Testimonials

Cyprus in Spring, March 2019: Nice to be with a sociable and diverse bunch of group members with varied interests – there was something for everyone on this tour. As always, Greenwings organisation was perfect, good hotels and good food, perfect transport and above all else the best tour leader on Cyprus.

Butterflies of The French Alps, July 2016: Our whole Greenwings experience has been first class. The office team are efficient, friendly, knowledgeable and above all so enthusiastic. Due to this we had very high expectations for our holiday. These were exceeded on all fronts. During our trip we saw over 120 species, but this was no ‘tick and run’ trip. We always had plenty time to enjoy the fauna and flora each site had to offer and to enjoy the beautiful surroundings with our like-minded fellow guests.

An enormous amount of local knowledge is essential for this trips to be successful and we were taken to a variety of sites at different altitudes, all of which had something special to offer. On one day we visited a small field were we observed the rare and threatened Mountain Alcon Blues nectaring, courting and egg laying, an unforgettable and privileged experience. It’s special moments like these and many similar ones, that we wouldn’t have without Greenwings thoroughly researching the tour.

Our guides, David and Yiannis, were both excellent and they enhanced the holiday greatly with their knowledge and infectious enthusiasm, which they freely shared with everyone. We learnt a huge amount from them both.

Would we travel with Greenwings again? Definitely yes! The difficulty is deciding which of the exciting venues on offer to do next.

Moths & Butterflies of The Vercors, July 2016: A very successful trip, my second with Greenwings. Food and accommodation were good, transport  very comfortable and the location spectacular, and we were given every attention by Tristan and Tatiana. We were fortunate with the weather, with more species than expected and many freshly emerged. It is a great privilege to spend a week with the ‘Butterfly Whisperer’ Tristan Lafranchis, whose observational and anecdotal experience matches his scientific knowledge, and great trouble had clearly been taken in scouting suitable sites and habitats prior to our arrival.

I have no intention of using any other operators having discovered Greenwings!

Moths & Butterflies of the Vercors, July 2016: The Vercors is a relatively unknown part of France and its diverse butterfly habitats are a revelation. The impressive Mt Aiguille was a backdrop to our base, and to find the Woodland Brown flying just a short walk from the hotel was an unexpected joy. Tristan Lafranchis (my hero) must be one of the most experienced lepidopterists in Europe, so the group was able to get the best out of the tour. We logged over a hundred butterfly species during the week, and heavens knows how many moths. The hotel was traditional French, and better than its official 2 star rating suggests; the staff were helpful and the 4 course dinner was more than ample. Tristan and his wife Tatiana are a brilliant team, and used the 2 minibuses to good effect at night, to give everyone a chance to see the moth trapping yet allowing the butterfly squad to leave earlier than the dedicated moth-ers.

Butterflies & Birds of North Greece, June 2015: We spent a wonderful week in Northern Greece staying in a village away from the usual tourist areas. The amazing array of both butterflies and birds we saw, identified by our knowledgeable, friendly and approachable guides was more than we could have hoped for.  Along with the group of fellow wildlife enthusiasts in our party who really got on extremely well making the whole week an absolute pleasure. Thanks Greenwings!

Butterflies of Greece, June 2016: Greece was splendid with settled hot weather good food and good hotels!

The guides did their utmost to attend to our various interests. The scenery was quite haunting at times including valleys reminiscent of Switzerland and vistas of mountain ranges. We had views of the coast quite often from the two areas, Mt. Parnassus and The Peloponnese. Although numbers of butterflies were low at the higher sites, rarities were found. The lusher lower areas were more prolific. I was able to catch up on a number of blues and frits in particular as well as a range of burnets and beetles. I was glad to see many bombus species, and large tort from a abandoned cherry orchard.

There were moments of magic when we stopped at a taverna overlooking a valley where we refreshed and on another occasion where we had a lunch stop and were able to avail ourselves of the swimming pool.

Eastern Pyrenees, May 2016: It was a wonderful holiday and many thanks to Tristan and Tatiana for all their expertise and for making the trips great! Tristan’s local knowledge was invaluable in making this holiday a success. He was also quite flexible on where we went in order to make the most of the weather conditions.

