Specialist natural world tour operator Naturetrek (www.naturetrek.co.uk) has announced a series of new vegetarian and vegan wildlife holidays, adding to its leading collection of small group tours and cruises for 2024.
Reflecting the growing movement towards plant-based diets, whether for reasons of health, animal welfare or sustainability, Naturetrek has this year whole-heartedly embraced the increased interest in – and demand for – vegan and vegetarian dining options with its new itineraries.
Says Naturetrek’s Managing Director, Andy Tucker: “After years of vegetarians and vegans having to endure the frustration of being served ham omelettes and tuna salads in Mediterranean Europe and elsewhere, an up-and-coming collection of fine-dining hotels specialising in vegetarian and vegan cooking is taking the market by storm. We have worked hard to identify those in the best areas for wildlife, and the happy result is that we now have a new range of wildlife holidays to offer clients who follow a meat-free or plant-based diet. It will also doubtless please those omnivores amongst our clientele who are curious and keen to learn more about vegetarian and vegan cuisine.
“Our new vegetarian and vegan wildlife tours promise to deliver three delicious, healthy, and appetite-satisfying meals per day. We know ourselves – with several of us in the Naturetrek office being life-long vegetarians or vegans – that it has often been necessary to compromise on meal quality and variety when travelling. At long last, that will not be the case with this new collection of tours! It makes perfect sense to offer committed vegans and vegetarians what they seek, especially when so many of us often opt for such meals simply because they both taste and look so wonderful.”
Whether trips involve travelling to the forested mountains of Andalucía’s Serranía de Ronda, or a safari through India’s tiger reserves, Naturetrek has worked hard to identify hotel partners in the best areas for wildlife which will cater well to those who prefer a meat-free or plant-based diet. Each holiday promises to deliver delicious, healthy and satisfying meals – with breakfast and dinner provided by our carefully-selected hotels, alongside a vegan/vegetarian adaptation of the famous Naturetrek picnic, providing a nutritionally- balanced and mouth-watering spread, with a range of options from which to choose.
Highlights of the new collection of vegetarian and vegan holidays include:
Wildlife of Italy’s Northern Alps
Explore Italy’s northern Alps on an 8-day adventure in search of the wonderful summer alpine wildlife of the region, staying at a stylish, superbly-appointed vegan hotel. Enjoy excursions to Alpine pastures, sun-lit meadows and other wonderful habitats in search of sought-after plant species – such as the Lesser Butterfly Orchid, One-flowered Wintergreen and Edelweiss – plus butterflies, and hopefully a rare sighting of Alpine Marmot and Alpine Ibex, alongside soaring Lammergeier and a variety of other birds such as the Nutcracker and Black Woodpecker. Located in the southern Tyrol, within easy walking distance of the Texel Group Nature Park, the hotel’s excellent facilities include a natural bathing pool, Finnish sauna, outdoor forest sauna, hot stone lounge and an indoor pool with a salt electrolysis system. Guests will enjoy a 5-course vegan gourmet dinner each evening, and a delicious vegan breakfast buffet each morning.
Departing Sunday 14th July 2024, prices for an 8-day holiday start from £3,295 pp, including flights, accommodation, three vegetarian/vegan meals per day and the expertise of a Naturetrek Tour Leader. https://www.naturetrek.co.uk/tours/italy-vegan-wildlife-tour
Spring in Greece’s Northern Peloponnese
Take an 8-day tour of Greece’s beautiful Peloponnese peninsula, just as it bursts into spring. Based in a delightful hotel on the north-east coast of the Peloponnese, that specialises in both vegetarian and vegan cuisine, guests will visit Lake Stymphalia – one of the EU’s Natura 2000 reserves – in search of the region’s most unique birds, reptiles, amphibians and plants – alongside exploring Kalogria’s wonderful Stone Pine forests on the north-west coast, as well as heading into the mountains in search of Rock Thrush (pictured above), Alpine Newt, Greek Clouded Yellow and Spotted Fritillary. With beautiful, secluded beaches, ancient chapels, friendly people and mouth-watering Mediterranean vegan and vegetarian cuisine, it will deliver an unforgettable Greek adventure for one and all.
