native eye tours

Native Eye Travel

Information about Native Eye Travel

Opening hours

• Monday: 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM
• Tuesday: 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM
• Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM
• Thursday: 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM
• Friday: 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM
• Saturday: Closed
• Sunday: Closed

Specialising in unusual destinations, Native Eye offers some of the most exciting and groundbreaking adventure tours and tailor-made holidays on the planet.

We specialise in unusual destinations and traditional, often tribal cultures and offer some of the most exciting and ground-breaking small group adventure tours and tailor-made holidays on the planet. We can take you to destinations in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America that are at the wild frontiers of travel, places where tourism is either unheard of or in its infancy.

As lifelong travellers ourselves, we’ve scoured the globe looking for the new, the ancient and the extraordinary to create pioneering tours and an inspirational portfolio of adventure holidays and destinations.

Meet eagle hunters in Mongolia’s Altai Mountains, or experience colourful festivals like the Gerewol in Chad. Visit the hottest place in the world, in Djibouti, or climb an active volcano in the Congo. Traverse landscapes that range from the majestic and breathtaking to those that appear almost alien.

We are deeply committed to responsible tourism. Together with our local guides, we have built deep relationships with the peoples we visit, allowing you to experience their cultures as welcome guests. And, as a niche travel operator, we’re able to offer a highly personalised service to our intrepid travellers.

“An amazing trip to get immersed into West African culture that went beyond expectation, an anthropologist’s dream. Fantastic ceremonies and rituals, exciting places to visit and things to see, dazzling, astonishing and thrilling. We felt very privileged to be part of the festivities.” Diane and Harvey Eagles

“I am zinging with memories of rocks old and new, such welcoming people, good food including horsemeat sausage and vodka and of course great group of people who all entered into the spirit of the adventure.” Julia Simpson

We are members of the Travel Trust Association, a trade association of Travel Agents, Tour Operators and Travel Organisers that operate trust accounts in order to provide financial protection for the consumer. Membership number Q2133.

Native Eye Travel: Reviews

Positive experience: I travelled on the 14 day Georgia & Armenia tour in September 2023.The three guides and 2 drivers were great. The only let down was some accomodation in Georgia, 3 of 7 nights were in two guesthouses - very low budget uncomfortable less than basic functional accommodation (Svaneti was the worst and I found out was £30-35 pound per night on the accomodation place website, so cheapest level accomodation in region. Which is ok if you signed up for a budget holiday)). And there were other better accomodation options available in both locations for a bit more money by the tour company. Given this is not a budget tour I think they could have provided slightly better (spent a little more money) accommodation in Kutaiisi and Svaneti that was at least functional basic. All the other accomodation was ok (some basic but functional which is fine, and some were a level above which was good) Armenia destinations included various family/community cultural/lunch/winery visits which were a highlight and Yerevan is wonderful city. Some Georgia visits were highlights ie cave city, Ushguli mountain village and the city of Tbilisi was good to experience but had a more touristy feel compared Yerevan. Excluding the few days accomodation issue above, overall the tour was great and I would recommend it as both countries are hugely interesting and beautiful. Overall I rate the tour 3.5 stars but google review doesn’t give half stars. I find the tour website only posts positive selected feedback so I decided to post on google.

Fantastic experience: First rate agency for travel to more unusual places. I travelled with them to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, in an excellent and enlightening trip, and am visiting Northern Pakistan shortly. They have an exceptional knowledge of the less travelled places and are helpful and responsive in arranging travel and accommodating travellers needs.

Fantastic experience: I booked a 15-day trip through Native Eye to visit Chad in October 2019. Jim O’Brien was extremely responsive and knowledgeable. Him and the local team through SVS Tchad are well connected on ground and in tune with everything that’s going on in the country so you are well prepared with the right expectations. They help you through all the paperwork, and the payment process is super easy. The crew on ground was wonderful - knowledgeable, friendly, hardworking, kind and efficient. Our whole group of 9 bonded together with the crew and it felt like one big family by the end. It was a well planned itinerary - beautiful landscapes so sharply contrasted with harsh environments but it is a country I’m so excited to go back to. Thank you Native Eye and SVS for a wonderful introduction to what has now become one of my favourite countries.

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Native Eye Travel

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With offices on the Suffolk / Essex border, Native Eye are a team of travel experts who are passionate about the people and places we visit.

We specialise in the unusual. Far from focussing on mainstream adventure travel destinations, Native Eye doesn’t just enable you to get far from the beaten track but redefines what adventure travel is all about — cutting edge exploration to places where traditions have been retained and each experience is unique. In the words of a recent customer, “It’s like adventure travel was thirty years ago."

Founded by]im O’Brien following nearly twenty years of independent and professional travel experience, first as a tour leader and later in senior operations posts for leading adventure travel companies, Native Eye now offers some of the most exciting itineraries on the planet.

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Review to Native Eye Algerian Odyssey Trip (Plus Others) - Algeria Forum

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Review to Native Eye Algerian Odyssey Trip (Plus Others)

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I have been on three group trips with NE (Western Sahara; Algeria; Chad (Gerewol Festival) and one private trip to Nigeria where I booked the hotels directly and devised the itinerary but had NE obtain my VOA and arrange transport and guide. In the past, I’ve been very satisfied with NE trips. However, some issues have now become apparent to me which have given me pause. As a result, I now have concerns about NE’s 2024 trip to Papua New Guinea (PNG), for which I put down a deposit before these concerns crystallized.

