The Atlantic Hotel is absolutely superb - one of the best we have ever stayed at with Natutretrek. The rooms are comfortable and well equipped and also kept scrupulously clean. The staff are welcoming and effiicient, with a great eye for detail. The food is of a very high standard indeed. Naturetrek has a remarkable ability to find excellent tour leaders, and this trip was no exception! We enjoyed every minute.
D. & K.P, Surrey, May '23
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Go Slow in Jersey
Tour Code: GBR127A gentle 5-day holiday, staying at one of the finest hotels on the island with an award-winning restaurant, at a wonderful time of the year to be on the island.
£1,995 (Inc flights)
£1,895
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Summary
The quaint island of Jersey offers the naturalist spectacular opportunities considering its petite 9- by 5-mile size. The island’s surrounding seas keep the climate within limits, enabling tender plants and animals to thrive here – species which are normally at home in the vast habitats of southern France and the Mediterranean.
- See wonderful species not found on the British Isles mainland; species such as Jersey Orchid, Western Green Lizard, Short-toed Treecreeper
- Stay at an elegant, award-winning, hotel with plenty of free time to enjoy the facilities
- Visit a site where 60,000 individual orchids have been recorded: Jersey, Southern Marsh, Pyramidal, and Common and Heath Spotted
- An exciting chartered RIB trip to nearby Herm Island to discover Puffin, Razorbill and other seabirds
- Birds on migration and passing through Jersey may include Cuckoo, Yellow Wagtail and Wheatear, with a chance of something much rarer
In the west of the island, in the parishes of St Ouen and St Brelade, we'll be joined by an expert resident botanist in search of such species as Jersey Orchid, Jersey Thrift, Dwarf Pansy and Alderney Sea-lavender. We'll also hope to find the beautiful Western Green Lizard and the superb habitats in the west of the island provide a great resting point for many migrating species which could include Cuckoo, Yellow and Blue-headed Wagtail, or something much rarer. In the east of the island, we'll search for Childing Pink, Small-flowered Catchfly, Cirl Bunting and a chance for Red Squirrel and Short-toed Treecreeper.
As well as exploring Jersey's rich habitats, we'll take a wonderful chartered RIB trip to Herm, a gem in the British Isles and there are unlikely more befitting places for a ‘Go Slow’ holiday! Herm measures just 1.5 miles from north to south and 0.5 miles east to west. It is one of the smallest of the inhabited Channel Islands and with a population of just over 60 is beautifully unspoiled and, with no cars, incredibly peaceful. Herm’s Shell Beach is stunning and its beautiful soft white sand and clean blue water are perfect for swimming or paddling — for those who don’t mind the temperature!
This wonderful holiday-at-home will provide an opportunity to study the Channel Islands’ unique species, coupled with a generous dose of time for true rest and relaxation. Jersey has a unique and understated charm. A visit here often brings wildlife surprises, as well as the chance to see some British flora and fauna species which cannot be found on the mainland. This is set to be a wonderful, restful, wildlife break right on our very doorstep.
Grading
All walking will be at a slow pace, some short uphill walks on coastal paths. Some strength required for RIB excursion.
Outline Itinerary
What's Included?
- Flights
- Accommodation:
Elegant award-winning 4-star hotel commanding fabulous views over St Ouen's Bay and the island’s premier wildlife site, Les Mielles, a conservation area of international significance and outstanding natural beauty.
- Food:
The tour price includes a 3-course meal on our four evenings, dining at the hotel's 4 AA Rosette restaurant. Lunches are not included in the tour price and will be taken at cafés featuring local produce, and where light lunches, such as soups and sandwiches are available, as well as more substantive plates of food.
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Dates & Prices
2025
2026
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There are few more pleasing sights in the natural world than a meadow filled with wildflowers. Seeing plants in their native habitat is always exciting and our flower tours offer you an incredible choice, from dazzling tropical blooms and the thrill of finding elusive orchids or delicate alpines, to seeing island endemics or British flora. Our tours range from week-long holidays focusing on the ‘Alpine flowers of the Swiss Alps’, the ‘Italian Dolomites’ and the ‘Alpine Flowers of Slovenia’s Julian Alps’, to orchid-hunting on Italy’s Gargano Peninsula and searching for the Autumn Plants of Greece’s Peloponnese. We also visit more remote areas of the world in search of plant-life, from the Tien Shan Mountains of Kazakhstan where we look for wild tulips, to the rainforests and spiny deserts of Madagascar where over 80% of the flora is endemic.
Many of us want to know more about the plants we see around us. Whether inspired by an appreciation of the aesthetic appeal of flowers, or a more focused desire to identify individual species, everyone with an interest in botany will derive pleasure from joining one of Naturetrek’s flower tours.
Why choose Naturetrek’s botanical holidays?
- All our botanical holidays are led by expert botanist guides
- All levels of interest and expertise are catered for, from hobby gardeners and complete beginners to keen botanists who wish to explore a new area with the help of a knowledgeable leader
- We keep the overall focus on flora, though expert guidance is also given on other wildlife
What can I expect on a typical Naturetrek botanical holiday?
- Travel with a group of like-minded people
- Stay at a comfortable hotel or lodge, close to an area of outstanding botanical interest
- Enjoy a series of leisurely day excursions with ample time to appreciate the local flora
In addition to our dedicated flower tours, we also offer holidays with a wider theme to encompass birds, butterflies and other aspects of natural history as well as the flora. Our spring tours to 'Crete' and ‘The Island of Cyprus’ are both timed to allow us to enjoy the botanical highlights as well as the spring bird migration, whilst ‘Croatia and Slovenia – Spring in Istria’ also allows time to enjoy a little of the local culture. ‘Romania – the Wildlife of Transylvania’ combines an appreciation of the flora of the Carpathian Mountains with birding, butterflying and a trip to look for Brown Bears from a purpose built hide, and our holidays in both the ‘French Pyrenees’ and the ‘Spanish Pyrenees’ combine birds, butterflies and botany throughout the week.
