Lesley Coombes – Reservations & Customer Support

Lesley works in the Reservations team where, in addition to responding to our website enquiries, she answers the phone with lightning-speed, helping with all general enquiries! Having travelled extensively, she has a vast general knowledge of the world and this, combined with her years in the airline industry, makes her a mine of useful information. Lesley takes bookings, payments and is responsible for sending out our Day Trip joining instructions. She also assists with our Open Days at Naturetrek HQ, where she cooks excellent bacon rolls! She is a keen walker, especially of the UK’s coastline, and volunteers for the Basingstoke Canal Society, where she educates visitors about the canal’s wildlife.  

For nearly 30 years Lesley worked within the airline industry, during which she was fortunate to have been able to explore many parts of the world. Her exploits have included a Tuk Tuk challenge across Sri Lanka for the ‘Flying Start’ Comic Relief charity, travelling from Russia to China on the Trans-Siberian train and several safari trips in East Africa, all the while looking out for the local wildlife and savouring the greatly varied cultures. It was during a visit to the Galápagos Islands that she fell in love with the diverse wildlife, and a spark was ignited to become more involved in dedicated wildlife travel, and to work for a company where sharing and helping to preserve these precious destinations was paramount. Whilst she has visited numerous countries throughout the world, her wanderlust hasn’t been quenched, and she still thrives on exploring far flung corners of the globe in search of fascinating culture and, of course, wonderful wildlife!