Tour information
Transylvania is a fascinating region in the heart of the Carpathian Basin, characterised by an extraordinary variety of habitats. From beautiful traditional hay meadows and highland basins with important headwaters to rocky gorges and vast, wild forests, this is a landscape of remarkable natural beauty. It is also one of Europe’s last strongholds for the Carpathian Brown Bear. This tour offers a fantastic opportunity to photograph wild Carpathian Brown Bears from specially designed photography hides in the Harghita Mountains, home to a healthy bear population. Other mammals that may visit the hides include Red Squirrel, Red Foxes and Wild Boar. Eurasian Lynx have also been spotted and photographed from these hides, although encounters remain rare. Alongside our afternoon bear photography sessions, we will dedicate the mornings to bird photography. We have several permanent photography hides at our disposal, and we can also use pop-up blinds and explore opportunities for wildlife stalking photography. April is an exciting time for bird photography in Transylvania, with the potential to encounter and photograph a wide variety of species, including White-throated Dipper, Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Grey-headed and Three-toed Woodpecker, White Stork, European Crested Tit, Collared Flycatcher, Ural Owl, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Hazel Grouse, Western Capercaillie at a traditional lekking site, Wallcreeper, Pygmy Owl, and many others. With a combination of dedicated bear photography, diverse birdlife and the spectacular landscapes of the Carpathians, this tour offers an outstanding opportunity to explore and photograph the wild heart of Transylvania.
Tour starting and ending time: It is important to book your flight according to the official starting and ending times of the tour! Our bus and guide will be waiting all participants in the Otopeni Airport at Bucharest. Please make sure you can reach the starting point in time at 14:00 on the tour starting date! If you wish to arrive earlier to Bucharest our office can help you to book accommodation and logistics. However if you arrive early you need to make your way to the airport for the meeting time. In some cases we can pick up clients from the nearby airport hotels (please check with our office). Also very important that the tour only ends at 13:00 on the last day so please do not book flights out of Bucharest earlier than 16:00 on the last day!
Timing: Fixed dates but also available upon request
Recommended period is 10 April to 10 May
Duration: 8 days (7 nights)
Logistics: A photographic day usually starts at 5.00 while having a breakfast with coffee/tea, toast and jam, morning biscuits, muesli, milk and fruits. Depend on the morning program we could take packed breakfast with us. Our daily routine is variable. Usually the morning photography last until 12.00 – 13.00 than we have a lunch break. Normally the bear hides are occupied around early afternoon and photographers stay there until dusk (normally 4-6 hours).
Recommended equipment: We suggest that you bring along lenses which range from 200mm to 500mm but wide angle lens can be good for landscape photography.
Expected mammal species and numbers of bird species photographed on this tour: Carpathian Brown Bear, Fox, Wild Boar, and up to 30 species of birds.
What to bring: torch, binocular, tripod, proper clothing including warm weather gear
Accommodation & Road Transport: Our accommodation is the Hargita Bear Lodge which is owned and run by our bear expert Zsolt. He makes sure to have an unforgettable time during your stay. The Lodge is located close to the bear hides to minimize travelling. The lodge has en-suite facilities. Transfer from airport will be with car or minivan (depending on group size) while road transport during photography days is by minivan or car (4×4 if required) depending on weather conditions and group size.
The driving distance between Bucharest International Airport and the Bear Lodge is approximately 5 hours while the distance between Cluj Napoca International Airport and the Lodge is 3 and half hours!
Walking: The walking effort is minimized for short uphill walks to some of the bear hides. Some hides can be reached by car but no more than 300 meter walk to any of the bear hides. On the various excursions the walking effort is easy to moderate. Those who visiting the Western Capercaillie Hide (overnight) the effort can be moderate to difficult depending on the snow conditions.
Climate: Early mornings can be distinctly cool and mist is possible too for landscape photography. Daytime temperature can range from 5C to 25C. However if you will try for the Western Capercaillie in our hide there could be sub-zero temperatures even in late April!
