Winter Hiking and Wolf Tracking in Italy

We had a lovely few days trekking. The weather was a bit unpredicted but it added to the enjoyment. Layers were definitely needed as the early mornings wildlife watching were extremely cold , especially when the wind blew. Valeria was a great guide, extremely knowledgeable, not only on wildlife and nature, but also where to find good food afterwards! Would highly recommend for a long weekend break for fresh air and being outdoors. If you don’t like early mornings this is not for you as the wildlife wake early 😊

This was an excellent trip from start to finish - Much Better Adventures communicated well with us from the outset. We wanted to get advice on our flight times before we booked and received a quick and helpful response This set the tone and we received regular communication on the run up to the trip as well as the creation of a team 'What apps' group. When we arrived we met Valeria our guide at the hotel and she gave a positive overview of the trip and answered our questions. From there onwards Valeria organised a full programme balancing wildlife watching and winter hiking. She clearly knew the area extremely well and took time and pride answering our many questions. With the winter walking she balanced the experience of the group extremely well and we had 3 excellent hikes discussing the history, landscape, flora and fauna. The wolf watching is the centrepiece and clearly there is no guarantee you will see a wolf - but with Valeria we had the best opportunity and we were lucky enough to see a wolf in its natural habitat. We wouldn't have seen it without Valeria as they are so well camouflaged. The hotel were very accommodating with the early starts, different dietary needs and provided clean rooms. and a friendly environment. In summary we had a great time with credit to Valeria for. making it so interesting and enjoyable.

This was a wonderful experience. Our guide Valeria was well informed and enthusiastic about the wolf conservation project. She was patient and took great care of us on our hikes. Our hotel was warm and friendly, the food was delicious and our various dietary requirements were met with ease. We learned so much about the wolf and the local environment. A great opportunity to engage with the other guests, I would not hesitate to recommend this holiday to anyone interested in our natural world.

Great trip. Well worth the money and learned a lot. The guide Valerie was very knowledgeable and made the trip very interesting.

This was my third MBA and this time I brought my mum along for the ride. Conclusion = an incredible holiday. The mixture of hikes and wildlife watching made for a perfect trip, and whilst we were unlucky with the weather at times the 2nd day of the trip was so amazing we said we would have been happy with anything after that! That day the sun was shining, and we headed into the mountains for a snowshoe hike, and we ended up in a snow filled valley that felt like we were on the moon.

Our guide Valeria was so good, knew how to adapt each day and was incredibly knowledgeable about the area and wildlife. Her enthusiasm and recommendations for food were very helpful, and helped us stay out longer in the hope to see the elusive wolf. We were very lucky in seeing a wolf as we drove back to the hotel after our final morning wildlife watching, and also saw chamois and wild boar.

The hotel was comfortable, showers were wonderfully hot, the walls are a bit thin though so earplugs may be useful if you sleep lightly! We took a lot of layers and didn't use them all, even had to take some off for the snowshoeing as we got too hot, so light, easy packable layers are a definite. Waterproofs definitely came in handy for the 3rd day, sitting in the rain looking for wolves, it meant we could stay out longer. The binoculars and snowshoes provided were fantastic.

I can't thank Much Better Adventures and Valeria enough for a great trip.

A taste of the skills and knowledge involved in detecting and learning about wolves, chamois, and other large animals. It was great to learn about the variety of small cues left by wolves, and other animals. We also caught a very brief of sight of wolves, but the focus was on being able to read what they had been up to from the knowledgeable, and fun, guide.

This trip is an amazing opportunity to explore frozen landscapes that are untouched by anyone else and you are surrounded by magnificent scenery and wildlife to see.

Then, it’s not guaranteed, but to see wolves tops of the whole thing to make an amazing trip. We were very lucky in that a wolf walked by us only about 10m away.

It is also worth saying that the guide, Valeria, really does make this trip too. She has such an intimate knowledge of the area and wildlife, and adjusted our itinerary each day given the weather conditions. She’s also like the paparazzi and takes lots of instagram worthy photos of you throughout the trip!

Be prepared for early starts and cold mornings, but you’ll come away with great memories!

Beautiful mountains, excellent weather, and we saw a wolf close enough not to need binoculars (albeit for about 3 seconds).

