Welcome to Herpsafari

Update 3rd of March 2025

Despite being barren and isolated, the eastern Canary islands are still hotspots for endemism, including some reptiles. A small winter getaway to Fuerteventura allowed me to see many of the interesting endemics that call the island home. Click here for the trip report.

Update 19th of November 2024
Exactly two weeks ago I returned from the most incredible schooltrip I think anyone has ever done. Although herping wasn't the sole objective of this trip to Oman, we managed to find quite some spectacular species during our Arabian nights. Click here for the trip report.

Update 20th of August 2024

Herping the silk road was definitely not easy in the height and heat of summer, but with perseverance we found almost everything we wanted to see. Click here for the trip report!

Update 31st of May 2024

Although a small trip, the relatively little explored northwest of Turkey was highly rewarding. Click here for the trip report.

Update 26th of May 2024
Endemics and exotics, volcanos and ancient forests, birding and snorkeling... The Canary Islands had it all! Click here for the trip report. 

Update 15th of April 2024

Another adventure together with a highly motivated and crazy group of students. In Southeastern Spain we found a great number of species and had a lot of fun. Click here to see the trip report!

Update 3rd of October 2023

My longest trip to date, last summer in Mexico was a great success. From the smallest and the largest terrestrial salamanders, to venomous lizards and colourful rattlesnakes. Click here to see the trip report.

Update 8th of July 2023

Two weekends, one in Bavaria and another in Vienna, were both full of wildlife! Click here for small reports and more pictures of these two brilliant weekends.

Update 30th of May 2023

A visit to the island of Cyprus was highly rewarding. Together with my students I searched for the five endemic species of herpetofauna and on the last day we managed to complete our list. Click here for the trip report!

Update 29th of May 2023
During a trip in Kenya I visited a wide range of habitats and saw a huge amount of wildlife. From flat tortoises to tiny chameleons and from massive vipers to spitting cobras.

Click here to see the trip report!

Update 8th of March 2023
A remote island full of endemic reptiles and otherworldly landscapes. Visiting Socotra was a dream come true. Click here for the trip report!

Update 18th of January 2023
Last Christmas was not spent under the traditional Christmas Tree, but under a Tanzanian Baobab instead. Click here for the trip report!

Update 28th of August 2022

I had trips with easier starts, but we finally made it to Ghana. Once arrived, we searched the lush jungles in the south as well as the dry savannas in the north, and were well rewarded with a wide array of species! Click here for the trip report.

Update 14th of June 2022

Finally I could take the students of my herpetological study group abroad again. Where to? Greece of course! We explored the highly biodiverse region of Thrace where we saw some massive snakes and huge insects. Click here for the trip report.

Update 29th of May 2022
From sea to summit, from scorching hot sun to snow and frost, from salamanders to snakes. Last trip to Turkey had a wide variety of everything! Click here for the trip report.

Update 14th of May 2022
The Peloponnese in springtime is always a dream to visit. Just returned from leading a tour for Naturetrek with many highlights. Click here for the tripreport.

Update 24th of January 2022
A new year and a new trip report. We endured a lot of rain, saw a lot of salamanders and had a lot of fun! Click here for the trip report!

Update 11th of September 2021
A crazy trip with more species than ever before! We knew Costa Rica would be amazing, but this trip really exceeded our expectations. During a month in this country we could see many of the emblematic species of the country, as well as several rarely observed ones. Click here for the trip report.

Update 28th of June 2021

Click here for my local sightings, stories and pictures.

Update 18th of May 2021

A visit to one of the most biodiverse places in Germany under perfect circumstances, brought us some fantastic observations! Click here for an overview with some more pictures.

Update 3rd of May 2021

Some islands just never get boring. A revisit to the island of Mallorca allowed us to see many of its endemic species. The trip report can be found under "trip reports EU" or simply click here.

Update 26th of October 2020
Rainy days and nights brought out the amphibians en masse, while the few sunny spells we had brought out some interesting reptiles. A small autumn getaway to Southern Italy was highly rewarding. Click here for the report!

Update 3rd of September 2020
With enough caves and refreshing mountain brooks to escape the summer heat, Sardinia proved to be an amazing summer destination. We managed to find all endemics on a fantastic roadtrip across the island. Click here for the trip report!

Update 2nd of September 2020

It took awhile to finish the report but back in July I had an amazing time in Greece. Together with a group of friends I found almost 60 species of amphibian and reptile despite the hot and dry conditions. Click here for the report of this fantastic roadtrip!

Update 2nd of July 2020
With the whole world on lockdown, the local herps provide distraction from missed herping opportunities abroad. It is a great time to observe our local species in the best time of the year for them. Click here for some pictures of my local outings.

Update 1st of March 2020
An island packed with endemic salamanders, mountaineous villages and stunning beaches. It was about time Laura and I revisited the island of Karpathos! Click here for the report or look in the menu under "Trip reports EU".

Update 11th of November 2019

Sun, sea and snakes! What more can you wish for?! Laura and I have visited the Greek island of Milos and had a relaxing trip with some amazing observations of the local herpetofauna. Just what we needed after a busy summer! Click here for the report or look in the menu under "Trip reports EU".

Update 20th of August 2019

A month in Mexico and over a 100 different species of amphibian and reptile observed. We didn't get rain throughout much of the trip but with hard work we managed to find some highly iconic animals. Trip report is found under "Trip reports outside EU" or simply click here.

