Go Slow... in Istria in Autumn

Tour Code: HRV04

An 8-day Go Slow holiday to Croatian and Slovenian Istria to enjoy the region's wildlife, gastronomy and a little history.

8 days from
£1,295 (Inc flights)
Land only price from
£1,175
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Highlights

Summary

Summary

No tour summary is currently available. Please download the tour itinerary for details.

 

 

Istria represents an extraordinary compendium of natural beauty, history and civilization at the crossroads of Europe stretching back beyond the Romans and into prehistory. This Go Slow holiday incorporates nature and culture, history and cuisine in a relaxing schedule of local guided walks in breathtaking Karst scenery in the mornings, optional visits to nearby cultural sites after lunch and magnificent Istrian dinners each evening. Based in the modern San Stefano complex at the thermal baths at Istarska Toplice, you can opt out from the itinerary whenever you wish to go swimming or enjoy a therapeutic massage.

After a short flight to Trieste it is just a 90 minute drive to our hotel, where each of our daily natural history excursions will be within 25km of our base. The grounds of the hotel include a stunning set of limestone cliffs with Blue Rock Thrush and Black Redstart present all year. If the autumn has not been too cold there should still be some butterflies about including the second and third broods of Heath and Spotted Fritillaries and a variety of blues and skippers, as well as scarce autumn butterflies such as the False Grayling. Whilst the flora of the Karst is largely a spring affair, the woods and meadows will be enlivened by Cyclamen purpurascens, as well as displays of purple Autumn Crocus.

After lunch, our excursions take on a more cultural air, with visits to the Roman arena in Pula, the sixth largest surviving to the modern day, the hilltop towns of Motovun-Montona and Grožnjan-Grisignana, the fabulous frescoes in the Romanesque church of Hrastovlje, the caves at Baredine and the tiny walled “city” of Hum. Evenings will be spent in two magnificent local restaurants with wonderful meals that reflect the long period of Venetian and Italian domination in this area with fresh pasta, gnocchi, truffles and wild boar, with a nod to the best of Balkan cuisine in the form of cevapcici sausages and mixed grills…and a glass of delicious local wine!

DETAILED INFORMATION
Sample Itineraries

Outline Itinerary

Day 1
Fly Trieste, transfer San Stefano
Day 2/7
Morning natural history walks and optional afternoon cultural excursions
Day 8
Transfer Trieste, fly London Stansted
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REVIEWS
DATES AND PRICES

DATES AND PRICES

2019

Departures Availability Cost
Tue 1st Oct - Tue 8th Oct FULL £1,295
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
 £1,175
Room sharing options:
If a customer on this departure has already expressed an interest in sharing a room it will be flagged here. We will identify if there are sharing options for male, female or both.
 Not available
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
 £150
Tour Leader:
Please note that, whilst we assign leaders to particular tours well in advance, we reserve the right to make changes if necessary
Paul Tout
TL Paul Tout

Tour Leader: Paul Tout

Paul, a British and Irish citizen, is a naturalist and translator, and started serious birding at the age of 11 before broadening his interests to include butterflies, botany and other vertebrates. He began bird ringing at the age of 14 with the Rye Meads Ringing Group and between 1985 and 1989 he worked as an ecologist in Epping Forest in NE London. Coming to live in NE Italy in 1989, he worked as a teacher in an international school for 15 years, living in the Italian Karst close to the border with Slovenia. Paul was a founding member and first President of the Regional birdwatching and wildlife association, ASTORE-FVG with more than 200 members. He has led wildlife tours in the area since 1993, and his favourite pastime is communicating his enthusiasm for wildlife and nature to others, in the field, via the internet and via twitter.

Thu 10th Oct - Thu 17th Oct 6 £1,295
BOOK TOUR SHOW DETAILS
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
 £1,175
Room sharing options:
If a customer on this departure has already expressed an interest in sharing a room it will be flagged here. We will identify if there are sharing options for male, female or both.
 Not available
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
 £150
Tour Leader:
Please note that, whilst we assign leaders to particular tours well in advance, we reserve the right to make changes if necessary
Paul Tout
TL Paul Tout

Tour Leader: Paul Tout

Paul, a British and Irish citizen, is a naturalist and translator, and started serious birding at the age of 11 before broadening his interests to include butterflies, botany and other vertebrates. He began bird ringing at the age of 14 with the Rye Meads Ringing Group and between 1985 and 1989 he worked as an ecologist in Epping Forest in NE London. Coming to live in NE Italy in 1989, he worked as a teacher in an international school for 15 years, living in the Italian Karst close to the border with Slovenia. Paul was a founding member and first President of the Regional birdwatching and wildlife association, ASTORE-FVG with more than 200 members. He has led wildlife tours in the area since 1993, and his favourite pastime is communicating his enthusiasm for wildlife and nature to others, in the field, via the internet and via twitter.

2020

Departures Availability Cost
Tue 29th Sep - Tue 6th Oct SPACES £1,295
BOOK TOUR SHOW DETAILS
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
 £1,175
Room sharing options:
If a customer on this departure has already expressed an interest in sharing a room it will be flagged here. We will identify if there are sharing options for male, female or both.
 Not available
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
 £150
Tour Leader:
Please note that, whilst we assign leaders to particular tours well in advance, we reserve the right to make changes if necessary
Paul Tout
TL Paul Tout

Tour Leader: Paul Tout

Paul, a British and Irish citizen, is a naturalist and translator, and started serious birding at the age of 11 before broadening his interests to include butterflies, botany and other vertebrates. He began bird ringing at the age of 14 with the Rye Meads Ringing Group and between 1985 and 1989 he worked as an ecologist in Epping Forest in NE London. Coming to live in NE Italy in 1989, he worked as a teacher in an international school for 15 years, living in the Italian Karst close to the border with Slovenia. Paul was a founding member and first President of the Regional birdwatching and wildlife association, ASTORE-FVG with more than 200 members. He has led wildlife tours in the area since 1993, and his favourite pastime is communicating his enthusiasm for wildlife and nature to others, in the field, via the internet and via twitter.

WHY NATURETREK?

Why Naturetrek?

At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:

  • The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
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