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Bats of Central Europe
Bats and wildlife in Hungary and Slovakia

Sunday 26 July - Saturday 1 August 2009 (7 days)

On this tour we visit one of the richest and best known areas of Europe for bats. We will be based at two locations, with three nights in Hungary and three nights in Slovakia. Our local guides are National Park rangers with many years of experiences of monitoring and protecting bats and their habitats. In addition we'll have a chance to taste the best of the local wines and enjoy the distinctive Hungarian and Slovak cuisines.

Our first destination is Aggtelek National Park, in the north-eastern part of Hungary. It was one of the first national parks in the country and, like its Slovak twin, it was primarily created to protect the rich geology of the area. The limestone karst landscape is unique in Europe and is dominated by extensive plateaux dotted with hundreds of shallow depressions. Other characteristic landscape features are the blind valleys with permanent or temporary water courses disappearing into sinkholes, called 'devil's holes' by local people. The water that disappears under the surface creates the famous cave systems that are so attractive to bats.

Amongst over two hundred and fifty caves in the national park, Baradla Cave is the most significant with a length of over 18km, forms part of the Karst World Heritage Site. The excellent combination of food sources, roost sites and climate results in a high abundance of bat species.

It must be mentioned, however, that the diversity of birds, butterflies and wildlife in general is also exceptional, and though the holiday focuses on bats, there will be opportunities to see some superb birds including Imperial Eagle, Saker, Black Woodpecker, and butterflies including Camberwell Beauty, Pallas's Fritillary and Hungarian Glider. Wild Boar also occur here in good numbers.

As bats usually use old, often abandoned houses, buildings and churches, necessary protective helmets will be provided. On some occasions we will visit the colonies in small groups of four or five in order to minimise disturbance.

During this trip, please be aware that we accompany our guide whilst he performs his annual scientific monitoring of the various bat breeding & roosting colonies, so that there is no extra disturbance to the bats as a result of the tour. This involves gaining access to church attics and derelict houses. Whilst some are easy which everyone should be able to access, others are only accessible via steep stairways or ladders which may preclude some of us gaining access. Handrails, when present, and floorboards may also be loose or uneven. Hard hats and face masks will be available to us and clients are requested to follow instructions given by our local guides. Flash photography is forbidden or at the most, very strictly limited. On some occasions we will visit the colonies in small groups of four or five in order to minimise disturbance.

During the evenings, we may visit nearby locations to mist net bats during the few hours after dawn. This again is part of our local guides' annual monitoring activities at these locations. It does give us a superb opportunity to see the various species in the hand, and flash photography is allowed. Clients will not handle any of the bats caught.

Please ensure that your travel insurance company is aware of these activities when you take out the insurance.

Price: £ 1,465
Single supp.: £ 145
Deposit: £ 300 per person

The price per person includes return flights from London – Budapest*, airport taxes, 7 nights' accommodation, all meals, incidental tips, coach transport and the services of the leaders.

The price excludes holiday insurance, optional tips for the driver and local guide, drinks, and other personal expenses.

*For an ex-flight cost of the tour (Budapest/Budapest) please deduct £ 95 per person from the tour cost.

Leaders: Keith Grant and local guide

© Keith Grant/Nature Portfolio

A Daubenton's Bat in the hand

Itinerary
Days 1 - 3
After arriving in Budapest we meet our local guide, and drive to Aggtelek National Park. Our hotel is well-situated in the heart of the park. Depending on time we might relax for a while or walk around the hotel and then drive to the areas close to the village of Jósvafö to visit some bat house dwelling colonies.

In the first area we hope to see Geoffroy's Bat, with some colonies numbering up to two thousand, as well as Greater Horseshoe and Lesser Horseshoe Bats in good numbers. The places we visit are often inhabited by Barn Owls as well living in a somewhat uneasy coexistence with the bats.

Our evenings will be spent mist-netting bats along their favoured flight paths, with possible species including Greater and Lesser Mouse-eared, Serotine and Grey Long-eared Bats.

On the second day in the Aggtelek region we visit one of the oldest vineyards where we'll enjoy a typical Hungarian goulash prepared by the owner and served in his garden, amidst some wonderful scenery. Before dinner we can visit a small bat colony which the owner protects in one of the old buildings above the cellar. Later we will try another site for catching bats with mist-nets, with Bechstein's, Mediterranean Horseshoe, Brandt's, Pond and Natterer's Bats all possible.

Not far from our hotel is an area chosen as the site of the first monitoring programme of European Butterfly Conservation - and given fine weather it will soon be obvious why! The number and variety of butterflies is often breathtaking around the crystal clear stream in the village of Jósvafö. Pallas's Fritillary, Large Blue, Large Copper and Poplar Admiral are just a few possibilities in the area.

Visiting some of the famous caves will be an optional programme for those interested, while others can take an easy walk in the forest around the hotel or just relax by the beautiful little lake nearby. Baradla Cave is the most significant, most studied and richest cave not only in the region but in Hungary itself. Its length, its stalactites and stalagmites make it the most prominent cave in the temperate zone.
Three nights Aggtelek National Park

Day 4 - 6
After a late breakfast we travel to the Slovak Karst National Park on the other side of the border in Slovakia.

Our hotel is situated in a hidden valley in the central part of the area surrounded by old beech forests, small mountain streams and little ponds full of trout. We will have a relaxing day in the area neaby, which is very rich in wildlife. The startlingly-coloured Fire Salamander can often be found on the forest tracks after rain. Red-breasted Flycatcher inhabits the beech forest and if we are lucky we might see Wild Boar along the road. In the foothills of the karst we take a short. walk into a cave to find some colonies of Greater and Lesser Horseshoe Bats.

During the next days we explore some of the exciting summer roosts of bats in buildings, churches and caves. Alcathoe Whiskered, Northern, Whiskered, Daubenton's, Common Pipistrelle, Pygmy Pipistrelle, Nathusius Pipistrelle, Greater Noctule, Leisler's, Noctule, Parti-Coloured, Western Barbastelle, Brown Long-eared and Schreiber's Bent-winged Bat can all be found in the area. This part of Europe is also home to European Souslik, a typical squirrel-like mammal of the Eastern steppes. These live in small colonies, and we could hear the sentinels utter their alarm whistle when they see a Saker or an Imperial Eagle hunting nearby!

The night before we travel back to Budapest we have an early dinner and then catch bats just around our hotel. The lakes in the vicinity of the hotel also provide an excellent spot to observe several bat species coming to feed or drink, so the last night will still be full of interest.
Three nights Slovak Karst National Park

Day 7
We travel to Budapest to catch our afternoon flight to London.

Please note that we can arrange optional extensions to the trip in Budapest, for a chance to spend a bit of time in this delightful city. Please let us know at time of booking.

Accommodation: Small hotels with all rooms en suite.

Numbers: Max. 14 clients