Naturetrek Traveller Reviews

This holiday combined wonderful scenery, fascinating and plentiful butterflies, a small window into Armenian culture and a delightful group of people, and of course first class Naturetrek leadership.

Extremely efficient in all respects.

I have travelled extensively during the last 15 years and have seen many wonderful places and animals but seeing Jaguars in the wild was certainly an experience to be treasured for the rest of my life.

Marcus was a very knowledgeable guide. Extremely dedicated to his subject and I think we all enjoyed his company and guidance

Flew from UK via Norway to Longyearbyn. Boarded ship m/v Ortelius for cruise along the coast & inlets of Spitzbergen with an emphasis on seeing the wild life Ship simple, practical and comfortable with great choice of food and never ending hot drinks available. But the joy of the holiday was the "other world'" experience. With trips from the boat in zodiacs we were able to see so much of the arctic birdlife and come oh so close to the mammals The experts on the boat gave very good lectures which gave us a greater understanding of the challenges the wildlife face in this environment. We have come home with hundreds of photos, and with wonderful memories of this fantastic trip

Flawless booking and holiday experience with Naturetrek.

Very well organised and very professionally led week looking at wildlife in the Spanish Pyrenees, with the emphasis on finding butterflies. Hotel accommodation at the Casa Sarasa in Berdun was outstanding - very comfortable, superb food, and nothing was too much trouble for the owners, who were extremely helpful and friendly.

As with all the previous Naturetrek trips I've done, this one was excellent, with, as ever, expert leaders whose knowledge, guidance and sociability contributed significantly to making the trip such an enjoyable experience.

Gorgeous scenery, loads of wildflowers and birds, excellent guides, good food, good company - and all very well organised.

excellent personal service from Naturetrek

Fantastic week-long holiday looking at the birds and dragonflies of the Camargue. This well organised and brilliantly led trip visited a wide range of different habitats within easy reach of our base, thereby maximising our chances of seeing a wide range of wildlife. The two trip leaders were excellent and the hosts at our family run hotel exceptionally kind and helpful. Good weather, good food and great wildlife!

I felt well looked after from start to finish. The pre-tour information was excellent and any queries I had were answered promptly.

Fantastic week-long holiday looking at the birds and dragonflies of the Camargue. This well organised and brilliantly led trip visited a wide range of different habitats within easy reach of our base, thereby maximising our chances of seeing a wide range of wildlife. The two trip leaders were excellent and the hosts at our family run hotel exceptionally kind and helpful. Good weather, good food and great wildlife!

I felt well looked after from start to finish. The pre-tour information was excellent and any queries I had were answered promptly.

we had a very good tour leader who took us to some wonderful sites for Sweden's special butterflies. the weather was unseasonably cool but in spite of this we saw several non UK species and had excellent photo opportunities. Our base hotel was comfortable run by a most welcoming couple.

Well up to the standard I have come to expect. This was my seventh tour with Naturetrek.

We went to see Musk Oxen, and we saw them in groups of up to nine, also single sightings, even sightings from our bedroom window. The Dovre Mountains were spectacular. The accommodation at Kongsvold. was an excellent position for touring the area. The Lodge's Restaurant is noted to be one of the best in Norway, serving wonderful food. Our Driver Guide, Bard, was excellent at searching out wildlife and very knowledgable.

Naturetrek had everything well organized, we were out and about making sure not to miss anything everyday.

It helps when one is in the company of enthusiastic people with which one shares a similar interest in the wildlife and wildness of a country that feels remote. The lack of roads certainly adds to this feeling. Sailing, was our only way to the creeks where we could witness the fishing antics of the Bears both black and brown. This was by a twelve berth ketch. The raising of the sails was exciting, aided our passage and also controlled any rolling. The crew were not only experts at handling the craft but doubled as naturalists in their own right. Combined with the official naturalists as part of the trip we were surrounded by very knowledgeable people, all good spotters too. There were some accomplished fishermen too which meant fish was occasionally on the menu. Talking of food, it was unbelievable what creative dishes came out of the galley, including fresh salads until the last day. There were times when we were surrounded by so many whales busy using different feeding techniques resulting in some spectacular activity, It could sometimes be difficult to know in which direction to look. We had several very close encounters which left one feeling in awe of these huge majestic mammals. Then there were the glaciers. We were able to walk to one and the other we sailed to in aluminium hulled jet boat. It is difficult to appreciate the scale of these structures. The noise and spectacle of the glacial calving shall remain with me for a long time. The icebergs in the terminal morine were colourful, every shade of blue. The shapes moulded by wind and water. All in all we had a large slice of experience of wilderness, such a contrast to everyday living.

Naturetrek as a tour operator, have great experience of small group specialist activity. The focus of the holiday is clearly defined and activities graded so the participants can judge if their level of fitness matches the requirements of the tour. The general theme of wildlife activity can attract very knowledgeable participants. It is not unusual to be educated by fellow travellers. The tour leaders usually have extensive experience in photography as well as an in depth knowledge of the natural history of the region. The photography tips are a bonus. I have always felt confident in the tour leaders regarding our safety. This trip we were safely shielded by the tour leader from a close encounter with a black bear. Calmly talking to the bear was enough to encourage it to take an alternative pathway, the pepper spray was not needed. The size of the parties allows for an intimacy with the wildlife as well as close communication with one another. Each trip is packed with experiences , "full on".