Naturetrek Traveller Reviews

We stayed in a very comfortable and well located hotel in the centre of the attractive village of Murren. Our botanical leader had done careful research before we arrived, so he was able to lead us to interesting and productive areas. Our expeditions each day were smoothly arranged on a variety of local transport: cable car, train, cogwheel railway, bus etc.

We love Naturetrek holidays because we enjoy the focus away from towns and busy areas, concentrating instead on the natural history and beauty of the area. We benefit greatly from the services of the specialist and experienced tour guides, who can identify the various plants and point out the subtle differences. The Naturetrek birding tours are also good, with leaders who know how and where to find the birds.

This short wildlife holiday in northern Finland exceeded all my expectations. The guest house was excellent, clean and comfortable accomodation with tasty home-cooking. From our forest hide on the second night we saw 20 bears come into the clearing in front of the hide, some ambling close by, mothers with cubs, some scratching, some climbing trees, some running from huge males. Bunk beds in the hide provided some sleep opportunity when needed and coffee and snacks were enjoyed. The next night was spent in a different hide with 10+ bears appearing. Opportunities for photography were excellent from both hides. A magical wildlife experience.

I have been on a variety of Naturetrek wildlife tours including Namibia, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Galapagos, Extramadura (Spain), Sardinia over the last 10 years and never been disappointed with my Naturetrek tour. I particularly appreciate their excellent website, the detailed pre-tour information they provide, the previous tour reports they make available, their knowledgeable and enthusiastic guides, the check-list provided and checked every evening while on tour and the tour report sent out post-tour. I have experienced only excellent service and very enjoyable wildlife adventures on every occasion

In 2018 I travelled with Naturetrek to the Valais region and this year to the Murren region of Switzerland, both holidays were to study the animals, birds, butterflies and flowers in their natural habitats and to explore, by foot and the many varied forms of transport on offer, the natural beauty of the mountain scenery. As a single traveller I have always found the small groups friendly, which helps to make these holidays most enjoyable. The Hotels have been comfortable and overall the holidays have been good value for money.

I have always found the office staff helpful and the information sent out to be useful and informative. This was my 10th holiday with Naturetrek, encompassing a variety of destinations in Europe, and I would strongly recommend them as providing an excellent service for anyone interested in natural history from beginner to knowledgable. All the guides I have met on these trips have been both knowledgable and great fun to be with and deserve my highest praise.

I travelled to The Dolomites, an area that has been on my wish list for almost 40 years, to see the scenery and the butterflies that occur there. I was not disappointed on either count. The mountains are magnificent with some fantastic walks while the butterflies were numerous and varied, with many species that are not found in the UK.

This was my third holiday with Naturetrek. Each trip has been superbly organised and most enjoyable. All the travel arrangements worked without a hitch and the local guides have been friendly and knowledgable.

A an amazing 9 night cruise/expedition to Svalbard in the High Arctic to enjoy wildlife and beautiful flora and scenery. This was a 9 day voyage of over 2000 Km from Longyearbyen in the west to Edgeoya and Barentsoya in the east of the archipelago travelling through incredible fiords, open sea and pack ice. We went ashore accompanied by expedition leaders in zodiacs on most days and got close to incredible mammals including Polar Bear, Walrus and Arctic Fox as well as several bird species and many species of plants-the tour was accompanied by excellent lectures from the expedition team and was well supervised by Naturetrek leaders and Expedition staff. The ships accommodation was excellent and the cabins were very comfortable, the cleanliness and dining on the ship(the MV Quest) was excellent. The crew were polite and helpful

Our tour operator was Naturetrek. The description of the tour accurately reflected our experience which was excellent. Flights including connecting flights and hotel accommodation on route were punctual and of a high standard-the tour leaders were supportive throughout the tour and gave us adequate information. The information supplied by the Naturetrek office prior to travelling was very helpful as was their brochure and website. We were able to obtain help and information promptly before travelling from Naturetrek

Our trip to see the Slovenian bears was wonderful, and having a flexible itinerary was wonderful, because it meant that every minute was used in the best way possible, and this made it enjoyable for us. Having three bear-watching trips was great, because it maximised the chances of seeing bears. I understand that watching wildlife takes patience, time and also luck. I think my daughter and I would have been delighted to have seen just one bear. In the event, we saw lots of bears on each of our three bear-watching trips, including a mother with her very small and wobbly cubs, whom we watched for a good few hours altogether, and they were absolutely adorable and engaging. We were able to see the differences between all the bears, because each one is physically very different to look at, so we learned a lot about bears. So each of our three bear watching trips was a great success. The valleys with meadows and flowers and butterflies and the Karst landscape was wonderfully peaceful and enjoyable and it was fantastic to be able to spend a lot of time wandering in the meadows, taking it slowly and really looking and enjoying the flora and fauna, and to be able to ask our very knowledgeable guide, Luca about everything. Luca had a mobile bird-calling device with him, and he was able to call corncrakes and a Ural owl and get them to reply and fly in closer, which was fascinating. We were fascinated by the disappearing lake and disappearing river and cave system - they were incredible and very interesting - my daughter is about to start her geography degree, and she loved this as well, and our Cave Guide was very informative. There is a waiting list of several months to enter the cave, because it is protected, so we really appreciated the fact that Naturetrek had organised this for us.

The service from Naturetrek was excellent, and every aspect of the trip was very well organised and thought-through.

Reviewer's images:

Nature watching , with identification and explanations , varied walking some tough , plants , orchids , butterflies ,

naturetrek - efficient provision of information before the holiday , and during it . Good hotel and food .

This was a week-long break in July, looking at the wildlife of the Vercors, an unspoilt area of France locates on a plateau close to Grenoble. There were 2 guides, one specialising in birds, the other in wildflowers. My principal interest on this occasion was in wildflowers, and I found the guide to have a staggering amount of knowledge. He made sure that every individual, regardless of their experience of the subject, and level of mobility, was able to take part and enjoy a fantastic holiday.

Other than some issues with a pre-holiday query that I had, I found the tour operator to be flexible, efficient and accommodating. All arrangements ran smoothly and accommodation and food were of a high quality.

The holiday was with Naturetrek and was entitled "Butterflies of the French Pyrenees" (between July 5th and 12 '19). It was a series of outstanding day trips taking in the wildlife, not just the butterflies, of the Pyrenees and was well balanced between trekking around the mountainside and viewing the wildlife species around us.

They organised everything to the last dot without blemish or error. Great leadership by the wildlife guide, Jason Mitchell and an excellent choice of hotel to lodge in. Everything went perfectly aided by some glorious weather.

A well paced holiday, considering the intense heat, that took us to a wide variety of areas and reserves. The excellent guides had good knowledge and were able to answer any questions from the group. They did an excellent job of rearranging the itinerary when one of the minibuses broke down and we were awaiting a replacement, including at short notice, a trip to Arles, which everyone enjoyed. Excellent moth trapping sessions were held. The hotel and the staff were excellent. Food was wonderful. In all an enjoyable and informative holiday. This was my third holiday with Nature Trek and I would have no hesitation in booking again with them.

Always quick to answer the phone and are knowledgeable about the holidays they offer. Very efficient in organising the holiday.