‘Guests on our final “The Gambia in Style” tour of the season enjoyed many sightings of colourful birds including seven sunbird, six kingfisher, four bee-eater and three roller species during our 8-day tour’ writes leader Dave Jackson.

‘We didn’t have to leave the breakfast table for our daily sightings of Blue-cheeked Cordon Bleu, Bronze Manikin and Red-billed Firefinch, while Black-necked and Village Weavers began to gather nest material for their cylindrical structures.

Many egrets and herons were observed, including one new to our Gambian guides – Little Bittern – as it flew over the river in front of the canoes, though the firm favourite was the Black Heron which performed its “umbrella” posture as it caught fish in the shadow of its spread wings.

Rare sightings came in the form of Grey-headed and Sulphur-breasted Bush-shrikes and several sightings of the shy Patas Monkey including one that crossed the road in front of our bus. Green Vervet Monkeys were often seen around the lodges, whilst a troop of around 200 Guinea Baboons surrounded the group on one afternoon walk, though took little notice of the humans in their midst!

Small raptors included Grey Kestrel, Lizard Buzzard and Rufous-necked Falcon whilst their larger relatives included African Harrier-hawk, Palm-nut Vulture, Long-crested Eagle, Yellow-billed and Black Kites.

Butterfly enthusiasts were treated to regular sightings of African Tiger, White Lady and Citrus Swallowtails, along with many blues.

This was the first visit to The Gambia for all 11 guests with many vowing to return, such is the allure of this friendly country with its amazing wildlife!’

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‘Our April holiday to the beautiful Italian island of Sardinia was incredibly enjoyable with fantastic wildlife, stunning landscapes, turquoise bays and excellently located accommodation’ writes co-leader Dan Lay.

‘Avian highlights included displaying Golden Eagle, Corsican Finch, Barbary Partridge, Eleonora’s Falcon, Montagu’s Harrier, European Roller, Stone-curlew, Little Stint, Woodchat Shrike and Tawny Pipit, whilst a boat trip provided fantastic views of a Scopoli’s Shearwater gliding the wake. Plant highlights included Cytinus ruber, Barbary Nut, Long-spurred, Mirror, Provence, Sombre Bee-, and Heart-lipped Tongue Orchids.

Corsican Swallowtail, Corsican Wall Brown, Corsican Heath, Corsican Dappled White and Maghreb Burnet were amongst the lepidoptera, whilst other interesting invertebrates included Island Bluetail, Mediterranean Slant-faced and Sardinian Stone Grasshoppers, Mediterranean Water Cricket, Bacillus Stick Insect and Yellow-tailed European Scorpion. We encountered some superb herpetofauna including Tyrrhenian Tree Frog, Pygmy Algyroides, Viperine Snake, Moorish Gecko, Hermann’s Tortoise, Ocellated Skink, vast numbers of Tyrrhenian Wall Lizard, and were privileged to see the seldom encountered Gene's Cave Salamander. Visits to the Nuraghi villages, traditional coffee shops and tasting the local wine and beer provided even further interest!’

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‘Southern Spain’s Coto Doñana National Park is widely regarded as one of Europe’s best birdwatching sites, and for good reason’ writes co-leader, George Vincent. ‘Our trip took us across a variety of habitats, revealing a broad range of avian delights along the way. Our base was a comfortable hotel located on the western edge of Coto Doñana, in a sleepy town called El Rocío which could have been lifted straight from the set of a spaghetti western, with its sandy streets complete with hitching posts and white-washed buildings.

We enjoyed some relaxed birding at the ‘Madre de las Marismas’ lagoon, a stone’s throw from our hotel, where we were greeted daily by scores of Black-winged Stilt, Greater Flamingo, Glossy Ibis and flocks of Collared Pratincole, recently arrived from their wintering grounds in tropical Africa. On our forays into the park’s core area, we criss-crossed the labyrinth of sandy tracks, open grassland and Stone Pine forest, and were rewarded with many of our target species, including European Bee-eater, Southern Grey Shrike, Great Spotted Cuckoo and the mighty Spanish Imperial Eagle. On one of our longer woodland walks, we were also afforded fantastic views of Lesser-spotted Woodpecker – a real highlight for many. In the wetlands, we were graced by an array of warblers and waterfowl, including the beautiful and rare Marbled Teal. We also encountered five species of mammal and numerous butterflies, including Spanish Festoon, Continental Swallowtail and Western Dappled White, to name but a few. To top off the tour, we were blessed with some consistently glorious weather – a welcome contrast from London’s dreary skies!


