Wildlife Travel
wildlife, travelling and Wildlife Travel
(does what it says on the tin)
small groups, relaxed pace, expert leaders
www.wildlife-travel.co.uk
donating ALL our profits to conservation since 1988
- Reposted by Wildlife TravelThe diverisity of habitats within Costa Rica is staggering, & our @wildlifetraveller.bsky.social group were able to experience a fantastic sample of them, incl'g Pacific coastal waters & seasonal forest, Caribbean lowland forest, mid & high elevation tropical forests, & the fascinating paramo
- Reposted by Wildlife TravelAmphibians were well represented during the recent @wildlifetraveller.bsky.social Costa Rica tour, with the group encountering a range of beautiful species during our night time forays, including the iconic Red-eyed Leaf Frog, the burly Cane Toad, & the charming Golden-eyed Tree Frog
- Reposted by Wildlife TravelThe mammal lovers had their fill too during the recent @wildlifetraveller.bsky.social Costa Rica tour, encountering White-nosed Coati, Nine-banded Armadillo, Humpback Whale, C.American Agouti, & Proboscis Bat, plus 2 sloth & 3 monkey spp, altho' these amazing views of Tayra definitely stole the show
- Reposted by Wildlife TravelWe were treated to an amazing spectacle on the Tarcoles River, during the recent @wildlifetraveller.bsky.social Costa Rica tour, when our arrival coincided with local fishermen emptying their nets, surrounding them (& us) in a swirling mass of Magnificent Frigatebirds, Brown Pelicans, & Royal Terns
- Reposted by Wildlife TravelWe were treated to superlative views of both Costa Rican sloth species during the recent @wildlifetraveller.bsky.social tour, but this impeccably groomed female Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth at Baru (alongside her tiny pup, just off camera) was particularly confiding (video taken through 'scope).
- Reposted by Wildlife TravelWe were treated to fantastic views of the extemely range-restricted & decidedly angry-looking Volcano Junco at Cerro de la Muerte, during the recent @wildlifetraveller.bsky.social Costa Rica tour, encountering at least 6 individuals, & with one even running between the feet of one of our group!
- Reposted by Wildlife TravelAny encounter with an owl, particularly away from known roost sites, is a joy & we were fortunate to record 4 species during the recent @wildlifetraveller.bsky.social Costa Rica wildlife tour, incl'g multiple night time Spectacled Owls, as well as this showy Ferruginous Pygmy Owl at Punta Leona
- Reposted by Wildlife TravelJust back from two weeks guiding on the 2026 @wildlifetraveller.bsky.social Costa Rica wildlife tour, with a few of the avian highlights pictured below. Just some of the 260+ bird species we encountered, including 23 species of hummingbird(!), in this fantastically diverse & welcoming country
- now orchids and gladioli are great, amaryllids and irises certainly hit the spot, and proteas and kniphofias obviously have their place... but the plants I most wanted to see in the #Drakensberg were the Pineapple Lilies, Eucomis spp and they've certainly not disappointed #WildlifeTravelling
- Philip will be at Destinations on Friday/Saturday/Sunday to talk all things Wildlife Travel, fresh from the mountains of South Africa find us on Sunvil's stand, E12. and get free tickets to the country's biggest travel show at bit.ly/3YyHlze
- no botanical trip to South Africa would be complete without some glorious gladioli. which I guess means our tour of the #Drakensberg is nearing completion... (names in alt) #WildlifeTravelling with @sarahlambert7.bsky.social
- the Table Mountain Beauty, a whopper of a butterfly not uncommon in the Drakensberg, it's not a big fan of pausing to catch its breath, or pose for pictures, it's mostly seen careening past across the slopes, as we puff and pant after it #WildlifeTravelling in the #Drakensberg
- We've enjoyed a bunch of red hot pokers of the southern Drakensberg over the last couple of days Kniphofia caulescens, a chunky beast up in Lesotho slender K. ichopensis and luminous K. porphyrantha from the Sani Pass & K. laxiflora around Pevensey #BotanicalOverload, with plenty more to come
- starting the day with a Drakensberg Rockjumper #WildlifeTravelling in South Africa
- some of the 15 species of orchid we found on the drive up the Sani Pass, into Lesotho, on our first full day of #WildlifeTravelling in the #Drakensberg Disa thodei Eulophia zeyheriana Brownleea macroceras Satyrium cristatum
- some of the 15 species of orchid we found on the drive up the Sani Pass, into Lesotho, on our first full day of #WildlifeTravelling in the #Drakensberg Disa thodei Eulophia zeyheriana Brownleea macroceras Satyrium cristatum
- We've got our hands full this January, with groups currently in New Zealand, Costa Rica and South Africa #WildlifeTravelling #OutOfOffice
- stop scrolling, start planning wildlife-travel.co.uk/africa/kalah...
