Naturetrek Traveller Reviews

My recent trip to The Galapgaos/Sacha Lodge was everything I expected it to be - and more. Two nights in Quito included a comprehensive tour of that fascinating city. Our group(just 16 people)was met at Baltra by our guide, Darwin Alvarez, and our tour of the islands started immediately with a trip to see giant tortoises, followed by a lovely lunch, before boarding the Cachalote, our floating 'home' for the next two weeks. Darwin was just superb and his enthusiasm was infectious; his knowledge added even more to the experience of visiting so many of these very special islands. Nothing was too much trouble for the crew of the Cachalote either, with the captain willingly changing course if something interesting was spotted in the water. The chef catered for all/any special dietary requirements, even making me a glorious chocolate and nut cake for my birthday which occurred halfway through the cruise of the islands, and Richard's cocktails, to celebrate crossing the Equator, were something else! Sacha Lodge was a totally different experience but equally as outstanding. The long and varied journey to even reach it was an adventure in itself and again, nothing was too much trouble for either the staff or the guides who took us out two or three times a day, either on foot or by canoe, to experience this truly magical part of the world. Truly a holiday of a lifetime.

I have enjoyed two holidays with Naturetrek to date. Their careful attention to detail is present before, during and after your holiday and the friendly knowledgeable staff will answer any questions you may have before you travel, no matter how trivial. As soon as you receive their comprehensive brochure, it is obvious that a lot of very careful thought has gone into the planning of their holidays so that we, the travellers, may reap the benefits. Their use of experts who are leaders in their field, terrific itineraries and choice accommodation ensures a truly first class holiday.

An amazing adventure. Any lover of nature should put these places at the top of their agenda. The Amazon basin is somewhere we have all seen on TV but to experience it gives a new perspective. Seeing giant otters, many species of monkey and the varied and magnificent bird life is something worth doing in its own right. However, to accompany such a visit with a tour of the Galapagos raises the experience to a whole new level. I have been to many wonderful places in Africa, America and Australia but I would put the Galapagos top of my list. The combination of islands in all their variety and the sea cruises in between, in waters teeming with marine life is exhilarating. The wildlife is so unafraid of humans that the main problem is to avoid accidentally stepping on sleeping sea lions or nesting birds as you walk along the paths and beaches. Snorkelling with sea lions, feeding turtles, penguins, flightless cormorants, sharks, rays and a variety of tropical fish is a wonderful thing to do. We used a small 16 berth schooner on our Naturetrek holiday and I am pleased that we did. It seemed to put us in touch with our surroundings in a way that the bigger boats we saw wouldn't have done. The group were brilliant and everyone got along, having a common interest in nature. The crew were marvellous, the food great and our guide, Darwin, couldn't have been better. His knowledge and ability to inspire were first class. We were looked after wonderfully and Naturetrek's organisation was impeccable. Every day involves wet and dry landings on the islands, walks to see the wildlife and geology, swimming and snorkelling or simply relaxing on the boat if that's what you felt like. This combination of activities and relaxation made the holiday into far more than a simple passive viewing experience.

Naturetrek's itinerary was perfect. We spent time on most of the accessible Galapagos islands and appreciated their variety and diversity of life. The organisation of the holiday was perfect. Special dietary needs were catered for very well and the whole thing went like clockwork.We normally organise our own holidays and it was great to have all that taken care of and to be whisked painlessly through the airport and other formalities when visiting the Amazon basin and the Galapagos. This contributed greatly to our enjoyment by removing many of the stresses normally associated with travel.

We spent a week in the Camargue over the Christmas period staying in a very friendly hotel in Arles. Out all day from 9-6ish exploring the countryside for birds, roman remains, and a good spot for a picnic lunch or coffee. Excellent weather, if somewhat cold, entertaining companions, excellent guides and the food was very good, too.

