The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
BEST FOR WILDLIFE
From whales, wolves and wolverines to bears, beavers and bee-eaters, the world’s most fascinating species will get your pulse racing
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FIRE, ICE AND ANIMALS IN ICELAND
Among the geysers and glaciers of Iceland’s rugged landscape is also a rich community of wildlife. On land, birds are the main drawcard: huge colonies of puffins and Arctic terns throng the summer coastline, while dazzling harlequin ducks and other wildfowl frequent wetlands such as lake Myvatn. Offshore, outstanding whale-watching includes mighty blue whales, humpbacks and occasional orcas. Self-drive offers the perfect way to explore both the island’s unique nature and its dramatic geology. Wildlife Worldwide (01962 302086; wildlifeworldwide.com) offers a seven-night self-drive Iceland holiday, starting in the north and taking in
Lake Myvatn and the Vatsnes and Snaefellsnes peninsulas. From
£2,395pp, including B&B, return flights London Heathrow-Keflavik, car hire, whale-watching trips and other activities. Daily departures.
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HAVE A WHALE OF A TIME IN THE AZORES Once famous for its whaling, this mid-Atlantic Portuguese archipelago is today a whale-watching hotspot. Offshore, its deep underwater canyons are a breeding ground for resident sperm whales, while migratory fin and humpback whales pass between the islands along with huge pods of leaping dolphins. On land, birdwatchers can tramp the islands’ verdant forests and rocky coastlines in search of such specialities as breeding roseate terns and the endemic Azorean bullfinch.
Archipelago Choice (01768 721040; archipelagochoice.com) offers a seven-night whale and bird-watching trip to the Azores, based on San Miguel. From £1,334pp, including two whalewatching trips and a full day’s natural history tour, plus return direct flights, transfers and four-star hotel accommodation. Departures every Saturday,
August to October 2021.
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WOLVES AND WILDERNESS IN FINLAND Finland’s eastern taiga preserves a slice of the forested wilderness that once cloaked much of Europe, and is still home to the continent’s largest predators. Today, visitors can watch brown bears, wolves and perhaps an elusive wolverine from overnight hides deep among the trees. Hiking the trails and canoeing the crystal-clear lakes will also reveal other
northern wildlife, from elk to black woodpeckers, while a taste of local culture includes such activities as berry-picking and reindeer herding.
Regent Holidays (020 7666 1290; regent-holidays.co.uk) is offering an eight-day self-drive wildlife trip to eastern Finland. From £1,495 per person, departing before end
September, based on two sharing, including return flights from
Heathrow, car hire, activities and half-board accommodation. i Bear necessities: get your binoculars out, left, and spot wolves and bears deep in Finland’s forested wilderness 34
EXPLORE ROMANIA’S DANUBE DELTA
Pelicans lunge for fish in the channels, while hobbies swoop after dragonflies overhead, frogs ramp up their reed-bed chorus and a golden jackal trots along the shore. Romania’s Danube Delta, where Europe’s second largest river reaches the Black Sea, is the continent’s most biodiverse wetland. Exploring this labyrinth of marshes, lagoons and forests, both by land and water, offers superb opportunities for wildlife photographers, with hides targeting everything from bee-eaters to beavers.
Wildlife Worldwide (01962 302086; wildlifeworldwide.com) has a one-week photographic tour of the Danube Delta. From £2,595pp sharing, including seven nights’ accommodation, most meals, transfers, photography tuition and return flights from the UK. Departs 2 September 2021.
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DIVE WITH SHARKS IN THE BAHAMAS
The Exumas Cays Land and Sea Park is one of the Caribbean’s premier marine parks. The coral cays protect breeding seabirds and the endangered Allen Cays rock iguana, but it is on the pristine reefs that the real excitement begins. Here, divers will encounter plentiful sharks, including Caribbean reef, nurse and lemon, plus such underwater showstoppers as hawksbill turtles, southern stingrays and the impressive Nassau grouper. Strictly a no-take zone, only the local ospreys get to fish here.
