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Malta and Gozo Isl., 2017

Vietnam, 2017

Oman and Masirah Isl., 2017

Curacao Isl., Caribbean Sea, 2017

Ko Samui / Ko Pha-ngan, 2016

In July 2017 we made a rather long trip to the islands in the Gulf of Thailand. This area is quite popular for immense tourism but if you know where to go, you can find very untouched and beautiful places without any foreigners there. I definitely need to mention the tasty food of Thailand, which is absolutely not comparable with the “Asian food” we have here in Europe. Especially Ko Samui is famous for its food markets where you can get most of the typical Thai dishes but also Indian food as well. But of course it is possible to collect some interesting species of seashells there. Most beaches at the Island of Ko Samui are sandy, but if you walk a few meters into the water you will find coral reefs all around the island which inhabit species like Mauritia asiatica or Eclogavena quadrimaculata. The sand flats between all the rocky shores are a good place to find gastropods like different Polinices species as well as Pugilina cochlidium. You will also find several species of Bivalves like Atrina vexillum and other Pinnidae but we also obtained a huge Hyotissa from a rock in rather shallow water. Unfortunately they don’t sell any shells at the fish markets but in some places you can buy specimen shells which are clearly collected on Ko Samui Island. If you like to go for a trip to Ko Tao for some days its important to know, that you are not allowed to take shells from the reef as they have huge populations of Tridacna and other really interesting stuff. If you are lucky you can find outstanding specimens of Conomurex luhuanus, not a very precious specimen, I know. But if you can obtain specimens like the ones from Ko Tao you will definitely have the most exquisite ones. This short resume would be incomplete without mentioning all the interesting landsnails you can find on these islands, such as Amphidromus inversus annamiticus or Alycaeus roebeleni. I also need to mention the various species of the Cyclophoridae family. You will find nice Cyclophorus diplochilus all over the island of Samui. If you want to collect the endemic Rhiostoma samuiense you need to visit the forests in the upper hills in the center of the island. On top of that you may find some rare Cyclotus species on Ko Phangan.

Sri Lanka, 2016

Bali, Indonesia, 2016

Since we had some time to spare in February, we decided to travel to Bali, Indonesia. The Island is
rich of Hindu temples and you can feel the spirituality through the whole day. It was amazing to meet
all the friendly people of that island. If you want to travel around Bali you should rent a so called
“private car”. The drivers are pretty friendly and you will be their friend very soon. For about $ 50 per
day, he will bring you to every spot you like. You will find nice cowries and other shells at most rocky
beaches. Don’t forget to look for land snails, as there are plenty species of Amphidromus and
Cyclophorus in Indonesia.

La Gomera, Canary Islands, 2015

La Gomera is one of the seven Canary Islands. After El Hierro Island its the second smallest Island. The landscape
is absolutly beautiful, many untouched forrests. For example the fog forrests of La Gomera are very special,
you can find there much special species. On La Gomera you can find a lot of
special and endemic Landsnails. Interesting Enideae, Streptaxiidae and a lot of other intersting specimen.

Madeira / Porto Santo, 2015

Our second trip to Madeira had the reason to stay on Porto Santo for some days and search for
endemic land snails. You should always rent a car when you stay there, so you have the opportunity
to search for snails in the mountains on Porto Santo. There is a long flat beach, were you can find
many interesting species, such as Calliostomas, Patellas and Ranellids.

Tenerife, Canary Islands, 2015

Staying on Tenerife more than a year ago, we decided to visit this stunning island again in March
2015. To be honest, it’s better to visit this place in the early summer. You will have much less wind
and sand storms. On our second trip to Tenerife we focused on the shelling spots we knew and have
been successful in 2013. After all, we haven’t found many more species than the first time, but we
had the opportunity to have a closer look at the rich beaches.

Kos Island, Greece, 2015

One of our wishes was to visit Greece at some day. We had the opportunity to stay on Kos Island
during the early days of June in 2015. Definetely a great time to visit that place because the water
has a great temperature and it’s not that hot outside. You can find plenty shells at the beaches in the
northern part and also a lot of common and uncommon land snails.

Madeira / Porto Santo, 2014

Between the Iberian peninsula and the Canary Islands there is the archipelago of Madeira. This little
island combines beautiful shores with native forests which are absolutely unique in this world. Shell
collectors may know the island for its rich malacological fauna, especially the endemic land snail
species. In December 2014 we spent a week on Madeira, combined with a one-day trip to Porto
Santo Island, which is a must-see if you stay in this area.

Tenerife, Canary Islands, 2014

The beauty of the Canary Islands is well known all around Europe and especially Tenerife combines
the most attractive features. However the Canaries are far more than just a great place to spend your
vacation, but you will find a lot of unique seashells there. We spent two weeks on Tenerife during our
first trip to the Canary Islands. The best way to collect shells is searching for tide pools, especially at
the southern coast. If you want to collect land snails we would advice you, to travel in the months of
winter.