Butterflies of North Macedonia

Tour Itinerary

• Day 1 - Arrive at Skopje Airport, overnight at nearby hotel

  Flights from the UK to Skopje tend to arrive later in the day, so we think it's sensible we provide our guests with somewhere to stay near the airport on arrivals day, thereby ensuring everyone is well-rested and ready for an exciting week ahead starting tomorrow morning...!

• Day 2 - Veles / Pletvar Massif
  Having arrived in Skopje the previous afternoon / evening, and spent the night there, we'll be able to head away in the morning after breakfast towards Veles, and adapt our itinerary according to the weather. If the weather conditions are favourable, we can aim to make our first visit to the heartland for Macedonian Grayling today. Come what may, today will feature some excellent butterfly watching sites either en route towards Veles, or on the Pletvar Massif. Night in Veles.
• Day 3 - Pletvar Massif
  If the weather conditions are looking good, we plan to visit one of the best areas for Macedonian Grayling this morning… This butterfly has an astonishingly tiny range of about 10 square kilometres! The ultra-rare grayling was only described as a new species in 1978 and named in honour of Dr Jonče Cingovski, a Macedonian entomologist. It was previously treated as a subspecies of Pseudochazara sintenisi. Although capture and export for commercial purposes have been prohibited in North Macedonia since 2011, illegally collected specimens still apparently appear for sale online in Europe. A more immediate and severe threat to this remarkable butterfly is habitat destruction from marble quarrying. Vast sections of limestone scree have already been removed. Fortunately, the species persists in patches of flower-rich, relic limestone pavement in the Prilep district of North Macedonia. We will spend all morning in the habitat where we can also connect with Cardinal, Eastern Greenish Black-tip, Delattin’s Grayling, Great Sooty Satyr, and Balkan Marbled White. In the afternoon we will visit limestone gorges around Veles and hope to see Lattice Brown, ‘Balkan’ White-banded Grayling, Krüper’s Small White, Hungarian Skipper and, if we’re lucky, Europe’s largest species of blue, Iolas Blue. Night in Veles.
• Day 4 - Vardar River Valley

  Carved by the meandering Vardar River, the Vardar River Valley offers a mosaic of sun-drenched limestone hills, arid scrub, and lush riparian corridors. At its dramatic focal point lies Demir Kapija - the legendary ‘Iron Gate’ - whose towering limestone canyon has served as a historic gateway between civilizations since antiquity. Today, this dynamic transition zone and its ancient, fort-crowned cliffs form a premier sanctuary for wildlife. We will have our full day to explore various sites in the Vardar River Valley from Veles to Demir Kapija. We will be unrushed and will take our time looking for such fantastic species as Persian and Sandy Grizzled Skipper, Little Tiger Blue, Lang’s Short-tailed Blue, Iolas Blue, Oriental Meadow Brown, Balkan Marbled White, Southern Small White and, with luck, Freyer’s Grayling or Camberwell Beauty can show up. Night in Veles.

• Day 5 - Mountains above Skopje

  Today we leave Veles and the Vardar River Valley behind us, and our first stop will be a mighty reserve above the capital. This fantastic limestone country has many flowering meadows and especially interesting sinkholes. In this special habitat we will be looking for Yellow-banded Skipper, Ilex and Blue-spot Hairstreaks, Anomalous and Ripart’s Anomalous Blues, Chapman’s Blue, Twin-spot and Freyer’s Fritillaries, Large Tortoiseshell, Eastern Rock Grayling and, if we are in luck, even the highly localised Tesselated Skipper or Southern Swallowtail. Both are scarce but have been recorded in this reserve. Later we will have a longish journey as we cruise south on our way to Ohrid. This touristic city is located by the 290-meter-deep Lake Ohrid and it is often described as the ‘Pearl of the Balkans’. Night near Ohrid.

• Day 6 - Galicica National Park

  This renowned park is dramatically suspended between the breathtaking expanses of ancient Lakes Ohrid and Prespa and, more importantly, is where we can comfortably drive up to 1,500masl to the saddle between the two lakes. Over 150 species of butterflies have been recorded from the park and while the western slopes feature sun-exposed, steppe-like rocky terrain, the high-altitude ridges and eastern meadows provide rich subalpine habitats where a wide variety of localized butterflies thrive. Here we will be looking for an array of mouthwatering species like Balkan and Esper’s Marbled Whites, Sandy Grizzled and Olive Skippers, Balkan Copper, Ripart’s Anomalous Blue, Turquoise and Meleager’s Blues, Blue Argus, Freyer’s Fritillary, Apollo, and Russian Heath to name but a few. Night near Ohrid

• Day 7 - Galicia Natrional Park and Bitola

  We will have a second morning in the Galicica National Park and later cross over to Lake Prespa and continue towards Bitola. In the afternoon we will search for some woodland butterflies near our accommodation in the Pelister National Park. This park, famous for its ancient forests of endemic Macedonian pine Pinus peuce, and centred around the rugged Baba Mountain range, offers an entirely distinct set of ecological niches. We will start to explore the mosaic of dense woodlands, clearings. Night near Magarevo.

• Day 8 - Pelister National Park

  If weather allows we will make a special excursion to the higher glacial meadows of the Pelister National Park with 4x4 cars. If we succeed getting up to Lake Ezero around 2,200masl, we will be searching for Balkan Fritillary and Eastern Large Heath as well as any other high-altitude species we may find. If weather circumstances do not allow a high-altitude expedition we will concentrate on more wooded lower parts of Pelister where we can still find new butterflies for our holiday. Night near Magarevo.

• Day 9 - Transfer to Skopje Airport

  We will travel from Magarevo to Skopje with a stop at Pletvar pass if our flight time allows.

  As with all of our tours, we want our guests to enjoy the very best views of the very best wildlife and, as such, we think it’s important to retain a little flexibility in the holiday itinerary. This means that we may choose to swap days around to take into account local weather conditions, or the timing of the flight or flowering season we find upon arrival at our holiday destination. Rest assured, we will ensure you visit all the best sites, and we have your best interests and comfort at heart!

  *We’ll meet at the airport as this is a convenient travel hub for many. However, we appreciate that some guests may have chosen to come overland to Skopje. There is a regular shuttle bus that links the city with the airport, operated by Erak Transporter. Full details and timetable can be found on the bus operator's website at https://eraktransporter.com/#timetable