Lovely hotel, beautiful part of the world and a friendly and patient guide. We were very lucky to see a couple of wolves on our second day, but it would have been a great trip regardless. Highly recommend for a break from the miserable British winter.

A fab few days in the Italien countryside. It was my first visit to Italy and after a few days in Rome I was ready to escape the busy city. The food and the views were fab. Although we did not see any wolves (apart from the sanctuary!) we regularly heard howling close by and did some lovely hikes. The accommodation was warm and comfortable, the village was full of nice surprises and the food was fantastic (as you would expect from Italy!) I would definitely recommend Valeria as a guide and already planning my next trip to the Abruzzo National Park!

We had a fantastic few days in the Abruzzo national park to ring in the New Year. We’ve never visited this area of Italy before and even though it’s only a couple of hours from Rome it felt quite remote and authentic with very few tourists. The hotel was spot on - not fancy but warm with a great three course meal for the evenings you eat there. Valeria, our guide, was extremely knowledgeable and passionate about wolves and nature more generally. She flexed our itinerary to match the weather and the groups preferences and we loved the mix of wildlife watching, hiking and snow shoeing (which was our favourite activity particularly as we’d not done it before). We didn’t see wolves but we did hear them as well as seeing a golden eagle and lots of deer. The wildlife watching is very peaceful albeit not necessarily something we’d look to do again. We had a super group of 8 who got along really well. Lunches in the local village were yummy and cheap. If you’re planning to go make sure you take lots of layers and waterproof boots as it does get chilly when you’re sat for the wildlife watching. Overall a magical trip to an area we probably wouldn’t have visited otherwise.

I loved the trip. I particularly loved the scenery and group of people. I loved being able to see lots of animals tracks in the snow. The hotel was cosy and Pescasseroli is a truly wonderful little village. We crammed so many activities into such a short time, which I struggled with a bit after not getting much sleep with such early mornings. I think an extra couple of days to mooch around would be delightful, but I understand this is probably not how the trips are designed generally. The wildlife watching moments at dawn and dusk were by far my favourite moments. And visiting gorgeous Pescasseroli, and other surroundings villages. I like to think my fitness level is moderate, but I missed the walk on the last morning. I think not getting much sleep had caught up with me by then. I extend many thanks to Much Better Adventures, Wildlife Adventures and Valeria. Having a knowledgeable guide is an immensely special experience. I hope to visit Pescasseroli again one day. Actually I see myself retiring somewhere like that.

Positives were the accommodation, food, group, hiking and above all that I got to see a wolf! The only negatives were having to get up so early for the wildlife watching and getting cold waiting.

I can't speak highly enough of this trip! This was my first much better adventures trip, and my first hiking and rewilding experience too and it couldn't have been a better introduction to both. It was well organised and the perfect mix of challenging hikes and more relaxed walks and I particularly enjoyed the focus on the wildlife and history of the Abruzzo national park. Our guide Umberto couldn't have done enough for us, and was so knowledgeable, answering every question in detail with so much enthusiam. As a zoology graduate it was amazing to learn about the environment you were standing in and really fed my love for information! We were lucky enough to see lots of wildlife, including seeing a wolf and hearing them howling one morning which was just incredible. But I would say that I would have had an amazing time regardless of this due to our Umberto's knowledge and the scenery surrounding us all weekend. Our group was a lovely mix of people, solo travelers/couples of all ages, and we got on well from the beginning. The hotel was great and provided everything we could need at all hours of the day (5. 30am breakfasts and all important post walk beers included!) and I was so happy with the vegan options which is always a bit nerve wracking when traveling. I thoroughly recommend anyone who has an interest in the natural world and exploring the appenine mountains to go on this trip!

The trip was wonderful and very well organised from start to finish. Umberto was a great guide, very knowledgable and very patient with all the questions we all had. He knew all the best spots and made getting up very early every morning worth it! Such a beautiful part of Italy, with lots of wildlife to spot.

