Our team

Tour Leaders

 

 

 

 

Pavel Simeonov is a professional musician who loves birds and specialized in birdwatching for Bulgaria and Balkan countries. He is one of Bulgaria's leading naturalists and ornithologists, one of the Swarovski Recommended Bird Guides. Graduated High school of music (Bulgarian Conservatory) in 1981 he is one of the representatives of the Bulgarian Flute School, specialized in multi-instrumental composing. He speaks Bulgarian (native tongue), fluent French and English and fairly well Russian. Being actively involved with conservation programmes at national and international level Pavel is able to provide a wealth of background information on wildlife matters, and indeed on cultural topics. He leads most of our tours personally. His unerring sharp-eyed vigilance ensures that you will not miss a thing and his no-nonsense-don't-easily-suffer-fools approach to traffic situations instils the greatest of confidence. He has conducted numerous trips as a bird-guide and leader throughout Bulgaria, Romania, Belarus, Croatia, Southern France and Norway. Qualified as an international expert on environmental and biodiversity conservation projects he is also the founder of the Le Balkan-Bulgaria non-profit organization. He is involved in different studies on marine mammal and bird species in Western Mediterranean, as well as numerous monitoring programmes on the autumn migration of soaring birds on the “Via Pontica” flyway, several management projects on globally threatened species including Red-breasted Goose and Dalmatian Pelican, mid-winter counts of water birds and raptors and many other interntional activities for the development of the eco-tourism concept. Pavel is also an enthusiastic photographer. He provides most of the photographs presented in this site.

 


 

Tatyana Simeonova is the owner and manager of the Branta-Tours Birdwatching Company.
Thanks to her numerous contacts with experts of the Council of Europe and their joint work on the territory of Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve in Belarus, Les Vosges du Nord National Park in France, Peak District National Park in the UK, as well as her visits to several national parks in the USA aimed at studying their ecotourism development models, she has acquired a great deal of experience in this field. She spent more than 10 years of her life in the Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve in Belarus being in charge of overseas communications and working as a group leader and interpreter. She also worked as a Consulting Assistant to the Pripiatsky National Park and Belovezhskaya Pushcha Biosphere Reserve in Belarus, in elaborating programmes on wildlife-watching tourism for foreign visitors. Her many years working in the field make her an expert in several areas. She is speaking Russian, Bulgarian, fluent English and fairly well French. Her Byelorussian nationality and a good command of the Russian language are of great advantage in organizing birdwatching trips throughout Belarus. Tatyana is also responsible for developing and operating Professional Birding Tours and General Nature and Wildlife Holidays in Bulgaria, Romania and Far-Eastern Russia.


 

 

Jeko Spiridonov is one of the top Bulgarian birders and has an extended experience indeed in the field of Conservation Biology (more than 35 years): He is the President of the nature conservation NGO “Wilderness Fund” and Head of the Branta-Tours Mountain Programme. He is actively involved in Biological and ecological scientific investigations, biodiversity inventories and monitoring; Establishment of Ecological networks; Development of nature conservation legislation; at high position in Governmental and international nature conservation bodies - Vice-Chairman and Chairman of Steering Committee (SC) of Bern Convention (1993 – 1997). Jeko has been birding all of his life and now he is a head guide of Branta-Tours Birdwatching Company.

 

 



 

Nikolai Spassov is a well known zoologist and palaeontologist. He holds an MSc in Vertebrate Zoology at the Faculty of Biology in the University of Sofia, Bulgaria. He specialised in Lab. of Paleontology at N.M.N.H. - Paris and the Inst. of Paleontology and Evolutionary Morphology & Ecology of Moscow. He is Head of the Dept. of Fossil & Recent Mammals in the National Museum of Natural History – Sofia.
Nikolai is actively involved in huge scientific activities, nature conservation projects and important field works such as inventories of the Mammals & Birds in the Central Balkan Range, investigation on the Bulgarian threatened carnivores etc. He is the Team Leader of numerous National Projects on the conservation and status of the Brown Bear, the Wolf, the Otter and the Marbled Polecat. At international level he is the co-organiser of a Zoological Expedition of the N.M.N.H. – Sofia in Mozambique in 1983 and a Zoological expedition in Gobi Desert – Mongolia in 1990.
He has become the winner for Bulgaria in the Henry Ford award for the conservation of the cultural & natural heritage in 1997.
Since 2005 Nikolai is a tour leader of Branta-Tours Carnivore Programme.

