Many natural history travel companies, societies and individuals organise and operate butterfly-watching holidays, or holidays which incorporate a butterfly-watching element, to destinations throughout the world.

As with bird-watching and mammal-watching holidays, different operators offer different styles of tour, so it's important to choose an operator who offers a style that suits you.

Tour pace and style

Some people like a fast moving itinerary so that they can cram in as many different sites and habitats as possible, to maximise the number of species they see. At the other extreme there are people who like to spend a whole fortnight at a single site, so they can get to know it intimately and study the ecology of the butterflies, rather than just build up big species lists. The best tours offer a compromise, spending 2 or 3 days at each of about 4 prime locations, with half-day or full-day trips to 3 or 4 additional sites.

The vast majority of operators run broad-based natural history tours - they spend a certain amount of time watching butterflies, but also devote a lot of time to looking at birds, mammals, botany and often include a spot of local culture. Specialised butterfly-watching tours are very different in nature - they are focussed entirely on butterflies and moths.

Ask yourself therefore whether you want a general nature tour with an element of butterfly-watching included, or whether you want a hard-core butterfly fanatics trip where you live and breathe nothing but butterflies for a fortnight.

The short guide which follows provides brief comments about destinations and style of tour offered by each operator, based either on my own experiences, or on feedback from friends and colleagues. Before signing up to any tour be sure to discuss the suitability of the itinerary with the tour operator. Most reputable operators will be happy to put you directly in contact with the relevant tour leader, who can provide further advice.

Natural history tours

These broad-based trips tend to be run by long-established bird-watching or nature tour companies, who have realised that there is a market for butterfly-watching holidays, and now incorporate butterfly-watching ( often very successfully ) into their itineraries.

The tour leaders often have an excellent knowledge of butterflies, and because of their long experience with nature tours are usually excellent communicators. These trips are really for the less experienced enthusiast, who wants to see birds and mammals as much as butterflies, and to be a member of a mixed party of up to a dozen birders, botanists and general naturalists.

You are generally expected to walk around with the rest of the group, while the tour leader shows you the butterflies, birds and flowers, and answers your questions. Be aware however that many tours, particularly in Africa and India, are vehicle-based with little or no opportunity for exploration on foot. Check carefully with the operator !

Group sizes vary between 8-16, and comprise a mix of singles and couples. Participants are typically in the 30-70 age group. Children are generally excluded, but a small number of family tours are usually also included where children are welcome.

Operators specialising in this style of tour include :

These specialised butterfly-watching trips are usually operated and led by dedicated and knowledgeable lepidopterists, who use their knowledge and experience of butterflies and their habitats to organise itineraries that cater for the hard core lepidopterist.

Unlike the general natural history trips, these tours are timed specifically to coincide with peak butterfly flight seasons, and visit prime butterfly-watching locations, sometimes in remote areas. Accommodation on these trips is usually selected on the basis of proximity to prime habitats, with comfort being a secondary consideration.

The tours are aimed at people who themselves have several years experience of travel as butterfly-watchers. Participants expect to be able to explore the habitats alone or in pairs, so they can spend time studying and photographing the butterflies without having to keep up with the rest of the group, which typically comprises of about half a dozen serious and well-travelled lepidopterists.

Group sizes vary between 4-10, and comprise a mix of singles and couples. Participants are typically in the 40-70 age group. Children are excluded.

Operators specialising in this style of tour include :

Bird-watching tours

Butterfly-watching tours are a relatively new phenomenon, so consequently there are many countries of the world which are not yet covered by butterfly tour programs. If you want to visit these destinations, you have two choices - either join a birding or general nature tour and hope for the best, or do the research and organise a trip independently.

The advantage of travelling with a birding company is that they will be familiar with the local infrastructure, and will probably have one or two sites on their itinerary that are quite good for butterflies. The disadvantages are that bird tours tend to be fast paced, allowing little time to indulge in butterfly photography; and that many of the sites visited, such as marshes, lakes and high altitude grasslands, while excellent for birds will be poor in butterflies.

It is vital therefore to look in great detail at the itinerary, and discuss whether it will be suitable for butterfly-watching with the tour operator, or better still with the tour leader.

Group sizes vary between 8-16, and comprise a mix of singles and couples. Participants are typically in the 40-70 age group. Children are excluded.

Operators specialising in this style of tour include :