• Jim has a talent for devising well thought through and comprehensive itineraries of destinations that are off the beaten track and trips allowing guests to participate in some unique festivals (e.g. the Gerewol Festival in Chad and a pioneering trip to the desert in Niger). He deserves respect and kudos for that.

• The other travelers I have met on Jim’s trips have had varied and interesting travel experiences in atypical destinations.

• Where the local tour company Jim selects to run the trip is professional and hires good guides; vehicles; selects decent hotels, etc. the trips are excellent.

• Hotels on trips aren’t luxurious but usually comfortable, clean places with decent WIFI. (Exception the Fantazia Hotel in Oran, aka “Fawlty Towers”, despite many good alternatives nearby).

• Jim will do his best to try and fix issues within his control promptly if advised of them. For example, we had a poor guide in Algeria and Jim had him changed the day after he was alerted of the problem.

• Visa support is prompt and good if there are issues with getting your visa processed at your local consulate/embassy (but see caveat below re lack of attention to detail).

• NE runs many trips to many destinations, some which they themselves admit they have not visited in many years. Quality control may therefore be an issue on some trips as a result.

A. Propensity to “nickel and dime”:

• Transfers: Jim gave instructions to the local operator to charge me-- and only me-- for my transfer to the airport upon leaving Algeria (I left two days after the rest of the group), even though there were other group members who arrived early and left later than the main group who weren’t charged. I suspect this was because I opted to change hotels at the end of the tour and booked this myself rather than via NE. (My hotel was closer to the airport than the NE hotel and so distance wasn’t the issue.) While Jim did finally instruct the local tour company to transfer me to the airport at no extra charge, he quoted chapter and verse as justification: (i) “that was the information on your booking form.” (Nope-- I obviously never requested to be a billed for a transfer that was included in my tour price); (ii) “our local operator charges us for early/late transfers so we have to pass along the cost which is why it’s in our T&Cs.” (Maybe this is the case for some destinations, but the Algerian tour operator assured me that they weren’t charging Jim to transport NE guests a day or two later than the main trip.) This was all the more disappointing given that NE knew that I was a loyal repeat NE traveler, and that we had had a poor trip due to the quality of our guide.

Luggage Limits Sometimes Designed to Avoid Getting a Bigger Vehicle. For some trips (such as desert trips where the safari vehicles can’t be overloaded because water and supplies need to be carried), baggage weight restrictions are appropriate. However, for other trips, such as the 15 day Algeria Odyssey a 13 kilos baggage is unnecessary. The 12 -seater Mercedes Sprinter minibus we used in Algeria doesn’t get overloaded easily (in fact luggage carriers can be attached to this model). Thus, the issue was not overloading as we had been told, but space to fit luggage. And we were cramped because the back seats were required for luggage—even with smaller bags.

(Pro Tip: As some seats offer better views, are more spacious, and aren’t uncomfortable wheel arch seats, I’d recommend asking NE to ensure that the guide advises your group of the need to rotate seats every day on Day 1, to ensure fairness in the seating arrangements.)

B. On Several Trips There Has Been A Lack of Attention to Detail.

It seems itineraries of previous trips are recycled and posted to run again in the future without NE checking the dates for major holidays like Ramadan; museum opening hours; etc.

For example, the April 2023 Algerian Odyssey trip called for a visit to the Museum of Antiquities in Algiers on a Sunday. However, very few museums in Algeria are open on a Sunday. NE made it seem as if Ramadan was the reason it was closed on Sunday, which wasn’t the case. They then amended the itinerary to have us visit this museum during the week instead. Sadly, the local guide failed to take us to this important museum in the morning --despite us asking us him to do so—and by the time we got to this museum it had already closed in accordance with early afternoon closing Ramadan hours.

Also, NE doesn’t always do its homework prior to sending out e-mails to customers. When I signed up for the 2024 PNG trip I was told that VOA was available. However, it’s been suspended since Covid and has yet to be reinstated. Hopefully, it will soon again be available, but a travel agent should be sending out information that is correct when sent.

Also, NE initially advised those of us on the Chad October 2022 Gerewol trip that a PCR test was required, although even the most cursory review of foreign embassy websites and a call to the Chad Embassy to ascertain the facts would have made clear that this was no longer the case. They did afterwards correct this (saying the PCR requirements had just changed), but one obviously likes to receive accurate information from a tour operator supposed to specialize in travel to that country.

Early in 2023, Algeria instituted a new VOA protocol to encourage tourism to the south. I asked NE (Jim) whether the Algeria Odyssey trip qualified for this. He said yes it would have done but for the fact that the Algerians rescinded this new VOA process almost as soon as it had been promulgated. This isn’t correct. The VOA process for trips to the south is still in effect, but the NE Odyssey trip doesn’t qualify for VOA because at least 70% of any trip needs to be in the south.

Finally, flight schedules aren’t available for most major airlines until about 11 months in advance. I can therefore understand why NE can’t ensure flights match their itineraries for trips posted on the NE website before then. But they should be updating their itineraries when flight details become available and not leaving it up to their pax to tell them that their itineraries don’t match planned departure dates or the number of hotel nights planned. (E.g. 2022 Chad Gerewol trip).

