Itineraries

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With an office and guide team who between them have decades of experience, we know just what goes into making a great birdwatching holiday. Our carefully designed and all-inclusive Tour Itineraries aim to strike a balance between making the most of the variety within a country and yet taking time to savour the birds and places we visit. Our goal is to provide the best possible holiday experience - one on which you will not only see lots of great birds and wildlife but also have plenty of fun too.

Detailed Daily Itineraries and Tour Info Packs are available to view or download for all our trips - just click the Tours by Region button to locate the destination of your choice and away you go!

WHAT TO EXPECT

Other than when travelling, we usually spend most of each day in the field. Most tours involve at least some walking, at an easy birdwatching pace and with frequent stops to enjoy the birds and wildlife. During a typical day, we can reckon to have walked perhaps three to five miles, sometimes less. There are some exceptions to this, with a few tours that involve half-day or full day walks, or trips of more moderate going rather than easy pace (e.g. when birdwatching at altitude). These will be indicated in the detailed tour description.

Seldom strenuous, our trips call only for a degree of fitness appropriate to the destination and tour you choose. So long as you are able to walk a reasonable distance unaided, age is really immaterial and participants on our tours range in age from around twenty to over eighty. If you wish to know more about the extent of walking on any given tour, please contact our office.

A TYPICAL DAY

Our daily programme is tailored to suit the particular tour destination, so will naturally vary from trip to trip. As the first few hours of daylight are invariably among the best for watching birds and other wildlife, we often offer a pre-breakfast bird walk or excursion. On other occasions, we may have an early breakfast and get away promptly from the hotel to make the most of the day.

Lunches are usually picnics in the field. On some trips we also use local inns or may return to our lodgings for a sit-down meal.

Whenever possible, we endeavour to balance early starts with a reasonable return to base in the evening, allowing time to freshen up and change before the evening log call (optional) and sitting down to enjoy dinner together.

In the tropics and desert regions especially, wildlife is generally most active first thing in the morning and again late in the day. The tropical day is also quite short, with around 12 hours of daylight, so we will want to make the most of it! Be prepared for early starts on these trips - often starting before dawn and returning after sunset. As things generally quieten right down during the heat of the day on these tours, our lunchtimes can be very relaxed and when the opportunity presents, there may be time for a short siesta before resuming our birding again mid-to-late afternoon.

Occasionally, we may offer an 'owling' trip or go spotlighting for mammals. Such excursions are optional.

TRANSPORT

Wherever possible and schedules allow, we will look to link our holidays with direct / non-stop flights offered by the world's leading airlines, including British Airways, KLM, Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Qantas, Air Canada etc.

During the trips themselves, travel is usually by comfortable minibus or small coach (varies according to destination and final group size). Some tours also feature boat trips and a few include travel by train.