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‘Our March tour was a huge success’ writes leader Mugdha Deshpande. ‘We explored every bit of the central Indian forests, with 40 Tiger sightings, five Leopards, one Sloth Bear, seven Dhole, 165 bird species, 26 mammals, 14 reptiles, and 33 invertebrates such as spiders, butterflies and scorpions. We also experienced a wide range of seasons, from pleasantly warm days to some rain and hail storms in Satpura and Kanha.

We witnessed a great deal of action from three Tigers in Tadoba: Maya, Rudra, and Balram. On our first safari, we saw two males, Rudra and Balram, following each other's scent due to territory overlap. We continued to look for signs over the next few days until, on our final drive through Tadoba, we saw both males engaged in a brutal fight for the female. Tigress Maya was anxious as she emerged from the bamboo thicket. Following her was Balram, the father of Maya's current cub. His left front leg was badly injured and bleeding. After some time, Rudra suddenly appeared; he had several bruises on his face and walked with a limp.

Another highlight of the tour was seeing a pair of Dusky Eagle Owls in Satpura. In addition, we were fortunate to spend some time alone with two different Tigresses and cubs. One vehicle spent about 30 minutes with DJ and her 4-month-old cubs on our second day in Kanha. Then, later that evening, another vehicle spent about an hour alone with Tigress MV3 and her two subadult male cubs.’


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‘Dorset is the herpetological hotspot of the UK with all six native reptiles inhabiting the extensive heathland habitat that blankets much of the county’ says tour leader Josh Phangurha. ‘On the first day we struck gold in finding all three native snakes: the rare Smooth Snake (Coronella austriaca), Grass Snake (Natrix helvetica) and Adder (Vipera berus). Under the supervision of licensed Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC) staff, Smooth Snakes could be admired in the hand, a unique opportunity for all the guests. We then encountered a striking male Sand Lizard (Lacerta agilis), which was boasting emerald green flanks – stunning! Common Lizards (Zootoca vivipara) scuttled away from our feet.

One of Britain’s rarest amphibians, the Natterjack Toad (Epidalea calamita), was found in the evening towards the coast, thanks to unique site access with ARC staff. Despite the cold conditions, we found one Natterjack in its burrow and one in a pond, its yellow dorsal stripe clear to see. What a privilege!

On the second day our first Slow Worms (Anguis fragilis), Britain’s only legless lizard, appeared under a tin. Moments later, we found another Grass Snake under a tin, a good-sized male with a typical creamy-yellow "collar".

The highlight for some was looking for Great-crested Newts (Triturus cristatus). We landed an impressive male, which we gently coaxed into a container for easier viewing. Its flamboyant, wobbling crest and white tail stripe, which is characteristic of a male, was clear to see. Guests were then ‘wowed’ by the ventral colouration – bright orange with a series of black spots. Striking!’


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‘The north of Cyprus is another country. Dominated by a chain of mountains, topped with castles and monasteries, rising up to 3,000ft, it has a fantastic flora and is the stopping-off place for many migrant birds’ writes co-leader Pip O'Brien. ‘The natives are mainly Turkish Cypriots though with a large influx of young people from mainland Turkey. Almost the entire region is within sight of the Mediterranean, deep blue and sparkling and with the odd Kingfisher perched on coastal rocks for some fishing.

Up on the Panhandle (Karpaz Peninsula) we stayed in a rustic village guesthouse where we ate traditional Cypriot food. We explored a landscape yellow with Crown Daisies and pink with wild gladioli. Ruins of ancient civilisations are scattered along the coast amid olive groves and small barley fields. Villages here are rambling with a mix of new and abandoned houses, but all with citrus trees in the gardens spreading the smell of orange blossom. The low shrubby vegetation of mastic bushes and Juniper provides a wonderful habitat for an assortment of warblers. Spring migration was in full flow and small flocks of White and Yellow Wagtails were seen feeding on short grass before moving on, while a group of Eurasian Spoonbill were spotted high up heading for Turkey. The birding highlight had to be the Francolin who posed on a sandstone column with the sea behind him. Plant highlights included a mountainside covered in Naked Man Orchids (Orchis italica) and finding the Cyprus Bee Orchid (Ophrys kotschyi).’


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‘“There’s the Wallcreeper – right in front of us”; “The bear coming now is a 23-year-old male – the young are very wary”; “The Broad-billed Sandpiper is just to the left of all those Curlew Sandpipers”; “That Camberwell Beauty is just on those low branches – we can almost touch it”. These are just some of the excited observations from my group on this tour to Romania’s Danube Delta and Carpathian Mountains, which was truly stunning’ writes leader Andy Bunten.

‘We were blessed with near perfect weather; the light picking out the azure blues of the European Rollers that adorned the perches in the Delta and steppes, and the charcoal greys and rufous of the hovering Red-footed Falcons.

