A small-group, expert-led orchid and botanical tour of Sardinia, Italy, during the peak spring flowering season. Explore Mediterranean habitats in search of wild terrestrial orchids while enjoying Sardinia’s exceptional flora, landscapes, wildlife, culture, and cuisine.

Sardinia is one of the Mediterranean’s great botanical destinations, with a remarkable diversity of wild terrestrial orchids flowering against a backdrop of limestone mountains, Mediterranean scrub, forests, wetlands, and spectacular coastlines.

Join the Orchid Conservation Alliance (OCA) for an eight-day, small-group Orchids in the Wild™ Ecotour of Sardinia, Italy, April 20–27, 2027. Timed for the spring orchid season, the tour will explore a variety of habitats in search of Ophrys, Serapias, Anacamptis, Orchis, and other Mediterranean orchids.

Our days will focus on seeing and photographing orchids in their natural habitats, but Sardinia offers much more. Depending on seasonal conditions, we will also encounter a rich spring flora, birds and other wildlife, dramatic landscapes, historic sites, and Sardinian culture and cuisine.

This trip is suitable for experienced orchid enthusiasts, photographers, naturalists, and interested beginners. Our small group size allows plenty of time in the field and opportunities to learn from our guides.

The Orchid Conservation Alliance is a U.S. nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of orchids and their natural habitats. Profits from our Orchids in the Wild Ecotours help support OCA conservation projects and conservation partners around the world.

Our Orchids in the Wild Ecotours are one of OCA’s most important fundraising programs. OCA’s board and staff are entirely volunteer, and profits from each tour directly support our conservation projects and project partners. Tour profits typically range from $300–$1,000 per participant, depending on the tour. After each tour, we calculate the profit per participant and provide travelers with a year-end donation acknowledgment for that amount. OCA is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization; the contribution may be tax-deductible, so please consult your tax adviser.

Destination

Sardinia, Italy

Dates

April 20–27, 2027

Duration

8 days

Final booking date

December 1, 2026

Trip will be confirmed on or before this date so participants can make their flight reservations

Refund policy

Deposits are refundable up to the final booking date. Further details are available at checkout

Tour type

Small-group orchid and botanical ecotour

Primary focus

Wild Mediterranean terrestrial orchids

Other interests

Spring wildflowers, birds, landscapes, culture, photography, and local cuisine

Suitable for

Orchid enthusiasts, photographers, naturalists, and interested beginners

Activity level

Easy to moderate. Most orchid sites require short walks on tracks, trails, grassy areas, or uneven natural terrain. Participants should be comfortable walking on uneven ground and getting in and out of the tour vehicle repeatedly during field days. Longer or more difficult walks will be identified in advance where possible.

Organizer

Orchid Conservation Alliance – Orchids in the Wild™ Ecotours

Who should join this tour?

This tour is designed for people interested in orchids, plants, nature, and photography. You do not need to be an orchid expert. Participants typically range from experienced orchid growers and photographers to nature enthusiasts seeing Mediterranean orchids in the wild for the first time. Solo travelers are welcome.

What's included

Hotels, ground transportation, guides, entrances to parks and reserves, all meals.

What's not included

International round trip air fare, tips, items of a personal nature (e.g. laundry) alcoholic beverages.

Refund Policy

The terms of our refund policy are here

Emergency Medical Insurance

All participants are required to have an emergency medical insurance policy that covers the dates of the tour. Further information can be found here

Arrival at Cagliari Elmas Airport. Time permitting, we will visit coastal pinewoods for Gennaria diphylla,Ophrys liveranii  and Serapias nurrica. Night around Domusnovas.

The first full day in the field will be spent in the mountains behind Domusnovas looking for endemic orchids such as Ophrys normanii, Ophrys chestermanii  (two of the most spectacular Ophrys bee orchids), and the near-endemic Orchis ichnusae. Plenty of other species are present in the area as well, to name a few: Ophrys neglecta, Ophrys bombyliflora (good chances today to find some hybrids between these two species), Man Orchid Orchis anthropophora, and Dense-flowered Orchid Neotinea maculata. We look for at least two species of Epipactis helleborines (E. microphylla and E. helleborine), but they will most likely be just in bud by this time of the year. Night around Domusnovas.

The morning will be spent again in the mountain range behind Domusnovas in order to appreciate once again the magnificent endemics of this area, and to look for any hitherto missed species. After a picnic lunch we will move toward the north-east to a high plateau placed in the middle of the island, famous as one of the best orchid sites in Sardinia, and Italy as a whole. On the road we will also stop in a eucalyptus plantation known to host good numbers of Ophrys and Serapias  tongue-orchids, among which we will try to find Serapias nurrica and the spectacular hybrids between the Mirror Orchid, Ophrys speculum and Ophrys neglecta.  Nice team work will be needed to succeed in this particular quest for hybrid glory! Night around Laconi.

Our first full day in the Laconi/Ortuabis pass area, one of the richest areas for orchids in Sardinia, both in terms of species and sheer volume of flowering plants. We will make several stops around road edges where we will be amazed by the sheer numbers of Pink Butterfly Orchid Anacamptis papilionacea and Anacamptis longicornu, and their hybrid is not rare either in this area! We will also explore some fields, grasslands, and light woods in order to observe some of the special rare species of this area, including a long list of endemic or near-endemic (shared with Corsica) species, such as  Ophrys lepida, Ophrys ortuabis, Ophrys annae, Ophrys morisii, as well as some ‘less endemic’ species, but still with a limited range such as Ophrys iricolor eleonorae, or the hybrid between Orchis ichnusae and Orchis provincialis. Night around Laconi.