French Alps 2016: I just wanted to say how much I thoroughly enjoyed the trip. We were wonderfully spoilt by the attentive care of Roger, David, Nick and Yiannis, skilfully guided in every respect, as well as some very kind group members. Put me down for next year please!

The Vercors 2016: Just a line to let you know that Vercors was a spectacular trip!

The pre-trip paperwork was clear and helpful. Tristan and Tatiana were brilliant, and the whole group enjoyed it immensely.

They took us to some superb sites and the species list grew speedily to something over 110! The moth-ing made a significant contribution to Tristan’s forthcoming book on the moths of France and he worked it nicely so that the mothing did not impede the butterfly-only squad. The location of the hotel was perfect – right in good habitat with a choice of 3 mountain or 3 meadow paths to follow. We did a morning walk together directly after breakfast, returning at 09:30ish to see the previous night’s moths. (Most nights 3 traps had been running).

Butterflies of Greece 2016: Plenty of wildlife everywhere and perfect weather! Nice people and amazingly smooth running with 14 people. Several good options as additions on the tour. Exceeded expectations. A good mix of  of wildlife and some local and cultural interest also. Would I go again? Of course!

Butterflies of Greece 2016: I expected this to be a very good trip but it actually exceeded my expectations. Having been on several similar type of trips in the past, this was amongst the best in terms of quality of the two leaders, standard of food and accommodation, full days out in the field, dynamics of the group which in part was due to the leaders, and the locations visited. I will certainly be travelling with Greenwings again!

Butterflies of The French Alps 2016: We have just returned from our trip to the French Alps and wanted to let you know what a fabulous time we had and that all the guides were superb. Roll on the next one!

Butterfly Safari in South Africa 2016: Good trip! Of course Steve’s knowledge was incredible, but Callan was outstanding as a leader, organiser, general naturalist and all-round fixer!! I am looking forward to the report!

Butterfly Safari in South Africa 2016: Thank you for encouraging me to book the South African Butterfly holiday. I am so glad I did as I had a most wonderful time. The group seemed to get on well and I appreciated Steve’s enthusiasm and expertise and that of Callan too. We were looked after splendidly. I thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of my visit and, of course, the butterflies were superb but we were also able to learn about any South African wildlife we saw. Being my first experience of Africa it was all very exciting and I am now home with many happy memories and telling folk about them. Once again thank you for all you did!

Lake Kerkini in Winter 2015: It was a great advantage to have 2 minibuses with plenty of space, especially as we had lots of equipment with us. Both George and Julian went out of their way to make sure everyone was having a good time and seeing the birds.

We realise that arriving a day early meant that George had to make a special journey to pick us up and Julian had to do the same on our return to the airport. This was very much appreciated and special treatment that not many other companies (if any) would have provided.

Butterflies of The French Alps 2014: This was the first time I’d been on an organised wildlife holiday. As a result expectations are dependent on more than those applicable to an ‘ordinary’ leisure holiday. After all, if the wildlife disappoints, then no matter how good the organisation, accommodation, travelling, etc, then ultimately the trip will prove decidedly unfulfilling.

Well, no such problems with this Greenwings expedition to the French Alps. You just KNOW that when time becomes an inconsequential dimension that you’re having a good holiday. This trip exceeded expectations for many reasons.

Not only was the planning executed magnificently but the wealth and variety of species encountered combined with the knowledge and conviviality of the guides meant that the trip turned into something far greater than I had dared to anticipate.

Well over 100 species of butterfly were seen, including several ‘iconic’ ones. What’s more, the leader’s intimate knowledge of the local terrain proved as illuminating as it was productive. Where else could you find someone who could drive you to a dung heap in an isolated area of the French Alps where so many rare and precious butterfly species could be seen in such numbers?

Every site visited was wholly different from the others, and as such, the species range just kept growing and growing. Butterflies apart, there were amazing sights to behold – marmots, chamois, lizards, golden eagles, vultures, rare alpine plants….the list is practically endless.

