Romania Butterflies Danube Clouded Yellow

Destination countries: Hungary-Romania. Arrive and depart from Cluj/Targu Mures.

Next schedule:
- 03 - 10 June, 2022 (Closed)
- 11 - 18 July, 2022 (Closed)
- 30, July - 06, August, 2022 (1 space left)
- 2023 TBA

Duration: 8 days + High Carpathian extensions available.

Price: 1099 GBP + 110 GBP single supplement. 1690 GBP + 190 GBP single supplement with extension (exl. airfares). Price includes: accommodations and meals (lunch is typically picnic!), drinking water, vehicle hire with fuel and driver guide, park entrance fees and ranger guides. The price exclude: bank transfer loss, international flight, visa, tips, drinks, personal travel insurance and any other activities of personal request e.g. laundry, toalet fees, phone calls, etc.

Note: We are not giving out more specific itineraries as a result of illegal and unwanted collecting activities. Our highest recorded number on this trip was 118, incl. a daily record-breaking 84/day. This tour was a fundraising tour also, under the auspices of Butterfly Conservation, UK, European Interest Group.

Photos:
-Petery Bygate's photogallery, taken on our trip, please click here!
- For some pictures of DCY, please click here!
- Woodland Brown pictures, click here!
- Poplar Admiral pictures, click here!
- For some other butterflies, click here!

Accommodation: Three-star hotels/pensions with all rooms en suite.

Numbers: Min. 3, max. 6 tour participants.

Transport: 4WDs.

Description: " ..Romania, a large country, ten times larger than Slovenia or three times larger than Hungary having an incredible landscape, adorned with 14 major ethinc groups with different culture, history and food... and amazing wildlife. Dominated by the Carpathians, Romania offers incredibly rich rural and pristine countryside, something what you never see west of the country, ever. Romania holding 179 butterfly species, great birdlife and the largest population of the so-called megafauna, incl. viable population of Brown Bears andWolfs..."

Target species of the tour:
Papilionidae: Swallowtail, Scarce Swallowtail, Apollo (?), Clouded Apollo.
Pieridae: Yellows (Danube Clouded, Clouded, Pale-clouded, Eastern Pale Clouded, Berger's Clouded), Woods (Common, Fenton's, Duponchel's), Whites (Large, Green-veined, Southern Small, Eastern Bath).
Lycaenidae: Arguses (Brown, Mountain Argus, Geranium), Coppers (Violet, Lesser Fiery, Purple-shot, Green-underside, Large, Small, Sooty, Purple-edged), Blues (Anomalous, Damon (?), Osiris, Eastern Short-tailed, Little, Alcon, Ligurian Large, Scarce Large Blue, Silver-studded, Reverdin's, Idas, Adonis, Chalk-hill, Chequered, Transylvanian Turquoise, Meleager's, Baton, Mazarine), Hairstreaks (Sloe, Ilex, Black, Blue-spot, White-letter, Brown, Purple).
Riodinidae: Duke of Burgundy Fritillary.
Libytheidae: Nettle-tree Butterfly.
Nymphalidae: Purple and Lesser Purple Emperors, Admirals (Poplar, White), Camberwell Beauty, Large Tortoiseshell, Yellow-legged Tortoiseshell, Hungarian and Common Gliders, Cardinal, Map Butterfly, Fritillaries (Pallas', High Brown, Dark-green, Niobe, Silver-washed /valesina form too/, Marbled, Lesser Marbled, Weaver's, Pearl-bordered, Small Pearl-bordered, Asian, Titania's, Shepherd's, Queen of Spain, Heath, Nickerl's, Assmann's, Glanville, False, Spotted, Lesser Spotted, Knapweed).
Satyridae: Heaths (Pearly, Alpine, Chestnut, Small, Large) Graylings (Common, False Great Banded), Great Sooty Satyr, The Hermit, Dryad, Marbled White, Browns (Woodland, Wall, Large Wall). "Erebias": Scotch Argus), Ringlets (Mountain, Large, Silky, Yellow-spotted, Black, Dewy, Blind, Water, Sudeten), Arran Brown.
Hesperidae: Skippers (Yellow-banded, Mallow, Chequered, Large Chequered, Silver-spotted, Large Grizzler, Dusky Grizzled, Alpine Grizzled, Oberthür's Grizzled, Safflower, Orbed Red-underwing, Lullworth, Small, Essex, Large).

Trip outline:

Day 01: Arrive to Cluj or Targu Mures Airport. Driving to Rimetea, Romania. Overnight in Rimetea.

Day 02-03: Two full days around Rimetea, incl. Trascau and Posaga de Sus areas. We also visit Turda Gorge, which is possibly the richest nature reserve in the country with innumerable endemic plants, rare insects and excellent birds. Overnight in Rimetea. (If the area is too dry, we have the flexibility to change our plan to save our time for better habitats.)

Day 04: Drive to Odorhei Secuiesc, "capital" of the hungarian-speaking Secler people. Butterfly exploration around Inlaceni, one of the remotest village of Transylvania... a fairy-tail spot. Overnight at O. Secuiesc.

Day 05-06: Butterfly-drives around the Eastern Carpathians to see and photograph Danube Clouded Yellow and some other goodies, eg. Titania's Fritillary, Poplar Admiral, etc. Overnight at O. Secuiesc.

Day 07: Drive to the Saxonland, exploring the amazing forests and meadows of the so-called Saxon triangle. We also see Sighisoara, one of the most impressive mediaval town of Transylvania, also the birthplace of Vlad Tepes ("Dracula"). Overnight at Sighisoara, in the mediaval citadell.

High Carpathian extension:

Day 08: We split up the goup here, people who leave driving back to Cluj, the rest of the group continouing with the Saxon area. We visit the remote Viscrii, a favourite spot of Prince Charles where he even bought a property, and he visit the village ona very regular basis. We spend the whole day with butterflies here, and for meals will be hosted with Caroline and Walter Fernolend, an amazing couple, who are responsible for several wetland and architectural projects with the support of the Mihai Eminescu Trust and Prince Charles. Overnight at Sighisoara, in the mediaval citadell.

Day 09: Drive towards Fogaras Highway, en route stop at the Kalnoky-mansion, where we will exploring the area for butterflies. Overnight at Bilea Pass.

Day 10: Butterflying around lake Bilea for Erebia spp. and other high mountein butterflies. Overnight at Bilea Pass.

Day 11: Drive to Busteni, where we take a cabelcar high up to Mt. Bucegi. We will explore the area within our walking distance for further high mountain species. Overnight in Brasov.

Day 12: Further butterfly-search around the high mountain pastures of Poiana Brasov.
Overnight in Brasov.

Day 13: Drive to Cluj, departure day.