“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
Greece is renowned for their beautiful beaches and blue waters, but few release the unlocked beauty of nature in the waters itself! The sea Turtles that can be found in Greece are sadly under threat and if you would like to enjoy helping protect these turtles, in the beauty of Greece, this trip is for you! This sea turtle holiday is suitable for young and old, students, families, friends and couples. Children as young as 8 years old can participate, as long as there is adult guidance.
Accommodation will be in a caravan, tent or apartment in 1 of Greece’s finest camping sites, camping Gythio Bay. Sandy beaches provide the setting for this project where you make a difference! The holiday location is near Gythio, a pretty coastal village. A perfect setting to enjoy those long, warm Mediterranean Summer evenings. A local, friendly group leader is there for you to make this the perfect Summer get-away with a difference.
Details about this amazing tour are provided below:
Arrive at Athens airport. Preferably before 3PM. Meet the group and the tour leader! Your hotel for the first night will be along the pretty Athens Riviera. Within walkable distance from the Sea Turtle Rescue Center. In the evening there’s a welcome dinner. Great Greek food & company in an authentic Greek place!
Your small group gets the transfer in a comfortable vehicle to the South-Peloponnese (289 km/180 miles, 4 hours’ drive), Gythio. The drive is over good roads and the scenery is beautiful. Halfway: it’s time for a break at the world-famous Corinth canal!
Your accommodation for the following week will be at Camping Gythio Bay, in Mavrovouni. Near Gythio town. A stunning location, right on the beach where you will be offering your services for the Caretta caretta or Loggerhead Sea Turtles.
Dinner & overnight at an apartment, caravan or tent at luxury Camping Gythio Bay. Time permitting,you get your first presentation & training – about the loggerhead sea turtles.
Start sea turtle volunteering.
Depending on the time of the year, activities include:
During your stay, you may also be needed for activities like:
However, there is plenty of time to chill, explore and relax. The actual volunteering will take roughly 4 hours a day. This means there is time to:
Alternatively, you could visit nearby places like:
Dinner is Greek, authentic and delicious. vegan/vegetarian options available.
Transfer from Gythio back to Athens airport is included. Take a flight back home or extend your stay. We suggest finding a flight with a departure later than 2 PM. Of course, you could extend your stay in Greece.
INCLUDES | Sea Turtle Rescue Tour in the Sea Turtle Rescue Center All sea turtle volunteering activities on the beaches Training & local support by staff of sea turtle protection society Archelon All breakfasts and dinners 1st overnight in hotel in Coastal Athens BB 7 overnights in Camping Gythio Bay, Mavrovouni Private transfer from airport Athens to Sea Turtle Rescue Center in coastal Athens area on day 1 Private transfer from hotel in coastal Athens area to Sea Turtle beaches South Peloponnese on day 2 Private transfer from beaches South Peloponnese to Athens airport on last day Donation for sea turtle protection society Archelon, a t-shirt of Archelon and membership for 1 year Tour operator liability insurance |
| EXCLUDES | Flights (to Athens and return flight) Lunches, drinks, and tips Travel insurance Optional activities or excursions such as windsurfing, visiting Mystras |
Price and availability can be further discussed through direct enquiry with Animals around the Globe.
Adult price: 850 EUROS
Child price: 750 EURO
As this is a summer tour, and groups are always limited this tour is in high demand.
Picture this: next Summer you arrive by ferry boat at the lush, green Greek island of Alonissos. Disembark at Patitiri, the picture-perfect port and main town of the island. You are at the heart of the National Marine Park of Northern Sporades. A hide-away for dolphins, the extremely rare Mediterranean Monk Seal and birds like the Eleonora’s falcon. In this idyllic setting (the Mama Mia! movie was shot in this part of Greece) you become part of the dolphin conservationist team. The coming week you will assist researchers at sea during daily dolphin tours.