C. Not Always Completely Truthful and Upfront:

• NE added an extra pax on the Algerian Odyssey departing 1 April 2023 and claimed it was due to a “system error” and that they “wanted to be upfront and transparent about this before the trip started and hope we wouldn’t mind.” Actually, the last traveler to book saw the trip was listed as full and spoke to Chelsea who confirmed this. The next morning, however, he was told that Jim (owner of NE) had okayed his going. Had two pax not pulled out of this trip at the last minute because of a medical emergency, we would have been very cramped.

• Ramadan is a terrible time to visit Algeria. Local tourism stops and many museums take advantage of this time to close for maintenance. Most open late and close at 3:30 PM restricting what you can see. Restaurants are closed not just during the day but sometimes at night as well. No markets really get going until about noon. It’s hard on the tour guides and driver to take tourists around at this time. Our trip to Algeria which was right at the beginning of Ramadan should not have been run when it did, without a health warning. Yet, here is what NE told us about Ramadan: “[Ramadan] won’t cause any disruption to your trip, but it does mean that local restaurants will be closed during the day so the majority of meals will be taken in hotel restaurants. We feel that this is a really interesting time to travel—there’s a good atmosphere at the end of each day when the fasting ends, and it’s a great opportunity to experience local festive traditions.” Not only was this untrue but NE didn’t arrange for us to experience one “festive tradition”. We went from hotel to monument to hotel and had a very sanitized experience as a result.

• After the Algeria trip, I wrote to Jim to say that given that nature of my feedback and the implications it has for my future dealings with NE, a F2F would be more appropriate than a long e-mail. I offered to take time out of a trip to the UK and travel to Ipswich just to meet with him and give him an opportunity to respond. He replied that while he had received some negative feedback from the trip, he had also received good feedback and that I should just put my comments to him in writing. He didn’t even have the courtesy to suggest a call. Does this show that NE values frank feedback or shies away from it? Is this respectful towards a repeat customer who in 4 trips has not once spoken to anyone in NE and therefore taken little of their time? What’s more, Jim claimed he wouldn’t be in the office for the entire week I told him I was in the UK. However, other NE clients told me they had reached him in the office that week--including the very day I had suggested we meet!

In sum, NE has built up a loyal following of repeat customers because of the unique destinations and experiences it offers. It’s a shame that they lose some of this clientele through such behaviors. Fortunately, there are good alternative operators.

Thanks for your review.

Firstly, we understand that you were very unhappy about the fact that we were unable to meet you in person to discuss your concerns. When you first requested this I had not planned to be in the office that week. Subsequently, personal circumstances meant that plans changed and I was indeed there when your friend called the office. I perhaps should have updated you with this – and it’s certainly a fair point to suggest that a phone call would have been a good idea - but by that point I had already emailed you asking you to send your feedback in writing so that we could address any concerns that you might have. To date, we have not heard from you on this.

We have however always been keen to address feedback that you have sent us in the past and have had extensive correspondence with you, often taking significant time to explain in detail the reasons behind certain methods of operation, and taking on board any constructive criticism where relevant.

You’ve subsequently raised a number of points in this review which we’d like to address.

It's very true that we haven't been able to travel to some of our destinations for a number of years, but unfortunately as I'm sure you can appreciate, the Covid 19 pandemic, and the time it has taken for tour operators to recover, had a very significant impact on our ability to do so. In order to survive the pandemic, as a business we had to furlough almost all staff from March 2020 onwards and the subsequent tentative recovery of global travel meant that we were only able to re-employ all original team members mid way through 2022.

A member of our team had been scheduled to visit Algeria in April 2020, however due to the global closure of international borders implemented in March 2020 as a result of the pandemic, this was sadly not possible.

We have however travelled to all of the destinations that you have travelled to with us within the last few years, with one of our team travelling to Algeria to refresh our first hand knowledge and accompanying the group tour directly after yours, which was the first opportunity that we were able to arrange. We also travel as frequently as is practical to our destinations, taking into account that some destinations are more popular than others, conditions in some change at a different rate to others, and that we are a small team.

With regards to the airport transfer that you have mentioned, you had at this point left the tour to pursue your own itinerary afterwards, and it would not be usual practice to then provide an airport transfer after our services ended. When you contacted our local partner directly some days after the tour ended to request that they transfer you to the airport, they asked us who should be charged for this. Given that your tour had ended and that these were extra services that hadn't been agreed beforehand we advised that you would need to pay them directly. Of course, when you got in touch we then agreed to cover the costs as you explained that you had thought these were part of the tour services, despite our information being very clear about this.

There would be no conceivable benefit in us annoying a traveller if the agent was able to provide this at no cost, and I’m very sorry that you felt we would do this to save a very small amount of money.

We do ask travellers not to bring excess luggage though, and give a general rule of not bringing more than 20kg of luggage, which we find is usually more than sufficient for a tour of two weeks in duration. Vehicles used are the most appropriate for the size of the group, taking into account the normal amount of luggage that people may bring, but this is sometimes influenced by the availability of vehicles for hire in a particular destination, particularly in destinations where the tourist industry has not yet developed enough for there to be a wide range of vehicle hire companies offering the full range of minibus, coaster and bus sizes. It can sometimes be that the next largest vehicle available has a lot more space than is needed - while this can be more comfortable, this also leaves us open on occasions to concerns from group participants that we are being environmentally irresponsible by running trips in larger vehicles than needed.

However, given that this trip started and finished in Algiers it would have been possible for travellers to store excess luggage either in the hotel or with our local team until their return, had they raised with us as a concern, so would have been very easily resolved. I note that this did not impact you personally and no other travellers raised this as an issue with us.

