Rewilding Adventure in Italy's Abruzzo Mountains

This trip was a wonderful experience, well organised with a very experienced guide. There is no guarantee of seeing specific animals, however with good conditions, luck, minimising our presence and some patience, we were rewarded with seeing two bears, a wolf, chamois and plenty of deer in their natural habitat doing their own thing and living their own lives with less human impact affecting their behaviour.

Our guide Valeria was fantastic, super knowledgeable about all the aspects of the area and history, the research and rewilding work, and the animals and their habits. She adapted our activities based on the conditions and our feedback on how we were managing, and her experience of what wildlife we may be able to see.

The area is beautiful and glorious to walk in. The packing list is helpful, we had some wet cold weather and a couple of hours wildlife watching while not moving got colder than I had expected. The itinerary gives a good indication of the type of hikes and elevation involved, although the day-to-day will change depending on the conditions and group. The moderate fitness rating sounds about right, the hikes we had were a couple of hours long with breaks and wildlife watching in between.

I would definitely recommend this trip for those wanting to spend time in nature with a chance to see animals in the wild, can appreciate patience and have an interest in coexisting with wildlife, and can enjoy an organised trip where the hard work planning everything is done for you!

I would highly recommend this trip for obviously those into wildlife who want to see wild bears and wolves (no guarantee of specific creatures of course, for the record we saw a brief glimpse of a wolf at our first binoculars session morning of day 2, and two bears at our last on the evening of day 4). These animals were still a very long way away. But I'd also recommended this tour of Italy's Abruzzo Mountains for those who enjoy hiking through various habitats, as we went up and over many a mountain with the scenery and underfoot constantly changing from woodlands, thick forests, spaced out forests, open plain grassland, snow/ice (yep we went up that high) and everything in between. If you missed the word in that review - up, there's lot of hiking up. I'm usually around middle of the fitness level of a tour group, but in this I was at the bottom of the rankings. But you can't plan that when booking as you don't know who else will be on your tour. But with the group I was in I found I drifted behind when ascending, and I did have to stop at times. There is a lot of ascending, but I never felt unsafe or anything like that. So it's a basic long walk as other than fitness angle you might face, you're not crawling over boulders, wading through rivers, rock climbing up cliff faces, repelling down on ropes, jumping over crevices or anything like that. You'll enjoy the hikes, as I said awesome scenery.

The binocular sessions, even our guide Valeria told us they were going to be boring (although this to her is a fun hobby she regularly does, and you've got to admire someone who has made a career out of something they enjoy. The old find something you love you'll never work a day in your life thing. But there's lots of 3hr standing or sitting (depending on location) or even being hemmed into cracks in rocks interrupted by Arctic levels of cold wind gusts, so uncomfortably that it makes flying economy from Australia to Italy to get to the Rome airport pickup seem enjoyable in comparison. On that pickup, waiting until 2pm is a bit of a waste of most of the day, it would be better if it was 10am or something like this.

The Iris Hotel, our base in Pescasseroli, was a nice basic hotel. Plenty of space both in the room and common areas. Better than other hotels used in rival company like minded travelers' tours. I mean it has comfortable beds, hot water and good water pressure. Very friendly and helpful staff. Room is cleaned by housekeeping daily. You get free breakfast (a basic buffet) and a three course dinner every night (unless you choose to do a late night binocular thing then you get a packed dinner (sandwich, a couple of apricots, bottle of water, yes I agree they could have done a better job of that one). Lunch you do your own thing as around the middle of the day is free time. With our group this was going into town, although I didn't go to one as you're just so full from the breakfast and know the dinner will be very filling. Town (and places to buy food) are about 15 - 20 minutes walk from the Iris hotel. It's a laid back quiet not too touristy town.

One of the nights (day 3 on our trip) you stay at a lodge you've hiked up a mountain to reach. It's a backpacker hostel type dorm you sleep in (everyone in the same room). Dinner isn't as good as at Iris, still three courses though, but you've got to remember its hard to transport stuff up there. We had a vegetarian in our group and of course only one meal is prepared due to the lugging stuff up there factor. I had no issue with that although I think they could have come up with a bit more creative dish. Breakfast is a basic buffet (although not as all you can eat as Hotel Iris of course as there is only a set amount of food up there). You can buy soft drinks, alcohol, t-shirts up there though.

I'll also briefly compare it to a second bear orientated Much B Adventures trip I just completed called Hiking and Bear Watching in Romania. I'd recommend both tours, but if seeing wild bears up fairly close is what you are after, you're better off to do Romania. Italy tour has more hiking, and you see a lot more scenery and a variety of ecosystems. Italy packs more into each day. Both are worth doing if you've got the time.

We had a great time during this trip. It was our first time with much better adventures and our first time in the Abruzzo region, but we're looking forward to come back in the future. Our guide was nothing but exceptionally helpful, friendly and motivating. The area is incredible beautiful. The accommodation was nice with great food and present even for our very early mornings. We did not find the hikes to challenging, there is one bigger trip but with very rewarding views and there was always time to make a small pause to adapt the clothing and drink or eat something. The packing list was very helpful and did not note anything we did not use during the trip. 10/10 overall, love to come back in the future!

