17 June 2026

If you’re looking for some last-minute inspiration for lesser-visited parts of Europe, cool destinations to stay out of the heat, a dose of awe in the mountains, or a UK nature break this summer, Naturetrek has put together its recommendations for some of the best natural world tours to experience over the summer months:

Slovenia’s Julian Alps: A Wildlife Coolcation

A single-centre holiday focusing on the flora, scenery, birds, mammals and butterflies of Slovenia's Triglav National Park and Julian Alps. Highlights include wildflower walks on the shores of Lake Bohinj, botanical explorations on Mount Vogel and a visit to Lake Bled. 23-30 June and 1-8 July 2026, £2,195pp.

Switzerland’s Upper Engadine: Cool Alpine Passes and Charming Mountain Rail Rides

Based in the charming alpine town of Pontresina - at 1,800 metres in the Swiss Alps - discover the alpine flora and glorious mountain scenery of the Upper Engadine Valley. Explore colourful meadows and mountain pastures on spectacular mountain walks and travel on the spectacular UNESCO Albula Bernina Railway. 1-8 and 8-15 July 2026, £2,895pp.

A Vienna City Break with a Twist: Hamsters & Sousliks in the Austrian Capital

Enjoy a long weekend in the beautiful city of Vienna, soaking up not only its vibrant history and cafe culture, but also its fascinating and lesser-known wildlife highlights! The city - particularly the vast graveyards and parks on its outskirts - is home to the critically endangered European Hamster, among other smaller mammals. Red Squirrel, European Ground Squirrel (European Souslik) and Roe Deer should also be seen, as well as some incredible avian specimens. This short break will also take in the cultural elements of the city centre, with optional visits to the Natural History Museum, the Schonbrum Palace, St. Stephen's Cathedral or the wonderful neo-gothic Rathaus. 10-13 July 2026, £1,095pp.

Lesser-Visited Italian Northern Alps: Luxurious Vegan Hotel & Tyrolean Wildlife

A leisurely week luxuriating in Italy’s Tyrol in a superb 4* hotel with a natural bathing pool, Finnish sauna, outdoor forest sauna and hot stone lounge, serving a 5-course gourmet vegan menu and vegan breakfast buffet every day. Explore Alpine pastures, flowered meadows, dramatic mountain scenery and crystal-clear lakes for alpine flora such as Edelweiss, mountain birds including Golden Eagle and Nutcracker, and distinctive mammals such as Alpine Marmot and Ibex. 12-19 July 2026, £3,395pp.

Romania from Delta to Mountains: Floating Wildlife Hotels, Brown Bears & Carpathian Birdlife

Beginning in Transylvania, search the peaks and forests of the Carpathians for birds and Brown Bears, then head to the Danube Delta - a vast wetland area - and from the comfort of a floating hotel explore a maze of channels and lakes in search of pelicans, herons and other waterbirds, ending the tour with two days exploring the steppes and marshes of the Black Sea coast. 5-14 August & 16-25 Sept 2026, from £3,195pp.

Scottish Highlands: The, Cool and Wildlife-Rich Ardnamurchan Peninsula

The Ardnamurchan Peninsula is the westernmost area of the British mainland, a wild, remote and scenic place with a mild, moist and temperate climate. On this 8-day tour the group will stay on the Ardnamurchan Estate on the south coast of the peninsula, from where it will make day-time and night-time excursions to look for the region’s special mammals, including Wildcat. Explore the cool and shady nearby woodland which holds a high density of one of Britain’s most beautiful and elusive mammals, the Pine Marten, as well as Roe, Fallow and Red Deer, Badger and Fox. Enjoy cool coastal breezes in search of Otters, seals and seabirds along the sheltered bays of the peninsula, as well as a boat trip to spot Minke Whales and other cetaceans. 17-24 August 2026, £1,795pp.

