Naturetrek Traveller Reviews

Active and enjoyable short break in the Forest of Dean, bird and wildlife watching, and learning about the area as a whole. Excellent and knowledgeable guide, very comfortable accommodation, and lovely woodland walks.

Naturetrek had everything very well organised and thought out.

bird watching tour Columbia went really well vast amount of birds seen thanks to a very good leader johnnier im really glad I choose Columbia a fascinating country to visit

all went smoothly from start to finnish

This trip was really fantastic, with exceptional tour guides. We were able to see far more bird species than we would have spotted on our own. The experience of the starling murmuration was really spectacular! The food was great too.

Naturetrek gave us plenty of information before and a brilliant tour write up after. Questions were answered promptly and in a friendly manner, would definitely use again.

I got home just last week from Naturetrek's 10-day "Bargain Mammal Tour - South Africa" (birding version). I'm still not finished sorting through my photos. The trip was fantastic! Even though the region was just emerging from a 5-year drought, and even though on two days of our trip we saw somewhat fewer birds and mammals due to the passing of Tropical Storm Dineo, we managed to rack up about 300 species of birds in those 10 days - most of them lifers for me. Our guide, driver and general tour manager for the trip - Gavin Simms - was impressively knowledgeable, especially about birds. He knew all the local species (some 400 at least) by sight, sound and behaviors even from great distances. He had nothing short of incredible skills at driving-while-birding and birding-while-driving, even while threading us around foot-deep ruts and potholes. And he was cheerful, informative, helpful, patient - you name it. For every quality that might help bring a bus-load of strangers together in good spirits for a week of variable weather, he had that quality. Of course, I it probably helped that those strangers were nice folks for their own part, but even so a gang of strangers can easily get on one another's nerves in the course of a week. We didn't, and that further enhanced the trip as a whole. The scenery and wildlife were fantastic, of course. The accomodations were charmingly and comfortably rustic, though I worry for their state if maintenance slips over the next few years. The food ranged from adequate to excellent and was always healthful and hygienically prepared. As a person with chronic stomach issues, I am happy to report that I didn't have a single bad day on the trip or after getting home. So even with a lesser guide, I'm sure the trip would have been a positive experience. But with Gavin as our guide it was superb!

The Naturetrek home office was very helpful with information at the booking stages. Personable service over the phone. I've come to rely on them for affordable, relaxed, safe, comfortable but at the same time exciting and inspiring wildlife tours. I'm already thinking about where to go next.

We were aboard the Searcher, a mahogany hulled ketch, normally used for sport fishing, but which takes 4 or 5 wildlife trips every year as well. The captain was hugely committed to the wildlife, and the crew (7 in all) were knowledgeable and worked extraordinarily hard to make sure we had all the opportunities we wanted to see the whales, swim with the shark, interact with the grey whales, go snorkelling safely and so on. The Natjretrek guide was just excellent. it was fun.

Naturetrek runs wildlife holidays for groups, not too large, and only when the wildlife you want to see will actually be there (e.g. grey whales at the time they are breeding, grizzly bears during the salmon season). Their guides are extremely knowledgable, often involved in their own research into the subject. There need be no wasted time. If there is a gap between flights, for example, they will organise a brief birding tour of the area close by.

If you want to see whales, this is definitely the trip for you. Soon after we boarded the boat in San Diego we began to see a few whales. But when we reached San Ignacio Lagoon we were able to get really close to dozens of grey whales and after that it never stopped! Pods of pilot whales, mother and calf Sperm whales, Humpbacks doing all sorts of acrobatics and the biggest Blue Whales you ever did see. Add to that elephant seals, bow-wave riding bottlenose dolphins and a mega-pod of a 1000-plus common dolphins and we were quite exhausted with all the marine activity. The whole trip from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas was so well-organised and carried out by Naturetrek and the crew of the Searcher that I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in cetaceans.

The whole tour was very well-arranged and the Naturetrek guide and the naturalist they provided were tireless in spotting wildlife and giving us heaps of information about everything we saw and the places we visited. Brilliant!