With group sizes limited, you feel at times as though you have your own personal tutor! Overall, well worth the money – had I tried to see so many species independently it’d have probably taken me over a month (and cost me a lot more)!

If you wish to cram as much as you can into a short period and be in the safe and reliable hands of people who know EXACTLY what they’re doing, then I can’t recommend Greenwings enough. I’ll definitely be using them again…..the sooner the better!

We had a perfect Greenwings holiday in the French Alps, with wonderful scenery and an amazing array of butterflies. The guides were helpful and very knowledgeable, the hotels comfortable and the door-to-door transport excellent, all topped off by a superb photographic trip report. We loved this holiday and can’t wait to go again with Greenwings!

The French Alps trip in July 2014 was an absolutely magical week in the company of like-minded guests and two brilliant guides. The whole holiday was just superb. I can’t wait for Provence 2015!

The trip was an unqualified success! Yeray is a very talented ornithologist and looked after us extremely well. His local knowledge of the sites to visit, and the timing, was spot on. The pelagic was a great idea. We luckily had Orcas very close and Pilot Whales as well. Also, as an ex-BTO bird ringer, the visit to the Swallow Roost trapping was the icing on the cake.

Superb week of intense birding with an exceptionally brilliant guide – birding trip of a lifetime!

…thanks to you and your team for a superb trip “Butterflies of Provence”. Tristan and Tatiana were utterly amazing guides and hosts. In particular, Tristan’s fieldcraft was unbelievable, and the amount he taught me was almost worth the price in itself. His identification skills are brilliant, and his patience endless.The hotel staff were exceptionally helpful, and Marguerite in particular, had great fun teasing the eccentric guests. The group gelled well, and credit must go to Tristan for ensuring all levels of expertise and particular interests were catered for. This was my first group trip, apart from safaris, and I was a bit apprehensive – needlessly! Over the winter I visit photographic clubs lecturing, and I will be delighted to recommend Greenwings. I am keen to see your programme for 2015.

…The holiday was very well organised by Greenwings, with great care taken of clients and good knowledge of the birds and places visited – it was a super area to watch birds! This holiday also had the best leaders we have encountered on this type of holiday. They were knowledgable, friendly and caring, we were looked after extremely well!

…We were looking for a broad focus natural history trip to an interesting location – spot on! We saw a lovely range of wildlife and the photography advice given to us has got us going on this aspect.

…One of the best (if not THE best) European birding trips we have had – and we’ve had lots! This was the ‘real’ Greece, in a ‘real’ village! We really enjoyed the slow pace and time allowed to really watch and listen to fantastic birds in all the different habitats. We particularly liked the abundance of everything, especially the Golden Orioles, Turtle Doves and Hoopoes!

…Thanks for an enjoyable and fruitful holiday, we enjoyed all of it, the hotel was excellent, as were all the day trips!

…I enjoyed my holiday in Rhodes immensely. The trips to see the wildlife, the culture, and history were wonderful. The walks were taken at a leisurely pace to suit all, and we had lovely picnics. I would do it all again if given the chance and I will be looking out for your next trip!

…A wonderful week in Rhodes which was managed by the helpful Greenwings team. Greenwings together with the welcoming and friendly staff of our comfortable small Hotel, and fine weather ensured that our stay was a very happy one. An added bonus to the trip was our visits to Greek tavernas, well off the normal tourist trail.

…the best holiday I’ve ever had!

…Great fun, very focused, intent on helping and pleasing clients. The holiday was very educational, helpful with photography and a good choice of interesting locations. Loved the holiday report!!

…Great at finding the butterflies – 5 lifers in 1 day!. Many thanks for a super looking trip report!

…Excellent leaders, knowledgable, friendly and helpful. The holiday was very well organised and visits were to a very nice range of good, interesting sites. It was a most enjoyable holiday with a very friendly group. We visited wonderful places and each day was very full but never too tiring. The visits were never rushed, with plenty of time to admire the scenery and take photos. We thought the trip report was absolutely excellent and a super reminder of a wonderful holiday!