Central-European Butterfly Tour
Hungary - Czech Republic – Slovakia, 15 days


This tour is designed to visit some of the best butterfly regions in Central-Europe. The Carpathian Mountains host many attractive mountain species while within the huge Carpathian Basin you can find an amazing variety of different habitats ranging from special wet meadows, alkaline marshes, steppes through to extensive oak, beech, evergreen woods, limestone slopes and volcanic hills. No wonder that Hungary is one of the richest countries in terms of butterfly and dragonfly species in Europe with almost 200 butterfly species, about 3400 moths and 65 species of dragonflies.
During the 15-day long tour we visit six national parks in Hungary: Balaton Uplands, Őrség, Bükk, Aggtelek, Hortobágy, Kiskunság and also the Carpathian Mountains of Slovakia and Moravia, part of the Czech Republic. The trip will be escorted by local guides who both speak the language and are specialists in the natural history of the areas we plan to visit.

Days 1-4
On arrival at Budapest Airport you will be met by your English-speaking guide, who will accompany you throughout the trip. From the airport, we head southwest towards the Bakony region centred around Lake Balaton. The first four days of our holiday will be spent exploring the Bakony Hills, which are a mixture of mainly limestone, together with some ancient sandstone, granite and very young volcanic rock. Our first stop will be an area of marshland, which is rich in butterflies and orchids. Among many others you can see Eastern Bath White, Eastern Short-tailed Blue, Reverdin's Blue, Woodland Ringlet. Nymphalidae will be represented by Peacock, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Comma, Map, and Lesser Marbled Fritillary.
We will spend most of our time around Herend and Marko where oak, beech and yew tree woods alternate with steppe like meadows. The area is rich in Fritillaries, Coppers and Hairstreaks and we will also search for species such as Green-underside Blue, Mountain Alcon Blue, Lesser Clouded Yellow, Mountain Small White and Dusky Meadow Brown.
We also visit an attractive valley where Sloe, Ilex, Blue-spot and White-letter Hairstreak should be on the wing and in the wetter areas we should find Large Copper and Nettle-tree Butterfly. Among the Clouded Yellows we should find Pale and Berger's Clouded Yellow, but the highlight will be the Eastern Pale Clouded Yellow. Among the numerous Blue species we will look for Short-tailed, Eastern Short-tailed, Large, Silver-studded, Chalkhill Blue, but our main target will be Iolas and Meleager's Blue. Purple and Lesser Purple Emperor should be around, but we will look for our first Common Glider as well. Fritillaries should be present in good numbers including Marbled, Lesser Marbled, Weaver's, Spotted and Heath Fritillary. Amongst some of the larger Fritillaries, we hope to find the Cardinal and Duke of Burgundy. Woodland Grayling, Pearly Heath, plus at least 6 Skipper species, including Lulworth Skipper will also be around. The second generation of Scarce Swallowtail and Swallowtail should be on the wing and we shall also keep a close look for an unusual local form of Marbled White.
As we drive back from the Balaton Region we will stop just south of our accommodation to find Ilex and Purple Hairstreak, Small and Mountain Alcon Blue, Spotted and Nickerl's Fritillary.
Our final day in the Bakony region will be split between different sites. These areas boast a terrific list of butterflies and we should be in for quite a treat. First we will visit a scenic valley which gives a second chance for any species we missed before, also offering Large and Scarce Copper and a real bonus would be Assmann's Fritillary. The beautiful Purple-shot Copper may also be on the wing and we will also search for Eastern Short-tailed, Small-spotted and Dusky Large Blue.
The area around Urkut has a strong population of Twin-spot Fritillary and it should also be peak time for the local form of Niobe Fritillary. Other members of the Nymphalidae family here include Purple Emperor, Camberwell Beauty, Large Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma, Map Butterfly, Silver-washed Fritillary, Marbled, Pearl-bordered, and Heath Fritillary. There are also good habitats for Purple Hairstreak, Scarce Copper and Pearly Heath.
In the evenings if the conditions allow, we will run a moth trap near our hotel. It is easy to find over 100 species in the moth trap, including 100s of Rosy Footman (Miltochrista miniata), Privet (Sphinx ligustri) and Pine Hawk Moth (Hyloicus pinastri) and at least 5 species of “Red Underwing” (Catocala sp) moth. After observing the species we release them, of course.
Accommodation: a nice hotel in Bakonybél in the Bakony Hills