The day-to-day plan is elaborated below:
On this first day, you arrive by ferry at Patitiri, the port of Alonissos. Meet and greet the marine biologist of the team. Together you walk to your accommodation for this week. In the evening you get your briefing & introduction on Dolphin Conservation in the field station on Alonissos Islandto dolphins and research methods, such as dorsal fin photography and GPS-recording.
Around 7:00 – 8:15 we wake up, have breakfast at the porch of our house, with a stunning sea view. Then, get prepared for the dolphin tour!
Depending on the day’s outcome, usually around 12:00-13:00 there is a lunch break. We cook and eat on board (or enjoy our ready meal), whereas there is also some time for swimming and snorkeling to admire the rich underwater life in this protected marine zone!
There’s plenty of free time to chill and plan your own activities. Maybe visit around the narrow paved streets of the port, visit other villages of the island (few Greek villages match the beauty of Chora), or soak up the sun on one of the fabulous beaches. With rare Eleonora’s Falcons and Dragonflies circling overhead.
18:00 – 20:00: This is your opportunity to become a marine research scientist!
We will meet at the Information Center, and depending on how well our day went, and what material we have to work with we can practice our Photo-identification skills. Alternatively, you attend Eco Educational Seminars or Nature Documentary screening.
Around 20:00 it’s time to savor Greek food, either by cooking in the kitchen of our Project House or by visiting some of the local taverns!
Say goodbye to the team and the other travelers. Please make sure to leave the Dolphin Project House before 4 PM on Sunday. Leave by ferry boat, sail either to Volos or Skiathos Island to catch your flight.
Alternatively, you can extend your stay. The possibilities are endless.
Join this unique opportunity to volunteer in a dolphin conservation project in the Greek National Marine Park of Alonissos.
The 4 species of dolphins that can be found in Greek waters are under threat. Your help is needed to obtain a deep knowledge of their behavior and of their population status and trends. Assist researchers with daily dolphin tours aboard the well-equipped vessel. There is a kitchen and lunch will be prepared aboard (or tasty takeaway). This is not a “live-aboard” though! You will stay in a house on Alonissos with the other participants. Or: book your own accommodation and participate at a discounted rate.
Get introduced in the field station on Alonissos Island to research methods such as dorsal fin photography and GPS-recording. During the evenings there will be lectures by the field biologists on dolphin life history, behavior, and identification, threats faced by marine mammals, and marine research methods.
However, it is not all work that awaits you here. There is time to enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of the island, mingle with the locals, savor the yummy local delicacies, swim and snorkel and walk on the old footpaths of the islands in the National Marine Park.
This vacation is suitable for families, solo travelers, couples & friends. Children as young as 11 years old can participate. Group size varies per week. Ranging from between 4 – 12 persons on the boat.
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Price and availability can be further discussed through direct enquiry with Animals around the Globe.
Adult price: 850 EURO
Child price: 750 EURO
As this is a summer tour, and groups are always limited this tour is in high demand.
Dates 2021: June till beginning September – weekly departures
Track wild bears in a pristine mountainous corner of Greece: Northern Pindos. Back to nature with the friendly guides of wildlife charity CALLISTO to hear about bear research methods, walk in the wilderness and witness traces of wild bears.
The beautiful Pindos mountain range in the north west is considered the Amazon of Greece. It contains many peaks of over 2.000m, glacial lakes, pristine alpine meadows, and rare flora and fauna. At least 500 wild bears roam the wilderness of Greece.
Perfect for: Lovers of the outdoors, keen to get off the beaten path in Greece’s spectacular mountains, getting to know the real Greece through friendly locals.
Arrive at Thessaloniki airport. From here you get a private transfer to the lovely Kastoria region, at the foothills of the Pindos mountain range. The transfer is via an excellent highway. The distance covers some 190 km (118 miles) and lasts for a duration just under 2 hours.
Arrive at the guesthouse situated near the very scenic Kastoria Lake. Time to rest before you meet your nature guide and CALLISTO expert on Brown bears. Time permitting, there will be a first nature hike in the area near your hotel, which is part of bear habitat. Then you will have dinner and a presentation in your hotel. You get a fascinating information session about the European Brown Bear and the nature conservation efforts of CALLISTO which poses a great introduction for the days ahead.
