Our trip to Hungary and Romania is a perfect blend of great birding while sampling the best habitats, scenery, and a few cultural highlights of this region. Our birding begins in Romania in the fabulous Danube Delta, the largest in Europe, with three days visiting the very best lagoons, channels and reed beds, where it's a joy to watch an abundance of waterfowl including endangered Pygmy Cormorants and Dalmatian Pelicans. Joining these will be the magnificent White-tailed Eagle, migrating flocks of European Bee-eaters and Rollers, a variety of marsh-dwelling warblers, and the lovely Bearded Reedling.
Next, near the Black Sea, we'll watch for Syrian Woodpecker, Sombre Tit, and Hawfinch. While in the rugged and spectacular Carpathian Mountains our targets will include Wallcreeper, White-throated Dipper, several more species of tits, Red Crossbill, Ring Ouzel, and Firecrest. Crossing into Hungary, we'll visit famous Hortobagy National Park, a mosaic of marshes and shallow pools across the "Puszta" steppe that are a vitally important stopover for migrants. Numbers and variety vary seasonally, but at this time of year Hortobagy can be at its most impressive, not just with waterbirds but also Red-footed and Saker falcons and an exciting array of smaller species.
Our last stop is within the plains and farmlands of Kiskunsag National Park near Budapest. This is the European stronghold of Great Bustard and a multitude of other birds, from Black Stork to Imperial Eagle, Eurasian Thick-knee, Black Woodpecker, Bluethroat, Moustached Warbler, and Lesser Gray Shrike.
During our tour we will have short cultural visits to the city of Dracula's Castle, and the medieval city of Sighisoara. In years past, we offered an optional city tour of Bucharest before the main tour began. However, in 2025, the tour will start during the Orthodox Easter weekend, and most sites will be closed. We are still happy to book extra nights in Bucharest. You may wish to extend your trip to explore Budapest and its surroundings with an optional city tour or Danube Bend tour (or both!) for an extra cost. Please contact your tour manager for more information.
Terry Stevenson and local expert Lajos Nemeth-Boka will guide our group. Terry has of course been well known for years to many of our participants; his friend and colleague Lajos is not only an expert birder, but one of Europe's finest guides to the butterflies, amphibians, and reptiles throughout the region.
Select the KEY INFO tab or click here for our itinerary plus space requests, status, fees, limits, and guides for any departure.
Client comment
"We have done two previous tours with Field Guides. This was an outstanding experience, as with our other Filed Guides tours. Terry Stevenson and Lajos Nemeth-Boka and all additional local guides were excellent. Everything on the tour was well-planned... Office service was also excellent." C.K., HUNGARY & ROMANIA 2019