Update 19th of June 2019
Spring is always a good time to visit Greece. So that is exactly what I did with a small group of my students. We had the most incredible luck and had some highly memorable wildlife encounters. An awesome trip for sure! Click here for the report or search under "Trip reports EU".

Update 7th of May 2019

From Cape Town to Windhoek. Back from a roadtrip along South Africa's west coast into Namibia. Trip report is online under "Trip reports outside EU". You can also click here or on the thumbnail.

Update 7th of January 2019

Another winter where Laura and I spent some time to look for amphibians in Portugal. It was rather cold and dry but despite suboptimal conditions we still found some nice amphibians. Trip report is online under "Trip reports EU" or simply click here.

Update 12th of September 2018
My first time in the tropics of SE Asia and I have seen a myriad of wildlife including some emblematic amphibians and reptiles. Click here for the trip report or look under "Trip reports outside EU".

Update 12th of August 2018

Summer in Georgia is hot, hot, hot, but for the high altitude species and Caucasian Parsley Frogs this was the right time to go. Click here for the trip report to Georgia or look under "Trip reports outside EU".

Update 20th of May 2018

What a trip! Besides some of the most iconic snakes on the planet we found an amazing variety of chameleons along with some other amazing wildlife and breathtaking scenery. Trip report from the trip to Uganda can be found under "Trip reports outside EU" or simply click here. 

Update 4th of March 2018
A revisit to Israel delivered exactly what we had hoped for. Lots of amphibians and some early reptiles as well. Click here for the trip report or search under "Trip reports outside EU".

Update 21st of January 2018

A new year and a new tripreport! Laura and I spent a week in the southwestern part of the Iberian Peninsula. While conditions were rather dry and warm we still managed to find some very special salamanders. Click here for the trip report or search under "Trip reports EU".

Update 8th of October 2017
Guatemala's jungles were stunning, both in term of landscapes and biodiversity. Traveling through cloud forests and dense jungle, past volcanoes and maya temples we could observe over a 100 species including many iconic species. Trip report can be found under "Trip reports outside EU" or simply click here.

Update 14th of August 2017

With only two Greek species left on my tick list, things were getting pretty tense. But spending a week in the Pindos Mountains and managing to visit the uninhabited island of Pori made sure I could complete the list. Click here for the trip report or search under "Trip reports EU".

Update 29th of May 2017

Back from a few days on Mallorca with my crazy bunch of students and dear friend Wouter. We had a blast and showing the students Mediterranean flora and fauna was a very special experience. Click here for the trip report or search under "Trip reports EU".

Update 20th of May 2017

Two weeks of herping in the Holy Land where we were blessed with many amazing wildlife encounters. The trip report is online under "Trip reports outside EU" or simply click here.

Update 18th of April 2017

Back from Malta after finally finding the secretive Algerian Whip Snake! Small trip report is online under "Trip reports EU" or simply click here.

Update 9th of January 2017

A short winter getaway to Northern Morocco allowed me to observe all my amphibian target species in the wild along with some interesting reptiles. Click here for the trip report or search under "Trip report outside EU".

Update 25th of September 2016

From tiny snakes and pygmy frogs, to giant tortoises and giant geckoes. The ancient granite islands of the Seychelles harbour a wealth of endemic species and unique creatures. Herping in the lush jungles, dense mangroves and dreamlike shores is pure bliss! Click here for the trip report or search under "Trip reports outside EU".

Update 12th of September 2016

The desert in the United Arab Emirates was even hotter than we imagined it to be. Roasty toasty both by day and night which made especially snakes hard to come by. Nonetheless we found several of our target species and our stay had many highlights. From discovering several Saw-scaled Vipers in the middle of the night, to sneaking up on a big Desert Monitor Lizard...

Click here for the trip report or search under "Trip reports outside EU".

Update 4th of September 2016

Three years after visiting the Peruvian Amazone I was finally able to catch a free roaming Anaconda. In Germany! A weird story? Yes it is... Click here for the story with the pictures or check "Herping around the corner".

Update 16th of May 2016

From the ancient Hyrcanian Forests in the north to the vast deserts in the south, Iran is home to a huge number of amphibians and reptiles. During a two week trip we could find almost a quarter of its entire herpetofauna, including many enigmatic species. Click here for the trip report or search under "Trip reports outside EU".

Update 3rd of March 2016

A small wintertrip to the south of Portugal and Spain was highly rewarding despite the sometimes horrible weather conditions. A total of 31 species could be found thanks to a great team.
Click here for the trip report or search under "Trip reports EU".

Update 22nd of October 2015
Back to Greece! A new island and a new species for me. A sneaky small trip to the island of Skyros was very rewarding and very relaxing.

Click here for the trip report or search under "Trip reports EU".

Update 10th of August 2015

Africa is amazing! From strolling through ancient jungles searching for chameleons to standing face to face with the worlds biggest land mammal. A trip to the southcentral African countries of Malawi and Zambia was highly rewarding.

Update 14th of July 2015

Sun, sea, snakes and all the other good things in life... A revisit to the Greek island of Samos has been nothing but a delight with several herpetological highlights despite the high temperatures.

Update 17th of May 2015

Searching for salamanders and vipers in a wide variety of habitats in northern and eastern Turkey. Click here for the trip report or search under "Trip reports outside EU".

Update 18th of December 2014

A dream come true! The search of the worlds largest living amphibian brought me to the far east. My trip report can be found under "Trip reports outside EU" or click on the text.