It's the blooming Balkans

With the gardening event of the year about to burst into bloom, Naturetrek offers a Chelsea ‘chaser’ - an 8-day botanical tour to a little-visited corner of Bulgaria that hosts one of Europe’s richest floras, including many endemic species you won’t see, even in Chelsea, departing London 21st June 2008.

From Bulgaria’s first city of Sofia, Europe’s highest capital, set out for even cooler climes and enjoy the wealth of late spring flowers in the country’s mountains and National Parks. Drive to Vitosha Mountain National Park, an area of pine clad hills and alpine meadows draped with over 1,500 species of higher plants, 31 of which are Balkan endemics, and then enter Bistrishco Branishte UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, habitat for such plants as Gentianella bulgarica, Lilium jandae and Orchis militaris.

The bird population includes Nutcrackers and Ring Ouzels, butterflies abound and Brown Bears and Wolves pass discretely through. From a base in Bansko, tour the Pirin Mountains National Park with its vast and varied flora and stunning scenery – encompassing 100 peaks over 2,000m. A special feature is the ‘Baikusheva Mura’, an ancient twisted Macedonian Pine thought to be over 1,350 years old! The third region to be visited is the Rhodope Mountains.

Searching amongst the 2,000+ recorded species, look out for some of the 90 endemic plants plus Red Helleborine (Cephalanthera rubra) and Greater Butterfly Orchid (Platanthera chlorantha), while a glance upwards could reveal a passing raptor such as a Short-toed Eagle or elsewhere, a crimson-winged Wallcreeper scaling the vertical limestone walls of the Trigrad Gorge.

The tour costs £995 p/p including scheduled flights, transfers, full-board hotel accommodation and expertly guided botanical walks.

For more information, visit Naturetrek.co.uk.