We have run tours in Muslim countries successfully for a number of years, and while it is true that we didn't fully anticipate some of the issues that this caused in Algeria - Ramadan not having coincided with the dates of our trips since we started operating there in 2017 - feedback that we had from other travellers suggested that for some people the inconveniences that this presented was more of an issue than it was for some others.

Having not run a trip in Algeria during Ramadan before, to assess whether this was appropriate we drew on our experience of operating trips in other Muslim countries at this time, our extensive experience of living and working in North Africa, and information from our local team, to decide whether this was feasible. Despite all of this it is clear that were some issues that we did not anticipate and we’d like to offer our apologies for this.

You have mentioned an error in the documentation we sent regarding visas for Papua New Guinea. Sometimes it is difficult to get accurate information from our destinations, and online sources are not always reliable either, but we have since updated travellers with the correct information for this.

After you travelled with us to Chad in 2022 you sent us extensive feedback which we addressed at the time, and having read our explanations of why certain issues were perhaps not as straightforward as you had suggested, you were reassured enough to book a subsequent trip with us in the next couple of days afterwards. For the benefit of others who may read this I would like to highlight our earlier response addressing these particular issues below:

With regards to the need for a PCR test, when we had final confirmation from Chad that this was not needed, we updated our travellers. I’m aware that there was information online and on government websites stating that the need for PCR tests had been removed, before we updated our travellers, but throughout the pandemic we have unfortunately learned not to always trust this, even from official government sources like the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office advice! So, both we and SVS wanted to wait until we had definitive confirmation from sources in Chad, before we updated.

You also mentioned the flights . This can be a difficult thing to manage - with the paucity of flights to and from N’Djamena we’ve known schedules to change up until quite close to departure. I think we could possibly have managed this better though in terms of dealing with our travellers.

I would also add that a ‘cursory review of foreign embassy websites’ would not have been an appropriate way to ascertain facts at this time, given that African embassy websites are notoriously bad at updating their information, and that international travel at this time was in a period of tentative recovery with entry conditions changing frequently for certain countries. Through our daily dealings at this time with entry conditions, we did not always find that embassies for some of the less visited countries were actually up to date with what was happening on the ground in their home country, given the fluidity of the situation. It would have been wholly irresponsible and inappropriate of us not to have sought firm clarification from our partners on the ground as to what entry requirements were actually being imposed by officials in Chad itself.

With regards to flights , we cannot possibly keep up to date with every single flight schedule change for each of our destinations and do rely on travellers to let us know if their flights have changed. However, it’s often not possible to change the dates of a scheduled group tour to take into account flight schedule changes that affect some, but not necessarily all, members of a group, and if even one person has booked flights that still coincide with the start and end dates of a trip we are obliged to operate the trip as advertised.

The details of the visa on arrival for Algeria that you describe are not quite correct. Initially the Algerian authorities had announced the introduction of visas on arrival for all travellers. This was then almost immediately rescinded and put in place a little while later was the system whereby the authorities will only grant visas on arrival for travellers spending a majority of time in the south of the country.

With regards to accepting an additional person on this trip, this was explained to you as a booking error rather than a system error, and the error was entirely our fault due to confusion over two subsequent tours departing close to each other – this obviously shouldn’t have happened. Had the trip run with a slightly larger group size of 13 rather than 12 we would of course have ensured that an appropriately sized vehicle was used. Although less than ideal to run a group tour with one more person, this would have had a very marginal impact on the operation of the tour. As you note however, two people withdrew from the tour before the start, and so this had no impact on the tour. We've since revised our processes however so that we can avoid inadvertent errors like this in the future.

We don't always get everything right and in challenging destinations with a small, newly emerging or barely existent tourist infrastructure, this can be difficult. Some travellers also don't always appreciate that operating trips here can be far more complex, and involve considering far more issues than it might seem from the outside. However we are always keen to learn from the various experiences that each individual trip and group of travellers present. We do of course want to make things right when things go wrong and would have been keen to do this had you sent us your feedback as requested.

We understand that some people may immediately assume that we are at fault - and sometimes this may be the case - but on many occasions there are several other factors that explain why something on a tour may have happened.

As you have mentioned we have a great number of repeat travellers who choose to travel with us again and again, and we place a great priority on making sure that they are happy with the services we offer.

On this occasion and having taken a number of different factors into account, we got in touch with you to offer a refund of your deposit for your next tour so that you can travel with other companies in the future, and wish you all the best for your future travels.

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Tags: Unusual , pioneering , Adventure Travel , tailor-made travel , native eye , Mongolia , chad , Northern Pakistan , Cameroon , Russia , Siberia

Go eagle hunting with tribal Kazakhs in Mongolia; spend a night at the 'Door to Hell'; visit a Russian state which doesn't officially exist; celebrate Africa's most spectacular dating festival; hunt for mammoth bones in Siberia; visit the 'City of the Dead'; witness a Bwiti initiation ceremony: as travel experiences go, Native Eye offer some of the most unusual on the planet.

Specialising in far flung destinations and sensitive tribal encounters, Native Eye is one of the newest and most exciting tailor made adventure travel operators in the UK.

Offering 35 trips to destinations as diverse as Chad, Angola, Djibouti, Madagascar, Mauritania, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, South Sudan, Somaliland, Equatorial Guinea, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kosovo, Moldova, Romania, Siberia and the Ukraine, Native Eye thrives on pioneering adventure in countries where tourism is almost unheard of or at least in its infancy.

