June 2024

‘We all knew that we were in for an adventure when we set out on this trip but I think it’s fair to say that the experience far exceeded all our expectations!’ writes tour leader Andy Smith. ‘This pioneering road trip across central and western Mongolia covered steppe, desert, boreal forest, lakes, marshes and mountains, and took us through a seemingly endless sequence of largely unpeopled landscapes of a scale, beauty and grandeur beyond words.

Then there was the wildlife! We saw many of the special birds of Mongolia including White-naped Crane, Oriental Plover, Pallas’s Sandgrouse, Mongolian Ground Jay, Long-tailed Rosefinch and the understated Kozlov’s Accentor. Around the many lakes, we found a wealth of wetland birds including Bar-headed and Swan Geese, Falcated and White-headed Ducks, Stejneger’s Scoters, Demoiselle Cranes, dazzling White-winged Terns and good numbers of ever impressive Pallas’s Gulls. The grasslands brought Mongolian Larks, Upland Buzzards, Pere David’s Snow Finches and countless Isabelline Wheatears, whilst in the high mountains we searched for and found Altai Accentors, Güldenstädt’s Redstarts, Siberian Rubythroats and elusive Altai Snowcocks. In the boreal forests there were singing Arctic, Dusky and Greenish Warblers, Red-flanked Bluetails, Red-throated Thrushes and gorgeous Eversmann’s Redstarts, whilst other goodies along the way included Pallas’s Reed Buntings, Great Rosefinch, Pallas’s Fish Eagles, Saker Falcons and lots of Cinereous Vultures and Golden Eagles.

But it wasn’t all about birds. A rich array of mammals included Corsac and Red Foxes, Saiga Antelopes, Mongolian and Black-tailed Gazelles, Siberian Ibex and, on one memorable morning, a marvellous Pallas’s Cat. Best of all though, towards the end of the trip, was an astonishing chance encounter in the Altai Mountains with a Snow Leopard at its recent Ibex kill. What amazing luck and what a fantastic creature! The quality of our views of the animal and the spectacular top-of-the-world setting made for a truly unforgettable experience.

With comfortable serviced camping, rugged 4x4 vehicles, an excellent local team to support our journey and a very enjoyable immersion into Mongolian culture, this was something of a trip of a lifetime. So, if you fancy an adventure…’

View tour

June 2024

'With a record number of participants, two tour guides and two minibuses, we began our Norway adventure with a 30-hour ferry trip which, on this occasion, proved quiet but still yielded a White-tailed Eagle and a variety of common seabirds’ writes tour leader Neil McMahon. ‘Two days on the Lofotens, with fabulous accommodation at Reine, coincided with a wonderful day of sunshine to show off the lofty peaks, blue waters and totally stunning scenery that this archipelago is famous for. Add some more White-tailed Eagles, Mountain Hare, the rare Twinflower, house-nesting Kittiwakes, twangy Twite and a pod of Orca skirting around the edges of rocks and you can see why no one wanted to go to bed during the 24-hour daylight conditions!

The second part of the tour was based on the island of Andoya, part of the Vesteralen Islands, where our accommodation was nestled alongside some light woodland and uplands and some fabulous coastal lagoons, which provided plenty of birds including breeding Wood Sandpipers and a brief view of an Otter. A mixture of weather didn't dent our enthusiasm and we perhaps should have described the tour as 'Elk and Owls' such was the manner of our observations and numbers of those stunning Short-eared Owls and the magnificent heavy-duty deer browsing out in the open. Confiding Willow Grouse, a Puffin and White-tailed Eagle safari, Common Cranes, Yellow Coralroot, roding Woodcock and a brief Goshawk were all memorable moments during the back half of the tour.'

View tour

June 2024

‘Eleven clients joined us in exploring the wildlife and landscapes of this unique and little-known part of the UK on a relaxed yet wildlife-filled holiday’ writes tour leader Su Gough. ‘We criss-crossed the beautiful and atmospheric Brecks, a large area straddling the Norfolk and Suffolk borders in East Anglia where wildlife abounds and history goes deep. The weather couldn’t have been better as we explored a bewildering array of habitats, from dry breck grassland to deep and shady conifer forests. Despite being an area known for dryness, it is also one where water plays a surprisingly big role and the wetland habitats didn’t disappoint either.

Bitterns, Stone Curlews, Nightjars, Long-eared Owls and Woodlarks all entertained us as we searched for beautiful plants, including the Breckland speciality Spanish Catchfly and the ‘Ice Cream’ Orchid – so rare it doesn’t even have an official English name! Semi- and fully parasitic plants vied with insect-eating ones for our attention, and we couldn’t ignore the insects either! Dragonflies in particular stole the show, with showy and more cryptic species all being revealed, but butterflies and moths proved popular as well, including an unexpected find of a Red-tipped Clearwing moth, a new species for everyone, including the leaders!’

View tour

June 2024

‘On our ferry crossing to Islay, we immediately saw Black Guillemot and passed a fishing Osprey, followed by good views of large rafts of Manx Shearwater and brief views of two Bottlenose Dolphins’ writes tour leader Neil Murphy. ‘Our first day found us at the RSPB reserve at the Mull of Oa, with highlights being a pair of Golden Eagles being mobbed by a very brave Peregrine Falcon.

