Naturetrek Traveller Reviews

A two centre holiday with the emphasis on birds with good hotels

Specialist in Birding tours

My two week cruise around the Galapagos Islands was amazing. All the expected wildlife, time to appreciate it and everything so close it was easy to get superb photographs. The excursions either side of the cruise, to Quito old town, the botanic gardens in Quito and to the Antisana Volcano reserve were also well run and fascinating. To round things off, a three-day extension to the Amazon rainforest at Sacha Lodge. Truly a trip of a lifetime.

Naturetrek were helpful and informative from start to finish. All the literature by both email and post arrived promptly and the whole trip ran like clockwork. We were superbly looked after from start to finish in excellent accommodation and with friendly and informative guides at every point.

A week in southern Portugal courtesy of Naturetrek, birds and other wildlife. Four days in Sagres on the south west coast near Cape St Vincent, 3 days in the hills near Tavira. Sunshine throughout and temperatures between 16-18 degreesC. Pleasant group and really excellent leaders - Pete very experienced and user friendly, Nuno knowledgeable, well organised and charming. Lots of interesting birds. Pleasant companions. First rate hotels and food.

I have travelled with Naturetrek on about 7 occasions now and will use them again and have recommended them to friends.

I opted for a very different experience at Christmas, and so joined a wildlife tour to Extremadura. I met an interesting group of people guided by two excellent leaders, who made sure we saw all the birdlife the area is known for. Our accommodation was delightful and we were very well fed.

Well organised and efficient, and especially helpful when I wanted to make changes to my travel plans.

Our ten day wildlife cruise organised by Naturetrek was excellent. We sailed in the MS Bikikiki from Honaria with a great crew and spent much of each day watching for fins and/or snorkelling the amazing corals. We were lucky enough to see a very rare pair of Omura’s whales as well as many others. A couple of island visits were included, where we saw a local dance show and a carving market. The food on the Bikikiki was outstanding.

Excellent administration - very efficient, friendly and helpful. Great range of tours too.

We had a tailormade adventure holiday with wildlife and birding uppermost in the itinerary.

Suggestions that we asked for exploration for a tailormade holiday, which were then taken up by us, were booked for the duration of the holiday. Every detail from a booking of a wonderful helicopter flight, to connections of major to domestic flights, hotels, taxis, sailings and 2 snorkelling trips all worked perfectly without the slightest complication.

Such a fantastic trip with great guide who was extremely knowledgeable. Saw 220 species of birds plus various marsupials and other mammals inthe 10 days of the trip. Accommodation was basic but adequate on the trip. We added on some other places to the trip and Naturetrek sorted everything out for us fantastically.. We even had a phone call from the local agent to ask if everything was ok.

As said above Naturetrek couldn't have been more helpful from initial planning stages through to the end. We wanted to extend the holiday before the tour in Singapore and afterwards in Sydney and Melbourne. Flights,transfers and hotels all taken care of even suggesting and organising a day trip to the Blue Mountains.

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We chose Ethiopia for the stunning scenery and wonderful indigenous wildlife. We went to see the Ethiopian Wolf, Gilada Baboons and the Giant Mole rat as well as amazing birds. The best part for us, being very keen wildlife photographers, was being able to get out of the vehicle. Having been many time to India and Africa this is not possible when there are big cats and other 'dangerous' animals around. Being out of the vehicle meant we could frame a photo so much better apart from just enjoying walking. The sun bird was so beautiful it took my breath away and we also saw many raptors and the colubus monkeys and hippos were a delight. The food was really good and we particularity enjoyed the local fish as well as Italian dishes which is a remnant of the occupation by Italy many years ago. The scenery was stunning and the Sanetti Plateau was reminiscent of the Lake District or Scotland in the UK. The vast fields of golden wheat and cereals stretching into the distance dispelled the myth that Ethiopia still has food shortages. They are self-sufficient in cereals now. I gave the rating good rather than excellent as two hotels need to improve their bathrooms but they were adequate.

Naturetrek organised a bespoke trip for us to Ethiopia and it was excellent. We have also been twice to the Pantanal in Brazil which was an amazing place hence the second trip.

The trip was a ten day tour of the middle parts of Ethiopia, taking in the Awash Valley, Lake Langano, Lake Awassa and the Bale Mountains. We found the countryside, lakes and mountains stunningly beautiful, and the people friendly. We saw all the primary animals on our wish list, and more besides, including The Ethiopian Wolf, Gelada Baboons, Giant Molerats, and a plethora of birds. The lodges we stayed at generally were more than acceptable and the food was extremely good in most places. Just a couple of the places we stayed fell short on basic services, but mostly this was out of their control. The main delight was being able to photograph the wildlife at ground level; to leave the vehicle on foot and stalking the animals was a pleasant change from other parts of Africa and India where you have to stay in the vehicle.

Naturetrek organised a bespoke two-person holiday for us, which was well planned and we had an excellent guide and driver throughout the period. We always felt very safe and thoroughly well cared for.

The best thing about the holiday was that I didn't have to do too much thinking. Everything was laid on a plate for us really with few hitches and every sign that things had been prepared for us in fine detail. I think every holiday is an experience in some way, but this one will definitely leave its mark in its contact with poverty, politeness, overcrowding, outstanding beauty, remoteness, luxury and even restrained terror (the mountain roads are not going to be to everyone's liking). I don't think I have ever eaten as well on an overseas holiday, but I wasn't too well even so as I struggled with the dry, dusty atmosphere. This was probably caught on the aircraft en route, but you have to take the rough with the smooth, and as all the flights left and arrived very promptly I forgive them.

I have used Naturetrek on quite a few occasions, but this time there was the impression that they might not be coping as well as they once were - perhaps they have expanded beyond their means? I had to bring errors with billing and arrival/departure information to their attention which is not what I'm used to.