News in Brief: Poland, Romania, Madagascar and Indonesia

Read about highlights from recent tours to Poland, Romania, Madagascar and Indonesia …

'This year's “Poland in Autumn” trip was blessed with good weather and plenty of wildlife to enthuse over’, writes tour leader Neil McMahon. ‘The first section of the tour centred around the ancient forest at Bialowieza where quality mammals included European Bison and Pine Marten and listening to roaring Red Deer stags. The birds were good too, with sightings of Three-toed Woodpecker, Nightjar, Northern Pygmy Owl and extraordinary numbers of Hawfinches. Raptors were a regular feature of the tour and in the Biebrza Marshes we enjoyed one memorable day where we saw 12 species including four Spotted Eagles. Elk put in an appearance, European Beaver provided excellent close views at night and Red Squirrel and Roe Deer were seen on several days. Common Cranes are an increasingly regular sight in this part of the world, and we saw plenty. The last few days were spent exploring different sections of the Vistula Spit, a renowned migration hotspot on the Baltic Sea coastline. Visible migration included wildfowl, raptors, waders, terns and plenty of passerines. A 3-hour visit to the centre of Gdansk proved very popular.'

Our next ‘Poland in Autumn’ holiday departs on 5th September 2020, prices start at £1,695. For more information please click on the link above, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

‘The main focus of the tour was birds and it didn’t disappoint, with a final count of close to 150 species’, writes tour leader Jason Mitchell. ‘One of the star birds – the Great White Pelican – was migrating in good numbers over the Danube and the rare Dalmatian Pelican was more numerous than usual, with sightings well into double figures. White-tailed Eagles were seen daily during our three days on the mighty Danube and other exciting raptors included Red-footed Falcon, Booted Eagle and Osprey. Seven different woodpeckers went down well, with Black, Syrian and Grey-headed the pick of the bunch. However, this tour was more than just birds and proved at times something of a mammal fest; on the first day alone, seven different species were recorded including a stunning Wild Cat and an amazing 15 Brown Bears from a feeding station in the Carpathian Mountains. Later in the week we added Chamois, Racoon Dog and the ever-popular European Souslik – an endearing type of ground squirrel. Butterflies were another well-represented group and it was unsurprising that the Painted Lady was seen in numbers following a bumper year across Europe but less familiar species like the large and impressive Cardinal Fritillary, showy European Swallowtail and Common Glider were all show-stoppers. Not to be left out, amphibians and reptiles got in on the act too, with the Macin Hills providing a smart Common Tree Frog and a surprise Spur-thighed Tortoise which had its five minutes of fame before retreating back into its shell! And finally, a splash of culture added yet another dimension to a hugely successful tour with visits to the Neo-Renaissance Peleș Castle in Prahova and the home of Bram Stoker’s Dracula – the famous Transylvanian castle of Bran.’

Our next ‘Romania's Danube Delta & Carpathian Mountains’ holiday departs on 27th April 2020, prices start at £1,795. For more information please click on the link above, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

‘Our “Madagascar’s Lemurs” group enjoyed fabulous sightings of 20 lemur species and 126 bird species’, writes tour leader Cathy Harlow. ‘Especially memorable were the playful antics of the Ring-tailed Lemurs and their babies at Anja, the acrobatic Diademed Sifakas at Andasibe and the eye-to-eye encounter with groups of very vocal Indris. A chance encounter gave us a memorable moment with a Vontsira (Ring-tailed Mongoose) who paused on the path ahead of us, waiting for its youngster to catch up.  With the help of the excellent park guides we also found many endemic bird species, with especially rewarding views of Velvet Asity, Long-tailed Ground Roller, Giant Coua and Sub-desert Mesite. But 'bird of the trip' has to be a Short-legged Ground Roller perched on a branch, taking a good 20 minutes to swallow the rather large Madagascar Bright-eyed Frog we witnessed it catch.’ 

Our next ‘Madagascar’s Lemurs’ holiday departs on 19th September 2020, prices start at £4,495. For more information please click on the link above, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

‘Guests on this 14-day tour of the pristine and unspoiled islands of Indonesia were treated to a wonderful array of sightings!’, writes tour leader Sara Frost. ‘We firstly spent two full days birdwatching on Bali’s north-west coast, the highlights of which were seeing the critically endangered Bali Starling, along with Javan Banded Pitta and Yellow-throated Hanging Parrot. Once on board our private cruise ship, we started sailing from Bali towards Komodo and had fantastic sightings of cetaceans en route, totalling eight species: Common and Indo-pacific Bottlenose, Risso’s, Pantropical Spotted, Spinner and Fraser’s Dolphins plus Dwarf Sperm Whales and Melon-headed Whales. The group also enjoyed breathtaking snorkelling over stunning, colourful coral reefs (each reef resembling tranquil underwater gardens!) which were teeming with such life as Green and Hawksbill Turtles, Black-tip Reef Sharks, Moray Eels, Nudibranchs and (quite literally!) a countless number of fish species. On land, we explored the islands of Komodo and Rinca, with the guided walks on both islands providing excellent views of the formidable Komodo Dragons, as well as Yellow-crested Cockatoos, Flame-breasted Sunbirds, Orange-footed Scrubfowl and Green Junglefowl (to mention only a few species!). Our experience was very much enhanced by the ever-attentive crew of our vessel – both on board and when in the water! This was truly a superb trip, a ‘must do’ for any keen snorkeller or tropical wildlife enthusiast!’

Our next ‘Bali to Komodo – In Search of the Dragon!’ holiday departs on 6th September 2021, prices start at £6,795. For more information please click on the link above, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..