In the early morning we might go to a place where brown bears may be active, foraging -observation in an attempt to spot bears. After breakfast you head North, to the great outdoors! This is where wildlife charity CALLISTO conducts field research. Walk in the wilderness with your expert guide and learn about: the use of radio telemetry equipmentand methods of radio tracking animals, finding signs for recording bear presence, measuring footprints to determine the size and age of a bear and remote camera traps. A visit to either a beekeeper or a livestock breeder to see how he co-exists with the bears in the area. See how CALLISTO helps these locals by providing them with preventive measures such as special mobile fences and providing a breed of guarding dogs that keep the bears at bay. On the way back you will pay a visit to the bear sanctuary at Nymfaio, of the nature organization Arcturos. It is a shelter where orphan wild bears and rescued bears are kept in a fenced area of some 50.000 m2. The guided tour here lasts around 1 hour.
At the Bear Sanctuary you’ll see bears, guaranteed, up-close and personal!
Opportunity to explore the traditional mountain village of Nymfaio. Drive back to Kastoria. Dinner in your guesthouse.
Overnight in 3* accommodation in Kastoria
Start your day early with another wild bears observation effort in bear habitat. After breakfast you head to the wilderness of the greater Kastoria area. Walk with your expert guide, in an area where wild bears are active. Look for bear tracks and other signs such as bear droppings, bear hairs and scratch marks on trees or poles! Back to rest in your guesthouse.
In the afternoon you discover Kastoria town, one of Greece’s prettiest villages. It’s highlights include many historical mansions of the 18th and 19th century, a folk museum, a costume museum and a Byzantine Museum.With its location at the lake shore, Kastoria – a Natura 2000 site, a wildlife Refuge and an Important Bird Area, is great for watching birds. Pygmy cormorants, Dalmatian and White Pelicans, Ferruginous Duck and Night Herons all live in this area of exceptional beauty. Finally, Kastoria is famous for its numerous Byzantine churchesof the 11th,12th and 13th century! Dinner in Kastoria
Overnight in 3* Accommodation in Kastoria
After breakfast, you head for the Grammos Mountain, near the Albanian border. It is Greece’s 4th highest mountain (2.520m summit)! The transfer will take around an hour. After the drive we will set out on a hike on the mountain trails to Grammos Lodge. You’re invited to take in the wild beauty of this forested area, which is rich in pine and beech forests and vast sub-alpine meadows, and forms one of the most attractive trekking destinations in Europe. Admire impressive mountain ranges, forested slopes and the breath-taking natural landscape unfolding before your eyes. Hit amazing trails in a truly unspoiled paradise, where crystal clear rivers flow through the forested valleys. Drive back to your guesthouse in the afternoon. Later that day you discover more of Kastoria town and its Lake. Dinner in Kastoria town.
Overnight in 3* Accommodation in Kastoria
After breakfast get your transfer to Thessaloniki. Expect to be back at 1 PM. We advice to take a flight back no earlier than 2 PM.
Price and availability can be further discussed through direct enquiry with Animals around the Globe.
€615 – p.p. for stay in quadruple room
€620 – p.p. for stay in triple room
€650 – p.p. for stay in double room
€715 – p.p. for stay in single room
Dates 2021:
29 May 2021 (Available)
18 September 2021 (Available)
24 October 2021 (Available)
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As Sweden has a lot of forest, the typical animals of the forest also live here. These include wild boars, deer and red deer, hares, foxes and badgers. Lynxes, brown bears and wolves slowly reproduce again.
Sweden is not only one of the most scenic and diverse countries in the world, but also one of the least populated. So it’s perfect to recharge your batteries on an unforgettable hiking vacation.
Fill in your details and we’ll get back to you in no time. Get ready for bonding with wildlife and experiencing new sensations.
Due to Covid-19, you can cancel any time with a full refund up to two weeks prior to your trip.