We travelled with a group of birdwatchers to Peru on a ten-day break. This short trip included birdwatching in the marshes along the coastline just south of Lima, a boat trip around the harbour at Pucusana, birdwatching in the Santa Eulalia valley near the foothills of the Andes then continuing to the Andes proper to San Mateo, birding the high altitude bogs. After returning briefly to Lima we continued south to Paracas where we took a speedboat excursion to the Ballestas Islands. It was a successful but eventful trip due to landslides and the associated diversions, but our very able drivers managed to ferry us safely throughout the entire tour - including dangerous mountain single track roads with no edges and the chaotic traffic jams in Lima. They also, incidentally, cooked some of our breakfasts and lunches from the back of their vehicles - all of which were superb ! The Peruvian guide - Jose - that Naturetrek provided was excellent, knowing his birds thoroughly, translating continually and generally looking after us and explaining exactly what was going on the entire time. All in all, a brilliant trip.

We have travelled with Naturetrek eighteen times, I believe. This is because they've always shown total professionalism when dealing with any queries or requests we've made, and because they've always delivered great value for money. But not only that, we've always felt safe on their tours, which in today's current climate is of utmost importance.

This was an important 'bucket' trip for my 70th birthday. I was recommended to go with Naturetrek by a friend, as he had been with them before and had a great time. From the initial enquiry through the booking process, and the information provided before we left I was confident that we had chosen the right holiday with the right firm. The Galapagos Islands did not, of course disappoint, and the seamless organisation of transport and transfers, the choice of accommodation and day excursions from Quito did live up to the advertised 'de luxe' description. With a great crowd of like-minded people on board, an excellent crew, delicious food, a dedicated tour guide and blue skies, what was not to like?

The holiday information and advice provided was extensive, detailed, accurate and importantly, updated just before leaving. This gives extra confidence that someone is looking after the important details and communicating with the travellers to ensure they have the latest information, particularly for connections and timings. Combined with emergency contact numbers for several of the Naturetrek staff should problems arise before, or during the trip, this again gives peace of mind that contact with home would be possible if needed.

This trip was an introduction to the wildlife of lowland Nepal and Assam. We flew into Kathmandu to be met at the airport by our guide, who proved to be an expert on the birds and mammals of the area, and vey good company. After a night in Kathmandu we traveled with our guide to chitwan national park, then on to Koshi,( which was probably our favourite) the wild life in both areas was exceptional and the accommodation comfortable. There followed a journey across the Indian border to Darjeeling where we had 2 days of sightseeing then traveled to Kaziranga national park. The accommodation was again good, the wildlife far exceeded our expectations . This trip was superb, we experienced expert guiding, and faultless organisation.

We booked this holiday with Naturetrek. This was the first time that we had booked with Naturetrek, it will certainly not be the last. During the booking process it was always easy to contact the company, and they certainly worked hard to accommodate our needs.

We stayed for 15 nights aboard the beautiful yacht Beluga. The Beluga is a small yacht with 8 double berths. The Captain and crew provided excellent care and service and nothing was too much trouble for them. Having 15 nights gave us enough time to visit most of the Galapagos islands and to fit in deep sea and off the beach snorkels almost every day(sometimes twice daily). The most amazing and spectacular part of the trip was the landings on the islands and the thrill of seeing the mammals, reptiles, birds and sea life so close that can even pick out each hair, feather or scale. The islands are so different that each day offered a new and exciting experience, helped by our very knowledgeable guide. We would not hesitate to recommend this holiday and cannot praise our experience highly enough. This was truly the holiday of a lifetime.

This holiday was arranged through Naturetrek. We have used Naturetrek previously and had such a positive experience that we booked through them again for this trip. Once we arrived in Ecuador the tour operator Enchanted Expeditions provided the tour guides and excursions in Quito and also the Beluga, her staff and guide. We cannot fault the service provided by Naturetrek or Enchanted Expeditions.