Limosa - Birdwatching and Wildlife Hoildays Worldwide

Passports

For all overseas tours (and also for cruises within the UK) participants must be in possession of a valid passport. As a general rule, ensure that your passport has a minimum of 6 months left to run (after your holiday) before the passport expires.

Certain countries require that passports contain at least one blank page. Participants travelling on tours to, or transiting through, the USA should be aware of visa and immigration requirements. Please note that the onus is on you to check that you comply fully - we recommend you attend to this at least one month prior to travel.

For the latest information contact the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (0845 800 2829), or the appropriate foreign embassy. Or check the Travel Advice section on the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office website, details of which you'll find posted on our Links page.

Visas

Some destinations we visit require visas (see our Tour Information Pack). Further details will be provided on booking or at a time appropriate to tour departure. We regret that we are unable to obtain visa/s for you. Should a visa/s be required, for British passport holders we will issue the necessary application forms and instructions how to complete them - usually about 8-12 weeks prior to departure, but sometimes earlier than this in the case of certain destinations.

Non-British nationals must be responsible for checking and organising their own visa and other entry requirements.

Health & Vaccinations

Have a medical and dental check-up before you go.

Many of the destinations we travel to require no compulsory vaccinations in order to enter from the UK. For travel everywhere, however (even within the UK), we recommend that you check you are up-to-date with protection against tetanus, polio and hepatitis A.

For some tours protection against typhoid, TB, yellow fever, tick-borne encephalitis and diphtheria is also advised, and you may need to take anti-malarial tablets. Our Tour Information Packs and Travel Information sheets (sent to everyone who books) outline health requirements specific to that particular tour. Again, you must consult your doctor in good time prior to travel as to what immunisations are.

For full and up-to-the minute health information prior to booking any overseas holiday we urge everyone to consult The National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) website. NaTHNaC promotes standards in travel medicine, providing travel health information for health professionals and the public, and is funded by the UK Government's Health Protection Agency. Up-to-date independent advice is also available in the UK from MASTA (Medical Advisory Service for Travellers Abroad), and from the USA's Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). All three organisations have their own websites, details of which you'll find posted on our Links page.

Many, but not all, of our holidays may not be suitable for people with certain disabilities and medical conditions. If you have a health problem or other physical limitation, we ask that you provide us with full written details before the balance is due. Our holidays are not recommended for wheelchair-users or for those with serious walking difficulties. See also item 20 of our Booking Conditions.

Your Safety & Travel Advice

Risks to your safety and security are an unavoidable aspect of all travel. The best current advice on such risks is provided for you by the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office Travel Advice unit. It is standard Limosa policy for us to send a copy of the relevant FCO Travel Advice to all participants along with our Final Letter, which we generally mail 2-3 weeks prior to departure.

Travel Insurance

Good travel insurance is essential before departing on any overseas trip - and is to be much recommended for UK holidays as well. In common with all responsible tour operators, it is a condition of booking that all participants must be fully and adequately covered by insurance before setting out on holiday.

Your insurance must cover you fully in respect of medical care and repatriation should you become too ill to continue with the tour, including the cost of emergency evacuation by helicopter or air ambulance should this be necessary. Note that passenger liability insurance covering the transportation that we hire, particularly in Third World countries, may be inadequate; it is therefore important that your insurance cover includes sufficient provision for your dependents in the event of an accident.

We strongly recommend that you obtain your insurance as soon as possible after booking your holiday to ensure you are protected in the event of unexpected cancellation prior to departure due to accident or illness. You must inform your insurers of any pre-existing medical conditions (including those of persons not necessarily travelling but upon whom your holiday may depend) that may require treatment during a period of overseas travel or might cause you to cancel the trip.

Arranging Your Insurance:

Special Diets & Other Requests

We pass on all such requests to the airlines, hotels and other suppliers, and do our best to ensure (but of course cannot guarantee) that your needs will be met. Please be sure to tell us about these (in as much detail as possible) at the time of booking, to allow good time to make the necessary arrangements.

Baggage and Packing

Baggage rules and regulations vary between airlines. Most airlines have some restriction on the maximum amount of free checked (or hold) baggage allowance per person, typically one item per person with a weight limit of around 20kgs-23kgs. On some tours, due to limited space in the vehicle or small aircraft used on domestic flights, there are further restrictions and the baggage allowance is lower. Our Travel Information sheets and Final Letter will contain further details, but if you would like to know about these before booking, please contact us.

Along with our Final Letter, we will also supply details or an Information Bulletin summarising the hand baggage guidelines for your tour. To keep abreast of any changes we recommend you visit the airline's own website prior to travel.

Binoculars, telescopes & tripods

We're frequently asked for advice about the best way to pack binoculars, telescopes and tripods on tour. Unless airline security demands otherwise, we recommend that you always pack optics in your hand luggage (some people prefer to wear their binoculars around their neck). If you are bringing a tripod, please note that this has to go in with the checked (hold) luggage. If it won't fit within your case or main bag (where it can be protected from damage by wrapping within clothing), rugged tripod cases can now be bought from specialist suppliers and are another way of solving the problem. However, keep in mind that some airlines/routes allow only one piece of checked (hold) luggage per passenger; additional items of luggage may incur an excess baggage charge payable to the airline at check-in and at passengers' own expense.

What to Take

Our Travel Information also includes advice on what clothing and equipment to bring with you on tour. We are often asked whether tea- and coffee-making facilities are available at the hotels (usually yes in the UK, North America, Australia and New Zealand; usually no anywhere else), and the presence or absence of hairdryers (usually yes in city and resort-based hotels, usually no elsewhere). Generally, we suggest bringing your own if you need these!

Any Questions?

You'll find our office staff friendly, efficient and approachable - and just a phone call away. Our office is open 09.00-17.00 hrs Monday-Friday. In the event we are unable to take your call, please leave a message on our answerphone (24 hrs) and we will be happy to return your call. Our website contains a wealth of useful information and is of course available 24hrs a day! We can also be reached by fax, and by email: info@limosaholidays.co.uk

Limosa Website

Our website has been designed to be quick and easy-to-use. Here you'll find detailed Tour Itineraries, Bird Lists and previous Trip Reports. The website also contains a wealth of additional information, including a Gallery featuring a rapidly expanding collection of images across a wide range of recent Limosa tours, through Links to a hand-picked selection of useful travel related websites. And you can sign up to receive E-News, Limosa's free online newsletter (about 4 times a year), with regular updates from the Limosa team.