I had a wonderful time wolf tracking in the italian mountainswith Much Better Adventures. Our guide, Umberto was excellent. His knowledge of the area, the wildlife (and particularly wolves) was extensive. He was helpful, attentive and filled us all with confidence whilst hiking and driving around on the ice roads and hevhrlped our groupvof strangers grab together. Scenery is beautiful and diverse and the hotel warm and friendly. Would thoroughly recommend to anyone looking for a fun wild life hiking holiday.

A really special few days.

Umberto was the most amazing guide. You asked him a question and he knew everything about it and connected to it, and in far more detail than you could imagine. Clearly a brilliant park ranger. He was fabulous at gauging and understanding the group, with good breaks and well planned hikes. He gave us options, but made his suggestions clear but said if we wanted something easier we could. He knew us so well, on the final push to the top of the snowshoeing hike, he said it would take us 10 minutes and he was seconds off!

The hikes and walks were all beautiful. They were not easy, particularly the snow shoeing when we did the extra part to the top of the ridge, but also not unmanageable by anyone. We took it slowly and the views and surroundings made it easily worth it. We did some hiking, so walking through snow and some snowshoeing so a great mix.

The wildlife was not necessarily on our side, but the watching was still great. Despite being cold, and it was cold at 6am but with layers manageable, it was very calm watching the sunrise and waiting in anticipation. How nature works, and that was fine.

Overall, a great trip and would fully recommend.

I loved the look of all the rewilding trips by Much Better Adventures. I didn’t want to wait until the summer and thought this winter one looked unique! I had a fabulous time and it exceeded expectations. Valeria, our guide, was so knowledgeable and kind and really went above and beyond during the 4 days. The itinerary was flexible depending on weather etc, so for example on the last day it rained and through group consensus we went to the wolf museum and had our planned picnic indoors with wine and conversation instead of going for a final walk! Other days we were out and about from dawn until dusk. The wildlife watching sessions were great (involved sitting still in the cold for 1-2 hours so need to be wrapped up warm) and there’s no way I would have seen everything I did without a guide to know where to look and point things out. We saw wolves, red deer, roe deer, wild boar, chamoix, red fox, griffon vultures, and golden eagles. Valeria also showed us different tracks and explained them to us (and what we can learn from wolf scat!). I am aware we were really fortunate with the amount of wildlife we saw and that it’s not guaranteed, nature will do what nature is going to do and even the best guide can’t magically produce a sighting. However, I genuinely believe the trip is worth it even if you don’t “tick off” every animal you hoped. It’s more important to just immerse yourself in the environment and enjoy. The walks were really beautiful and getting to try snow shoes was great fun! What I didn’t expect was the opportunity to learn more about the culture and communities in the towns and villages in the mountain region - we often stopped for a warm drink and toilet break in a local village in the tiniest of bars/cafes. Valeria explained to us the history of the villages and the work that had been done to try to support local people to think differently about living alongside wolves and bears so they could be protected. The local shepherd dogs are amazing and one even quietly joined us on one of our walks as if to protect or herd us! The hotel was clean and comfortable and the staff could not do enough for you. They made sure there were additional vegan options for breakfast and dinner, and had soya milk for all important cups of tea. This was my first trip with Much Better Adventures and my first time solo travelling in quite a few years. I would 100% recommend it to anyone as you will be well looked after.

I really enjoyed thus trip despite the scarcity of wildlife. We managed to see a magnificent red deer stag, a pine marten and a fox curled up fast asleep (courtesy of Filippo's powerful zoom lens). Filippo was a superb guide and tried very hard to take us to places where we might see wolves or chamois but sadly both were elusive. We were luck enough to wake up to snow on 30th November and went on a wonderful snowshoe hike through the forest. The national park are is stunning. Hotel was cosy and we were well fed although it was hard to do justice to breakfast at 5. 15 am! Lovely people, amazing scenery. If you are considering this trip, do it!

Had a wonderful trip to Abruzzo National Park, despite being pretty unlucky with spotting pretty much any wildlife. The views were stunning, the food plentiful and the group were great, all topped off with magical snowy scenery and the opportunity to go snow shoeing. Filippo was a fab guide with a wealth of knowledge of the ecosystem and made the hikes and observations fascinating despite our visibility issues and poor success rate. Really appreciated the efforts Filippo and Valeria went to to try and help with finding wildlife by doubling up in different locations to try and increase our chances as well and honestly think they were both more gutted than the group that they hadn’t managed to help us spot wolves (or bears!) Would go back to this area on another for more wildlife spotting based on their passion and enthusiasm.

