Itinerary:

Day 1 Szadeloi Valley

Our first day start by visiting the scenic Szadeloi valley. There is a stream running along the narrow gorge, and the old beech forest is the home of Red Breasted Flycatcher, Collared Flycatcher. If we are lucky we can find the nicely colored Fire Salamander too.
We will search for Rock Thrush, Rock bunting, White Backed Woodpecker and Eagle Owl as well with good chances seeing them.

Overnight: Hotel Ranch Sugov.

Day 2 Szepes-Gomor Mountains

Today we dedicate to go to a nearby mountain range, the Szepes-Gomor mts. This time Pygmy Owls are calling very actively, and we have a good chance to see one imitating their simple whistle even during daytime. Knowing some breeding sites of Tengmalm's Owl, we can trust that our excellent local guide will find us this funny looking rarely seen bird. In the higher elevation we will search for Three-toed Woodpecker, Crossbill, Crested Tit in areas where they are often seen.

Overnight: Hotel Ranch Sugov.

Day 3

The woods close to the city of Kassa holds big population of Ural Owl, and we should be able to find at least one, perched next to a tree trunk. This perfectly camouflaged bird is always high point of any trip. The same area is excellent for Middle Spotted, Grey Headed, White-backed, Black Woodpecker too and by the end of the day we probably will be close to complete our list of European woodpeckers. Anywhere during the day we can see Black Storks too, which are breeding not far from our hotel similarly to Red Breasted Flycatchers which arrives back from wintering around the 10th of May. As an optional program we can trap bats (up to 15 different species) and identify them only by using detectors.

Overnight: Hotel Ranch Sugov

Day 4-6 Tatra Mountains

We leave the Slovak karst region behind, and head towards the Tatra Mountains with peaks over 2000 meters. In the following two days we will be visiting spruce and pine forests of both the Low and High Tatra searching for Nutcracker, Ring Ouzel, Crossbills. In the evening there will be a chance to try to see European Brown Bears (optional) from the well built and secure hides, accompanied by a local forester.

Another program can be to get from the rocky Demanovska Dolina (valley) to the scenic alpine zone using a chairlift, hoping to see many Water Pipit, some of them already in their pinkish summer plumage and the tame Alpine Accentors too. Near the peak of Chopok, we usually see Chamois and Marmots. The latter are often frightened by Golden Eagles and you can hear their echoing alarm-whistle.

For these days our accommodation will be in Hotel Jamajka Bobrovnik, with beautiful views on a lake and the mountains.

Day 7 Departure

Travel back to Budapest (or to Kassa if there are convenient flights to UK. If Budapest, it is about 6 hours drive, therefore evening departure is necessary), birding enroute.