You thought your bucket list was complete? It is now...

Go hunting with eagles in western Mongolia

Deep in the Altai mountains, spend three days with the Kazakh eagle hunters, going out hunting with them each day and staying with them and their families at night. The hunters use female eagles for hunting as they are larger and more aggressive than the males, and are trained to catch fox, wolves, rabbits and wild cats. It's an unforgettable experience, and one which few tourists have ever taken part in.

How? Mongolian Eagle Adventure , 13 days from £1,499 per person. Departs 23rd October 2016.

What? Visit the 'capital' of Transdniestr, Moldova - a state which doesn't officially exist

The breakaway republic of Transdniestr is one of Europe's oddest entities and something of a throwback to the days of the Soviets. Transdniestr, or Transnistria, is a tiny breakaway state within Moldova between the River Dniestr and the Ukrainian border that is unrecognised by other nations but to all effects and purposes functions as a completely separate country, with its own government and army. Explore the 'capital' Tiraspol with its stark monuments and also visit the town of Tighina, once an important trading centre and with an impressive 16th century fortress to explore.

How? Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova, 16 days from £2,149 per person. Departs 11th June 2016

What? Experiencing a Bwiti tribal ritual in southern Cameroon

For hundreds of years, the Bwiti (a term which applies to both the religion and the group which practise it) have participated in healing and initiation ceremonies which includes ingesting the psychoactive root bark of the iboga plant, to promote radical spiritual growth, stabilise the community and family structure and meet religious requirements. Held in the high temple, and led by the spirtual leader, the N'ganga, you'll be witness to a dramatic performance involving the whole community, with intensely loud drumming, dancing with fire, chanting and an electric atmosphere which goes on all night, sometimes longer...

How? Rhythms of Central Africa , 17 days from £4,999 per person. Departs 6th August 2016.

What? Enjoy a wine festival with descendants of Alexander the Great

Tucked away in three valleys of the Hindu Kush is a tribal population who unlike the rest of the countries they are surrounded by are pagan, not Muslim. According to legend the Kalash are descended from four of Alexander the Great's generals, to whom Alexander gave the Chitral Valley as a reward, and whatever the truth they look very different from most other Pakistanis, with fairer skin, blue-green eyes and distinctly Eurasian features. Join them as they celebrate Uchao, a festival to celebrate and give thanks for a successful harvest, drinking wine brewed from mulberries and some delicious cheese. It's one of the most colourful celebrations in Pakistan.

How? North Pakistan Explorer , 16 days from £2,099 departs 13th August.

What? Look out for bones at a mammoth graveyard in Yakutia, Siberia

Located in the world's coldest place, in the Verkhoyankiy District of Arctic Yakutia , where winter temperatures have been known to dive as low as -80 degrees, lies a mammoth graveyard. Each summer the melting permafrost pushes bones, tusks and teeth of ancient fauna out of the ground and river banks. Remains of mammoths, sabre-toothed tigers, bison, cave lions and woolly rhinoceros can be found just lying around on the ground. Accompanied by a local palaeontologist from Yakutsk, you'll be able to identify which animals the bones we find belonged to and which parts of the animal they were from. As well as being the coldest place on earth, the mammoth graveyard near Betenkyos is amongst the most isolated places in the world, a thousand kilometres north of the nearest road or railway.

How? Arctic Yakutia, 13 days from £4,549 per person. Departs 20th August 2016.

What? Visit the 'City of the Dead', North Ossetia

Often referred to as the ' City of the Dead' , the village of Dargavs is considered to be one of the most mysterious sites in Russia.  Hidden away in the Caucasus mountains, the “city” is actually an ancient necropolis full of tombs or crypts.  From a distance, it looks like the remains of a medieval village, with almost 100 'dwellings' grouped together on a grassy hill. Go closer, and you realise there's no-one - living, that is - here. For hundreds of years, residents of nearby villages have been burying their dead in this necropolis, with each crypt holding skulls and bones. There's many myths and legends surrounding the site, and until recently, local people refused to go there in case they didn't come back alive. A burial site for medieval plague victims is perhaps the most likely explanation, though.

How? The Caucasus, from the Black Sea to the Caspian , 15 days from £3,349 per person. Departs 21st May 2016.

What? Spend the night at the 'Door to Hell', Turkmenistan

The 60 metre crater of Darwaza, Turkmenistan, is one of the most unusual sites in Central Asia, a vast opening in the earth where natural gas has been set alight and has been burning for more than forty years. This was originally a site where Soviet geologists drilled for gas – not knowing what to do when the drilling rig collapsed, they set it alight for fear that poisonous gas would seep into the atmosphere and contaminate a nearby settlement, expecting that it would burn itself out in a matter of days. Forty years on, it's still burning, with flames up to 15 metres high. Its otherworldly appearance have led local people to name it the 'Door to Hell', camp overnight here (guess what's the campfire?) for an experience you'll never forget.

How? Total Turkmenistan , price from £2,199 per person. Departs 3rd September 2016.

