Naturetrek Traveller Reviews

Well organized and led by two from UK who had lived in France for many years. The hotel was satisfactory with excellent meals and very helpful staff. We spent out days travelling between a number of sites looking for birds,flowers and insects alongwith the odd castle. The picnic lunches provided by the guides were excellent. Socially it worked very well as we had much in common although we had varied backgrounds.

Brochure clear and attractive. Naturetrek staff friendly and informal. Very confident in their product. There is no hard-sell. The Staff are willing to relate your needs and concerns to the tours and, based on their experience of earlier tours, are willing and able to advise and encourage participation. The staff at Naturetrek Head-office also lead tours and they and other out in the field are passionately interesed in various aspects of the natuaral environment.

A tour designed for botanists and ornithologists of all abilities/experience. The accommodation was in two small family run hotels and both were clean, well appointed and provided local food of a high standard. The tour provided the opportunity to study the flora, some fauna and many species of bird, including vultures, eagles, waterfowl and many many more smaller species. Well organised itinerary with some room for fine tuning as regards the time spent in Provence and then the Camargue. The tour was led by two excellent, very competent and experienced British guides whose knowledge of their respective subjects was amazing.

Every aspect from inquiring about the holiday either via the website or direct contact was very efficient. Pleasant staff and very helpful. All paperwork, e tickets, itinerary, etc., was sorted and delivered in the time scale promised. The return flight was cancelled (due to a French Air Traffic Controllers strike action) but the operator re-arranged a later flight the same day and all was handled very well. Would recommend this operator and this was our first holiday with them.

This was a holiday based in both Provence (Sault) and the Camargue. It was a typical Naturetrek holiday with excellent guides and good choices of hotel. This holiday was aimed at people with a broad knowledge of nature - birds, animals and plants. The weather was good and we saw a good range of species. Although my speciality is birds, the guide Lizzie enthusiasm for plants was infectious and I found myself checking out different types of orchid! Exotic butterflies were also seen. We managed to see a good range of species across a number of well chosen locations within a reasonable distance of the hotel. Meals at both hotels were good as were the rooms. There was a good friendly group that worked well together finding orchids, rare birds and butterflies. Meals were taken together which helped the group to get to know each other.

I have been on four Naturetrek holidays over the years and they have always been excellent. Their brochure is superb with a comprehensive selection of holidays that appeal to people with an interest in wildlife be it birds, mammals, plants, butterflies, whales etc as well as culture. Naturetrek always seems to find good guides with strong knowledge of their subject as well as competent tour leaders and drivers. Occasionally there have been problems for instance on the Provence holiday French Traffic control caused a problem but Naturetrek and British Airways worked together well to resolve it.

Seven nights camping in the Khwai Community Area and Xakanaxa, Moremi Game Reserve gave us wonderful close encounters with a variety of big mammals including Elephants, Lions, Leopards, Hyena, Tsesebe, Blue Wildebeest, Burchell's Zebra, Southern Giraffe and various Antelope. We were also privileged to see two separate packs of Wild Dog on three occasions. What made these encounters very special was the fact that we were able to observe a wide variety of behaviour at close quarters. Nightime sounds of the bush including the close roar of a lion, the 'laughing' hippos and branches being broken by Bull Elephants were thrilling. All of this in one of the most idyllic settings where we watched the sun rise over our camp site lake and drove through the most delicate of grasses and "Grasses as high as an elephants eye". Our naturalist guides were outstanding and it is due to their knowledge, skill and expertise that we had such a rich experience. Every moment felt explosive with the teeming richness of wildlife!

Naturetrek are outstanding in their knowledge and expertise of wildlife and their ability to deliver the very best experiences to their clients. They are personal, responsive, efficient and friendly. This was my 6th trip with Naturetrek and I have more planned.

Comfortable and welcoming lodgings, beautiful setting and good food. The guides were really good and there was plenty of time to relax. Enjoyed the walks and boat trips in the early morning and in the evening.

All arranged very well. Excellent tour guide (Marcus).

We stayed in 2 lovely and very different locations in Spain, looking for birds. The first 4 days were in Coto Donana, staying in El Rocio overlooking a lake full of water birds including flamingoes and watching glossy ibis flying back to roost as we had our evening meal. One day was spent with guides in the Donana park where we saw eagles and vultures. We then drove to Extremadura, where we stayed in a beautiful guest house in the country with nightingales singing all night long. Our hosts looked after us very well and we really enjoyed the regional cooking. We saw great and little bustards on the plains and more vultures and eagles in Monfrague. Our guides on the holiday were extremely knowledgeable and knew exactly where to go. Their identification skills were first class and they could pick up birds from the slightest call. It was a great introduction to 2 wonderful wildlife areas of Spain with over 170 species of birds.

Right from the start, Naturetrek were very efficient with the booking and sent us all the information we needed. The guides were very well organised, helpful and friendly. Nothing was too much trouble for them. I would recommend a holiday with Naturetrek.

We went to see the reported excellent bird life and we were not disappointed. The lodge accommodation was very good as was the food provided. The lodge staff were very obliging and the local guides were very experienced. The site off the lodge is spectacular and exceptionally, we were not bothered by insects. Overall a really enjoyable holiday and a venue which we would gladly return to.

Always helpful and material supplied comprehensive. We have now used this Company on four occasions and have only ever had very minor suggestions as to how they might improve their tours. We would recommend them to anyone seeking nature. No. complaints!

We belong to a local RSPB group and our holiday was arranged through Naturetrek. The guide was 1st class with the knowledge of the area, the flora and fauna. He also produced excellent picnic lunches every day and was considerate to the group's needs. Our accommodation was ideal in all aspects, location, room and food. It was run by a friendly local man and his mother

We have been on many holidays with Naturetrek and continue to recommend them to friends and are using them again in the near future. Any pre- holiday queries are dealt with promptly and efficiently by their staff.

it was a once a lifetime opportunity to experience this remarkable area and its wildlife

have previously travelled with Naturetrek and know that they are well organised. with well planned itineraries to maximise the opportunities for wildlife viewing

Had a wonderful holiday with Naturetrek in the Sorrento Peninsula, looking for spring flowers and migrating birds. My special interest is orchids so I was delighted to see 14 different kinds of orchid. For me, the bird highlight was seeing a night heron resting on the rocky seashore after a long migration. The two Naturetrek guides were very knowledgeable and we had a great time socialising with the group.

Naturetrek are very professional in the way that they organise the tours and select their guides. I strongly recommend a Naturetrek holiday if you are interested in natural history.