Hungary: Butterfly- and Bird-Watching in Hungary’s Best National Parks

Enjoy an 8-day natural history tour through Hungary’s very best reserves: Kiskunság National Park - a stronghold for Great Bustards, Saker and Imperial Eagle residents, Bükk National Park - known for its raptors, woodpeckers and butterflies, and the Hortobágy - featuring wildlife-rich ponds, marshes and lowland steppes home to Pygmy Cormorant and Little Bittern amongst others. The group will stay in a variety of charming, locally run inns and hotels, and will have the chance to sample the fabulous local cuisine and famous Bulgarian wine, ‘Bull’s Blood’. 25 August - 1 September, £2,795pp

Southern Albania: September’s Bird Migration, Rugged Mountains & Fascinating Ancient History

Tour the wonderful lesser-known wildlife areas of southern Albania, to witness the spectacle of thousands of migrant birds passing through on their way south to Africa every September. Spending time based in the historic city of Vlorë with views of the Albanian Riviera, the group will visit the Durresi wetlands, vast Divjaka-Karavasta National Park and the Nartë and Orikumi Lagoons in search of such avians as Stone-curlews, Greater Flamingoes and Dalmatian Pelicans. There will then be 4 nights spent in the wonderfully preserved Ottoman town of Gjirokastër - a UNESCO World Heritage Site particularly notable for its hundreds of Ottoman-style tower houses with distinctive stone roofs - from where the group will visit the Vjosa River in search of vultures and eagles, the archaeological site at Butrint, and climb the rugged Nemërçka Mountains to look for Black Stork and Rock Partridge. 28 August - 4 September, £2,095pp.

* All prices include return flights (unless on a UK tour or stated as land-only where train travel is arranged), transfers, full board accommodation, excursions, entry fees and expert naturalist guiding. Day trips include expert naturalist guiding.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

About Naturetrek: Established in 1986, Naturetrek has 40 years’ experience in operating group and tailored wildlife holidays, offering the largest selection of professionally organised, expert-led wildlife holidays and tours in the world. Naturetrek’s team of wildlife enthusiasts and dedicated travel professionals is passionate about organising outstanding, competitively priced and responsible wildlife holidays, short breaks and day trips around the world. To speak to the experts for more information on any of Naturetrek’s wildlife itineraries, or to request a copy of the latest brochure, call 01962 733051 or visit www.naturetrek.co.uk.

Sustainable Tourism at Naturetrek: Naturetrek is a tour company run by naturalists for naturalists, all committed to ensuring the long-term protection of species and habitats. It remains a family-owned business and actively invests its profits in purchasing land to be managed by wildlife and conservation charities for the benefit of the natural world. In 2000, Naturetrek was one of the very first British tour operators to encourage its clients to contribute towards off-setting their carbon emissions. Since 2007, Naturetrek has made contributions for every flight that it books, donating £15 for every person booking a long-haul holiday and £5 for each short-haul traveller to its local conservation partners. To date this has raised over £625,000 and funded Naturetrek’s very own ‘carbon retention’ project, building up the ‘Naturetrek Reserves’ in collaboration with its Ecuadorian partner, Fundación EcoMinga. The project has created an invaluable wildlife corridor between the national parks of Llanganates and Sangay National Parks on the eastern slopes of the Ecuadorian Andes in an area now covering 2,181 acres and saving a valuable habitat and its endangered wildlife from deforestation, as well as preventing the release of an estimated 105,000 – 210,000 tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere. In 2023, Naturetrek purchased the 120-acre ‘Macchietelle estate’ in Italy's central Apennines, which it has passed by way of a 30-year stewardship agreement to the Italian conservation charities Salviamo L’Orso (Save the Bear) & IntraMontes. In August 2025, Naturetrek completed the purchase of the 3,609-acre Stuckindroin estate in Scotland where, working with an experienced wildlife conservation organisation, it will be part of a 200-year project to restore the native Scottish rainforest and other nature-rich habitats across the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park.

Press: For further information, high res images, video assets or press trip enquiries, please contact Lizzie Cooper (lcoopertravelpr@gmail.com) or Kerrie Porteous (kerrie@naturetrek.co.uk).