PanParks is a European NGO that was founded by the WWF to protect the remaining wilderness areas of Europe. Many of these core areas are to be found in national parks from northern Finland to Portugal, Italy and Eastern Europe. They protect important large mammal species such as bear, wolf and lynx as well as much other flora and fauna and it is likely that you will be hearing much more about them in the coming year.

Wildlife & Wilderness director, Dr. Steve Banner, was invited out to the Central Balkans National Park in Bulgaria recently to help formulate the sustainable tourism model which will help provide much needed funds to help protect these important areas. The successful consultancy was carried out with other international tour operators and incoming agents who work in those countries currently with panparks protected areas.

In the coming months we will be introducing some exciting new programmes and each time you travel to one of these areas you can be sure that you are helping to protect the area you are visiting for future generations. For further information on panparks visit http://www.panparks.org/ or contact Steve at Wildlife & Wilderness.

As the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2009 is announced with an Iberian Wolf jumping a gate into a field under moonlight in search of food, we have clients in Poland tracking wolves in the Bieszczady Mountains. This area is often very productive for those interested in finding Europe’s elusive carnivore. Recent snows in the mountains of Poland have meant that wolf tracking early in the season has been quite rewarding  this week. From a village base where wolves were last sighted 4 days ago daily tracking takes place with our professional guide and the knowledge of local researchers and forest workers. Bear trails and bison are also readily seen at this time of the year too. So if you want the excitement of tracking these magnificent large mammals consider taking a holiday in Poland with us soon.

Eastern Poland is a great destination for seeing one of Europe’s largest and rarest predators, the fabled wolf. But where do you head to and how do you get to see them? The wolves in Poland are located as mentioned in the east which is more sparsely populated and more specifically in the Polish national parks. The best chances for wolves in Poland are in Bialowieza, Biebrza and Bieszczady National Parks the former two in the north-east of the country some 3 hours from Warsaw. However, the true nature enthusiast should head down to Bieszczady Mountains, another national park which has the highest concentration of wolves in Europe with around 80 animals present in various packs in a relatively small area. Here the researchers often know of wolf pack locations and the woodlands and mountain top meadows are ideal for tracking this carnivore. We arrange an expert guide for you who will pick up on local news and help you with tracking wolves, the best times for wolf watching being late winter in February or March when the snows are diminishing but still present to show you their spoor and that other wildlife such as European bison, otters, beavers and bears.

The Bieszczady Mountains are around 3 hours from Krakow and accommodation is in comfortable pensions in isolated villages. For further information on wolves in Poland follow this link.