The taste of Eastern Slovakia

characteristics: The most of the area of Dolný Zemplín is covered by Východoslovenská rovina Plain, which, mainly in its south-eastern part, represents one of the largest wetland areas in Slovakia. It comprises rivers, canals, oxbow lakes, marshes, wet meadows, floodplain forests. Protected area Sennianske rybníky fishponds, SPA Medzibodrožie and surrounding country are among the most important breeding and migrating sites for waterbirds in Slovakia. Distant location of this sparsely populated region, in some places abandoned agricultural land, traditional and extensive farming and near-natural water regime provide conditions for such unique plant and animal communities, which are nowadays not easy to find. Protected area Sennianske rybníky fishponds, SPA Medzibodrožie and surrounding country are the most important breeding and migrating site for waterbirds in Slovakia. During this trip we will visit also the second largest water reservoir in Slovakia – Zemplínska Šírava. We will hike in Vihorlatské vrchy Mountains, rare volcanic mountain range, where we will visit preserved fir-beech forests. Besides natural gems, also cultural and historical attractions awaits us, such as the two southernmost wooden churches of the Eastern Rite, Gothic bridge in Leles or beautiful English park in Trebišov with the photogenic Andrássy tomb.

highlights of this area: UNESCO wooden church in Ruská Bystrá, wooden church in Inovce, Tokaj and Tibava wine region, Veľký Kamenec Castle ruins, Sv. Gotthard Gothic bridge near the village Leles, Slovak – Ukrainian border, the Tisa River, Baroque-Classicist château, mausoleum of Július Andrássy family, city park and the ruins of Parič Castle in Trebišov

protected areas visited: SPAs Senné, Vihorlat and Medzibodrožie, Protected Landscape Areas Latorica and Vihorlat, National Nature Reserves Morské oko, Senianske rybníky, Natural Reserve Jedlinka, Natural Monument Malé Morské oko

target species: Red-crested Pochard (Netta rufina), Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca), White Stork (Ciconia ciconia), Black Stork (Ciconia nigra), Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia), Eurasian Bittern (Botaurus stellaris), Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus), Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea), Little Egret (Egretta garzetta), Western Great Egret (Egretta alba), White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca), Common Crane (Grus grus), Corncrake (Crex crex), crakes (Porzana spp.), Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus), Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta), Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago), Curlew (Numenius arquata), Redshank (Tringa totanus), Black-tailed Godwitt (Limosa limosa), Marsh Tern (Chlidonias hybridus), Little Owl (Athene noctua), Europen Bee-eater (Merops apiaster), Lesser Grey Shrike (Lanius minor), Penduline Tit (Remiz pendulinus), Savi´s Warbler (Locustella luscinioides), Thrush Nightingale (Luscinia luscinia), Collared Flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis), Red-breasted Flycatcher (Ficedula parva), Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius), White-backed Woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos), Syrian Woodpecker (Dendrocopos syriacus) and many others

Trip length: 4 days

Terrain difficulty: easy to moderate

Accommodation: *** guest house in a nice locality surrounded by vineyards – possibility to walk around

Day 1: departure from Bratislava in the morning, the route will lead from Bratislava through Nitra, Zvolen, Lučenec and Košice; stop for lunch (every participant chooses dish and pays for it individually – the price of the lunch is not included in the trip price), arrival to the place of accommodation; visit of heronries, stop at Veľký Kamenec Castle ruins

Day 2: early morning before breakfast a short walk into the near floodplain forest focused on bird calls, after the breakfast a visit of IBA Senianske rybníky, birdwatching (educational path, observation towers), packed lunch; Gothic bridge near the village Leles, visit of divided village Veľké Slemence with unique border crossing for pedestrians and cyclists at Slovak – Ukrainian border, visit of Čierna nad Tisou, stop an the Tisa River; after the dinner a visit of traditional Tokaj cellar with wine tasting (price for wine tasting not included into the trip price)

Day 3: transfer to Vihorlatské vrchy Mts., moderate hike in the surroundings of Morské oko Lake (distance 7,2 km, superelevation 425 m), visit of fir-beach preserved forests, birdwatching, visit of Nature Reserve Jedlinka and Nature Monument Malé Morské oko, walk around Morské oko Lake; packed lunch; stop for individual purchase of local Tibava wine, visit of wooden church Inovce and Ruská Bystrá (UNESCO), stop at Zemplínska Šírava water reservoir

Day 4: after breakfast departure from the place of accommodation, visit of interesting nature places of IBA Medzibodrožie (oxbow lakes, marshes), birdwatching, visit of city Trebišov – chateu and park, return journey; during lunch time a stop for lunch obed (every participant chooses dish and pays for it individually – the price of the lunch is not included in the trip price), arrival to Bratislava in the evening

Starting and final point: Bratislava. Pick up and transfer to airport Košice is included in the trip price. Possibility to get an extra paid transfer from airport Vienna or Budapest.

Recommended term: April – June

Prices for guiding in English for 1 person:

490,- € / 3 – 5 participants

435,- € / 6 – 10 participants

390,- € / 11 and more participants

Price includes: transportation, accommodation for 3 nights, full board (3x breakfast, 2x packed lunch, 3x dinner), full guiding service, local guide, binoculars, spotting scope and bird identification guide rental, corporate insolvency insurance

Price does NOT include: individual travel insurance, wine tasting (15,- €)

If you are interested in this trip, please don’t hesitate to contact us, either by email to info@watching.sk or give us a call at +421 903 751 330. We can then discuss the date that suits your needs the best.