Naturetrek Traveller Reviews

A short (five days, three of them full days) trip to Iceland where I hoped to see orca and the Northern Lights, even though there could be no guarantee of either. Lucky me: Northern Lights twice, eight orca, three sperm whales, harbour porpoises and beaked dolphins, plus loads of bird life, geysers, waterfalls…….. The guide was superb, catering for both experienced and novice bird watchers, keen and indifferent photographers, as well as ensuring our creature comforts were catered for. Iceland is amazing, even for someone like me who doesn’t like the cold: austere, spectacular, mind blowing.

Accessible - I needed to contact them twice before going and my queries were treated with great courtesy and with full responses. The tour guide was superb, as mentioned above. This was my second holiday with Naturetrek and I’d recommend them highly.

During our 5 day trip to the Camargue we visited a variety of habitats. Our guides worked tirelessly to find, identify and explain to the group what they were looking at and why. They provided excellent picnic lunches. The hotel was excellent and in a good location for additional wildlife walks before breakfast.

This was my 16th trip with Naturetrek, and I have 2 more booked this year. Naturetrek is a very well run company - the information they provide about their holiday and the guides they use are all first rate. Hotels used are typically smaller, family run businesses in areas that allow for easy wildlife walks before breakfast - this is important to me as a keen birdwatcher.

This was a truly incredible week spent embracing the country’s natural wonders. From hoopoes to harriers, pelicans to pool frogs, and bee-eaters to butterflies, I was continually impressed and reminded of the biodiversity and abundance that could and should be in the U.K. Our visit to the Valbona Valley National Park was particularly incredible. It's undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to, and not just because of the views. This landscape contains bears, wolves, golden eagles, snakes, lizards, and everything in between. There’s something really magical about knowing that you’re in the same space as animals like this, whether you see them or not. Not too long ago, Albania was largely unseen by the outside world, strictly held under communist rule. This holiday showed me how privileged we are today to be alive in a time when we can visit this amazing country and see the natural and cultural wonders it has to offer. Interestingly, I learned from Mirjan Topi (one of Albania’s leading ornithologists with years spent on the frontline of the country’s conservation efforts), that a respect for the environment seems largely yet to enter the modern-day public consciousness. Litter and destructive development are rife, whilst knowledge of conservation ethics and principles is not. Therefore, lots of work must done if Albania’s impressive natural heritage is to be maintained and restored. That said, I wouldn’t say the UK is much different, and Albania has a fantastic array of organisations and individuals fighting for the country’s natural environment, such as PPNEA. When Mirjan first started birding, he was one of just two ornithologists in the country. In response, he worked hard to share his knowledge and passion with others, developing educational courses and writing the first comprehensive book on Albania’s birds & their name translations. Thanks to these efforts, the number of birders in the country is now growing. I left Albania not just in awe of the country's natural wonders but also hugely inspired by Mirjan, and excited to see how the conservation movement develops into the future. As an early-career wildlife conservationist, it's trips like this that remind me more strongly than ever of why I do what I do.

Naturetrek were an all-round fantastic tour operator, and I'm extremely grateful to have been able to attend one of their esteemed tours. The guides all had a truly impressive knowledge of Albania's natural history, and enviable (but extremely helpful) field ID skills, which I very much aspire to myself. Their abilities in this regard made it much easier for us to see the wildlife. More generally, the operators were all highly considerate and attentive to our needs, and I'd absolutely recommend them to anyone else considering such a holiday. I hope to one day be able to go on another adventure with them as I know that it provides me with not only a once in a lifetime adventure but also a fantastic opportunity to enhance my skills and knowledge in environmental conservation, thus improving my ability to help protect and restore the natural world.

A week staying in an agrotourism hotel in the Maremma National park. Beautiful setting, delightful atmosphere.

Naturetrek organised a very successful holiday with expert leaders showing us the wildlife of the area as well as its culture.

We received excellent guidance, useful information and saw many things new to us.

Very helpful and nothing was too much trouble

Slovenia: Bears, Birds and Caves with Naturetrek Good local accommodation with great food. Above all a superb, knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide. The guide knew all the best places to visit and made appropriate changes to the plans based on weather conditions and information from contacts. We saw 9 bears from the hide and numerous passerines would would never have found without his experience.

Naturetrek. They are full of information and patient in the face of numerous questions from first time travelers. Documentation was provided in a timely manner.

Wonderful two weeks in Jordan exploring their many and diverse wildlife reserves. As the Spring migration was in full swing with an estimated 3,000 Levant Sparrowhawkes one morning and lots of Steppe & Honey Buzzards. Camping in Wadi Rum captivated by the stunning desert landscape with tea poured for us by the Bedouin as the sun went down, searching for scorpions using UV flash ligtht, and of course the pretty Sinai Rosefinch. Petra is all it has been cracked up to be, a magnificent Nabatean city carved into the sandstone approximately 2,300 years ago - incredible place - lots of walking but plenty to drink along the way. The ruins of ancient Jerash and the many castles/ monuments visited on our travels gave a meaningful sense of Jordanian history and place.

Naturetrek always delivers an excellent programme of adventures, whether Go-Slow trips in one location or more far flung destinations with a demanding schedule. I found our trip to Jordan to be well organised, with good information before hand as to what to expect. Our tour guide on the Jordan trip lead with relaxed, patient assertiveness. Amazing ear for bird song/calls, knowledge of the wildlife in Jordan and indeed Jordan in general, as well as a geological background.

We spent 8 days in central Spain at two wonderful locations, chosen for their biodiversity.

Naturetrek organises wonderful holidays for travellers wanting to learn more about the natural history of an area. Tours are carefully designed and the guides are always excellent, both as 'people wranglers' and as experts in their field of biology.

Wonderful opportunity to experience nature up close in Extrememadura, one of Spain's jewels, at a very special time of the year when the countryside is burgeoning with spring flowers and with plenty of bird life. We loved the accommodation in a comfortable finca where the hosts were exceptional and the food and wine gave us a full flavour of Spain. The guides were like knowledgeable companions sharing with us their knowledge of the local nature and of Spain as a whole.

Naturetrek were excellent at showcasing their holiday when we were in the planning stage and followed this up with prompt and full communication at all stages. Faultless.

This was a tailor made tour to fit into our travel arrangements to see family in New Zealand. All the travel arrangements were smooth. We travelled as a married couple, and was met by our transfer driver and a guide at Melbourne Airport. We had a useful chat on the way to our hotel as to what to see in Melbourne for the rest of day. We were given plenty of information and maps. We spent the afternoon exploring Melbourne. Next day the guide for our trip to East Gippsland met us . We were able to tell him what we wanted ( “To see a platypus in the wild”). He went out of his way to accommodate us in all our aspirations, within a short while we were amongst the kangaroos, koalas, and birds. Seeing a Echidna close up was extra special ( and all on the first day ). We flew out to Lake Mungo, again being greeted by another guide who also was very accommodative to our wishes. So much to see. I especially appreciated playing ‘hide and seek’ with an Emu - a memorable experience, thanks to our guide. We had a super time viewing the birds and mammals of South Australia, with a little bit of native culture thrown in as well. The accommodation, travel, and food was excellent. Naturetrek kindly arranged our flights to New Zealand, within New Zealand, and then back to the UK. A great organisation to make this trip stress free and so memorable. Yes, we saw a Platypus on two out of three of our efforts to find one. Somewhat of a life time ambition.

Naturetrek have always given us a stress free holiday. Their pre-flight departure information is excellent. We like the included meals. All the travel arrangements are smooth. Their guides are first class. We will be travelling with them again.