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Stay in the beautiful historic town of Nafplio
Discover a broad range of the 2300 floral species found in this region
A visit in spring ensures both wonderful colour, light and stunning views
A chance to visit the unique and very beautiful Mani region of the Peloponnese
Offering a rich culture and an inherent natural beauty, the Peloponnese bursts into life in spring, its landscapes awash with colourful wild flowers. Explore areas steeped in myth and legend with botanist Dr Alan Harrington with an opportunity to enjoy not just the floral delights found in the region but also its wonderful scenery and some of its long history.
The Peloponnese
The Peloponnese region of mainland Greece offers a timeless rich culture and an inherent natural beauty that is at its very best in spring when the landscape is reborn with a dazzlingly display of new plant life. Ancient and fascinating, this area offers a spectacular natural landscape of towering mountains, verdant rolling hills and rugged coastlines that settle around a dramatic ancient history.
Our tour is two-centre which provides the opportunity to explore a variety of habitats and a little bit of history too. We start our tour in the attractive town of Nafplio, the first Capital of the Modern Greek state and one of the prettiest towns in the Peloponnese with a beautiful setting and an understated elegance. We spend 4 nights here exploring the flora of this historic region before heading across the hills to the seaside town of Gythio where our second accommodation, the Pantheon Hotel, is located, overlooking the sea.
During our stay we expect to find a huge variety of flora including cyclamen, stachys, campanula, asphodels, phlomis, anemones, cotinus, ferula, euphorbia, limonium, muscari as well as a diversity of orchids – tongue, bee, giant, provence and naked man.
Day 1: Fly from London Heathrow to Athens.
On arrival transfer by coach to Nafplio (approx. two hours). Check in to our hotel in Nafplio for a four-night stay. Welcome dinner at a local taverna.
Day 2: Nafplio to Epidaurus.
We start our tour following a pretty route from Nafplio to the area of the historic site of Epidaurus, botanising at various places along the way. We will enjoy a break for lunch at the pretty sea side village of Nea (New) Epidaurus.
Day 3: Nafplio.
We stay locally today and enjoy our botanising around Nafplio. Following a scenic path around the headland we enjoy a relaxed walk looking out for interesting flora along the way and enjoying wonderful sea views. We then join our bus and head to the Palamidi Castle, which sits spectacularly overlooking Nafplio and is usually filled both with spring colour and fantastic views across the town and the bay. The rest of the day will be free for you to explore this lovely town at leisure.
Day 4: Nafplio to Ermioni.
Our botanising today will be along a route that takes us from Nafplio to the pretty seaside town of Ermioni. We will botanise in various places along the way and find time for lunch by the sea in Ermioni, which has a beautiful position on a small headland with tranquil bays on both sides.
Day 5: Nafplio to Gythio.
We start our journey south towards Gythio following round the wide sweeping bay of Nafplio, where we may be lucky to spot some migrating birds resting in the bay, and then up and over the hills which dominate the bay and provide us with some more fantastic views. We will botanise during our journey to Gythio including botanising nearby the Byzantine site of Mystras. Check-in to the Pantheon Hotel, Gythio for a four-night stay.
Day 6: Krani island and the road to Aeropoli.
We enjoy a relaxed day of botanising today, staying fairly close to Gythio. Our first visit will be to the little island of Krani, which is linked to Gythio by a causeway and which we can reach easily on foot from our hotel. We then join our bus and head towards the town of Aeropoli on the Mani peninsula, the most remote 'finger' of the Peloponnese, situated on its west coast, roadside botanising as we go.
Day 7: The Mani Region.
Today we head fully into the colourful Mani region following a coastal route north that provides us with exceptional views and plenty of colour. We will botanise in various places and also have the opportunity to see some of the typical ‘tower houses’, unique to this area, as well as some very picturesque Byzantine churches. We shall enjoy an included lunch in the seaside village of Agios Nikolaos before returning to Gythio.
Day 8: Around Gythio.
We spend today botanising close to Gythio and, in particular, near Mavrovouni, a neighbouring village, where we hope to find a host of orchids and other wonderful plants.
Day 9: Transfer to Athens Airport for return flight to London Heathrow.
NB: Exact order of itinerary may vary according to local conditions and tour manager’s discretion.
Please note the maximum group size on this tour is 20 passengers.
INCLUDED
NOT INCLUDED
Ippoliti Hotel, Nafplio
Set in a 19th-century neoclassical building, this comfortable four-star hotel is centrally located in a quiet street just a 3-minute walk from the towns seafront promenade. Everywhere in the town is accessible on foot from here, which ensures you can enjoy all it has to offer on foot, including a wide range of enticing tavernas. Featuring free Wi-Fi, the elegant individually and tastefully decorated rooms have en-suite bathrooms, flat-screen TVs, minibars, air conditioning and safe box. A breakfast buffet is served in a polished sitting room. Additional amenities include a small outdoor pool and gym.
Ippoliti Hotel Website
Three-star Pantheon Hotel, Gythio
The Pantheon Hotel is situated on the waterfront in the pretty town of Gythio, and everything in the town is easily reached on foot from the hotel. Recently and completely renovated, the hotel has a total of 53 rooms. The comfortable and tastefully decorated standard rooms all include en-suite bathrooms, with shower or bath, air-conditioning, hairdryer, satellite TV, telephone and refrigerator. The hotel also includes free wifi and a buffet breakfast.