What? Witness Africa's most colourful 'dating' festival, Chad

Although Native Eye specialise in tribal adventures, if we had to pick a favourite, this would be it. Each year the semi-nomadic Mbororo people gather for a week of incredible celebrations known as the Gerewol, a colourful festival that is one of Africa's most spectacular. Few westerners are  privileged to see this, but you'll travel to a remote part of the Sahel to stay with these intensely traditional people, joining them as they congregate for feasting, racing, dancing and finding lovers. The Gerewol is renowned for the way in which young Mbororo men decorate themselves, donning make up and jewellery and 'displaying' to young women in search of a partner.

How? The Gerewol Festival, Chad, 8 days from £1,749 per person, departs 25th September 2016

What? Visit the hottest place on earth, Djibouti

It's smelly (sulphur fumes), colourful (minerals, chemicals and potash making for a spectacular display) and, with an average annual temperature of 34°C, renowned to be the hottest inhabited place on earth: the hot springs at Dallol are a must - see, if you can stand it. During a visit, look out for the long 'caravane de sel', camel trains loaded with salt.

How? Djibouti and the Danakil Depression , 14 days from £3,649 per person. Departs 13th November 2016.

What? See the flaming mountains of Azerbaijan

There's mountains, and then there's flaming mountains (we know which we'd rather visit). Jutting out into the Caspian Sea, the Absheron Peninsula is home to some of the country's finest sights, all within a day trip from the capital, Baku. One of the most unusual is the 'flaming mountain' of Yanardag, another of Azerbaijan's bizarre geological features where natural gas seeps from the rock, accidentally ignited in the 1950s and burning to this day. At Ateshgah, the 'temple of the fire-worshippers' surrounds an eternal flame, another reminder of why this country is often called the 'Land of Fire'.

How? Azerbaijan, Between East and West , 8 days from £1,075 per person. Departs 11th September 2016.

For bookings contact Native Eye on 020 3286 5995 or visit www.nativeeyetravel.com

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For hi-res images or further information, please contact Rebecca Scrase, Rebecca Scrase PR , T. 01449 677033 M. 07985 973973 E. [email protected]

About Native Eye

Native Eye was launched in August 2013.

Specialising in small group tours and bespoke travel to far-flung destinations and 'forgotten' tribal cultures, founder Jim O'Brien says: "Native Eye specialises in the unusual, allowing our travellers to enter into regions the rest of the planet has largely forgotten about, where traditions have been retained and where each experience in unique."

With offices on the Suffolk / Essex border, Native Eye offers over 35 trips, which range from 7 to 28 days in length and cost from £875 to £4,999, specialises in travel to Africa, Asia and the Middle East and Europe, with a strong focus on West and Central Africa.

Destinations include: Chad, Angola, Djibouti, Madagascar, Mauritania, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kosovo, Moldova, Romania, Siberia and the Ukraine.

Native Eye is a responsible tour operator, member of the TTA and 100% financially protected.

About Jim O'Brien, Native Eye Founder

Jim has an enviable travel pedigree and (so far) has travelled to 92 countries. As well as being founder of Native Eye, Jim has nearly twenty years personal and professional travel experience. Jim took the world's first ever English speaking group tour to Chad's Tibesti Mountains and has just returned from leading a pioneering trip through Cameroon, Gabon and Congo.

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Native Eye Travel or Imaginative Travel?

I wrote a cover article in.

I wrote a cover article in the September 2017 issue about Native Eye In Eastern Europe. We loved that tour and customer service so much we are taking their Caucasus tour in September this year. Granted, Eastern Europe is not West Africa. Jim O'Brien, the owner of the Native Eye is always available to answer any questions and customize any options you might want. One question you might want to ask is if the two British tour companies are using the same local operator and if the tours are actually one in the same. Differences in price might just be their mark-up and any added value for insurance, credit card payments or other amenities.

Essential Native American Travel Destinations & Experiences For Summer

Traveling to Indian Reservations doesn’t register on many people’s “travel bucket lists.” There are a lot of reasons for this, which are far too complicated to get into here, ranging from cultural disconnects to overt racism . That’s a shame, as a trip to an Indian Reservation is an enlightening experience and should be essential to get a handle on who we really are as Americans.

Indian Country (that’s the collective name for all of America and Canada’s reservations) is home to many of the first peoples of this country. There you’ll find wholly unique cultures and some of the most beautiful scenery on the continent — from the Badlands of South Dakota to the vast hop fields of the Yakama Valley to the blue waterfalls of the Havasupai.

Indian reservations are also at the very bottom of America’s socio-economic ladder . There are no poorer, sicker, and at-risk Americans than those living on reservations . It may feel difficult to know how to help those left behind in America, especially when it all seems so far away. But there is a way to help, right now in fact. Go there . Book a tour. Eat at a roadside diner. Hire a guide. Visit art galleries. Buy things. Spend money in general. Tourism dollars are a great way to support our fellow Americans who are at the bottom, struggling to finally rise above their lot in this American life.

Below are 12 amazing destinations around Indian Country where you can spend your summer tourist dollars, gain incredible experiences, and help Native-run businesses. There are, of course, more places than just these 12. America has 326 Indian Reservations and over 500 recognized tribes, with variously incorporated communities. Take these 12 as a starting point. Then, when you get home, find the reservation nearest you and check it out.

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Havasupai Falls, Havasupai Indian Reservation — Arizona

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Havasupai has gotten a huge boost recently from the Instagram generation’s love of the place . It’s shockingly beautiful. The reservation is huddled up next to Grand Canyon National Park and, in fact, the Havasupai unit is an offshoot of that canyon. The red rock walls and blue waters make for a dynamic contrast that’s photo ready for anyone’s bucket list feed.

