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Tunisia - Orchids, Butterflies & Dragonflies
Tour Code: TUN03An 11-day holiday in search of the special orchids, butterflies and dragonflies of Tunisia.
£3,495 (Inc flights)
£3,195
Highlights
Tour Itinerary and Reports
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Summary
This unique 11-day holiday provides the rare chance to search for the orchids, butterflies and dragonflies of Tunisia and can be enjoyed back-to-back with our general natural history 'Tunisia' tour for a comprehensive study of this fascinating country's flora & fauna!
Our holiday begins with a 2-night stay in the coastal city of Hammamet, known for its sandy beaches and charming medina. Our excursions from here will target the Cap Bon Peninsula, including Korbus and El Haouaria, to search for such striking orchids as Pink Butterfly Orchid Anacamptis papilionacea subsp. grandiflora and Woodcock Orchid Ophrys scolopax subsp. scolopax plus butterflies including Austaut’s Grayling. The day concludes with local cuisine and hospitality at Hammamet.
Continuing north, we move into the Mogods Mountains, for excursions including Sejnane and Nefza. These areas host the aromatic Bug Orchid Anacamptis coriophora and such dragonflies as Algerian Clubtail. The lush, hilly landscapes of the Khroufa Natural Reserve and the Kroumirie mountains offer a perfect backdrop to discover orchids like Violet Limodore while enjoying the tranquil countryside near Bou Salem.
Heading south, using a flight from Tunis to the island of Djerba, our itinerary transitions to the arid yet striking landscapes of Douz, the ‘Gateway to the Sahara’. Visits to desert pools highlight specialised species such as Desert Bluetail and Desert Darter. A stop at Bouhedma National Park will further our semi-arid species and Tunisia’s ecological range. The cultural richness of Kairouan and El Jem, with its iconic Roman amphitheatre, adds a historical dimension to the itinerary before a final stop at Metbassta Wetlands.
- An exciting range of habitats covered across Tunisia, from the mountains in the north to the deserts in the south
- Scarce butterflies such as Moroccan Orange-tip, Plain Tiger & Double-tailed Pasha
- 36 species of Orchid are found in Tunisia and our itinerary has been crafted together with in-country experts to search for a fine selection of these
- Led by an expert local naturalist alongside a Naturetrek tour leader
Outline Itinerary
Dates & Prices
2025
2026
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Who can fail to be delighted by butterflies – the intensity and variety of their colours, their delicate beauty and fascinating life cycles? Our tours allow butterfly-watching enthusiasts to observe marvellous species all around the world. Sadly, butterflies are in decline in many regions. To help prevent the loss of these beautiful creatures, our butterfly holidays make a direct contribution to their conservation.
Naturetrek Butterfly Tours
- We offer an excellent range of dedicated butterfly holidays
- All tours are led by a Naturetrek butterfly-watching expert
- Although butterflies are the main focus of our butterfly tours, we also take time to observe other wildlife
- By booking one of our dedicated butterfly holidays you will automatically be making a contribution to their conservation.
Here’s a selection of our dedicated butterfly tours:
Although we include butterfly-watching in many of our holidays, we offer a wide selection of dedicated butterfly tours, including:
- The Cevennes – we look for butterflies in the Massif Central
- Butterflies in Normandy – we go in search of some of Normandy’s 160 species of butterfly
- Sweden's Butterflies & Dragonflies – Sweden is home to Large Blue, Apollo, Scarce Copper and many more species
- Butterflies of the Dolomites – we explore sheltered valleys and butterfly hot-spots in the Italian Dolomites
- Sri Lanka - A Butterfly Tour – seeking Sri Lanka’s dazzling tropical species
- Butterflies of Morocco's High Atlas Mountains – a search for the butterflies of the High Atlas Mountains, with a wealth of other wildlife and mountain walks in spectacular scenery.
Naturetrek & Butterfly Conservation
As a top category ‘Gold’ corporate sponsor of Butterfly Conservation (BC), we donate around £1,500 annually to the charity. As well as this, since 2002 we have donated 10% of all income generated by our annual programme of butterfly tours that we run in partnership with BC, and give BC membership to all non-members joining the tours.
Our specialist recommends...
"I'd recommend Naturetrek's Butterflies of South Africa holiday. On this butterfly holiday we look for butterflies in the Wajkkerstrom (montane grassland), which supports a wonderful diversity of species. Closer to home I'd suggest our Butterflies of Hungary tour, or Butterflies of Croatia for unspoilt landscapes and a density of butterfly-life rarely seen in western Europe now."
Tom Brereton - Operations Manager
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Dragonflies are certainly not for the faint-hearted! They are fearsome insects – if you are their size or smaller! They are also dazzlingly beautiful, with a wide array of hues and forms. Our dragonfly tours take you to some of Europe’s top habitats where we have the best chances of witnessing a range of species and their behaviour.
Naturetrek Dragonfly Tours
We like to respond to your specific wildlife interests and, in recent years, we have had an increasing number of requests for dedicated dragonfly holidays. We are pleased to be able to offer a selection of tours which focus on exploring habitats where some of Europe’s most diverse and spectacular dragonfly species are found.
All of our dragonfly tours are accompanied by at least one specialist leader. On some tours there may be a second leader with a different area of natural history expertise. Some highlights of our dragonfly holidays may include: observing clouds of damselflies as they emerge in late spring from pools, watching them hover over a lake or stretch of grassland, or witnessing a fight to the death between territorial males.
We’re equally comfortable providing opportunities for the dedicated enthusiast to debate the finer points of identification with our expert guide, or to simply enjoy their beautiful display of colours and forms.
Our specialist recommends...
"I’d recommend our Sardinia’s Dragonflies tour – it has about 35 species, most of which are not found in the UK, and its proximity to Africa means it hosts some rather exotic species such as Banded Groundlings. Island Bluetail will interest the real enthusiast, whereas Copper Demoiselles are a bit easier to find."
David Smallshire - Tour Leader
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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.
Enquire
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!