Second full day in the Laconi/Ortuabis pass area in which we will both explore different elevations and habitats to find a few more species and visit again the richest sites to find any missing species or, why not, something unexpected! Night around Laconi.

After a slightly later and more relaxed breakfast, we will drive north-east in the direction of the Supramonte karstic massif area, the ‘Sardinian Dolomites’. On the way we will stop at the UNESCO world heritage site of Su Nuraxi, an extraordinarily well preserved Bronze Age village composed of Nuraghi, a special type of defensive structure (for which no parallel exists anywhere else in the world). After a guided visit to this prehistoric site, we will head to a nice lightly wooded area in the mountains where the rare Dactylorhiza insularis blooms, along with other nice species such as Provence Orchid Orchis provincialis, Milky Orchid Neotinea lactea, and many more. After this stop we will head to the hotel in which we will spend the next two nights and, depending on the time left, we may make a bit of orchid searching in the outskirts around the hotel. Night around Dorgali.

This full day in the Supramonte area will be spent in the mountain range, especially at a high plateau  at around 1,000m elevation in the Supramonte of Urzulei, a very rich area in plants and wildlife in a dramatic landscape. On the way back  to the north, we will stop and check the road sides for one more endemic orchid (and a very beautiful one!): Ophrys panattensis, which shares the small space of the road sides with Ophrys morisii and Orchis anthropophora. In the evening, a visit to a place close to Dorgali will allow us to see more Ophrys panattensisas well as search for the rare and tiny Orchis brancifortii, only present in Sardinia and Sicily. Night around Dorgali.

Return to Cagliari Elmas Airport. Time permitting, we will make a  stop or two en route to the airport to enjoy some final orchid treasures. As with all of our tours, we want our guests to enjoy the very best views of the very best wildlife and, as such, we think it’s important to retain a little flexibility in the holiday itinerary. This means that we may choose to swap days around to take into account local weather conditions, or the timing of the flowering season we find upon arrival at our holiday destination. Rest assured, we will ensure you visit all the best sites, and we have your best interests and comfort at heart.

Our trips fill quickly, but sometimes plans change. If you would like to go but the trip is full, click "Ask a Question" and request a place on the waitlist.

Jon Dunn-Tour Leader

Jon Dunn is a natural history writer, photographer and experienced wildlife tour leader based in the Shetland Isles, but with strong links in Europe and the Americas that see him travelling widely in search of memorable wildlife encounters.

An accomplished all-round naturalist and Fellow of the Linnean Society of London, Jon is the author of the critically acclaimed botanical bestseller “Orchid Summer” (Bloomsbury, 2018), and the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction longlisted dive into the world of hummingbirds, “The Glitter in the Green” (Basic Books (USA) & Bloomsbury (UK), 2021).

He is also the author of the “Britain’s Sea Mammals” field-guide, and co-author of the “Britain’s Mammals” field-guide, both for Princeton University Press. Jon writes weekly “Rarity Round-Ups” for Rare Bird Alert. His writing and photography have featured in many popular wildlife magazines, including BBC Wildlife, Birdwatching, and British Wildlife, and newspapers worldwide, including the Sunday Telegraph, the Wall Street Journal, and La Repubblica. 

He credits a childhood living in the rural West Country of England for his lifelong interest in all things natural history based – a childhood spent exploring the water meadows and abandoned orchards of the Somerset Levels, and the droves and ancient woods of Dorset’s Blackmore Vale. Before long he had spread his wings further afield and was travelling widely around the British Isles and then further afield in search of birds, butterflies and orchids.

A move to Shetland some 20 years ago found him happily living in one of Europe’s great wildlife habitats, with Otters literally on his doorstep, and summer evenings spent watching Harbour Porpoises from the kitchen window. Meanwhile, Jon is never happier than when he’s out in the field with his camera trying to do justice to the wonderful wildlife he encounters on his travels; though sitting watching the sun set over the sea in Shetland while he writes about what he’s seen comes a very close second for his affections. 

Once stalked by a Mountain Lion whilst birding on the edge of Mexico’s notorious Sierra Madre Occidental, he generally prefers experiencing wildlife on his own terms and not as part of the food chain.

Michele Vigano-Tour Guide

Michele has a lifelong interest in nature. Since childhood, animals, flowers, and nature in general fascinated him deeply and, nowadays, as he spends most of the year out in the wild, nature is, basically, his homeland.

His main area of study is birds (he is a longstanding member of the COI – Italian Ornithological Committee) and he played an important role in the last “split” of the European avifauna: the recognition of Mediterranean Flycatcher Muscicapa tyrrhenica as a distinct, separate species from Spotted Flycatcher.

However, over the years, he has added many other groups to his interests such as mammals, dragonflies, butterflies, grasshoppers, reptiles, amphibians, and in particular orchids. Michele is a renowned orchid-hunter in his Italian homeland, and has the discovery and description of several new wild hybrids to his credit. The latest, Ophrys x achilleorum, is named in honour of his newborn nephew. An experienced professional naturalist and tour leader, Michele’s good humour and wide-ranging knowledge make him extremely popular with guests.