You can’t just walk into Havasupai. There are constant mud and landslides that make the area very dangerous. The area is also very, very sacred to the Havasupai people. Please, do not traipse around on your own.

You’ll need to make a reservation with the tribe for a pass to hike and camp. Expect to pay between $140 and $200 to camp in the area. Unfortunately, camping and lodging reservations for 2018 are already sold out . However, because of the physical effort involved in getting down to the reservation (it’s a 10-mile hike or a $200 helicopter ride), there are plenty of scratches and you can often score a site at the last second. You can make also booking for 2019 as of June 1st. But you’ll have to act now, as these will also book up fast.

Don’t forget to hit up the Supai Cafe for a Supai Burger — that’s a burger made with a fry bread bun.

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Tatanka Rez Tourz, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation — South Dakota

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Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is the most economically depressed community in the United States with a life expectancy lower than Iraq’s . These people need your tourist dollars. Pine Ridge is also the size of Connecticut. So getting around and finding the sweet spots requires guidance.

Tatanka Rez Tourz is led by father-daughter team Warren and Tianna Yellowhair. They meet with singles, couples, or groups and take them to the main sites around the reservation — from the Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial to the Oglala Lakota College . Along with the tour, you’ll get an in-depth and enlightening experience about the history of the Lakota, their battles with the US government, broken treaties, starvation, and the eventual Wounded Knee Massacre wherein US soldiers shot, killed, and then horrifically mutilated over 300 unarmed men, women, and children for dancing and singing.

Be warned, a tour in this part of the country is harrowing. Rates for the rez tour range from $50 per person to $25 per person in groups of ten or more. Transportation is generally provided.

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Discover Navajo, Navajo Nation — Arizona, Utah, & New Mexico

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The Navajo Nation — home to the Dine people — is one of the only corners of Indian Country where an indigenous population still controls the vast majority of their ancestral lands. This is due to the failed extermination attempts through forced marches to a concentration camp a state away, the failure of that camp, and the US government basically giving up. After all that, amazingly, the Dine got their home back. And their home is one of the most magical corners of the planet from the great Monument Valley to the canyons of Utah and Arizona to vast Painted Deserts.

Discover Navajo is your one-stop shop for tours all over the Navajo Nation. Their website has direct links to local tour operators for horseback riding, fishing, self-guided tours, and every other kind of tour you can think of. They also offer the Navajo Cultural Tour that lasts for three days and touches the Navajo museums, Canyon de Chelly, Monument Valley, Window Rock, and more.

Check out local tour operators for prices .

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Antelope Canyon Tours, Navajo Nation — Arizona

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Getting into the nitty-gritty of the greatness of the Navajo Nation, you have to take a moment for Antelope Canyon. This corner of the nation, near the Utah stateline, is one of the continent’s most mythical places. It’s also an extremely sacred place for the Navajo people and, therefore, gated — to stop people from accessing the place without a local guide.

Antelope Canyon Tours is your best, local bet for getting into Antelope for a full tour. Tours generally last between one and two hours and will set you back between $40 and $110.

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Go Native America — Nationwide

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Indian Country is vast. There are tribes living in every state, with communities worth exploring. Go Native America embraces the vastness and uniqueness of these communities by offering tours and connecting travelers with local guides to lead them around Native America.

Tours can range from one-day rez tours to multi-day excursions onto reservations and into the backcountries for camping and hiking. Tours operate in South and North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, New Mexico, Arizona, and Alaska currently. Trips to Powwows are also available.

Expect to pay up to $1,000 for three-day trips . Ride and guide day tours, like their Little Big Horn tour , are closer to $500 a pop.

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Standing Rock National Native American Scenic Byway, Standing Rock Indian Reservation — North Dakota

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Standing Rock made news a couple years back for their stand against big oil and an impending pipeline. Of course, there’s more to Standing Rock than just a protest site. The reservation in North Dakota is a beautiful grassland with very important monuments to Native American Heritage — Sitting Bull’s final resting place is in Fort Yates, near the banks of the Missouri.

While there aren’t a lot of “classic” tourism options here, The Standing Rock Native American Scenic Byway is a classic road trip stretch. The great plains stretch out on either side of the mighty Missouri River, giving any road-tripping wanderluster a drastically beautiful view of a sea of grass.

The Standing Rock Monument, Sitting Bull Memorial, Standing Rock Lewis & Clark Nature Trail, Lake Oahe, and Holy Hills of the Mandan Indians are all must-stop spots along the byway . The two casinos on the rez offer accommodations from standard hotel rooms to cabins along the banks of the Missouri.

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Wind River Scenic Byway, Wind River Indian Reservation — Wyoming

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While Standing Rock’s Byway is through a sea of grass, Wind River’s Byway cuts along the river through a great canyon with drastic rock walls hemming you in. Wind River, like Standing Rock, is also among the most-depressed communities in America economically. So spending money here is a huge help to that community.

The byway will only take you 40 minutes to drive through if you’re in a hurry: So take your time. Go rock climbing, book a river rafting tour, grab a bite to eat, maybe drop a line in the river and snag a rainbow trout. Then hit up Warm Valley Native Tours in Fort Washakie for a full-on tour of Wind River Reservation with stops at sites like Sacajawea’s grave.

Access to the byway is free. Email Warm Valley Native Tours for individual rates on rez tours.

