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- Overview/list of tour details
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NORWAY - SPRING ARCTIC-BIRDING
Tour dates: 21ST - 28TH JUNE 2027
- singles and twins available
Tour Price: £2595 single supplement £400
Max Group size: 12 with two guides
Tour Guides: Dancho (Iordan Hristov) and Bob Buckler
On this fabulous arctic tour we shall visit the famous Varanger peninsula in the northern most part of Norway. World renowned for its extensive taiga forest, stark tundra and rugged coastline giving you the opportunity to see rare breeding birds, thousands of sea-birds and an impressive array of mammals.
Arctic Warbler
The trip coincides with the 24-hour daylight and the midnight Sun, which will give us plenty of time for birding. As most birds are active during the “night”, we would need to reverse our daily life and be more active in the early hours of the day. Thus, getting up at 3-4 am will be a daily routine, we return for breakfast for a rest in the hotel before we head out again in the afternoon.
A typical coastal view in the Varanger Peninsular
In addition to the birds, we can also expect to see Reindeer, which graze freely and are used as domestic animals, Elk, Arctic Fox, Arctic Hare, Humpback Whales, and if lucky, we may even spot a Brown Bear.
Pasvik Valley Forest
We start our journey from Kirkenes airport, which is only about an hour away from our first major birding area: Pasvik Forest. This will be our introduction to spring-birdwatching in Arctic Norway. We will focus on woodland birds and our first target species will include Arctic Warbler, Siberian Jay, Siberian Tit, Pine Grosbeak, Little Bunting and others. We will try to find Pygmy Owl, Common Cranes, Hazel Grouse and if lucky, we may even stumble upon a Capercaillie.
Little Bunting
There are several bird feeders and nest boxes in the area which we will check for nesting Siberian Tits and Goldeneyes. A vast lake right on the border with Russia is a suitable place for many waders, including Broad-billed Sandpiper and Bar-tailed Godwit.
Kongsfjord
After the forest, we head towards the fjords across a picturesque mountainous region. The landscape changes from coastal fjords to mountainous plateaus and offer superb opportunities for landscape photography as well as bird photography.
Views are truly stunning and we will make several stops to look for Hawk Owl, Waxwing and Bluethroat. Once in the mountains we can expect to see Dotterel, Lapland Bunting and Long-tailed Skua. When in the area, we will visit several small harbours and bays and look for King Eider and Steller’s Eider. Often, non-breeding individuals have stayed behind and we will try to see them. Another star bird that we will be looking for is the mighty Gyr Falcon.
Varanger Peninsula
Varanger Peninsula is one of the hotspots in the whole of Norway and definitely a must-visit place during our spring birdwatching in Arctic Norway. The area offers a superb diversity of habitats, including flooded tidal areas, plateaus, cliffs and islands. Here is the famous Hornoya island, which we will try to visit to enjoy the enormous bird colony with over 50,000 breeding seabirds.
THIS ITINERARY IS UNDER STILL UNDERBCONSTRUCTION
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THE PRICE:
- Terrestrial transportation in a 9 seater minibus and 4 WD vehicles when necessary
- A boat trip to 'Bird Island' if local authorities allow us.
- Full lodging from day 1 to day 8 in medium class hotels and birding lodges.
- Full-time birding guides.
- All tolls, taxes, entrance fees to National Parks, Farms and other private birding spots
- Dinner, bed and Breakfast main drinks each day.
- Checklist of Species and Bird-Log each evening
- Tour Information pack proir to the tour
WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED IN THE PRICE:
- International flights
- Tips, laundry oralcoholic beverages.
- Personal items such as telephone calls
- Travel insurance
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