Our specialist recommends...
David Tattersfield - Tour Leader
Short Break Wildlife Holidays
Among our programme is a significant range of short breaks, designed specially for those wishing to enjoy some of Europe’s top natural history highlights at the best time of year. All of these holidays have the bonus of being short-haul and supported by like-minded wildlife enthusiasts.
Naturetrek Short Break Wildlife Tours
Short breaks are becoming increasingly popular and in response to the high demand for this type of holiday we are continuing to increase our programme both within the UK and abroad. Most of our short breaks are within Europe, for convenience of travel.
For some of our mini-breaks there is an option to travel by plane or train, and we offer a choice of duration and type of break, from a weekend’s birdwatching in the Somerset Levels to a 6-day whale watching tour in the Azores.
A selection of our UK short breaks:
- A winter bird watching break in Norfolk
- An autumn holiday to enjoy the Red Deer rut in Ardnamurchan, Scotland
- A wildlife weekend in the New Forest
A selection of our overseas short breaks:
- In Spain we look for the world’s rarest cat, the Iberian Lynx
- Wolves on the plains in rural northern Spain
- An exploration of La Brenne’s exceptionally rich butterfly-life in northern France
Our specialist recommends...
"We offer two superb short breaks to the lovely island of Madeira in search of whales, dolphins and seabirds. It’s hard to beat our Just Brown Bears trip for families, while if you fancy something off the beaten track, try Estonia in Early Spring for some excellent spring birdwatching."
Paul Stanbury - Operations Manager
Birding Tours Led by Expert Naturalists
The majority of our wildlife tours focus primarily on birds, allowing us to offer a huge choice of bird holidays. On most of our birdwatching tours we aim to see a wide variety of species, while taking time to enjoy other wildlife as well as cultural highlights and architecture.
Naturetrek Birdwatching Tours
We have one of the largest selections of professionally organised, small group birdwatching holidays around the world and all of our birdwatching tours are accompanied by at least one professional ornithologist leader with detailed knowledge of the area.
The majority of our bird tours have a relaxed, flexible approach which allows more time for photography, detailed wildlife exploration, leisure time and the region’s people, culture, history and architecture, while allowing the group to see a wide range of bird species.
Here is a small selection of our many bird holidays:
- Southern Morocco – an exploration of the birdlife in Morocco’s southern deserts, oases and mountains
- The Camargue in Spring – a short break to enjoy the spring birds of the Rhône Delta and Camargue wetland
- Wallcreepers & Cranes in Northern Spain – a 2-centre holiday focusing on Lammergeier, Wallcreepers, raptors, Cranes, bustards, sandgrouse and more!
- Madeira & Desertas Islands – A Seabird Extravaganza! – a short break focusing on special breeding seabirds, including a night on the remote Destertas Islands
- Peru – Macaws & Machu Picchu – searches for boobies, macaws and Inca Terns
- Spain & Morocco: Birding on Two Continents! – watch the spectacular spring bird migration from both sides of the Straits of Gibraltar
Our Bargain Birdwatching Selection
Our Bargain Bird Tours are intensive birdwatching holidays suitable for the serious birder. They are led by expert English-speaking local guides (and not accompanied from the UK by a tour leader). You can expect a higher-paced tour and to spend long hours in the field.
Our specialist recommends...
Byron Palacios - Tour Leader
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Relaxed Wildlife Holidays
Our programme of Go Slow wildlife holidays allows guests to enjoy the natural world at a more leisurely pace than on one of our conventional wildlife holidays. There will be more time to relax, more time to potter, excursions will be optional and we hope you will return, not only having enjoyed a fascinating mix of birds, plants and other wildlife, but also feeling refreshed and relaxed!
Our Go Slow tours range from week-long holidays that offer warm spring sunshine and gentle natural history excursions in Portugal, the Camargue and Mallorca, to tours which take on a more cultural air each afternoon, such as Go Slow … in Istria in Autumn and Go Slow … in Southern Spain. Our Go Slow holidays in the Swiss Alps and Cyprus both combine the best of the region’s botany and birdlife, or, if you would like to travel a little further afield, why not join us for a leisurely-paced exploration of India’s Tiger Country, Kenya’s Masai Mara, or South Africa’s Western Cape?
What can I expect on a typical Naturetrek Go Slow holiday?
On each Go Slow holiday we aim to offer as many of the following as possible:
- A single-centre holiday
- Direct flights with sociable timings
- Comfortable hotel of high quality (with swimming pool if possible), serving meals of a high standard
- Leisurely paced walks on gentle terrain
- Expert leaders, as ever, with more time for interpretation & explanation
- A maximum of 6 hours in the field each day (9.30am-3.30pm with picnic lunch or two 3-hour excursions)
- Morning and afternoon toilet/comfort stops
- Minimal long drives
- Back in time for afternoon tea
- All excursions optional
- All-inclusive cost (except bar drinks & laundry)
- Time to relax, read, paint, potter, swim or enjoy anything else that you might wish to do!
Our specialist recommends...
Andy Tucker - Operations Manager
Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?
For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.
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Why Naturetrek?
At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:
- The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
- Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
- Outstanding value and exceptional customer service
Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!
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