www.birdswildlife.com
TERMS & CONDITIONS
Contents Listing:
Financial Security:
The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 state that all clients’ money must be fully protected. Bird’s Wildlife & Nature Ltd, is a company committed to customer satisfaction and consumer financial protection. We are therefore pleased to announce that, at no extra cost to you, and in accordance with ”The Package Travel, Package Tours Regulations” all passengers booking with Bird’s Wildlife & Nature Ltd are fully insured for the initial deposit, and subsequently the balance of monies paid as detailed in your booking confirmation form. Your money is fully protected and is held within an independent Trust Account, managed by Protected Trust Services Ltd of 307-315 Holdenhurst Rd, Boscombe, Bournemouth BH8 8BX and its Trustees, chartered accountants – Elman Wall Ltd of 8th Floor, Becket House, 36 Old Jewry, London EC2R 8DD.
Reservations:
To make a reservation, complete and return the on-line booking form. If you cannot fill in the online form then please download and print our paper version and return to 44 Coutland Crescent, Plymouth, Devon, UK PL47 4HL. On receipt of a completed Booking Form, we will e-mail you details of how to pay your deposit in order to secure your place on said tour.
We can accept Bank Transfers – made payable to ‘Trustees of PTS Air Travel Trust’ . which offers customers full protection of money paid in – https://www.protectedtrustservices.com/services/consumer-protection/
We can also take credit card payment but note only Visa or Mastercard, both of which incur a 3.5% charge which will need to be added to any invoice. Please contact us at info@birdswildlife.com if you wish to pay by by credit card and we will issue a payment link.
Other ways to pay international transfers include money transfer platforms such as ‘Wise’ https://wise.com/ Note that
cheques/checks are no longer a safe or acceptable way to pay.
On receipt you will be sent you an invoice showing deposit paid and balance due date. Provisional bookings may be made by telephone as long as booking form and deposit follow within 14 days. Because of the popularity of some tours they are liable to be booked up quickly. It is in your own interest to get your deposit in early to avoid disappointment as we can only confirm reservations with paid deposits (and accept reservations) in order of receipt. Bookings are welcome up to the last minute so please contact us for details and vailability.
Payment:
The balance for all bookings must be paid 90 days before the holiday is due to commence. You will have received your deposit receipt, which will also show your balance amount and due date for the holiday you have chosen; if the said balance is not paid by the due date the booking will be deemed to have been cancelled. Note payments can be made by bank transfers or credit card, see Reservation section above. We do not accept cheques/checks anymore. All payments are secure and are held by Trustees of PTS Air Travel Trust. https://www.protectedtrustservices.com/services/consumer-protection/
They will accept bank transfers but note that you are responsible for any bank charges. Please ensure your bank covers any payments that an intermediary bank may charge, and that the money we receive is exactly what is requested on our invoice. After receipt of balance we will send you written confirmation of all monies paid, along with advisory notes, names of other group members, and wildlife checklist for your particular holiday.
Cancellations:
Any cancellation must be sent to us in writing and signed by whoever signed the booking form. In the event of you cancelling your booking at any stage, all payments you have made can be retained, except at our discretion.
The following cancellation charges will normally apply:-
1. – 90 days or more before the day of departure your deposit and any additional services incurred on your behalf will be forfeited.
2. – 89 – 29 days before the day of departure 80% of total tour costs and any additional services incurred on your behalf will be forfeited.
3. – 28 – 0 days before the day of departure 100% of total tour costs and any additional services incurred on your behalf will be forfeited.
Please ensure you take out adequate insurance to cover this as early as possible, preferably as soon as you have booked a tour and paid your deposit. Please note that in some circumstances we would have secured accommodations or paid out deposits and in these instances you will be invoiced for outstanding money that is not recoverable by us from any of our agents. You may have the opportunity to transfer your booking to another person, provided you are unavoidably prevented from coming on the tour, and bear any extra costs that such changes may incur.
If it becomes necessary that we have to cancel a particular holiday, whether it through insufficient reservations, illness etc, then all deposits, and other payments will be refunded in full.
