Orchids in the Wild™ Ecotours

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An orchid blooming in its native habitat is one of the miracles of the natural world that every orchid lover should see at least once.

The OCA offers trips to see “Orchids in the Wild” in orchid rich environments all over the world, including here in North America . Over the past 15+ years we have organized trips to Mexico (Chiapas), Brazil (Atlantic Rain Forest, Minas Gerias, Rio Negro, Serra Bonito, Bahia, Espirito Santo), Ecuador (multiple trips), Colombia (multiple trips), southern China (Guang Xi, Yunnan), western China (northern Yunnan, Sichuan), Thailand, Papua New Guinea, France, Sicily, Crete, Mainland Greece, Switzerland, Cape of South Africa, Madagascar (multiple trips) and the Ohio Valley (USA). These trips are a lot of fun, and you will come home with many wonderful orchid, scenery and cultural photos and likely many new friends. The tour groups are small, and are often a mix of orchid experts and newbies. For some it is their first trip outside of the USA. For others, it is the first time they have ever seen an orchid growing in the wild. Our trips are also very educational: once you see how orchids grow in nature, you will be better able to provide the conditions that will make them thrive for you. After you have seen habitat destruction first hand, you will also appreciate how important it is to preserve the remaining primary forests. Orchids in the Wild tours take you to places you would never see otherwise. Our tours are led by experts on the orchids of the region who know where, and when to find the orchids. The tours vary in degree of physical difficulty, discussed in the description of each tour. We can also design small group custom tours, see Bespoke Orchid Tours.

Our line-up of upcoming tours is given below.

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Bespoke Orchid Tours

This is a new concept for the OCA, targeted to our members and their friends who would like a small, private, personalized tour. The ideal size of these small tours would typically be less than 6 participants.  If you are interested in something like this please contact Mary Gerritsen (mary@orchidconservationalliance.org) with details about the country or region you would like to visit, orchids you would like to see, reserves and nurseries you would like to visit. Mary will follow up with further questions to determine feasibility and pricing. The purpose of the bespoke trips is to create a highly personalized adventure. Note that these bespoke tours will be more expensive than our group tours, but offer the flexibility of selecting the dates, sites visited, participants, class of accommodation and transportation (depending on what is available) and personalized oversight of the itinerary.  The spectrum of places to visit and orchids to see is essentially unlimited, so let us know what you are interested in!

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Orchids in the Wild tours for 2025

October 26-November 7 Orchids of Tasmania

This will be the first OCA tour to the island continent of Australia, specifically to the island state of Tasmania. Known for its unique natural beauty and wildlife, Tasmania is also home to over 200 different orchid species. The two major cities of Tasmania are the capital of city of Hobart (where we start the tour) and further north, Launceston (where the tour ends). An island known for its many wildlife parks, mountains and rivers, this OCA tour will take you to some of the most scenic parts of this amazing island.

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Orchids in the Wild tours for 2026

February 3- February 20, 2026 Orchids of Zimbabwe

Our first trip to Zimbabwe, we will visit several national parks, enjoy both terrestrial and epiphytic orchid species, a day of bird watching, a visit to Victoria Falls, and a one day jungle safari!

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March 17-24, 2026 Special Pre-World Orchid Conference Orchids of Rhodes Tour

Once again we have joined forces with Mariposa tours, with Jon Dunn and Sarah Cuttle as our tour leaders. Springtime in the Mediterranean can be breath taking, with the crystal clear waters of the sea, the gorgeous spring flowers, and a plethora of terrestrial orchids. Enjoy a spring orchid tour before attending the World Orchid Conference in Dresden!

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Orchids of the Gargano Peninsula: April 13-20

Once again we will join forces with our European partner, Jon Dunn of Mariposa Tours. Springtime in the Gargano Peninsula is wonderful, and this adventure won’t disappoint. Enjoy the scenery, orchids and magnificent wildflowers!

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Orchids of the Rio Negro: May 22-June 2

Enjoy a fascinating Journey into the jungles of the flooded Amazon. One of our most popular tours, this is the only way to view the orchids of the Amazon, on a cruise aboard the Otter, a specially designed riverboat.

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Orchids of Northern Yunnan: June 15-28

Details to be announced soon

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Upcoming trips in preparation

  • Orchids of Colombia
  • Summer (tentatively late July/early August)
    Details to be announced soon
  • Orchids of Nepal
    In conjunction with the International Orchid Symposium in Kathmandu, Nepal
    Conference is 18-20th November.
    We are planning a pre-conference tour to Chitwan National Park (Nepal) and a post-conference tour to Panchese Orchid Reserve (Nepal)
    Details to be announced soon
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Links to publications:

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Past trips:

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