Our trip covered three areas: initially the low slopes of the snow-capped mountains of the Piatra Craiului National Park where we found Brown Bears, Camberwell Beauty, Lesser Spotted Eagles and a memorable encounter with a Wallcreeper; then the wondrous Danube Delta where we stayed on a floating hotel with White-tailed Eagles, countless herons and egrets, Savi’s Warblers, Pelicans and Thrush Nightingales as near neighbours and, finally, the hills and steppes of the area near the Black Sea with Steppe Buzzard, Lesser Grey Shrike and pools teeming with White-winged, Black and Whiskered Terns.

Every part of this trip was memorable, but an undoubted favourite was our time in the Delta on our floating hotel moored, miles from anywhere, the dawn heralding a bewildering array of bird song from the extensive reedbeds and willows as we clasped our early morning coffee in our hands. Perfection!’


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'This 8-day spring tour to Provence was blessed with fine weather’ says leader Neil McMahon. ‘Using Sault as our initial base, we enjoyed the surrounding fields and dry woodlands, and wandered further afield to explore the slopes of Mont Ventoux, the charming village of Brantes, the wonderful upland plateau at St May and the valley connecting to the Gorges de la Nesque. Granite and limestone buttresses, clear stony streams and dry, loamy fields contrasted with the dwarf oak woodlands and thicker pine belts. Lavender is the dominant crop, but protected valleys shield orchards, vineyards, cereal crops and grassy meadows, the general non-intensive farming providing room for wildflowers and emergent spring plants.

Warm thermals attracted Griffon Vultures, Short-toed Eagles, Common Buzzards and Black Kites and the villages and cliffs were home to just-arrived House Martins, Common and Alpine Swifts, with a few Crag Martins for good measure. Night drives found Roe Deer, Red Fox, Brown Hare and Badger and, during our early morning walks, we were serenaded by singing Black Redstarts, Common Redstarts, Serins, Firecrests and Western Bonelli's Warblers. Marsh Frogs called noisily from any standing water, toads flopped across the roads at night and sun-loving butterflies included the stunning Cleopatra, Moroccan Orange-tip, Glanville Fritillary and Scarce and Common Swallowtails. Lady Orchids were in bloom, wild Southern Tulips swayed in the warm breeze and blossom-laden trees and bushes were everywhere.

The second part of the tour explored the Camargue from our hotel on the outskirts of the historic town of Arles. The reserve at Marais du Vigueirat, the fields and freshwater etangs at Mas d'Agon and the brackish waters of Etang de Vaccares are always firm favourites as they yield plenty of wildlife. We also visited the saltpans on the east side of the region and the excellent Parc Ornithologique at Pont de Gau for our fix of flamboyant pink flamingoes, numerous herons and ibis, terns, gulls and waders. The relatively warm and early spring provided an opportunity to witness arrivals of Eurasian Bee-eaters, Rollers, a Wryneck or two with plenty of Whiskered and Gull-billed Terns and hundreds of pink-flushed Slender-billed Gulls. Other wildlife included a night-time encounter with Wild Boar, plenty of Coypus, a couple of displaying Little Bustards and a rush of dragonflies and sun-loving reptiles. We finished the tour with a visit to the stony plain of de Crau and enjoyed Stone Curlew, Lesser Kestrel, Southern Grey Shrike, Bath White and Western Marbled White butterflies and even an Ocellated Lizard and a couple of Great Spotted Cuckoos.'


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‘Naturetrek’s ”The Best of Bhutan, Manas & Kaziranga” tour has always been my favourite, as it visits a wide variety of habitats and altitudes’ writes tour leader Sujan Chatterjee. ‘Some of the highlights in Bhutan included the fantastic mountain scenery, the superb metallic-blue Himalayan Monal on Pele La Pass, the trek to the Tiger’s Nest Monastery, and some of the best Bhutanese hospitality. We also saw the most beautiful Black-necked Cranes in Phobjikha Valley.

Manas was wonderful, with all the green pigeons and broadbills showing well. The Malayan or Black Giant Squirrels were found everywhere, along with the beautiful Capped Langurs. The grasslands of Kaziranga gave us good numbers of Greater One-horned Rhinos, Smooth-coated Otters, fantastic views of Asiatic Water Buffaloes, Pallas’s Fish Eagles, and Black-necked Storks. Driving along the highway in Kaziranga gave some superb views of Hoolock Gibbons. Amazing! Last but not least was the Sundarbans extension. This vast mangrove is home to several species of kingfisher; the glorious gems of Common, Pied, White-throated, Black-capped, and the fantastic Brown-winged Kingfisher were all seen, as well as White-bellied Sea Eagle. Among the reptiles, we saw the Water Monitor and a couple of massive Saltwater Crocodiles.’


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