Naturetrek has always been very helpful and friendly. The tour guides are specialists happy to share their natural history expertise and equipment. Apart from producing fine dining at picnics they also cope on tour with any setbacks (just occasional transport problems) very well.

For the most part I was quite satisfied with the trip and saw many new birds. I would have liked more options at dinnertime and fewer people in the vans.

Naturetrek is a very good operator with good offerings across the globe. The tour leaders were excellent!

Travelled to the Algarve for Christmas to see the wildlife and enjoy some winter sunshine.

Easy booking, very good guides and we could change our departure airport.

We visited several areas of Madagascar and were treated to sightings of twenty-six different types of Lemur, eleven types of chameleon, various snakes (boas), lizards, butterflies and arachnids. All capped off by encounters with many, many birds, all of which were new to us. Our European guide was a bird expert and our Malagasy guide specialised in Lemurs. We were told that 80% of all Madagascar's wildlife is found only in Madagascar. Another highlight was the different kinds of vegetation that we travelled through, e.g. rainforest, spiny forest, a cactus garden and the wonderful baobab trees.

We found Naturetrek to be extremely helpful and accommodating. Early on they agreed for our tour to go ahead even though there were less than minimum numbers to make it viable for them because we were travelling a long distance and needed to book our flights well in advance to guarantee that we could be there. By the time of the tour, we did just reach minimum numbers and we were treated to an excellent European guide as well as a Malagasy guide. All our communication with the company was handled very efficiently and promptly.

The holiday to The Pantanal area of Brazil was an amazing wildlife experience. We travelled mainly in an open truck, and started viewing wildlife within a short time of leaving the airport, we saw 172 species of birds including several sightings of the magnificent Hyacinth Macaws. Staying on the Flotel was an ideal base to travel the water ways to see Jaguars and other wildlife of the area. Our Tour Guide Marcos Felix, was extremely knowledgeable and was keen for his clients to see what the Pantanal had to offer.

Naturetrek, organized a very good tour. Transfers were good and on time. An add-on to Iguazu National Park was well organized with a personalized birding guide to take care of us. We would recommend Naturetrek as good wildlife Tour Operator.

The lodge and cabins were first rate everything you would need was in the cabin. The restaurant had a large varied menu for breakfast lunch and dinner and the staff were very helpful and friendly. Would get tea coffee freshly squeezed fruit juice at any time. Full breakfast menu available for early bird watchers breakfasts at 6 am The bird guide we had Esdras was very knowledgeable friendly and very helpful making sure all the group saw all the birds. Excellent programme of visits to various birding sites and walks round Pico Bonito trails. Would recommend a stay at this lodge to anyone wanting a peaceful holiday with lots of wildlife

Very well organised trip to a little known birding location of Honduras. A top rate lodge for the 8 night stay evolving not too much traveling to the various sites for birding. Great to have a birding trip with a one centre base especially as the cabins at Pico Bonito catered for all your needs

we visited mindo for three days then down to sani lodge for three days and finished in valcabamba again for three days we saw the six families we asked for and altogether we saw 363 species including 8 antpittas 6 owls and over 30 tanagers to mention a few.

the ground operaters in ecuador where outstanding the guides they arranged for us where again outstanding nothing was to much cannot speak highly enough of them thanks naturetrek and neblina forest.

We had a guided tour of north-west Corsica in September 2014. The guide was excellent and very knowledgable especially about the flora on the Island. We had spent a week on our own before joining the Naturetrek tour, and as we spent more time with our guide the more we understood the history and way of life on the island. Nothing was too much trouble for the guide and he was very happy to help all the members of the party to enjoy the week. We had a lot of bird watchers in the party and our guide was very good at getting some very lively and fun debates going in the evening. All in all very good holiday and we would definitely use this tour company again and we would like to return to Corsica.

WE wanted to spend an extra week on Corsica and Natjretrek were very helpful arranging flights and keeping us informed about how and where to meet the rest of the party. would very happily use them in the future.