Wildlife holidays in Europe
From rewildling projects in the forests of eastern Europe to research and conservation programmes involving wolves, lynx and brown bears, although Britain is known as a nation of animal lovers sometimes we need to cross the Channel to find a better way.
Sometimes luck will play a part in spotting an animal on holiday but if you can lessen the odds and listen to local tour operators and conservationists who make it their business to keep animals out of harm's way then you'll be far more likely to achieve success, with little or no disturbance to an animal's existence.
Our Wildlife Holidays
Blue Whale tour in the Azores
Visit the Azores at the best time to see Blue Whales
Sweden holidays, Wolves, Moose and Beavers
Wildlife holiday in Sweden with full focus on large mammals.
Wolverine photography tour in Finland
Photograph & watch wild wolverines, a very elusive species
Whale & dolphin research in Ligurian Sea, Italy
Whale and dolphin conservation trip
Swim with Orcas in Fjords of Norway
6 night live-aboard tour in the stunning fjords 0f Norway
Swimming with wild dolphins in the Azores
Live a dream and swim with wild dolphins
Bird watching tours in Hungary
Visit Bukk N.P. with a birding specialist
Family volunteering with bears in Romania
Unique family volunteering holiday at a bear sanctuary
Whale watching in the Azores
Classic whale watching trip in the Azores archipelago
Family swimming with dolphins in the Azores
A family focused adventure and experience of a lifetime.
Mull wildlife holiday in Scotland
Ultimate week of wildlife spotting on the Isle of Mull
Blue whale watching in the Azores, Pico Island
Best time to see Blue Whales in the Azores
Wild Taiga self drive holiday in Finland, Finnish NP
Self guided driving tour in Finland's Wild Taiga wilderness
Birdwatching holiday in France
Great Bird Watching, Food, Wine and Bonhomie
Bird watching short break to Hungary
Visit Bukk National Park with a birding specialist
Norway wildlife holiday, walking safari
Camping wildlife holiday in the Norwegian wilderness
Carpathian Mountains holiday, conservation & culture
Wolves, bears and sightseeing
Brown bear tracking in Northern Greece
Track wild bears & explore the wilderness with park rangers
Wildlife holiday in the Isle of Mull, Scotland
Spot whales, otters and eagles on Isle of Mull, Scotland
Hebrides cruise, The Sounds of Mull, Luing, Shuna and Jura
Cruise the Sounds of the Hebrides: Mull, Luing, Jura, Shuna
Madeira small group holiday, wildlife & nature
Active wildlife week holiday in Madeira
Wildlife and walking holiday in the Spanish Pyrenees
A naturalists paradise in the heart of the Spanish Pyrenees
Greece bird watching holiday, Lake Kerkini
4-days expert-led trip to birding heaven
Wildlife photography holiday in Finland
Wolverine photographing in winterland Finland
Orkney & Shetland self drive holiday, Scotland
Island hop the wild Scottish Northern Isles on this week's holiday to Orkney and Shetland
Poland wildlife holiday, Wolves, Bears & Lynx
5 days in the Bieszczady Mountains, Eastern Carpathians
Sao Miguel tour in the Azores
Small group highlights tour on Sao Miguel Island
Swim with orcas in Norway, Northern Lights
Northern lights and orca swim adventure in Norway
Finland wildlife holiday in Wild Taiga
Observe Finnish large carnivores - bear, wolf and wolverine.
Russian Arctic Circle cruise with Wrangel Island
Unique expedition across the top of the world
Whale watching
That first fist of water expelled from a blow hole or the deepest, richest, fish breath ever inhaled, whale watching tours will leave you in humbled awe as to the size and grace of this barnacle crowned king of the open ocean.The Azores, off the west coast of Portugal, is one of Europe's key whale watching locations with sightings practically guaranteed from April through to September. The sight of a Blue Whale, in particular, is just astonishing with the spring migration signalling the start of whale watching season with the likes of Baleen, Sperm, Humpbacks and Orcas soon to follow. Aside from the Azores, Norway is another important European country to watch whales with Orcas, Humpbacks and Fin whales following shoals of herring through the fjords around Tromsø from November through to January, in addition to Humpbacks, Pilots, Minkes making appearances throughout the summer season.