Pantheon Hotel Website
OUR VIEW
As the Peloponnese is such a vast area, our tour is designed as two-centre to avoid very long drives each day but also to provide the opportunity to explore a variety of flora habitats. Both of the chosen hotels are comfortable and well-located.
Dr Alan Harrington
Dr Alan Harrington has been a professional botanist for more than 40 years. In 1976 he joined the Natural History Museum, specialising in the study of liverworts, before becoming involved in the Museum’s adult education programme on his (early) retirement, running botanical courses and leading field study tours.
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We love to receive feedback from our customers. Their views help us to keep improving the ours we offer. If you have been on this tour and would like to submit a review, please log in to our client area here and fill in the short form.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 25-March-2019
Since we're both in our 80's we found a couple of the days a bit long, and perhaps this could be borne in mind when there's a temptation to squeeze in one more stop towards the end of the day. Otherwise the small group size made for a very comfortable visit and the efforts of the leader and expert were both greatly appreciated.
Review by Hartley who travelled 25-March-2019
We didn't have a brochure and didn't travel with you. Oth3ersise, very satisfactory though felt we could have done more each day, it was a bit slow. Also, some recapping of the day's experiences would have been nice, we're used to doing the botany list at least every second evening, and then getting a report some time after, too. Leadership as great.
Review by Burns who travelled 25-March-2018
A well-organised tour which was fun. We were able to make good use of every minute and the trips and flowers exceeded expectations. Very enjoyable.
Review by who travelled 25-March-2018
The trip exceeded our expectations. It was the first time we had travelled with you. Jane was an exceptional tour manager and Alan an excellent botanist. The hotel in Nafplio was rather noisy. Gythio was fine.
Review by Mrs Ruth Kenny who travelled 28-March-2017
We thoroughly enjoyed our tour which was extremely well organized and researched by our tour manager. Jane was very knowledgeable and great at making everyone feel relaxed and happy even when she was on a tight schedule. We look forward to our next tour with you.
Review by Mr Graham Alder who travelled 28-March-2017
Trip is too short to do justice to both the area and to the flora, and it would benefit by being extended to ten days or two weeks. That would also allow for a completely free day. Two weeks would be especially good as the distances from UK to the bases means two whole days are used up in travelling there and back. One of the trips was a problem as lunch was very late (c. 4pm) so that needs reorganizing.
Review by Ms Jennifer Bryant who travelled 28-March-2017
Out botanist Alan was excellent; informative and entertaining. I could have done with a few more days.
Review by Mr Peter Williams who travelled 28-March-2017
Hotel 1 room extremely dark. Hotel 2: room uncomfortably small; shower cubicle 75 cm square; main lift not working. But both hotels were well situated. Trip tactics managed very well. Specialist input witty and helpful.
Review by Mr John Hopton who travelled 28-March-2017
Admin. & Description rather better than good. Hotel at Nafpoli the better standard, though with a worse view! Tour manager (Jane Freeman), botanical expert (Alan Harrington) and the coach driver all first rate - they continued to find truly interesting sites every day, even to the last.
Review by Mr Brian Mulhall who travelled 28-March-2017
Bianca and Graham, the botanist, both excellent. Hotels very basic, with tiny showers, but clean. Breakfast rather chaotic. Flowers wonderful.
Review by Mr Jeffery Bowman who travelled 02-April-2016
We had a great time, and would use Travel Editions again. Very informative and friendly staff, and we learnt so much about flowers, history and Greek culture.
Review by Mrs Nesta Morgan who travelled 02-April-2016
Excellent holiday. Stunning scenery. Well aranged and managed and a superb guide in Graham for our wild flower explorations.
Review by Mr M Kelly who travelled 02-April-2016
Wonderful holiday! Bianca and Graham were both excellent, and the scenery was just spectacular. Loved the flowers, the sunshine, the landscape, the historic sites, the villages and the food! Everything was well-organised and very enjoyable. Nafplio was a charming and convenient place to stay, but Gytheio was a bit of a disappointment. Might I suggest looking into Sparta as a base in the southern region? It seemed conveniently located, and it would potentially allow those interested to visit Mystra, which we weren't able to do. (For instance, the free day might then be scheduled in Sparta rather than Nafplio, perhaps?)
Review by Prof Jane Singer who travelled 02-April-2016
Why no printed list of tour participants. A considerable weakness.
Review by Mr Christopher Burns-Cox who travelled 02-April-2016
Review by Ms Gaye Sheridan who travelled 06-April-2015
Review by Mrs Penelope Laing who travelled 06-April-2015
A very interesting tour with both flowers and ancient sites to see. Graham, the botanist, and Jane, the tour manager, were both superb in their knowledge, attention to detail and care of the group. I thoroughly recommend this tour.
Review by Mrs Norma Cook who travelled 06-April-2015
We were once again very well looked after by our TM Jane Freeman and our expert guide Graham Kendal. Both coped in an exemplary manner with the various crises that arose from our driver's accident, when he was injured quite badly by a fall. They succeeded in reorganising the second half of the tour so that we did everything outlined in the programme. Our thanks to them both, to Nikos the driver, and our two relief drivers.
Review by Mrs Yarnold who travelled 06-April-2015
Review by who travelled 06-April-2015
Review by Lawton who travelled 22-April-2014
The tour manager Jane and botanist Graham were a great team and made our holiday very interesting and enjoyable. The trips into the mountains were spectacular and the sea caves quite breathtaking.
Review by Mrs Lyndall Bishop who travelled 22-April-2014
Review by Mr Cedric Evans who travelled 22-April-2014