- If you want to see what it's really like on a Wildlife Travel holiday, we have photo galleries aplenty over on Flickr recent updates include @sarahlambert7.bsky.social's pictures from our trip to Cyprus over Christmas Check www.flickr.com/photos/wildlifetravel/albums/ for these & many, many more.
- January definitely isn't prime botanising time in Bhutan, but just to show willing... a couple of bizarre members of the Lamiaceae: the nectar-rich shrubby Leucosceptrum canum and the red-flowered vine Holmskioldia sanguinea Buddleja asiatica & Primula denticulata #WildlifeTravelling in #Bhutan
- back to the beginning... I started my #Bhutan trip with a roadside Ibisbill just outside Paro, and 10 days later I'm back, just a stone's throw away from a male Wallcreeper: two monotypic families within sight of each other. Winter in Bhutan... beats Storm Goretti any day! #Ibidorhynchidae
- a Bhutanese photographic pheasant phoursome completed this morning with a whole load of Khalij Pheasants feeding (on grit?) at the roadside above Punakha. not at all bad for a "pheasants aren't easy outside of the spring" winter recce suffice to say, we will be back #VisitBhutan with us in 2027
- Ward's Trogon, a right little weirdo, and haunter of the tall, middle-altitude Quercus lanata forests of Bhutan #VisitBhutan with us in 2027
- Reposted by Wildlife TravelThe future looks bright for one of the world's rarest birds thanks to the success of a reintroduction project in Cape Verde:
- we will be returning to Bhutan in spring 2027 All this, plus blooming rhododendrons, spring bird song and butterflies aplenty: a trip not to be missed #VisitBhutan
- Reposted by Wildlife TravelApochima flabellaria - thanks to @swaystevek.bsky.social for the ID. An absolutely bizarre looking Geometrid!
- I attracted multiple examples of this amazing looking moth to my lit balcony in western Cyprus last week, but am still failing to come up with a species ID based on limited online resources. If anyone has an idea then do please let me know #TeamMoth
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- gotta love a funky Dunnock Maroon-backed and Rufous-breasted Accentor both performing magnificently in #Bhutan (I'll let you work out which is which) #FunkyDunnock
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- consider that gob well and truly smacked the first thing my guide did when I arrived in Bhutan, was manage my expectations. Spring is the time for pheasants: maybe we will find Blood Pheasant, Kalij perhaps, but for the others... no chance. a male Satyr Tragopan ambling calmly across the road wow
- well there's a thing I never thought I'd see: not one but two Critically Endangered White-bellied Herons, of which perhaps no more than 60 birds exist, and even that is thought to be an optimistic count Bhutan is probably the best last hope for this stately bird #VisitBhutan #BhutanBirdTours
- and at last the temperatures rose high enough to get some butterflies on the wing #WildlifeTravelling in #Bhutan #ButterfliesOfBhutan #VisitBhutan with @langurecotravelsbhutan and @tourismbhutan
- Bhutan day 4: travelled down from Trongsa into the foothills, spending time with this characterful crew along the way jst in case it hasn't become immediately obvious, we will definitely be bringing a group to #Bhutan. Get your name on the list for spring 2027: you won't regret it! #VisitBhutan
- and I'm not the only one stalking these Bhutan roadsides... came round the corner this morning to see a pack of Dhole, who quickly put some distance between us and the same stretch of road had some very fresh Tiger pug marks #MammalWatching and #WildlifeTravelling in #Bhutan
- a wing-flicking Wallcreeper, just before lunch road verges are a bit different in Bhutan! #VisitBhutan #WildlifeTravelling in #Bhutan
- a covey of 14 Blood Pheasants along the old Pele La road #WildlifeTravelling in #Bhutan
