the Secrets of
Albania, Lesvos, Prespa & Rhodope.
Some are known to a select group of nature & culture lovers.
Some aren’t known at all.
Fund the work of PPNEA
Albania's oldest environmental society
Vultures, Illyrians & Romans
Home to the Illyrians and a stone's throw from Italy, the region sat on the crossroads of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds.
Magnificent settlements flourished, both on the coast amongst the golden jackal, and in the mountains where Egyptian vulture circle overhead.
Dates:
tbc 2022
Or ask us about
Private & Custom-Made
Cost:
Days:
Group:
Walking:
from £1,645
8
4-6
Gentle
3 countries, 3 lakes, 1000s of species
The unknown Prespa and Ohrid lakes are shared by five ethnicities, four national parks & three countries:
Albania, Greece and North Macedonia.
Circle the lakes with us and explore Roman ruins and 10th century churches under the wings of 3,000 Dalmatian Pelicans.
Dates:
tbc 2022
Or ask us about
Private & Custom-Made
Cost:
Days:
Group:
Walking:
from £1,695
9
4-7
Gentle
Island of birds, orchids & walks
A famous destination for lovers of birds, insects, geology and plants, Lesvos is also packed with ancient sanctuaries, castles, Byzantine monasteries and petrified forests.
Walk amidst woodlands and meadows, full of orchids and anemones, with the Aegean Sea never far away.
Cost:
Days:
Group:
Walking:
from £1,695
9
3-7
Gentle
Dates:
Ask us about
Private & Custom-Made
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Bird & mammal ecology
Discover the Rhodope with our bird and mammal guide. Seek out the elusive capercaillie whilst learning about the diets and tracks of bear, jackal and other mammals in the forest.
Travelling by 4x4 with two guides, you'll stay in secluded forest cabins, meeting the loggers and shepherds who live here.
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Cost:
Days:
Group:
Walking:
from £1,545
8
4-6
Fair
Dates:
tbc 2022
Or ask us about
Private & Custom-Made
How we design our Secrets tours
Our Secrets tours showcase the spectrum of each place's natural and cultural history, via relaxed, guided walks with a local ecologist and a supporting cast of friends: beekeepers and archaeologists, shepherds and teachers, orchid enthusiasts and winemakers.
It’s the conversations with the locals that form many of our visitors’ fondest memories, and that’s aided by small groups of 4 to 7 people; there’ll always be time to properly chat with each other and the guides, whether on walks or at mealtimes.
And whilst the professional and various local guides are not experts in every species fluttering past, the slow pace of walks will allow time for a deep look at every animal, plant or mineral that crosses our paths.
Each day is packed full of new species, questions and experiences, ready for friendly conversation over good food in the evenings.
Mark Cocker 360°
Zagori, Prespa
and the UK's Peak District.
Each year we run two tours in the Balkans with the author and naturalist Mark Cocker.
And as of 2021, Mark will guide a short tour around his local patch in the Peaks.
"We call the whole programme '360 Degrees' because the aim is to take the broadest possible approach to looking at wildlife and nature.
Birds are always at the heart of our activities, but we also enjoy butterflies and spiders, flowers and fungi, reptiles and mammals; in short, all parts of nature.
Yet it is not only that we look at everything, we also explore their role in the cultural lives of the area.
The key is to take our time, to savour it all without regard for targets or species lists; and from this, hopefully, will flow the richest, most creative reponse to place and nature."
Prespa 360°
Albania, Greece & North Macedonia
Dates:
08 - 15 May 2022
Cost:
Days:
Group:
Walking:
from £1,395
8
6-10
Gentle
Zagori 360°
Northern Greece
Dates:
16 - 23 May 2022
Cost:
Days:
Group:
Walking:
from £1,395
8
6 -12
Gentle
Derbyshire Days
High Summer in the High Peaks
Dates:
22 - 25 July 2021
22 Jul - 01 Aug 2021
2022: tbc
Cost:
Days:
Group:
Walking:
from £750
4
6-7
Gentle