Insurance:
Bird’s Wildlife & Nature does not offer travel insurance. However we do highly recommend clients to take out adequate holiday insurance. This should be taken out at time of booking and we accept no responsibility for any person who has not covered themselves for medical/repatriation/ or other expenses incurred before or during a tour. In the event that you, or a close travelling companion/relative fall ill either before or during the tour. You need to be covered from time of booking your holiday, until the time you return home. As many insurance companies offer varying cover it is important that you read through and understand what is and what is not covered by your policy. We will need you to confirm in writing or by e-mail of any cancellation, and stating reasons and dates. We cannot be held responsible if your insurers refuse to pay out, which is why you must check your policy to see you are covered for all eventuality. Please buy adequate travel insure at time of booking and not when an issue arises.
Please note that regular travel insurance does not provide sufficient cover for expensive optical and photographic equipment. You need to have these items covered by your household policy or take out a specialised insurance. In light of the recent Covid 19 pandemic we strongly recommend that your insurance covers you for this and any type of future pandemic.
Passports and Visa Requirements:
It is your responsibility to ensure that you have a valid passport and where necessary a visa or vaccination certificate. Your passport should be valid for at least six months after the duration of your holiday. If a visa is required, then you will be advised under the holiday’s itinerary, and note that you are normally responsible for obtaining your visa from the appropriate embassy or consulate. We accept no responsibility for your failure to comply with these regulations.
Health and Vaccinations:
Because of the constantly changing recommendations as to immunisation requirements, malaria risk or health certificates, it will be your sole responsibility to seek the most up to date information from your G.P or health centre. All costs arising out of failure to comply must be met at your own expense. It must be emphasised that if you do have a health problem or physical limitation, we need to know so we can be prepared in the case of an emergency.
It has become very important to let us know if you have visual or hearing problems. We want you to have fantastic experience while participating on our tours. For this to work properly, please inform us of any visual or hearing difficulties. This may be personal to you and you do not wish to divulge any problems, and feel you will just get on with it, but without us knowing, it could then become a safety issue. We can work with you on these issues if you advise us. We want you to see as much as possible, and we need you you hear instructions. Please advise us when filling in your booking form.
Restrictions on Participation and other important details:
It is Bird’s Wildlife & Nature’s aim to take small groups on tours that entail a varying amount of strenuous activity. If on occasions the activities become, long, arduous or difficult and this cannot be avoided it will be made perfectly clear in the holiday’s itinerary/details, or in the event of changing conditions while on tour, we will inform you prior to the excursion. Some destinations will require early morning starts and possibly late returns, this maximises our opportunities to find and see certain wildlife, and as regular wildlife watchers understand these are by far the most productive times of day. It will be necessary for participants to be able to complete moderate walks of up to several kilometres over a wide variety of terrain. It may be of particular interest to note that some of our tours base themselves in either one centre, or spend several days in each lodge allowing for a more relaxed and flexible itinerary. There will be the opportunity for those of you who wish, to opt out of any particular excursion and do your own thing at your own expense. You are free to do this but Bird’s Wildlife & Nature will not be held responsible for you while making a departure from the itinerary and it must be stressed that this can only be done if the itinerary and the leader allow. Anyone wishing to partake of an activity not within our birdwatching/wildlife programme may only do so at their own expense and if it does not in any way interfere with the leader and the groups schedule. We accept no responsibility for any accidents or losses while deviating from our scheduled itinerary. Small groups call for consideration from all participants so that everyone may enjoy the holiday. Any antisocial behaviour (swearing, smoking etc.) that could be detrimental to the enjoyment of a tour by the other group members, shall be deemed to be unacceptable. If after complaints from other tour members the leader finds any person still unable to conduct themselves in a manner seen fit, then they reserve the right as tour leader to send that person home at their own expense. If you have any health problems or restrictions please contact us and we can advise as to your participation in a tour you may be interested in.