Days 5-7
We leave the Bakony Hills behind us and head westwards to the easternmost foothills of the Alps. This is an area characterised by damp herb-rich meadows and subalpine vegetation. The main highlights should be Ida's and Dusky Large Blue, plus many different Fritillaries including Weaver's Fritillary. After a picnic lunch we head for the White Carpathian Mountains in the Czech Republic, where we will stay for the next three nights. Our hotel is situated in a village offering superb views of species like Wood White, Purple-edged and Purple-shot Copper and Queen of Spain Fritillaries.
We will enjoy the wooded hilly country of the White Carpathians, a UNESCO Biosphere reserve. Here, extensive flowery meadows dotted with solitary trees and clusters of bushes provide diverse habitat for many butterflies. We can again expect Twin-spot Fritillary, a mainly June-flying species, living here on its northwestern edge of distribution. Scarce Copper, Lesser Marbled Fritillary and Danube Clouded Yellow have healthy populations in protected areas, but the latter may be difficult to find as we will possibly be between two generations. We also hope to find Large Chequered Skipper during its peak emergence. They should be accompanied by Heath, Glanville and Nickerl's Fritillaries and the increasingly scarce Mountain Alcon Blue. Before we return to our hotel for dinner, we will search nearby at an altitude of some 600 metres for Poplar Admiral, a species that generally disappears in mid June in the lowlands. We will also keep a look out along forest tracks for White Admiral, which is quite scarce in this part of Europe.
Local meadows abound with flowers and belong to the richest in Europe. With some luck we should also see interesting birds such as Black Stork, Black and White-backed Woodpeckers, Ring Ouzel and Nutcracker.
We will also venture to the other side of the border into Slovakia where we should be rewarded by sightings of our first Apollo and possibly late Clouded Apollo flying slowly in a small limestone valley. Blue-spot Hairstreak, Large, Scarce and Purple-edged Copper are all found here. Blues are represented by Eastern Short-tailed, Small, Mazarine, Meleager's, Chalkhill Blue and we should add Geranium Argus to our list. Pearly and Chestnut Heath also live here.
Not far there are several limestone gorges with surviving populations of Mountain Green-veined White and Northern Wall Brown, which we will try to locate. We will then head south and visit an attractive locality, the well-drained dolomite Tematinske Kopce Hills. Marbled, Weaver's, Spotted, Lesser Spotted, Heath Fritillary, Lesser Purple Emperor colour the picture. Among the Blues Small-spotted Blue, Polyommatus slovakus, possibly a new species known only from this restricted area, a split from Chalkhill Blue, occurs here alongside with Reverdin's Blue, Brown Argus and Chapman's Blue. Moreover, this place is a paradise for moths. Additionally, on the dykes along the River Vah, we will look for the numerous Knapweed Fritillaries interspersed with Assmann's Fritillary, a species that does not occur in Western-Europe.
Accommodation: a family run hotel in Moravia, Czech Republic

Day 8
Not far from our hotel we will try to complete our list from this area. Above all, we will look for Geranium Argus and Large Copper in wet meadows and Meleager's Blue and both Swallowtails in abandoned vineyards. Mazarine, Adonis, Small and Ida's Blues and Great Banded Grayling are not uncommon in the right season in this countryside of rolling hills with orchards, through which we will walk. Grayling and White Admiral are much scarcer but both fly at the time of our visit. We will also visit a locality known for early emergence to find out whether any July species are already on the wing. This could include Dryad, second generation Chequered Blue and, hopefully, a few other new species.  In the afternoon, it will be again time to move south. We will stop on our way back to Hungary to look for Hungarian Glider in the Small Carpathian Mountains near the Slovak capital of Bratislava.
Re-entering Hungary, we travel to the famous Danube Bend Region and stay for one night at the foot of the Börzsöny Hills. The Börzsöny Hills belong to one of our newest national parks, the Danube-Ipoly NP. Ipoly Valley is one of the most intact areas of the National Park with wet meadows, alder woods, rare flowers, almost all Hungarian amphibian species and innumerable species of butterflies and birds. Besides volcanic slopes there are great limestone hills with plenty of special butterfly species. Among many others one of the most unique species here is the Zephyr Blue, Plebejus pylaon sephirus. Depending on the spring we might find some late specimens with luck.
Accommodation: a small hotel in the Danube Bend, Hungary

