Greece (Dodecanese/Pindos), July 2026

Dodecanese islands (Symi, Lipsi and Patmos) and the mainland (Pindos mountains)

I was supposed to visit Greece in April, but due to certain world events, travel through the UAE from Oman in order to get there wasn’t the best idea at the time. Instead I headed east and went to Malaysia. However, I couldn’t resist a July visit despite knowing just how tough it can be to find reptiles at this time of year.

Dodecanese (Symi, Lipsi and Patmos)

The trip can be divided into two parts, the Dodecanese islands (Symi, Lipsi and Patmos) and then mainland (Pindos mountains). Initially, Kat and I flew to Rhodes where we would take a ferry to Symi so that Kat could finally see this island that I had become so familar with over the years. Furthermore, we got to spend time with Adriana and Nicholas who reside there. The weather, as it often is on Symi, was blistering in July. The nights were so hot and windless that even the nocturnal snakes (cat snake) were not even out and about. Therefore, snake observations were limited to a single Black whip snake (Dolichophis jugularis) and a dead on road Coin-marked snake (Hemorrhois nummifer). By day, the usual lizard trio of Oertzen’s rock lizard (Anatolacerta oertzeni), Starred agama (Laudakia stellio) and Snake-eyed lacertid (Ophisops elegans) were seen, albeit in much smaller numbers than in spring. The biggest wildlife highlight was not one that I expected, good numbers of Green turtles (Chelonia mydas) foraging around the quiet shores of the island. We counted at least 10 adult individuals as well as numerous smaller animals. Great!

Kat then went home and I travelled solo for the rest of the Dodecanese voyage. I headed north to Patmos and Lipsi where some nice Meltemi winds cooled the islands down a lot more than on Symi, and therefore the nocturnal snake activity was higher. It didn’t take long for me to find the first of many cat snakes (Telescopus fallax), several crawling even before it got dark. I must have seen over 30 of them during five days, from small juveniles to massive adults. Most were slowly crawling among rocks, climbing walls, sitting in ambush and a few were crossing the road. On islands without large Colubrid competitors, cat snakes are known to reach such high densities. These observations were supplemented with three Ottoman vipers (Montivipera xanthina). One of them had a rather unusual morphology (at least within Greece). A couple of Dahl’s whip snakes (Platyceps najadum) rounded off the snake trio of the smaller Dodecanese islands. As for lizards, well only the snake-eyed lacertid and the dynamic gecko duo of Turkish gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus) and Kotschyi’s gecko (Mediodactylus kotschyi) were observed. One other wildlife highlight from these islands was the abundance of Eleonora’s falcons (Falco eleonorae). I really enjoyed these islands and I would love to return at a more optimal time of year for reptiles.

Starred agama (Laudakia stellio)

Green turtle (Chelonia mydas)

Le grand bleu

One of many in situ cat snakes (Telescopus fallax)

Ottoman viper (Montivipera xanthina)

Ottoman viper (Montivipera xanthina) with an unusual morphology, at least within Greece.

A huge cat snake (Telescopus fallax) found crossing the road.

Pindos mountains

I took an overnight ferry from Patmos to Athens, grabbed a hire car and drove north to the Pindos mountains. Thomas Daftsios and his crew (Dionysis, Nikos, Ellie & Stella) would arrive the next day, so after having a much needed nap at the hotel I set out for a solo effort to find a Greek meadow viper (Vipera graeca). I was last here with Ilias, in 2014, and finding the rare, alpine jewels was not easy. Therefore, my expectations for a lone midday search were low. Amazingly, I managed to find a gravid female within 10 minutes of arriving at the location. After that, I only saw a few shy Common wall lizards (Podarcis muralis). An amphibian spectacle of many Alpine newts (Mesotriton alpestris) and Yellow-bellied toads (Bombina variegata) are, as always, a delightful bonus.

The next morning, now with the Thessaloniki crew, I spotted another viper basking in the morning sun. Over the next few hours we found a total of five Greek meadow vipers, all female and all gravid. Nice! Driving back to my hotel I moved a Hermann’s tortoise (Testudo hermanni) from the road as well as a Balkan whip snake (Hierophis gemonensis). A few shy Balkan green lizards (Lacerta trilineata) were also seen on the edges of the roads. After this successful day fortunes changed in the form of a countrywide heatwave the following day. Even the mountain tops were baking in windless heat, and therefore I retreated to some sheltered waterfalls to search for another little jewel: the Greek stream frog (Rana graeca). In one such oasis I found an abundance of the little cascade huggers as well as a few Dalmation algyroides (Algyroides nigropunctatus) and Green lizards (Lacerta viridis). Closer to town, a female Nose-horned viper (Vipera ammodytes) had been killed on the road. Despite my cruising efforts that evening, I couldn’t find a live one, although I did find a few smelly, and not photographed Dice snakes (Natrix tessellata) instead.

It was great to spend time in the field with the bearded malaka Mr Daftsios again, and to meet his talented biology team from the lab. Too soon it was time to drive back to Athens and fly to the UK.