We had a great time in the Abruzzo mountains and enjoyed every moment. The guides went up and above to let us feel cared for, gave great insights into the rewilding projects, behaviour of the animals and interaction between humans and nature, which made the trip even more unique. It was a nice mixture of hiking and wild watching, and the time in the mountain hut was the best experience.

Returned from the trip last week and still thinking about it. What a memorable experience it was. Set in a stunningly beautiful part of the world, I learnt to get closer to nature. Our guide, Andrea, was full of interesting information about the history and behaviours of the wolves, bears, birds, area, etc. Although we were only there 5 days it felt like a couple of weeks given how much we covered. From early morning tracking of wolves and bears as the sun rose to late evening strolls, I found myself relaxing in to the natural surroundings and appreciating the natural world. Andrea is clearly passionate about nature and was always happy to tell his stories and answer questions. I learnt a lot and it’s sparked a number of interests in me. We were the first tour of the season so a bit early for bears but we saw everything else, including the wolves. But there’s plenty of evidence around as you trek through the mountains. I’m not exactly a frequent hiker so found a couple of the walks challenging. I even skipped one of them, which was fine. If you’re used to walking and can walk up a sustained incline for an hour or two you’ll be fine. The others in the group had no issues. The hotel was perfect. The food was great. The locals are traditional - it’s a lovely village. And Kate and David who joined us in the group were wonderful and interesting people. It made the experience all the better. A wonderful experience - very unique. I would do it all over again. It was a sad journey back to the airport!

It was a very good, very intense experience in an incredibly beautiful area. Andrea was an excellent and informative guide. We were lucky enough to see a wolf on the first day, quite close, and a wild boar, chamoix and a golden Eagle the next. No bears! The early mornings and very late evening meals plus the heat of the climbs was a challenge. The night in the refuge was great, wonderfully hosted by Valeria: definitely the best meal of the trip. Descent was a bit of a route march from which my knee is still recovering! I learnt a lot about rewilding in a very different context to the UK, I want to learn more about wolves and I would love to return to the area!

A great experience. Our guide Domenico was super friendly and went above and beyond to make this trip enjoyable. The national park is stunning and it was an absolute privilege to see the bears, wolves and wild boars in their natural environment. I did not even mind getting up early during this holiday! I highly recommend this trip.

Great experience on this adventure. Real chance to switch off and just focus on nature and getting to know your group and guides without having to make plans and worry about logistics. The guides were knowledgeable and passionate. Staying in the mountain refuge was a highlight and of course seeing wolves, wild boar and stags. Yummy food, an interesting schedule of activities and falling into a comfy bed every night feeling satisfied with a fun and busy day ticked all the boxes for our holiday.

Amazing! Guide, views, group, food and experiences. Be prepared for a tiring trip with lots of early starts. However the days are so long and packed with hikes and wildlife watching that it felt like a week long trip!

What an incredible trip! My first one with MBA, but definitely not my last. The big hike on the first day was tough, but has amazing views and we could go at our own pace. We saw a few chamois and some griffin vultures too! The early starts were early, 4-5am, but it’s the best time to see bears and wolves and that’s what we’re here for. We saw 5 wolves in total, and each felt like an absolute privilege (including 1 that had made a kill, and another 2 that crossed the road in front of us! It took our breathe away). We were very close to a resting mamma bear with cubs, but couldn’t see them behind rocks. Despite not seeing them it was wonderful to know they were there. The guides were incredible, Andrea in particular went over and above every single day, he is so knowledgeable and passionate about wildlife, and really fun. Sitting for 2+ hours in a meadow could have been a little tedious, but Andrea made it joyful. The mountain refuge felt like such a special place. A real highlight of the trip. The main accommodation exceeded expectations. I would absolutely recommend this trip to anyone that feels drawn to the types of activities listed. Just book it, it’s extremely special 🐺 💚🐻

I really enjoyed this trip and would recommend it to anyone and everyone. The guides were amazing and we saw lots of wildlife and even signs of bears. The whole team were great and the group I was with was great. 100% recommend this trip

Great Trip, great experience, would love to visit this area again.

Very knowledgeable, friendly and punctual guides who really looked after us. Friendly group and great food back at the Inn, with friendly and helpful staff. Outstanding views and manageable long hikes - but not a march. Definitely recommend.

Fantastic experience. Really knowledgable guide and great group

A beautiful part of the world. We were unlucky with our particular guide but lucky with the animal sightings - it was so special to see a bear. The hotel was lovely, great food and hospitality. The mountain lodge was great too, although you need to take at least a blanket as they said they supplied sheets, but these were only for the bottom of the bed. A sit mat would be useful too as sometimes where you sit for viewings is very dusty, and walking poles would help with the hills. The binoculars supplied were excellent. Having a small group size was great, and dawn and dusk walks with midday breaks to enjoy the hotel and village worked beautifully. The long day walk was longer the outlined in the trip description, but I think trips like this tend to be modified according to the conditions and where the animals are know to be. The best place to eat was just by the Hotel Iris, a gorgeous family run farm stay place called Agriturismo Maneggio Vallecupa

Just returned from four amazing nights in the Appenines. Lots of hiking, beautiful views, excellent company, all topped off by the amazing sights of wolves, chamois, deer and even a bear!

A fabulous trip! We were lucky enough to see both a wolf (at very close quarters) and a bear.