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Miccosukee Indian Village & Airboat Rides, Miccosukee Tribe of Indians Reservation — Florida

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The Miccosukee have a long history in what is now the American South. Originally from the upper valleys of Tennessee and Georgia, they ended up in Florida after European expansion pushed them out of their homelands. Today they have a small reservation amongst Florida’s Everglades and have spent the last two centuries adapting to the alligators and wetlands.

Miccosukee Indian Village is a great place to get a handle on this tribe, their culture, and Florida’s unique backwaters. You can take airboat rides through the swamps, wrestle alligators, and explore the heritage of the Miccosukee people at the Indian Village Museum.

Group airboat rides will set you back $20. Private airboat trips are between $150 and $300. The alligator shows and Indian Village are free . There’s also plenty of accommodations and food options at the local resort casino .

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Tillicum Village — Blake Island, Washington

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Tillicum Village isn’t on a reservation. It’s also not “native” owned — it’s owned by Seattle-based Argosy Cruises. Still, the site employs local Natives and celebrates Salish culture in a way that’s accessible and enlightening. In the end, hitting up this place helps preserve native culture while employing actual, local Natives.

Tillicum Village sits on Blake Island State Park about 40 minutes by boat from downtown Seattle. The Village is home to a huge longhouse, a forest of totems, huge pits for cooking salmon, and a stage where the legend of the Raven is performed in all its glory (that’s the bird who stole the sun to bring light to the earth). The salmon is spot on, the story is a crucial part of local history, and the island is a great place to spend the day outside the bustle of Seattle.

Expect a four to five hour trip and to spend around $91 for the boat ride, food, and experience.

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Crow Native Days, Crow Agency — Montana

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There are a lot of great events in Indian Country from the Gathering of Nations Pow Wow in New Mexico to the Red Earth Festival out in Oklahoma. But one of the most fun and unique is Crow Native Days up in Montana.

Crow Agency is home to the Battle of Little Big Horn site amongst a sea of grasslands, roaming buffalo, prancing antelope, and little roadside shacks selling Indian Tacos. It’s also home to a culture devoted to horses. And Crow Native Days is centered around one of the greatest rodeos in America.

The event blends the pageantry of a great pow wow with the excitement of an Indian Rodeo. Horse racing, horse riding tricks and acrobatics, and fancy dancing happen side-by-side with plenty of fry bread and buffalo stew stands in between to nourish you. It’s a four-day spiritual party that’s unlike anything else in the world.

Crow Native Days generally fall around June 20th every year. Entrance prices to the events vary, but generally, cost less than a tenner.

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The Cherokee Heritage Center, Cherokee Nation — Oklahoma

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The Cherokee people have a very long and sad history. They were once the most integrated tribe in the United States with large plantations, newspapers, theaters, and everything else that comes with a “modern” society. Then the United States decided they wanted it all and forcibly removed them, along with several other Southern tribes to “Indian Country” in what’s now Oklahoma. The Trail of Tears ensued as the indigenous population of the American South lost everything.

To get a real handle on what happened, a trip to The Cherokee Heritage Center in Tahlequah, Oklahoma is crucial. The center has a village set up as it would have been in 1710 , a Trail of Tears museum , an art gallery, and several events throughout the year devoted to all things Cherokee. There’s also an education wing that focuses on cultural outreach and a genealogy department for tribal members to trace their heritage. It’s a full experience and you’ll walk away wiser for having absorbed it.

Admission is only $8.50 per adult and Saturdays are free for everyone.

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National Museum of the American Indian — Washington, DC

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Lastly, a trip to Washington, DC, and the National Museum of the American Indian is an absolute must for all Americans. The museum house exhibits touch on the 500+ cultures that were decimated by manifest destiny over the last 400 years.

This year is an especially important time to hit the museum as they’ve started parsing the broken treaties and actions of the US government that led to extermination . The museum also launched the “ Americans ” exhibit that dives deeply into how the “image” of the stereotypical American Indian has been highjacked, perverted, and at times celebrated for commercial products and national pride over the centuries to present day. The whole museum is a masterclass in Native American life with a killer indigenous food court to boot.

The museum is free for everyone .

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BAWSCA regularly cosponsors garden tours which showcase homes around the Bay Area that have beautiful water conserving gardens comprised primarily of California native plants.  These tours are regional throughout the Bay Area and provide homeowners, landscape professionals, and others with ideas for design and implementation of water-efficient landscapes.  

In 2020, BAWSCA sponsored the following Garden Tours

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Spring 2022 Tour Schedule

• Sat. & Sun. April 9 & 10 - Virtual  East Bay Green Home Tour
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Growing Natives Garden Tour – Santa Clara Valley Chapter

April 13 - april 14.

Growing Natives Garden Tour (GNGT) is a free, self-guided tour of gardens located throughout Santa Clara county and part of San Mateo county featuring a large majority of California native plants that are beautiful, water-wise, low maintenance, with minimal or no chemical use, and habitat havens for birds, butterflies and pollinators. California’s native plant gardens increase wildlife corridors in fragmented habitats, preserve our natural ecosystem, and promote biodiversity in our built environments.

North: Sat, Apr 13, 2024, 10:00am to 4:00pm South: Sun, Apr 14, 2024, 10:00am to 4:00pm

The tour is free, but registration is required:  https://gngt.org/

Organized by the  California Native Plant Society (Santa Clara Valley Chapter)  in association with UCCE Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County .

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