Naturetrek Traveller Reviews

My holiday in Gibraltar & Taifa studying the Autumn migration of birds, whales and dolphins, was incredible, my feet didn't touch the ground, we covered so much with an amazing tour leader whose wealth of knowledge was second to none. The food, accommodation, itinerary (and the weather!) was everything I could have wished for. It was a whole new experience, and one which I will repeat with Naturetrek again next year.

From the first day I contacted Naturetrek I was impressed by their efficiency, friendliness, and excellent customer service

I flew into Guayaquil, spent 2 days there, and then flew to the Galapagos, for a 7 day tour. I then flew to Quito, and spent 2 days there, before going on to Sacha Lodge in the Amazon for 3 days. It was a very physical holiday-walking, hiking over a variety of terrain, snorkeling,birding from land and water. The habitats changed dramatically, from city to small settlements, ocean to mangroves, lava field to jungle.

Naturetrek did a terrific job in organizing this holiday. All our guides were competent, knowledgeable, organized, and truly helpful. We were picked up and dropped off on time, the hotels, and other accommodations, were excellent, and all transitions were smooth.

It was wonderful to have the opportunity to approach closely an extraordinary diverse range of mammals, reptiles and birds. The organisation of the holiday was first rate and the holiday as a whole was extremely enjoyable.

Naturetrek were extremely helpful in arranging our particular flights for us (different from the Group flights) at a very competitive price. The accommodation provided was totally acceptable given the isolated nature and the tour was arranged so we stayed an appropriate number of nights at each stop. The local guide supplied was extremely knowledgeable about the wildlife. We will certainly be travelling with Naturetrek in the future and would have no hesitation in recommending them to our friends

The Naturetrek 'Abruzzo in Autumn' tour was lead by a very experienced group leader and most ably assisted by an excellent co-leader. The organisation was first class and the itinerary re-arranged to accommodate any changes in weather forecasts for the relevant planned activities. Individual interests and requests were met wherever possible and the knowledge of flora and fauna species by the leaders was amazing with any queries followed up the same evening. The leaders passion for their subjects was obvious from the start and their organisation was first class with all domestic or personal issues dealt with to everyone's satisfaction. Virtuall all wildife that was mentioned in the overall tour information was indeed seen with the one main exception being the wolf. To actually see a wolf would have been the icing on the cake but chances of achieving this are extremely rare, however, obvious signs of these creatures was present and a carcass of a recent red deer kill was discovered along with tell tale scats. Scenery was beautiful and the peace and quite of the countryside delightful. An amazing area of interest and lots to see and do.

All aspects of the tour were covered from start to finish and one could relax in the knowledge that any problems that might arise would be dealt with most efficiently. An example of this was on a previous Naturetrek tour when the return flight was cancelled, due to a French Air Traffic Controllers strike, and all necessary arrangements were made for us to return on a later re-scheduled flight. The extra time available was well used and all refreshments provided. The benefit of having all meals provided in the price allows one to be able to budget accordingly. Accommodation is comfortable and well situated for the planned excursions with any transfers to other hotels, as part of the tour, undertaken efficiently. Pre-travel questions are answered promptly and the service from Naturetrek has been outstanding with a huge range of holidays available to suit almost any interest.

The trip started inauspiciously with the non-arrival of one our bags at Sao Paulo. Fortunately my wife and I had cross-packed clothes and other items into two bags and we put the incident behind us. The wildlife viewing began as soon as we hit the gravelled Transpantaneira Road with abundant herons, egrets, raptors and kingfishers en route to our first lodge - Pouso Alegre - with a night drive after dinner despite being shattered with hardly any sleep for what seemed two days. The following day consisted of a leisurely early morning walk to the nearby marshes and exploring the countryside in our open-sided safari lorry later in the day. The following morning we set off in our safari lorry to Porto Jofre for the boat ride to the Southwild Jaguar Flotel and joked that by the next day we just might have sighted our first Jaguar. Little did we know that within 30 minutes or so of our first boat trip that afternoon we would encounter not one but two Jaguars and a group of Giant River Otters hunting just a few metres from our boat! In the 4 nights spent at the Flotel we encountered multiple sightings of 8 Jaguars - Roxanne, Tore & Kim (the two brothers), Marley, Hunter, Mick, Nessi and Anne. Our final stop, for three nights, was at the Southwild Pantanal Lodge on the bank of the Pixaim River. We had barely set out on our first river trip when we saw yet another Jaguar which is not common at this location. The Pixaim River is a very tranquil river teeming with herons, egrets and kingfishers and there is never a dull moment especially when an Amazon Kingfisher decides to perch on your boat right in front of you waiting for titbits thrown by the boatman. This lodge also has a night-time platform for viewing Ocelots. On the first night unfortunately we didn't see one but the following night one appeared right on cue. For me, the sighting almost eclipsed the Jaguar sightings it is such a beautiful cat. And then it was time to return home along with our second bag which we now been reunited with and begin sifting through 2000 images. A truly fantastic trip!

Naturetrek is a very professional operator and have honed their trips to perfection. I particularly like the way no time is wasted by spending stopover nights. It's straight in and no messing even though you may be a little short on sleep.

Reviewer's images:

A wildlife Amazon Cruise with 11 people + crew, we sailed at night and explored in canoes during the day. With no expectations of what we would see every day was an adventure. I loved the peace and quiet as well

Naturetrek try and deliver the best they can in what area you have chosen, and generally they try and accommodate peoples wishes

Cruise on 16 berth Beluga with expert naturalist guide. In two weeks we were able to visit all the less known sites and the wildlife viewing was comprehensive assisted by our guides expert knowledge

Naturetrek are both caring and efficient. Booking with them means no worries that the arrangements may go wrong or the local operator be unsuitable.

We were looked after from dawn until dusk by expert guides who sought to fill each day with the great experience of getting close to wildlife. Their knowledge of the area was amazing and they were able to answer our questions confidently. There was a great rapport among our party of 12 guests. Food and accommodation was great and dietary needs attended to carefully. I saw many different species of mammals, birds, and aquatic life. There were opportunities to go out early morning to see otter and deer, late at night to see owls, deer and pine marten and two boat trips giving amazing sights of surrounding scenery and wildlife.

The wanted to know plenty about us before we went and kept us informed of all details of our trip right up until departure. We knew exactly what to expect and were not disappointed. They even contacted me to find out more about my dietary needs. I felt I was in confident hands.

Excellent plan to take the 24 hour ferry to Santander to add in the possibilities of whale-watching. The two main hotels in Spain were attractive and comfortable- extraordinary high quality of Street Art unexpectedly in the Zamora hotel! Bird- watching well-focussed and very accurately targeted. Great tolerance amongst everyone in the group of the different specialisms possible in observing the natural world. Extremely well-informed guiding team, immensely approachable and socially skilled. Every day had its highlights, with the number of small birds picked out by the leader that I would never have identified without his help.

Very efficient in securing the administration necessary for a safe trip, and personable in interchanges on what could have been routine information collecting..I have never been on a tour with this operator before, but I will definitely look out for the next possibility.

it fitted the description given exactly - met at airport and driven to the very clean and comfortable accommodation - the guide was very knowledgeable - felt safe throughout the tour - the opportunity to photograph brown bears from the hides was brilliant - the hides basic but what a great little adventure I expected no more - the whole experience was superb including the boat trip up to the Russian border and the bird watching opportunities. The experience of seeing the bears interacting so close was unbelievable.

booking was simple they arranged a closer airport which made it even easier for us - the paperwork gave us all the information we required regarding flights transfers and what to expect on the tour. I cant find any fault.