlife, there is no guarantee that it’ll turn up, though it usually always does.

At each location, you will have your own hotel room with en suite and I would describe the hotels functional, rather than luxurious. I have focussed on cost over luxury and common sense dictates that there is no single person supplement. Breakfasts, lunches and evening meals are included in the southern Bulgaria region. Breakfast & lunches are included elsewhere meaning you’ll have to buy your evening meals (or starve!). Please ensure that any special dietary needs or allergies are indicated at the time of booking.

• What is included in the tour:
• Nine day / eight nights accommodation in en-suite single rooms in basic / functional hotels or lodges
• Breakfasts, lunches & four evening meals plus non-alcoholic drinks
• A minimum of five and a maximum six photographers (including myself) are required for the trip to take place
• Ample opportunities to photograph all the wildlife seen on the holiday
• All ground transportation whilst on the trip in a comfortable vehicle with enough space for your photographic equipment
• Fitness level on the tour is relatively easy. You need to be able to carry your own equipment, climb into a 9-seater vehicle and be able to walk along country lanes, marsh land and meadows (with insects in close proximity).
• A good time! Leave life’s stresses behind to enjoy watching and photographing the amazing Bulgarian macro wildlife and around the Serbian & Greek borders with like-minded photographers.

• What’s not included in the tour:
• Return travel including flights to and from Bulgaria – though I have chosen the best flight from the UK and a reasonable price giving us 23kg (hold) and two bags total 12kg (cabin) allowance
• Guiding by myself
• Alcoholic beverages
• Photographic equipment
• Travel insurance
• Sun cream (do check the weather!)

I’ve been asked a few questions about the trip.
What time do we start in the morning? The insects are cold-blooded so can only move once warmed up by the heat of the sun. To get the best photographs, we need to leave the hotel at around 5:15am so you might want an early night

Regarding toilet breaks whilst out in the countryside… Common sense prevails here

Roughly speaking, how long (time wise) are photographers on a shoot? The duration is approximately 2-4 hours in the morning and 3-4 hours in the afternoon. If it’s cloudy, the option to remain out for a longer period is a distinct possibility. Lunch time photography could be a possibility but depends on the harshness of the sun

How many photographic sessions are there per day? This will vary depending on the location but is generally two or three sessions unless we are travelling between sites

How much will it cost you?

• The cost of this exciting holiday to photograph macro wildlife in Bulgaria for 9 days is just £1450 per person
• Your only other costs are listed in the What’s Not Included above but budget on an additional £350-400 for return flights
• If you book a similar trip with any photographic tour operator, the cost per day will be almost double this price
• There is NO single person supplement
• The whole amount is due now to allow me to book the hotels, food, transportation, etc 
• If you’re happy to share a room with another photographer, there’ll be a nice discount per person
• Invite photographers from your camera club for a great time!

The above images are some of the wildlife we could typically 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. Antlion
11. Robber Fly With Prey
12. Shield Bug
13. Bronze Glandular Bush Cricket

I have purposely uploaded the photos at a very low resolution to prevent image theft.

Further information: Please Contact Me, +44 (0) 7540 163136 or jmalls@me.com to discuss content, what to bring, availability or to book your place on our holiday.

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