Searching for browns bears
There can be few more thrilling wildlife holidays in Europe other than bear watching and if you've got the patience and the strength of spirit to follow a guide into the depths of Eastern Finland then you'll find fortune certainly favours the brave. After the freezing temperatures of winter, Finnish landscapes, on the borders with Russia, wake up to melt waters and spring flowers but spending a night in a camouflaged bear hide is probably going to paint a picture that's a tad more exciting than the prospect of picnics on lush, green meadows.Romania and northern Greece are two more European regions where brown bears are known to exist and finding out more about conservation, tracking techniques and where and when to spot one of the world's most endearing animals is the only way to approach from a safe and successful distance.
Bison tracking in Poland
Our top Wildlife Holiday
Family swimming with dolphins in the Azores
A family focused adventure and experience of a lifetime.
2021: 3 Apr, 10 Apr, 29 May, 24 Jul, 14 Aug, 21 Aug, 28 Aug
2022: 3 Apr, 10 Apr, 17 Apr, 29 May, 16 Jul, 23 Jul, 30 Jul, 6 Aug, 13 Aug, 20 Aug, 27 Aug
Wolf tracking in Europe
Wildlife holidays in Europe always promise the thrill of spotting an animal in its natural habitat but sometimes hearing a primeval cry in the dark is just as exciting a prospect.Wolves have long been fated as the bad guy of fictional tales and farming folklore however, cut aside the lazy stereotypes and assumed fear factor and you'll discover a creature that holds just as many charming characteristics as it does predatory instincts.
Tracking wolf prints through the forests, mountains and national parks of France, Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Sweden is an incredibly rewarding experience and if you're lucky enough to actually see what is an extremely shy and elusive animal then you'll soon begin to realise that man's perception has only been created purely to further his own end.
Birding holidays in Europe
Long gone are the days when bird watching holidays were considered boring and if you're feeling motivated to head to Hungary in search of Honey Buzzards or Spain in search of Sandgrouse then right here is where you get twitching. Imagine hiking high into the Pyrenees to find Golden Eagles wheeling overhead or training your binoculars on thousands of Common Cranes ascending across a lake in the Ebro Valley. Bird watching holidays in Europe release you from the shackles of overcrowded hides and noisy nature reserves and thrust you into the natural habitat of some of Europe's most captivating countries.From Barcelona to Zaragoza, Bukk National Park to the Tisza Floodplains, if you're still inclined to think of birdwatching as a pursuit of pensioners then think again as this is where things really start to take off.
Go wild in Sweden
Swimming with dolphins
If you had to hazard a guess at most people's bucket list ideas then swimming with dolphins is probably going to come out pretty close to the top.As with all animals that we love the only place for this sort of activity to take place has to be in the wild with the warmish waves of the Mediterranean setting the scene for a safe and sensible experience to make your heart leap with adulation. Playful? Yes. Friendly? Yes. But something to be captured, trained and put on show? No way! Swimming with dolphins is an activity to be enjoyed in the wild where pods communicate with each other and tricks are performed for fun and pleasure rather than for performance fees and an uneducated audience.
Lynx tracking holidays
There can be few other creatures in Europe quite as reclusive as the Lynx and if you think seeing them in a zoo counts as an encounter then you really need to get out more.Slovakia's Carpathian Mountains are one such location to get your Lynx experience started on the right foot with winter often the best time to track those elusive paw prints captured in the snow.
Scat, scent and radio signals are all used by the experts to help research and follow these cautious cats and if you're planning on getting to grips with snow shoes and cross country skiing then Slovakia's snow-covered terrain is an excellent environment to get started.
Montenegro is another essential Lynx stomping ground with no more than 50 Balkan Lynx known to inhabit parts of Prokletije National Park with the rugged peaks of the Dinaric Alps a well known hiding place for one of Europe's most hard to spot big cats.