Dive Worldwide (01962 302087; diveworldwide.com) has a seven-night liveaboard dive trip to Exumas. From £1,825pp sharing, including all accommodation, most meals, up to 19 dives, tanks and weights, and return flights from the UK.
36EXPLORE THE NATURAL SIDE OF DOMINICA Dominica has long enjoyed a reputation as the Caribbean’s “nature island”, with its mountainous interior protecting the region’s richest tropical rainforests. Visitors hiking the rugged trails will encounter rich birdlife, including hummingbirds, euphonias and two endemic parrots – the red-necked and imperial – while boat trips offshore seek out resident sperm whales, plus dolphins and sea turtles. No exploration would be complete without also sampling the island’s nature-infused rural culture, from its cuisine and flower farms to its hot thermal springs.
Responsible Travel (01273 823700; responsibletravel.com) offers an 11-day nature and culture holiday to
Dominica. From £1,748pp, including local transport, activities and halfboard accommodation. Excludes flights. Tailored departures August and September.
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FLIGHTS OF PASSAGE IN ANDALUCIA
Early every autumn, southern Spain plays host to one of the world’s great bird migration spectacles. Countless raptors, storks, bee-eaters and other feathered voyagers from across Europe funnel south through the peninsula to cross the Med into Africa. This is the perfect season to kick back, enjoy the late-summer sunshine and simply scan the skies. Strolls into the hills also reveal the birdlife of cork oak forests, while a trip to the coast brings migratory waders, plus the resident dolphins and pilot whales of the Strait of Gibraltar. Naturetrek (naturetrek.co.uk;
01962 733051) offers a
six-day guided group trip to observe Andalucia’s autumn bird migration. From £1,495, including flights, all meals and rustic farmhouse accommodation. Departures 18 and 24 September.
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AUTUMN IN THE ANCIENT FORESTS OF POLAND
Explore Poland’s vast Bialowieza forest in autumn and you’ll be treated to a stirring
soundtrack of rutting red deer, and perhaps even the howling of the local wolves. Wildlife in this primeval wilderness ranges from giants such as European bison and elk to hazel grouse, pygmy owl and other eastern forest birds. Elsewhere, this season also sees migration in full swing. Common
cranes and rare spotted
eagles gather at the wetland mosaic of Biebrza Marshes, while waders and seabirds flock in their thousands along the Baltic coast.
Naturetrek (01962 733051; naturetrek. co.uk) has an eight-night guided group tour of Poland, visiting Bialowieza forest, Biebrza marshes and Vistula Spit. From £1,795, including flights and all meals. Departure 4 September.
39TURTLE CONSERVATION IN KEFALONIA The unspoilt beaches of Kefalonia are among the Mediterranean’s few refuges for the rare loggerhead turtle. You can do your bit for this beleaguered ocean giant by joining a conservation holiday. Morning activities with turtle experts include protecting nests, tracking adults, checking buried eggs and helping hatchlings reach the sea. Children as young as eight can participate. Afternoon downtime allows you to snorkel the turquoise waters, explore the cliff trails or simply hit the beach. Responsible Travel (01273 823 700; responsibletravel.com) offers an eight-day turtle conservation holiday on Kefalonia. From £699pp, including transfers, local transport, half-board accommodation in three-star hotel, volunteering activities, donation to a sea turtle charity and bike rental. Excludes flights. Departures July and August.
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REEF AND RAINFOREST IN BELIZE
Belize packs a lot of wildlife adventure into its bijou borders, from hiking the jungles of Lamanai in search of tapirs and howler monkeys, to snorkelling the reefs of Hol Chan among nurse sharks and sea turtles. Other wildlife highlights include manatees in the mangroves and a pageant of birdlife, from toucans to trogons, at every turn. Adventurous families can also canoe the backwaters, go caving among Mayan ruins and search for crocodiles on a nocturnal boat safari.
Stubborn Mule (01728 752751; stubbornmuletravel.com) offers a guided family-friendly 15-day Belize adventure. From £12,995 for a family of four (two adults and two children) including flights (via Cancun, with overnight accommodation), breakfasts and some other meals, and all activities.