Visiting The Evros Delta 2004
Following a late autumn and winter visit to this internationally
important wetland in north-eastern Greece close to the Turkish border,
I can thoroughly recommend a visit to this superb area, which is
probably at its most rewarding after water levels rise in the late
autumn period.
At this time wintering wildfowl, wader and raptor numbers build up to
spectacular levels and include significant numbers of Red-breasted,
White-fronted and Lesser White-fronted Geese, Pygmy Cormorants and
Dalmatian Pelicans and good numbers of Spotted Eagle and a sizeable
roost of both Hen and Marsh Harrier.
Other species are simply too numerous to mention and a typical winter
visit should yield in excess of 120 species (especially if one
incorporates a visit to the nearby Avas Gorge and Dadia Forest and the
Porto Largos complex – both no more than an hour’s drive to the north
and west respectively).
The information and prices listed below apply to trips I can arrange on
similar lines to my Lesvos spring visits and are based at the excellent
Alexander Beach hotel in Alexandroupolis – a comfortable and convenient
location. Anyone requiring further information is free to phone or
email me and may be further enlightened by my article in the January
2004 edition of "Birdwatch"
Magazine or the Spring 2004 "Birds
Illustrated" (Published February).
ACCOMMODATION
Based at the comfortable Alexander Beach hotel (no more than 20 minutes
drive from the Delta and 10 minutes from the airport) this is the hotel
I stayed at on both my November and February visits. The food and
service is also excellent. The prices quoted me were in euros, and
therefore could be liable to a slight fluctuation. Three types of room
are listed (standard, business and executive), but I’m sure that most
birders would be perfectly satisfied with the standard – the choice,
however, is yours. Separate prices are given for each meal. A standard
room starts from £24.50 for a single or £14.20 each for a
double and rises to £32.30 and £19.60 respectively for an
executive suite. The cost of breakfast, packed lunch and evening meal
(all highly recommended!) is £19.20 in all – making the
full-board cost per person per day for a standard room £44.60 for
a single or £33.40 for a double.
CAR HIRE
Prices quoted here are for an Opel Corsa five door low season (when
most people would be travelling) and cover periods of 3-6 days and 7+
days. There is also an option of air conditioning for a little more or
a Suzuki Samurai for quite a lot more! Most people should find a Corsa
adequate at a cost of £20.40 a day for the shorter period or
£19.60 a day for a week or more. Cars can be collected from the
airport on arrival, or you could opt for a hotel transfer at a small
extra charge.
As with the Lesvos trips I organise, the full amount is payable to me
at this end, and I levy a one-off transaction charge of £15 per
booking (double in case of large groups) for dealing with it. Permits
to visit the military area of the Delta can be organised in advance
simply by furnishing me with details of your full name and passport
number. Moreover, staff at the Evros Visitor Centre (just en route to
the area at nearby Loutra) are always happy to ‘fill you in’ on the
best places to go and what you can expect to see. You can also acquire
some helpful booklets there showing the lay-out of the reserve; and
don’t forget that the famous Dadia Forest with its raptor feeding
station and the Porto Lagos wetland complex (famous for White-headed
Duck) are both less than an hour’s drive away, and the Avas Gorge is
literally on the doorstep.
FLIGHT
Although
there are no
direct flights from the UK
to Alexandroupolis, the option exists (as with
visiting Lesvos
in April) of using Olympic Airways and flying via Athens.
The Heathrow evening flight operates daily and the midday
flight on Mon/Sat or Sun. The best return connections
are on Mon/Sat or Sun. Flights are possible from Manchester
but on Weds and Sats only. Prices vary according to
the date of departure and availability but currently start at
£271.30 with
taxes for off-season travel. There may be a saving in using budget
airlines to Athens
and then Olympic for the 65 minute connecting flight,
but this would complicate booking, making connections more difficult
and also
necessitate retrieving your luggage at Athens
airport and checking it in again.
WHEN TO VISIT
Finally, as to when to travel, I’d be happy to discus this further with
interested parties. The spring and autumn migration (spring especially)
can obviously be very productive, but is clearly dependent on weather
and water levels. Personally I think the winter period (when the area
really comes into its own for wildfowl and raptors) takes a lot of
beating – especially for winter specialities like Red-breasted Geese
and Spotted Eagle, which are best from January to March. Even then, the
weather often remains sunny, and the temperature rarely dips too low
because of its proximity to the coast.
If you have any
additional queries then please feel free to write, phone, fax or email
for further details: Richard Brooks, 24 Croxton Hamlet, Fulmodeston,
Fakenham, Norfolk NR21 ONP (Phone/fax 01328 878632 - email@richard-brooks.co.uk
or visit my website www.richard-brooks.co.uk)
Alternatively, if you wish to assure your booking as soon as
possible you can simply print out and complete the form (Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 3)
and return it to me with a £50 per person deposit. However, do
bear
in mind that this only relates to accommodation and car hire - flight
bookings will require full payment in advance to facilitate
an earlier ticket issue. You can, of course, still send cheques to me
and
I will pass them on to Thomas Cook, but if you wish to pay them direct
by credit card then I would still appreciate a copy of their booking
form
if possible so that I can double check flight and transfer times.
Please contact me if you are interested or
print
out and complete the booking form (Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 3).
