Isolated from the mainland since the last glaciation, Tasmania is an island of stunning landscapes, beautiful untouched wilderness areas and a unique flora and fauna. Our tour will explore the key habitats to give a thorough introduction to the island’s special wildlife.

The native mammal life of the island is still plentiful and we will be making a particular effort to catch up with some of these special beasts: our trip should give us a good chance of sighting such iconic animals as the Tasmanian Devil and Duck-billed Platypus, as well as Short-beaked Echidna, Eastern Quoll and various possums and wallabies.

There is much more to Tasmania than ‘just’ marsupials and monotremes, of course: the island is home to over 600 endemic plants and more than 200 birds, with 14 endemics including the delightfully named Forty-spotted Pardalote: our leaders will do their best to ensure we don’t leave the island without finding as many as possible!

We start in the island’s capital Hobart, from where we will enjoy the alpine flora of Mount Wellington and the endemic birdlife of Bruny Island. Our circuit of the island takes in Gordon River World Heritage Site, Cradle Mountain NP and the Freycinet peninsula, via a dusk encounter with 13,000 Short-tailed Shearwaters at their nesting colony. At the end of our trip we have an optional day trip to the south west wilderness of Tasmania, to look for one of the world’s rarest birds, the Orange-bellied Parrot.