Departing Tuesday 15th April 2025, prices for an 8-day holiday start from £2,295 pp, including flights, accommodation, three vegetarian/vegan meals per day and the expertise of a Naturetrek Tour Leader. https://www.naturetrek.co.uk/tours/greece-vegetarian-wildlife-tour
India – Tiger Direct
Experience the heart of Tiger country on a 9-day safari combining two of India’s finest Tiger Reserves – the Pench and Kanha National Parks. Flying straight into Nagpur, in Madhya Pradesh (heartland of the Tiger), this tour is free of large cities and endless overland journeys and truly maximises the time spent in India’s wonderful national parks. Explore a wide range of habitats on morning and evening game drives, looking for Tigers, Sambar, Spotted and Swamp Deer, Gaur, Wild Boar, and perhaps even Leopard, Dhole or Sloth Bear, as well as a colourful profusion of birds. An optional extension to tourist-free Tadoba Tiger Reserve is recommended for unmissable wildlife encounters. India excels in producing vegetarian and vegan food and, alongside delicious daily menus, guests will enjoy a private cooking demonstration of traditional Indian cuisine by their hosts. Departing Sunday 2nd February 2025, prices for a 9-day holiday start from £2,995 pp, including flights, accommodation, three vegetarian/vegan meals per day and the expertise of a Naturetrek Tour Leader. https://www.naturetrek.co.uk/tours/India-Tiger-Direct-vegetarian-vegan-tour
Naturetrek’s current range of vegetarian and vegan tours (seven departures at present, in Scotland, Spain, Italy, India and Greece) can be viewed here. More are currently being planned!
Guest feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive, with comments from the recent ‘Serrania de Ronda – A Vegetarian/Vegan tour’ in Spain such as:
“This was an excellent trip. The venue was great, the leaders superb and the food amazingly fantastic. Juzcar was an excellent base for exploring the surrounding area and we managed to visit a good range of habitats and see some stunning birds, including Cinereous and Egyptian Vultures, Great and Little Bustards and White-headed and Marbled Duck…. Ivan, the chef at the hotel, produced a different three- course meal every night, catering for both vegetarians and vegans, which was completely delicious and stunning. We’d highly recommend this tour.”
“The hotel was lovely, set in the quiet village of Juzcar…. The co-owners, David and Ivan, were superb and skilled hosts, though the fabulous food has to take centre stage. As a vegetarian, I have never been so spoilt food wise. Usually veggies are an afterthought – the next group have a real treat in store. Chef Ivan and his ‘sous chef’ David, juggled veggie, vegan and gluten free [menus] with such good humour, but that food was a ‘wow’!!!”
“The veggie food was excellent and all the meals were full of flavour, and freshly cooked.”
The next ‘Serrania de Ronda – A Vegetarian/Vegan tour’ will take depart on Saturday 8th February 2025 and Sunday 16th February 2025. Prices for the 9-day holiday start from £1,795 pp, including flights, accommodation, three vegetarian/vegan meals per day and the expertise of a Naturetrek tour leader.
https://www.naturetrek.co.uk/tours/the-wildlife-of-the-serrania-de-ronda—a-vegetarian-tour
On the key issue of the environment, Andy Tucker, MD of Naturetrek, says: “Naturetrek has supported efforts on the climate change front for the past 30-plus years, via the World Land Trust (www.worldlandtrust.org) – indeed, to date, we have raised over £1M to help protect valuable wildlife corridors and important forest lands worldwide. We know it makes sense, and that it will help to support climate change efforts worldwide, and such basics are part and parcel of Naturetrek’s DNA.”
To speak to the experts, for more information on any of the wide range of Naturetrek’s wildlife itineraries, or to request a copy of the latest brochure, call 01962 733051 or visit www.naturetrek.co.uk.