- Today's journey took us to Phobjikha Valley, home to Hodgson's Wagtail, Royle's Pika, swarms of Plain Mountain-Finches and at least 150 Black-necked Cranes Fingers crossed for closer crane encounters tomorrow... #WildlifeTravelling in #Bhutan #VisitBhutan #BhutanBirdingTours
- today we drove east, from Thimphu, the capital, to Bhutan's largest protected wetland, the Phobjikha Valley, via two passes over 3,000m asl, some good looking redstarts and a couple of exciting Himalayan finches #VisitBhutan #BhutanBirdingTours
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- landing in Bhutan let's see what the next fortnight brings... #VisitBhutan #BhutanTourism
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- Reposted by Wildlife TravelBoxing Day saw our @wildlifetraveller.bsky.social Cyprus group ascend the Akamas Peninsula, with highlights incl'g the 1st flowering Ophrys omegaifera subsp. israelitica of the season, a cranky Sun Spider, & a fabulously spiny female Drilus (False Firefly) beetle on the hunt for snails in Neo Chorio
- Reposted by Wildlife TravelA feast of botanical treats from Christmas Day in Cyprus including intensely fragrant Narcissus tazetta, beautifully patterned Cyclamen persicum leaves and architectural seed heads of the endemic Onopordum cyprium… Merry Christmas to all! @wildlifetraveller.bsky.social @beardybirder.bsky.social
- Reposted by Wildlife TravelMerry Christmas from Cyprus! Our @wildlifetraveller.bsky.social festive group enjoyed a range of botanical treats as we explored the Latsi hillsides today, including carpets of the beautiful (& delicately scented) Narcissus tazetta & the very first few flowering Fan-lipped Orchids of the season.
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- Reposted by Wildlife TravelBotanical highlights from Day 2 of the @wildlifetraveller.bsky.social Cyprus trip - tiny spikes of Autumn Grape-Hyacinth, the diminutive Narcissus deficiens, an early-flowering Crown Anemone and autumn flowering Ranunculus cyathaerus -all at Tombs of the Kings, Paphos. @beardybirder.bsky.social
- Reposted by Wildlife TravelIf you go down to the woods today you could be in for a big surprise... Our @wildlifetraveller.bsky.social Cyprus group were lucky to discover several wonderfully large & hairy European Tarantulas hiding beneath carefully tipped rocks in Peyia Forest this afternoon. Absolutely fabulous spiders.
- Reposted by Wildlife TravelChristmas came early for our Cyprus @wildlifetraveller.bsky.social group in Peyia Forest today, as we encountered a wonderful array of flowering bulb species, including the tiny but statuesque Hyacinthella millingenii, the ephereal Colchicum pusillum, & the absolutely stunning Romulea tempskyana
- Reposted by Wildlife TravelA wonderful day spent exploring some of my old haunts east of Pafos whilst co-leading the @wildlifetraveller.bsky.social group, taking in some great birds (incl'g Pallid Harrier, Long-legged Buzzard, & Spur-winged Lapwing), a diminutive Kotschy's Gecko, & the SW Cypriot endemic Aphrodite's Dandelion
- Reposted by Wildlife TravelStormy weather couldn’t dampen the spirits of the group currently spending Christmas in Cyprus with @wildlifetraveller.bsky.social Fascinating plants, birds, invertebrates and geology - something for everyone… Details of species in ALT Great to be co-leading again with @beardybirder.bsky.social
- Reposted by Wildlife TravelThe 2nd full day of the @wildlifetraveller.bsky.social Cyprus trip was a fab mix of culture & wildlife, taking in Agios Neophytos, Tomb of the Kings, & Kato Pafos Archeological Park, plus the glorious Narcissus deficiens, Crown Anemone, Cone-headed Grasshopper, & several sublime Red-throated Pipits
- Reposted by Wildlife TravelIt's great to be back in (a currently rather soggy) Cyprus, co-leading the long-running @wildlifetraveller.bsky.social Christmas trip with @sarahlambert7.bsky.social - this morning's invert highlights along the quiet Latsi roadsides included Winter Pearl moth & several attractive spider species