Price and Date
| Tour date: | April 17 ‒ April 24, 2027 |
Guaranteed departure | |
| Price from: | 2250 €/person |
| Deposit: | Not set |
| Single room suplement: | 245 €/person |
| Availability: | Booking closed |
Booking deposit: As soon as you fill out a booking form we will send you a deposit invoice and information of the final payment.
Group size:
The minimum group size is 2 photographers
The maximum group size is 8 photographers
Cost includes:
- Bucharest-to-Bucharest all inclusive
- The use of our unique photo-through panorama hides
- All transportation throughout the tour
- All meals
- All accommodation
- All entrance fees
- Local guides
Cost excludes:
- International flight to Bucharest
- Personal Travel Insurance
- Alcoholic drinks
- Services of personal nature (telephone calls, laundry etc.)
- Tips to guides
Detailed Itinerary
During this tour we have six full days for photography allowing plenty of chances to have an intimate insight of the private life of these large mammal and local breeding birds. We are offering three different Bear hides with different surroundings for the photographers. One of the hide was placed in a mature woodland, another hide by a woodland clearing and the third hide by a stream and a small lake. The Bear photo session taking place in the afternoons while the bird and landscape photography in the mornings.
Day 1. The tour begins at Bucharest or Cluj Napoca International Airport, from where we will transfer you to Zeteváralja (Sub Cetate) at the base of the Hargita Mountains where we will stay in the Hargita Bear Lodgefor seven nights. The Hargita area is primarily inhabited by Székely Hungarians. Upon arrival we will have a discussion of plans for the next six days. Your local guides will supply all necessary information about the bear and bird activity. Photography targets are subject to change yearly but a few hides are excellent in the April period such as for Dipper, Western Capercaillie, Lesser Spoted Eagle and all the feeding stations.
Days 2 – 7. You will enjoy six full days of photography, with at least two photography sessions each day. We have a permanent hide and several temporary hides in the lodge garden, which can be used at any time. In addition, we have other permanent and temporary hides in the surrounding forests, as well as dedicated hides along streams for photographing White-throated Dippers. We can also use mobile pop-up blinds to photograph a variety of other bird species. For a more active approach, our wildlife stalking sessions will give us the opportunity to search for less frequently encountered subjects, such as Ural Owls and Wallcreepers. The Ural Owl is a particularly rewarding photography subject, especially in years when breeding conditions are favourable. One morning, you will also have the option of visiting the spectacular Békás (Bicaz) Gorge in search of Wallcreepers. The journey itself offers fantastic opportunities for morning landscape photography, with dramatic mountain scenery along the way. The area around our lodge is also an excellent place to photograph the elegant Collared Flycatcher or Common Redstars. These attractive birds become particularly active after returning from their wintering grounds, offering wonderful opportunities to capture them in their natural habitat. With a combination of photography hides, mobile blinds, wildlife stalking and spectacular mountain scenery, every day offers new possibilities for discovering and photographing the rich wildlife of Transylvania.
In April the magnificent Western Capercaillies are lekking. Normally from 10th to 30th April is the most active period but everything is weather dependent. The lekking site is in a remote high part of the mountain and requires much effort to reach it. In this tour however this special experience is included if you choose to try! We have a special transportation to get close to the hide but some walk is needed – perhaps in snow. You reach the area in the late afternoon and you must sleep in the hide (we provide all gear like matrass and adequate sleeping bag) which has heating. The photogrphy is in the early morning hours of the next morning, usually from 0530 to 0830. The lekking activity is variable but in the peak of the period it can last all morning until 1000 or later. After this morning session you return to the lodge for lunch.
All the photographic possibilities will be explained by your guide in the first day as well as every evening you can discuss plans in the lodge while having a fine dinner!
Day 8. Today we will return you to Bucharest or Cluj Napoca International Airport where the tour will end. For more information (about the hides, comfort, hide technical information, bears, bird species) visit our hides menu item or contact us!