Forest birding: While birding in forests or narrow trails we require the following to be adhered to: when walking in a single row following the leader everyone must rotate on a regular basis – i.e. the person or couple directly behind the leader should allow themselves 3 – 4 minutes before stepping aside and dropping to the rear of the group. This gives everyone an equal opportunity to be in the front and alleviates any frustrations caused by the same people always occupying this position. It is also important that you do not wear bright and gaudy colours while searching for birds and wildlife, as this will obviously draw attention to ourselves and thus scare off any particular species we may be working hard to find. If the leaders are using tape recordings or trying to track down specific species by call, then it is important to keep silent so as to give everyone the best chance of finding our quarry. Although we are very good at giving instructions as to the whereabouts of particular species it is essential that you pay attention and listen carefully. It is not only deemed disrespectful to the leaders who work hard to find the birds/wildlife it also becomes very frustrating if the rest of the group has to wait while we try and re-find a species because you were not aware of what was going on. When you are asked to gather together for a particular species we expect a prompt reaction to this, followed by silence as we explain crucial directions, and in the case of skulking and wary species you will be asked to not move around, open sweet wrappers, undo zips, velcro straps, step on dead leaf litter or hold inappropriate conversations with other members of the group. This may all sound a bit harsh but many a time we have had persons frighten off incredibly difficult species by any of the above, or simply continue talking or not keeping up with the leaders which could mean not knowing where a particular species is or what has just been seen. The most frustrating thing for any tour leader is to be continually asked what we are looking at or looking for when it has been specifically pointed out and told on numerous occasions. Please pay attention so that you and all other tour participants have the best chances to see everything on offer. It must be remembered that for some clients these tours may be a once in a lifetime event, please respect this and allow them to enjoy and witness everything the leaders can find.
Vehicles: We would draw your attention to the fact that while travelling in vehicles everyone must again rotate. With a once or twice daily rotation everyone gets a chance to sit in the best seats, if these exist. Note that unless a leader says different, this is not negotiable and you will have to move positions on a daily rota. Note many tour companies like to jam their vehicles full of clients which leaves people frustrated and annoyed as they cannot see what’s being pointed out while seated in a middle seat. We do not do this and will endeavour to keep middle seats free and not pack the vehicles. You should always check with any company you intend to go on tour with to see how large the group is and how many people they squeeze into their vehicles. Believe us it makes a big difference to the enjoyment of the tour.
Tour Alterations:
Circumstances can change i.e. weather conditions, transport, political situations, pandemics and even wildlife migration. Because of this Bird’s Wildlife & Nature and local ground agents reserve the right to change an itinerary and even the advertised leader, especially if we feel it necessary or beneficial to the participants. If major changes are foreseen before the commencement of a tour you will be informed in writing, after which you have the option to continue or to cancel. If you decide to cancel your tour then we will try and recover as much of the tour costs as possible from our agents, if they have already been paid. If an itinerary has to be changed by the leader while you are on the holiday then you must respect their professional decision.
Group Sizes:
Birdwatching and wildlife holidays are best enjoyed in a small group. This allows for more personal attention and better opportunities for all group members to see and enjoy the wildlife. Most of our groups will be between 4 – 8 persons which most people would agree is an ideal size with which to enjoy your holiday. On a few tours our group size will be slightly higher up to 10 or 12 but this is only to destinations where this will not affect the birding and overall pleasure of the holiday. And even then, the group size will probably be less than other tour companies. It is important to realise that some tour companies offer low prices by accepting large groups which can even go up to 30 persons. You should always check before booking, and again check how many people they jam into a vehicle! There are also some occasions when it may not be viable to send a Bird’s Wildlife & Nature leader, or it may be that we have organised a particular tour to be lead only by one of our very competent local guides. In any of these circumstances you will be asked to meet the local guide at the destination airport. Almost all of our tours have 2 leaders and sometimes 3 which allows more personal attention and helps in the smooth running of a tour. Imagine the problems it could cause if a client or the leader on a single leader tour has an accident !! Everything would ground to a halt. That’s not going to happen on one of our tours.
Accommodation:
Firstly we would like to say that we are generally all in favour of situating ourselves quite often right in the heart of the best wildlife watching areas. We pride ourselves on carefully picked lodges & hotels, wherever possible staying in good quality, comfortable accommodation often of a high standard and mostly with en-suite facilities. This is a feature of all our tours, and even though the tour costs are competitive, we never want to compromise on quality. Occasionally, we may have to use a hotel/lodge that does not have en-suite facilities or is more basic than we are used to. This only happens when there is nothing else available or involves a very long drive from more comfortable accommodation on the route which means it is deemed unrealistic. If this is the case, then this fact will be stated in the holiday itinerary. The food on offer in the wide variety of establishments we use is again normally of the best quality and enhances our reputation even further. We will always try to accommodate clients who request single rooms, but this is not always possible, and if you are a single traveller who is prepared to share a twin room then we will do our utmost to find you a compatible room-mate. If this is not possible, or if you are not prepared to share, then a single room supplement may apply.
