August 2023

‘Our recent “Mongolia's Snow Leopards” tour was a huge success’ writes tour leader Tom Mabbett. ‘In the Altai Mountains we were blown away by a fabulous adult Snow Leopard and also enjoyed three young animals interacting at close quarters at a den
site for a prolonged period! It really was a fantastic team effort to succeed with such excellent views of the “Ghost of the Mountains”. We also enjoyed Wolf, Pallas's Cat, super views of the critically endangered Saiga Antelope, Siberian Ibex, Przewalski’s Horse and four species of Jerboa among a total of 25 mammal species!

Birding along the way produced a huge range of specialities including Azure Tit, Pallas's Sandgrouse, Henderson's Ground Jay, Altai Accentor, Lammergeier and Altai Snowcock. Visiting the “Great Lakes Depression” we found a great variety of passage waders including Terek Sandpiper, Greater Sand Plover, Temminck’s, Little and Red-necked Stints and, on one pool, over 40 Red-necked Phalaropes. White-naped, Demoiselle and Common Cranes were also a highlight, with Greenish, Arctic and Sulphur-bellied Warblers and Brown and Isabelline Shrikes commonly seen among around 140 species of birds. The ger camps in the Altai Mountains and Hustai National Park are cosy and comfortable, with delicious meals, and we were very well looked after by a fantastic team, which essentially enabled a possible sighting of the once near-mythical Snow Leopard to become a reality.

Click here to watch a short video of the three young Snow Leopards we were lucky enough to observe near their den site. Filmed by tour participant Brian Clasper.’

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Whales & Dolphins of the Azores

August 2023

‘This superb whale-watching holiday to the island of Pico produced fantastic daily sightings of Sperm Whales, and we were even treated to a curious calf approaching our boat and rolling around multiple times right alongside and underneath us as we watched’ writes tour leader Sara Frost.

‘We also saw a mother and calf Bryde’s Whale, pods of Atlantic Spotted, Bottlenose and Common Dolphins, Loggerhead Turtles, several Portuguese Man O’Wars, large rafts of Cory Shearwaters, plus Common and Sandwich Terns. Daily whale-watching excursions were broken up by lunches in sunny cafes, refreshing swims in the hotel pool and delicious ice creams!

A day and a half on land also allowed us to explore the unique volcanic vineyards (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), go wine tasting, visit the extensive Gruta das Torres collapsed lava tube (the largest in Portuguese territory at 5km long) with its walls and ceiling glittering with silver and gold bacteria, and visit a lake and marshy habitats, where we enjoyed the tame Azorean subspecies of Chaffinch and the day-flying Azorean Noctule Bat at a nearby hillside covered in juniper trees. We also went to Lajes, Pico’s first main settlement, where we visited a whaling museum and walked along the coastline to explore the lagoons. Finally, on our last night, we sat along the shore in the warm evening air, listening to the calls of hundreds of Cory Shearwaters returning from the sea to their cliff burrows. We even had a shooting star from the Perseid meteor shower to round it off – a magical way to end a fantastic trip!’

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Whales & Dolphins of Monterey Bay

August 2023

‘The first of our holidays to Monterey Bay this year enjoyed sightings of thousands of Long-beaked Common Dolphins surrounding the boat, showing off with leaps, tail slaps and bow riding’ writes tour leader Alison Steel. ‘Each time we went out on the water we had a different experience, and the Humpback Whales did not disappoint either. Many were feeding up on the large schools of fish found in the bay, while others could be seen fin slapping, breaching and playing in the kelp.

There were also plentiful Sooty Shearwaters, Western Gulls, Common Murres and various other auks, shearwaters and albatrosses. Sea Otters were often observed around the harbour and the California Sea Lions could be smelt before they were seen! The Pacific Highway provided some magnificent scenery and the Northern Elephant Seals near San Simeon were impressive in their size as they dozed on the beach. A final morning in the Carmel Valley produced Acorn Woodpecker, California Scrub Jay and California Ground Squirrel in brilliant sunshine – an excellent way to round off the tour.’

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August 2023

‘Our “Brazil – Just Jaguars” tour was a triumph’ says Operations Assistant Simon Dicks. ‘Wonderful views of Jaguar were enjoyed on each of our boat trips from the flotel and Giant Otters were seen well on all but one. A real highlight was a rare Neotropical Otter which our group watched for half an hour, straight after observing a pair of Giant Otters!

The wildlife was plentiful from the moment we arrived at the gate of the Transpantaneira. At our first lodge, we enjoyed a sunrise walk where Rufescent Tiger Heron, Jabiru Stork, Wood Stork and Roseate Spoonbill were common. As for mammals, a pair of Crab-eating Foxes showed well, Capuchin Monkeys foraged in the trees around the lodge and South American Coati and Azara’s Agouti roamed the grounds. A feeding station attracted such species as Saffron Finch, Yellow-billed and Red-crested Cardinals, as well as Scaled Pigeon, Ruddy Ground Dove and Crested Oropendola. We enjoyed great views of Yacare Caiman daily, with Yellow Anaconda a real bonus!

The Jaguar Flotel is the perfect base and we were successful with daily sightings of Jaguar hunting and resting on the riverbanks in the open. Again, excellent birdlife surrounded us with several species of heron, kingfisher and egret while raptors included Snail Kite, Crested Caracara, Black-collared Hawk, Great Black Hawk, Osprey and Bat Falcon. At dusk, Fan-tailed Nighthawks hunted above us as the sun set.

At our final lodge, there were two undoubted highlights: wonderful views of an Ocelot at a viewing screen allowed close-up views of this special feline, and then on our last night we watched a Brazilian Tapir in the spotlight. What a fabulous trip from start to finish!’

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August 2023

‘Our "Borneo's Orangutans" holiday was a great success’ says tour leader Rahman Mandu. ‘On this tour we travelled from Sepilok along the Kinabatangan River and ended up in the Danum Valley surrounded by primary untouched rainforest. Two of the group then continued to Tabin for a 3-night extension. Six Orangutans were encountered, one of them being a mother and her baby seen on the boat ride along the Kinabatangan River. A total of 25 mammal species were encountered, and among the many star species were Red Langur, Western Tarsier, Bornean Slow Loris, Bornean Colugo, Moonrat and Red Giant Flying Squirrel, along with all of the other primate species – nine out of ten primates were recorded in this region! 86 species of birds were enjoyed including seven hornbill species and a few endemics such as Bornean Bristlehead, Blue Headed Pitta, Bornean Crested Fireback, and Bornean Spiderhunter. All this, while enjoying everything we were lucky enough to encounter and having a lot of fun along the way!’

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