Days 9-10
We leave the Börzsöny area and travel to Bükk National Park. On the way we travel through Budapest and it is possible to leave the tour at this stage or to join the group for the second part. We shall be staying in a small and tranquil village close to the border of the park. We will visit a nearby volcanic lava plateau and limestone regions as well. Lesser Purple Emperor, Lesser Fiery Copper and Silver-washed Fritillary are species around the accommodation. Apart from butterflies, the region boasts four species of eagles including Imperial Eagle, which is regularly spotted above our accommodation. Other interesting birds include Collared Flycatcher, Black, White-backed and Grey-headed Woodpecker, Hoopoe, Barred Warbler and Bee-eater. The southern part of the national park is generally well grazed with areas of longer grass, rocky outcrops and scrub. These variations in vegetation and an abundance of wild flowers mean high insect diversity. Glanville, Knapweed, Spotted and Lesser Spotted Fritillary are all common, together with Silver-studded Blue, Marbled White, Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary and False Grayling. An early Bath White is possible and, providing that spring was not too advanced, a late specimen of the beautiful Scarce Fritillary or Southern Festoon, which both occur in the area, would be a real bonus.
Over the course of our stay, we will visit a number of key sites within the national park. The heart of the Bükk Hills is famous for its karst plateau with geological forms such as sink-holes, dolinas, limestone crags and caves. The edges of the plateau form huge cliffs with panoramic views of the surrounding countryside. These cliffs attract hilltoppers like the Common and Scarce Swallowtails with a possible late Clouded Apollo. Southern Small White, Mountain Green-veined White and Fenton’s Wood White will be among the more challenging species to seek out, while Chalkhill, Alcon, Reverdin’s and Eastern Short-tailed Blue are amongst several species of Blues that also occur. Both species of Marbled Fritillary are also recorded in this area together with Twin-spot and Nickerl’s Fritillary. Other potential highlights are Eastern Pale and Berger's Clouded Yellow, Sooty Copper, and Small Spotted Blue.
We will continue our quest in the fields around Répáshuta and the humid Hór Valley which form a rich combination of habitats. Several Copper species fly in this area including Purple-shot, Large, Scarce and Purple-edged Copper, joined by Small, Chestnut and Pearly Heath.  Duke of Burgundy, High Brown and Niobe Fritillary are all common species, while the Hór Valley is a good place for Cardinal, Poplar Admiral and Camberwell Beauty.
In the evenings, if the weather is suitable, we will have another try at running a moth trap.
Accommodation: hotel in a small village close to Bükk NP, Hungary

Days 11-12
Our journey to Aggtelek takes us through the Uppony Mountains, where we will visit a spectacular gorge in search of the elegant Hungarian Glider and White Admiral together with some interesting Blues and Skippers, including possibly Safflower and Orbed Red-underwing Skipper. Over the two days in Aggtelek National Park we shall explore a mixture of habitats ranging from very dry hillsides to wet valleys. In one of the valleys alone, all nine Hungarian Hairstreaks occur and there is also a long list of Blues including Chequered, Chapman’s and Turquoise, with an outside chance of picking up the rare Iolas Blue. Amongst the Satyrids, both Woodland Brown, Speckled Wood and Dusky Meadow Brown occur and Dryad is another possible new species here if not seen earlier in Moravia. Eastern Dappled White and Eastern Pale Clouded Yellow have both been recorded at this time of year, while the valezina form of the Silver-washed Fritillary and False Heath Fritillary are common in the area.
South of Jósvafő village at a remote hiking trail we might find Eastern Short-tailed, Osiris, Mountain Alcon, Large, Chapman’s and Anomalous Blue. A few miles away we will look again for Hungarian Glider and Pallas's Fritillary.
In some of the wet forest habitats, there will be a chance to search for Fire Salamanders, which are the symbol of the national park. Raptors are widespread and there is a good range of warblers and woodpeckers present. Other possible bird highlights include Ural and Eagle Owl, Rock Bunting and Dipper.
Accommodation: hotel in the small village of Jósvafő, Aggtelek NP

Days 13-14
Our journey today will take us to the far north-eastern part of the country. On the way, we shall stop at a well-known location for watching eagles. Golden, Imperial and Lesser Spotted Eagle are all regularly recorded here. Then we will move on to the Zemplén Hills, which should offer us the best chances of finding Pallas’s Fritillary. In the same area, there is a strong population of Scarce Large Blue and also a further chance to locate Dusky Meadow Brown.
Later we will arrive in the Hortobágy region where we will spend 2 nights. This part of Hungary is very different scenically to what we have experienced so far, being part of the great plain or “Puszta”. This is the westernmost part of a typical Eurasian Steppe, unique in Europe. This area is the birders’ Mecca with its amazing variety of birds, but we might add some new species to our list like Lesser Fiery Copper and Knapweed Fritillary.
There are also many other great butterfly species as well such as Swallowtail, Scarce Swallowtail, Eastern Bath White, Pale and Eastern Pale Clouded Yellow, Small and Large Copper, Silver-studded Blue, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Silver-washed Fritillary, Small Heath, Chestnut Heath, Grizzled Skipper and Small Skipper.
Accommodation: Hortobágy NP, Hungary

Day 15
We travel back to Budapest for our flight home.