Suriname
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OPHRYS ODYSSEY
Homer’s birthplace holds an extraordinary 75 species of orchid (not including forms or hybrids) and it is surely among the top orchid-rich sites in the Mediterranean. Controlled by wealthy shipping families Chios has eschewed the lure of mass tourism and agriculture has been relatively unimportant since the Ottoman’s crushed the ‘Mastic Revolt’ so today spring ushers in a magical show of flowers.
Colourful Anemones and Irises jostle for space with Vetches and Grape Hyacinths and we’ll encounter massed displays of four species of Tulip. Green Lizards, False Apollos and Eastern Festoons share unspoilt coastal habitats with bizarre Ophrys regis-ferdinandii. This will be the first of around thirty species of bee orchids – there’s Ophrys attica, straussii, lovely spruneri, common umbilicata, pink-sepalled minutula, impressive iricolor – the list seems endless. If you’ve ever wanted to know how to tell Ophrys leucadica from Ophrys parosica and Ophrys blitopertha from Ophrys cinereophila or even know what the recently described Ophrys’ lindia and persephone look like then this is your chance.
There’s exciting birdwatching at Marmaro where a tiny marsh right by the hotel gives one daily close-up views of Little Crakes. There’s also Baillon’s Crake, Great Snipe, Bittern and a variety of warblers too. To add to the appeal we’ll stay amid the atmospheric ‘Mansions of Kampos’, there’s the world heritage site at Nea Moni with fabulous mosaics, and there’s plenty of really good Greek food to enjoy.
Dates and Prices
19th March - 26th March 2027 (8 days)
* doesn't apply if you're willing to share and a room-mate can be arranged
Flowers, Birds, Butterflies, Landscapes and Cultural Sites.
One leader for a group of up to 6, two leaders up to the maximum group size of 12.
All flights. All transport, meals and accommodation on Chios. Services of your leaders. Please note: drinks, tips, and items of a personal nature including insurance, are not included.
The Voulamandis House, a converted family mansion in the upmarket Kampos region south of Chios Town, will be our base for the whole tour. This has been ‘the’ place to live on Chios since the Genoese first colonised the fertile plain. The Voulamandis family still farm the lemon, orange and mandarin groves that surround the house. The air-conditioned rooms are spacious and clean, and have a fridge, kettle and hairdryer, a laptop, and free wireless internet. Local cuisine of the highest calibre is prepared on the premises by Maria Voulamandis. All rooms on this holiday have en suite WCs and showers/baths.
Relaxed and easy. Up to two or three miles a day and always at a slow pace, perfectly suited to photographers.
UK return flights are from London Heathrow* via Athens to Chios. Indirect routes from other regional UK Airports* are available.
*These routes may incur a supplement.
Generally warm and sunny. However it is spring and cooler weather is still possible, especially at night, and you should certainly expect some rain during the tour.
Contact us to check if there is availability for the number of places you require. Click on the ‘Book this Tour’ button on this page to be taken to the online booking form or contact us and we will send one to you which you can complete and send back to us. You will receive confirmation of your place, and then a detailed information pack will be dispatched to you about twelve weeks before departure. This will contain up-to-date health information.
