Download 2014 Brochure (.pdf) - Ornitholidays

I S O R N I T H O L I D AY S R I G H T F O R M E
Is Ornitholidays Right For Me
There are a large number of factors that have to be considered
when booking an escorted holiday, especially one that
involves birdwatching. The first must be whether you are
dealing with a reputable company and will your money be
safe. Ornitholidays is the longest established birding company
in the world, having started in 1965. It has grown gradually
over this period to offering around 70 tours a year. We have
held an ATOL licence (0743) for over 30 years, which shows
we have the necessary financial bond to safeguard all of your
money.
Our tours range from short breaks in Europe to three week
holidays further afield. To enjoy these holidays to the full, all
you need is a love of birds and wildlife and the desire to travel.
The vast majority of our holidays are run at a relaxed pace, but
each tour has been given gradings to help you make sure you
choose the right one.
Our tours are escorted, so your leader is a very important
ingredient of the holiday. There are many companies offering
escorted holidays, but few use full-time leaders. Ornitholidays
has a group of professional guides who spend their whole
year taking birding parties around the world – most of them
have led over 150 tours and some over 250. Their job is to
make sure you enjoy your holiday and see the wildlife. They
are not taking their annual holiday, but are well paid, highly
motivated and dedicated leaders who are there for you and
you alone. When booking a holiday consider the advantages
of being led by such a leader – there is no choice really! On
many holidays we also employ local guides to accompany the
group, providing valuable insight into their country, its history
and traditions, as well as its birds and wildlife.
What about the cost of the holiday – why are some companies
cheaper than others for a similar itinerary When you compare
holidays think about what each company is providing. We
tend to use scheduled airlines with the least number of
connections. Where possible we try to allow for clients to
travel from regional airports, as well as London, to their
destination. The accommodation we use is often the best
available and the price we quote for the holiday includes
virtually everything, even tips and airport taxes (cruises may
be different). We have been organising holidays for a long
time, so we know the best ground agents to use and the best
areas to visit. How many other companies can boast they
have been visiting many destinations for over 40 years
What about group size
We state our maximum group size on each tour, with a
maximum of 14 on most tours. Each tour is different in the
number of participants we carry – however, please note that
the numbers given are maxima and the average is obviously
less than this. We reserve the right, where there is one space
left on a tour, to take a couple as the last booking. The
maximum group size on any land-based tour though will never
exceed 15 clients. On our cruises we may take larger parties.
Over the last 20 years we have run over 90% of our advertised
programme and had to disappoint very few people by
cancelling tours.
What about the company’s ethos
Petra, Jordan
We try to run a range of holidays to suit all needs. We operate
our tours as holidays, not as 24 hours a day marathons.
However, please note that bird activity is often at its best early
in the morning, so some early starts may be required on some
of our holidays. We are there to enjoy, not annoy, the birds. In
some circumstances our leaders use tape recorders in order
to attract birds, but they do so sparingly. We try to operate
holidays which do not damage the environment and which
focus on local environmental issues. We donate money to
organisations to encourage conservation throughout the
world, and we sponsor projects to help protect particular
species. We are concerned about the impact of air travel on
the environment, so we subscribe to a well-known forest
regeneration project in South America to help offset our
carbon footprints.
Abu Simbel, Egypt
Are Ornitholidays’ tours suitable for a beginner
We always carry a range of ages and abilities on any tour. We
hope that our holidays will be an enjoyable experience, where
we nurture both the beginner and expert alike. The age range
we cater for is from 18 to over 80, but the average is probably
around 60. You are always made to feel welcome whatever
your age or birding experience. Most of our tours have some
“first timers” but you may be rubbing shoulders with some of
our “old hands” who have travelled with us over 40 times. The
fact that we have a number of clients with this tally of
Ornitholidays is a great endorsement of our product. The
record now stands at 83 tours!
At the end of the day you can always speak to us in the office
to discuss any queries that you may have, and we have a large
stock of reports and diaries from past tours to give you a real
flavour of what to expect on an Ornitholiday. Why not ring us
on 01794 519445 and ask to speak to Nigel or Sandy
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For a previous tour report or further information please call: 01794 519445