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 2026

 

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!
There is still time to join and a few spaces on the tour!

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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 14-28

Travel with the Orchid Conservation Alliance to the incredibly biodiverse province of Yunnan. Well known for its plant diversity, Yunnan alone has over 400 different orchid species, many endemic to the region. Our trip focuses on the Cypripediums, but we will also are likely see species of Cephalanthera, Dendrobium, Holcoglossum, Liparis, Paphiopedilum, Phalaenopsis, Platanthera and Pleione. The trip features incredible scenery, the old town of Lijiang, many different species of flowering rhododendrons, as well as paeonies and too many alpine flowers to count.

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Orchids of Colombia: July 22-August 6

Join the Orchid Conservation Alliance as we travel to one of the most spectacularly biodiverse places on earth, the Andean forests of Colombia. We will have a chance to explore the incredibly rich orchid flora of northern Colombia, visit orchid and bird reserves, tour orchid nurseries and private orchid collections, and attend a world-renowned orchid show in the beautiful city of Medellín.

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Orchids of Nepal-A Fall Tour of the Orchid Trail: November 9-17

Designed especially for orchid enthusiasts and nature lovers, the itinerary highlights epiphytic, terrestrial, and lithophytic orchids across varied habitats, while also providing opportunities to engage with traditional villages, sacred sites, protected areas, and panoramic Himalayan vistas. This tour immediately precedes the V International Orchid Symposium in Kathmandu. https://www.ishs.org/symposium/815

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Chitwan National Park: November 21-24

This tour, which is primarily wildlife focuses, visits the wonderful Chitwan National Park. This park is famous for its one-horned rhinos, elephants, tigers, mugger crocodiles, numerous bird species, and other Nepalese wildlife. The ancient trees in this park are covered with orchids, so there should be something for everyone. This was planned as a post-tour option of the V International Orchid Symposium in Kathmandu.

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Links to publications:

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Past trips:

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