Loch Gruinart was alive with the sound of drumming Common Snipe, while two unseasonal Whooper Swans and several Hen Harriers were also seen. Another day saw us drive around the Rinns of Islay, stopping at Portnahaven to view the Grey Seals and breeding Arctic Terns. Hen Harriers were again a highlight of the day, together with Red-billed Chough at both the beautiful Ardnave dunes and Machir Bay. On Jura, we had great views of the cloud-shrouded Paps of Jura and saw many Red Deer, after which the island is named (in old Norse), before having lunch on the beach in the beautiful Ardlussa Bay. Wildlife highlights included two Great Northern Divers and a superb Marsh Fritillary butterfly.

Our final full day saw us drive to the Islay Woollen Mill, where the bird feeders were alive with Eurasian Siskin and Coal Tit. Here, we did a riverside walk, disturbing countless Chimney Sweeper moths and a Spotted Flycatcher which showed well. Orchids had been a feature of our week and we saw many more here but also spotted a newly emerged Drinker moth and the warm sunshine brought out Golden-ringed Dragonfly, Large Heath (Scottish form) and another Marsh Fritillary.

As we left Islay waters, large numbers of seabirds were feeding on fish shoals, giving us great views of diving Gannets, more Manx Shearwater, Atlantic Puffin and several Harbour Porpoise. Then the star of the show appeared, a Minke Whale – a fitting conclusion to a superb week. However, we were still not finished, for, as we neared Kennacraig, the ferry sailed past a beautiful pair of breeding plumage Black-throated Divers, a very rare treat!’

View tour

January – February 2024

'A full contingent again for this year's expedition to Cambodia, exploring the temples, culture and wildlife of this fascinating country, and the centre of the once vast ancient Khmer dynasty which dominated much of south-east Asia’ writes leader Neil McMahon. 

‘We began our adventure in Siem Reap, our base for the first four nights and ideally suited for visits to the UNESCO temple complexes of Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm and Bayon. We also undertook excursions to the Royal Park and other areas nearby, which provided us with views of energetic Pileated Gibbons, day-roosting Flying Foxes and a variety of birds and arboreal mammals.

 The next day saw us on boats traversing the channels of Tonle Sap, the largest freshwater lake in south-east Asia and home to thousands of waterbirds. Herons, egrets, pelicans, ibises, cormorants, Oriental Darters and storks vied with kingfishers, bee-eaters, terns and raptors for our attention. We were very fortunate to enjoy good views of the endangered Germaine's Lemur in waterside bushes and our lunch was in a restaurant in one of the amazing floating villages. We finished the day enjoying the antics of a small colony of Asian Golden Weavers at their nests.

The next two days saw us exploring grasslands and open flat agricultural areas interspersed with trees and the remnant birdlife included endangered Bengal Floricans and Sarus Cranes, stunning Pied Harriers, Spotted Eagles, Eastern Imperial Eagle, three species of owl and a huge variety of passerines including a wintering flock of Yellow-breasted Buntings.

Tmat Boey gave us views of Cambodia's national bird, the Giant Ibis, plus endangered White-shouldered Ibis and the rich birdlife of the dipterocarp forest, with remarkable numbers of woodpeckers and other highlights such as Collared Scop's Owl and Savanna Nightjar.

Moving further east, our 'vulture restaurant' experience yielded all three hoped-for species of endangered Asiatic vultures and much more, and our adventures by boat on the River Mekong provided close encounters with Irrawaddy Dolphins, the range-restricted Mekong Wagtail and simply gorgeous Small Pratincoles. The highlands close to the Vietnamese border brought us new mammals in the shape of a Sunda Colugo, Southern Yellow-cheeked Crested Gibbons and Black-shanked Douc Langurs, with bird highlights perhaps being Long-tailed Broadbill, Asian Fairy-bluebirds and colourful barbets and sunbirds.

Our last couple of days were around the capital, Phnom Penh, where we took in a tour of the Royal Palace, the National Museum and made sure we saw special birds such as Wreathed Hornbill, Great Hornbill and, of course, the charismatic and endemic Cambodian Tailorbird!'

View tour

June 2024

‘An early week in June provided 12 Naturetrekkers with a variety of weather conditions ranging from warm sunny days to brooding, spectacular thunderstorms, luckily occurring after we got back to the hotel each evening’, writes tour leader Andy Patmore.

‘The itinerary was skilfully adjusted to suit the weather conditions and we were rewarded with a real taste of Alpine flora and fauna, not to mention the culinary delights as well!

A long list of floral highlights has to be greatly condensed to include Lady’s Slipper Orchid, Red Helleborine and Alpine meadows full of various gentians, Bird’s-eye Primroses and Globe Flowers. We also enjoyed views of Swallowtail and Wood White butterflies, Golden Eagles, Ring Ouzel, Chamois and Alpine Marmots, amongst many other Alpine fauna.

A splendid family-run hotel with delicious food, stunning views and extensive, beautiful and peaceful grounds made this Bavarian tour an unforgettable holiday, with less than a total of 200 miles travelled in the minibus.’

View tour