Orchids and other Wildlife of the Chilterns

Tour Code: GBR38

A 3-day tour to discover the orchids, birds and other wildlife of the chalk downs and a nearby wetland reserve.

3 days from
£695 (land only)
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Highlights

Summary

Summary

Declared an Area of Outstanding National Beauty (AONB) in 1965 and covering 324 square miles, the Chilterns are rated alongside some of our best known national parks. Rare chalk streams meander through the Chilterns towards the River Thames, providing ideal habitat for a diverse flora including several species of orchid. Red Kites were first reintroduced into the Chilterns in England in 1989, and we’ll be hoping to get good views of this charismatic bird. 

  • Look for orchids such as Military, Bee, Fly, Monkey & Lady
  • Water Violet & Green-winged Orchid in wet meadows  
  • Water Rail, Reed Bunting, Hobby & Marsh Harrier possible in reedbeds
  • Visit a Red Kite release centre
  • Lapwing, Turtle Dove, Cuckoo, Grasshopper Warbler, Curlew & Redshank among birds
  • Led by expert naturalist guide

Declared an ‘area of outstanding natural beauty’ (AONB) 40 years ago and covering 324 square miles, the Chilterns are rated alongside some of our best known national parks including the Lake District and New Forest. The centre of the AONB is situated just 35 miles from Trafalgar Square, making it one of the easiest to access from the capital and a top tourist attraction. Although it has an abundance of tranquil villages and imposing buildings to visit, we will be concentrating on the natural wonders of the area, 20% of which is covered by woods and forests that once provided timber to a thriving furniture industry.  The AONB stretches from the Thames at Goring, on its southern boundary, to Hitchin in Hertfordshire in the north. Rare chalk streams meander here towards the mighty Thames, and orchids such as Military, Bee, Fly, Monkey and Lady will be sought, together with Clustered Bellflower and many other plants. It was in the Chilterns in 1989 that Red Kites were first reintroduced into England, with resounding success! We will be visiting the release area and will take an in-depth look at this charismatic bird.

 

DETAILED INFORMATION
Itinerary

Outline Itinerary

Day 1
Arrive; excursion Bedfordshire Chilterns
Day 2
Southern Chilterns
Day 3
Final exploration; departure
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What's Included

What's Included?

  • Accommodation:
  • Food:
Reviews
Dates & Prices

Dates & Prices

2025

Departures Availability Cost
Tue 6th May – Thu 8th May SPACES £695
Book Tour Show Details
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£695
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£120 
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Botanical Tours – See Wild Flowers with our Expert Botanical Guides


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
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  • 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
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  • We keep the overall focus on flora, though expert guidance is also given on other wildlife
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What can I expect on a typical Naturetrek botanical holiday?


    

  • Travel with a group of like-minded people
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  • Stay at a comfortable hotel or lodge, close to an area of outstanding botanical interest
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  • Enjoy a series of leisurely day excursions with ample time to appreciate the local flora
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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...






"I'd recommend 'Wengen – Alpine Flowers of the Swiss Alps', 'Crete' and 'The French Pyrenees', which all offer some fascinating European botany, along with plenty of wider natural history and some stunning scenery. If you’re keen to travel a little further afield, I’d suggest joining us in South Africa for our 'Wild Flowers of the Cape & Namaqualand' tour” 

David Tattersfield - Tour Leader




All Botany Tours

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Short Break Wildlife Holidays


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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 selection of our overseas short breaks:



 




 


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




All Short Break Tours

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Flight-free Wildlife Holidays


At Naturetrek we make full use of the Eurostar rail service through the channel tunnel, and of the ferry routes between England’s south coast and France and Spain, to offer a range of ‘flightless’ wildlife holidays in Belgium, Holland, France and Spain. In addition, we also offer the widest selection of wildlife holidays within the UK, none of which require a flight to participate in. Therefore, if you prefer not to fly, for whatever reason, we have a range of varied and exciting wildlife holidays for you to choose from, and we are committed to regularly adding more.


It is also the case that many of our other holidays within Europe are also accessible by rail. Generally, where there’s a will, there’s a way, and we’d be pleased to offer advice to anybody who wishes to join any of our tours within Europe by a means other than flying!




Our specialist recommends...






"Our Picos & Plains tour offers an environmentally-friendly route down to Spain for some excellent birding and cetacean-watching. More broadly, we’re very keen for Naturetrek to offer the most dynamic, market-leading carbon-reduced holidays available, and we hope you enjoy browsing our list of no-flight wildlife holidays!” 

Kerrie Porteous - Operations Manager




All No Flight Tours

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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?

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!