 

Lubomir Andreev - Lupy is a well known Bulgarian wildlife photographer and a very skilful birder. His many years working in the field inspired a big number of the younger wildlife photographers in our country. He has really great knowledge about ‘in field’ photography and filming techniques as well as post processing work.
He has worked on different biodiversity projects with all the major experts and nature conservation NGO`s in Bulgaria. His pieces of work have been in different books, brochures, magazines, postcards and multimedia.
Lupy is developing our new photographic tours and now he is leading 3, 5 and 8-day wildlife trips throughout the country.

 

 

 

Dimitar Gradinarov – Mitko has been involved with ornithology and conservation for many years. He holds a BSc in Ecology and Environmental Protection and currently is finishing an MSc in Zoology at the University of Sofia. His passion is wildlife photography and he has recently become the winner for Bulgaria in the Natural World category of the National Geographic’s International Photo Contest (see picture). Mitko has been birding for over 15 years and now he is one of the top guides of Branta-Tours, leading most of our Bulgaria birding tours.

 

 

Kevin Doherty is based in the UK and will co-ordinate our uk bookings using ABTA/ATOL bonded Travel agencies (unless self booking flights). A frequent Bulgarian visitor and keen wildlife enthusiast, he also runs his own tourism business in Great Britain. He can provide excellent accommodation in Balchik, situated on the Northern Bulgarian Black Sea coast, just 30 miles from Durankulak Lake. His facilities are aimed at people with a general interest in wildlife and could be especially suitable for birdwatchers and their non-birding family members that can find beautiful mixture of activities like pool, golf, marina, archaeology, history, shops, fantastic restaurants, but also learn some interesting birds and other wildlife identification with the specialists of Branta-Tours.


Accommodation

We provide comfortable accommodation at picturesquely situated and highly attractive private establishments, charming family hotels and local cosy guesthouses. We also offer two or three day overnight stay at beautiful Birding Lodges and Nature Conservation Centers .

Single rooms are always available, though a supplement is often charged for single occupancy.

Meals will be taken at folk-taverns and national restaurants, which offer traditional local and pan-European cuisine.

Prices include:
Accommodation
B & B in twin rooms and evening meals;
Packed lunches except for days 1 and last
Drinks: mineral water, fizzy drinks including Coca Cola, tea/coffee
Transportation by 5, 7 or 15-seater vehicles (4WD);
All excursions plus transfers;
Guidance;

We also provide:
Spotting scope Swarovski 20-60 (AT-80),
Svensson field guide (English and French editions),

We will assist you with any of your electronic needs such as: computer, laptop, printer, power converters, cameras, batteries and software (Canon ZoomBrowser EX, Adobe Photoshop CS for Windows…)
Many of the locations that we will visit during the trips will have Internet access.

Prices exclude:
Lunch on days 1 & last;
Alcoholic drinks and tips;
Transportation by motor boats;
Air travel;
Single room supplements;
Visa and health insurance.
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Air Travel

This is entirely optional leaving you completely free to make personally your flight reservations and to pursue your travel arrangements with an airline company or your own travel agent. Please contact us if you would like further clarification: kevindoherty@talktalk.net

Method of payment:

We are not set up to accept credit cards. Please make your payments in Euro by sending American Express Traveller's cheques through the post made out to Branta Tours, Branta Visitor Centre, BG-9670 Durankulak (Bulgaria) or by Bank Transfer to:

DSK Bank PLC (Bulgaria)

Beneficiary: Branta-Tours EOOD
BANK: DSK Bank PLC - City of Dobrich (Bulgaria)
IBAN: BG84STSA93000011708806
BIC code (SWIFT): STSABGSF

info@branta-tours.com

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