- a trio of screamers, a full house of Anhimidae, for no reason other than because they're ace Horned Screamer in Ecuador Northern Screamer in Colombia and Southern Screamer in Brazil great, aren't they! #WildlifeTravelling
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- A morning filled with butterflies, in the dry forests just outside Cartagena oh, and a sloth #WildlifeTravelling in #Colombia
- some more moths from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Cosmosoma achemon, Erebidae Neonerita bernardoespinozai, Erebidae Feigeria mycerina, Erebidae Pantherodes sp, Geometridae #MothsMatter
- it may not be the most aesthetically pleasing bird of the trip, but a young Ring-necked Duck at a roadside wetland was a lifer for our guide, no small feat for a man who has seen 1502 species in Colombia. #WildlifeTravelling
- up early today, for our trip onto the San Lorenzo ridge up here, it seems almost everything, at least amongst the birds, is a Santa Marta endemic, found on this isolated Colombian massif and nowhere else #WildlifeTravelling in #Colombia
- also an endemic butterfly (Pedalioides phazania), an endemic bromeliad (Tillandsia sigmoidea), an endemic Gunnera (G.tayrona)... #SierraNevadaDeSantaMarta
- Reposted by Wildlife TravelLooking forward to the British & Irish Botanical Conference tomorrow, where I'll be manning the @wildlifetraveller.bsky.social exhibit, sharing exciting opportunities for natural history holidays with a strong botanical focus. Do come and say hello! @bsbibotany.bsky.social
- and some butterflies from the Santa Marta lowlands Euptychia westwoodi Anartia amathea Greta andromica Diaethria clymena #WildlifeTravelling in #Colombia
- hummers humming in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta today, including the endemic Santa Marta Woodstar & Santa Marta Blossomcrown, the latter too quick for our cameras, alas headed higher tomorrow, with plenty more Santa Marta endemics yet to come. #WildlifeTravelling in #Colombia
- and just to prove it's not all bird bird bird... the #cacti of Los Flamencos reserve managed to catch our eye, with the mini barrels of Melocactus curvispinus, the candelabras of Stenocereus griseus, the Caracas Prickly Pear Opuntia caracassana, and night-flowering Acanthocereus tetragonus
- the afternoon took on a rosy hue in Los Flamencos reserve, with American Flamingos, Roseate Spoonbills and the variously pink-flushed hybrid ibises (White X Scarlet Ibis, outnumbering the handful of Scarlets here) #WildlifeTravelling in #Colombia
- a brightly coloured morning in the dry coastal forests of Los Flamencos expecting things to take on more of a rosy hue this afternoon... #WildlifeTravelling in #Colombia
- major oof-age up in the clouds of Los Nevados, with a friendly Buffy Helmetcrest smiles all round #WildlifeTravelling in #Colombia
- Buffy Helmetcrest living his best purple-bearded life
- while the hummers buzzed about, some more sedated visitors entertained us at the feeders #WildlifeTravelling at Hacienda El Bosque
- *sedate, obvs, not sedated... that would be a quite different day...
- we spent this morning at the dairy farm turned ecotourism hotspot, Hacienda El Bosque, where birds are now the major economic driver yet more wonderful hummers, including those with the longest (Sword-billed Hummingbird) and shortest (Purple-backed Thornbill) bills #WildlifeTravelling in #Colombia
- a sunny day in the forests of Rio Blanco, and as well as the antpittas and hummingbirds, the leps were demanding our attention first up the butterflies, with plenty posing for the cameras #WildlifeTravelling in #Colombia
- and just a fraction of the moths drawn in by the lodge lights #MothsMatter
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- after a short flight across to the central Andes, we were up high again today, to Los Nevados National Park not sure who won out in the battle of the birds today. I give you, Team Mountain Tanager... #WildlifeTravelling in #Colombia
- and Team Hummingbird I think we'll call that a draw
