Hello Mammal Watchers,
I am planning a vacation around Naples, Italy and want to spend a few days Mammal Watching in Abruzzo, with hopes to see a Marsican Brown Bear (would also look forother mammals including and not limited to Wolves, Chamois, Dormice and Otters).
For those of you who have been there – are guided tours necessary or of any benefit?
I read from trip reports that Gioia Vecchio is a popular place to search for bears, is it also good for the beginning of August or is it only recommended for spring?
Any other tips for Marsican Brown Bears or other mammals?
Thanks!
Hello Yuval,
I’ve been a couple of times there in July/august. There are several good places (rifugio di iorio, forca resuni, passo dei monaci) where the landscape allows scoping for mammals.
I haven’t seen bears/wolves but scats are all over. I would recommend to contact one of the experienced guides – Pietro Santucci or the managers of “rifugio terraegna“. It will increase drastically your chances.
Best,
Francesco
Hey,
I’m visiting the Abruzzo region at the moment. I already saw bears, wolves, porcupines, fat/edible dormice, chamois and many of the birds. I will give more details when I get back to the Netherlands in one week.
Kind regards,
Michaël
Hey Michaël,
I would love to contact you for more information!
My email is yuvaltam11@gmail.com, I’d love to ask some questions.
Hi,
I was there several years ago over the weekend. I saw a flock of chamois along the hiking trail at Val di Roso, and distant brown bears twice over 3 evenings from a viewpoint Gioia Vecchio along the side of a village. Basically no guide was needed for these. I walked close to that place during the day and saw many upturned stones, so bears should be viewable closer by in the evenings / mornings. I driven local roads at night for porcupines but saw only a family of Red Foxes. I did not search for small mammals or bats.