What an amazing adventure I had with Valeria! The trip was perfectly organised from airport pick up to drop off, the accommodation was well located and comfortable and Valeria's knowledge of the Abruzzo mountains and its special wildlife was exceptional. We were lucky enough to see an Apennine wolf, along with a lot of other wildlife. Tracking was fun and finding evidence of wolves and other wildlife all around made it wonderful to know they are about, even if we cant see them. The landscape and scenery is stunning and the daily hikes were at a great pace to allow for enjoyment and relaxation but also cover a lot of ground. Highly recommend this tour for anyone wanting something a little different and connection with nature.

A great trip - wonderful to discover this part of Italy with such a great guide in Valeria. We were really lucky and saw the Apennine wolves, as well as Golden Eagles, Chamoix, Wild Boar, Vultures. The hikes were also great and really rewarding - stunning views! The pace was also well judged - a 'good tired' feeling afterwards. And the advantage of Italy - the food was delicious. :)

I had the best time on this trip! It was so well planned and thought out, and our guide, Valeria, was just amazing! She has so much knowledge of the local area and animals and was so passionate about sharing this with us. The hikes were so fun and through the most beautiful places with incredible views. We were very lucky to see wolves on two occasions, as well as their footprints and scat! We also got to see evidence of bears in the area, as well as saw wild boar, deer, and red foxes. The hotel and transport were great and we all enjoyed the yummy food! As my first solo adventure, I cannot wait to book another one, and would recommend this trip to anyone wanting to experience the amazing Italian mountains.

Great few days hiking and wildlife spotting. Our guide Valeria was great and super knowledgeable (turns out you can get a lot of information from wolf poo!). Lovely bit of the world and all the food was great.

Excellent trip with amazing guide, Valeria, passionate, knowledgeable and kind- even made us cake to eat up the mountain. No snow shoe-ing as not enough snow but saw beautiful wolves, wild boar and chamois and stunning views from the various walks. Definitely need layers and good gloves and hat for wildlife watching and good boots for walking above the snow line. Hotel Iris was comfortable and clean, delicious food, huge breakfast, cosy fire and friendly staff.

We had a wonderful experience. The weather was great, even though there was no snow, clear sunny skies made up for that. Sunrise high in the mountains, beautiful hikes through the woods to a wonderful valley where we saw Chamois and deer. What a wonderful area Abruzzo! Sadly we did not see any wolves but our wonderful guide Andrea tought us alot about them and the surroundings and the national park, and it was exciting to see the wolf-scats and traces to show that they are really there!

Great guide, some lovely animals, great group, a pity about the lack of snow (and wolves). I was looking forward to snowshoeing, but the hiking through beautiful scenery was good.

Very luck to have two hours of ‘ wolf watching on first morning’. Also to see two golden eagles on day three. Valeria was an excellent guide.

I had a great weekend looking for wolves, we were lucky enough to see a few, and hiking into the mountains using the snow shoes. Our guide, Andrea, was brilliant, so much knowledge and enthusiasm, I could easily have spent an extra week learning from him. Definitely take lots of layers, it gets cold sitting looking through binoculars early in the morning but we'd all stripped down to t-shirts when hiking the mountain! You do need to be quite fit and determined but if you're in two minds, I'd say go for it, you'll love it even if you don't manage to spot a wolf.

Amazing trip! Our guide, Valeria, was incredibly kind as well as being informative and passionate about the rewilding efforts in Abruzzo National Park. We didn't see wolves on our hikes, though we did see loads of tracks thanks to a heavy snowfall on our arrival day. We did manage to see four wolves in the town we stayed in, and even heard them howl (spectacular!). The area is gorgeous, and we had stunning views as we hunkered down to spot wildlife (highlights were a golden eagle, red deer, buzzards, and white-backed woodpeckers). I was also lucky enough to have a great group of people on the trip, so debriefing on the day over dinner and drinks was as fun as being out on the hikes. Overall, a fantastic trip with fantastic people--highly recommend!