Meals:
You will find which meals are included within the tour price under each tour’s itinerary. Note that most tours are fully inclusive of all meals, which sometimes include picnic lunches. A few destinations do not include food, and these are normally in the USA and Canada. The choice and variety of eating establishment’s there means you can budget to your own needs, and hence the tour remains very competitively priced. Our choices of hotels and restaurants offering good quality food, show how dedicated we are to providing you with a top quality holiday. Nearly all tours can now cater for vegetarian, vegan, gluten free or other special needs meals, but please specify this on our booking form. The majority of tours include water and soft drinks but nothing Alcoholic . Occasionally we change this rule !
Itineraries:
We have put a lot of thought and ground work into these so as to get the most out of each area visited. It is our aim to provide you with the best possible overall experience. We will take time to appreciate and savour each destination visited, often combining spectacular scenery with just as spectacular birds and other wildlife. Our itineraries are designed to let you see as many species as possible within the particular areas visited. An emphasis will be put on finding and seeing well, interesting or speciality species all at an enjoyable pace. The travelling on certain tours can however be very tiring. Note that the itineraries on our website are a guide only and places to be visited and occasionally days may change either prior to or during the tour. There are many factors involved here but whenever a change occurs it will be for the benefit of the said tour. Please respect our decisions in these circumstances. We try not to rush around getting brief views of birds and wildlife just to build up a huge list. It is very important that you come home from a Bird’s Wildlife & Nature tour with wonderful memories of birds, other wildlife, and also of new friends made. We really do our best to take care of you and it is this care and commitment that has seen a huge amount of happy and loyal followers.
Tour Information:
After we have received your final balance for a particular tour, you will be sent additional information regarding meeting points, currency, clothing, names of your fellow travellers, recommendations, and any other relevant details. You will also be sent a checklist of the birds and wildlife it may be possible to see while fully participating in your chosen tour. These checklists help up keep track of what we see and do not represent what we expect to see as most contain complete lists for the destination country. Please refer to the tour write-up to get an idea of hoped for and expected species.
Please contact us if you require any further information. info@birdswildlife.com
Birds and other Wildlife:
Any species mentioned in the tour itineraries or checklists are meant as a guide only, and in no way should you expect to see everything mentioned, although you should see a good proportion if you participate fully in the tour. Persons who listen carefully to instructions and pay close attention to the leaders always see the most. We try to do a roll-call at the end of each day. There are a few rules regarding bird/wildlife sightings while on tour and these we believe give the truest and most accurate records.
Firstly we do not include leader only sightings. Secondly we need at least two members of the group to see a particular species for it to be entered as a group total. This does not mean we disbelieve single observer sightings but ensures we have as accurate a group trip list as possible. Many companies sell themselves on the number of species seen, as indeed we do, but note that on a Bird’s Wildlife & Nature tour there is a concerted effort to ensure every group member gets a chance to see ALL the species we find. Many companies are happy to let one or two persons see a particular species before moving on, or let a large group split off in different direction to build up an overall total. Something again to check before booking with other companies! We do not focus solely on Birds unless specifically stated. We enjoy seeing all types of wildlife and nature.
Surcharges:
Unfortunately as everyone is aware the travel industry is suffering with uncontrollable and escalating costs relating to fuel, flights and an erratic world economy, pandemic etc. Any unforeseen cost increases will mostly be absorbed by Bird’s Wildlife & Nature. Note that the ongoing war in Iran has seen unprecedented fuel increases and as such we may need to pass these on if invoiced from our local tour operators. Companies who claim that no surcharges will be added have actually already built this into their tour cost, and this will be obvious by the inflated price in comparison to our tours.
Liability:
We have taken all reasonable steps to ensure that the holidays published on our website and in any literature we send out have been properly arranged. The travel agents, vehicle hire, hotel and restaurants are all reputable. We will accept liability as a direct result of negligence or breach of contractual duty in making arrangements for you, including omissions by our agents. We will not accept liability for claims arising out of carriage by air or sea. We will also not accept liability for matters such as losses or additional expenses incurred as a result of transport delays, including missed flights, sickness, pandemics, weather, strikes, war or other political crises, acts of God or other events which amount to force majeure. Please ensure you carry adequate means of payment i.e. credit card to deal with any of the above. If for example there becomes an additional cost for accommodation or flights due to say a delayed internal flight, it will be your sole responsibility to pay for this at the time, and later re-claim from your insurance company. Bird’s Wildlife & Nature cannot and will not pay these costs as we are not liable.
Complaints:
In the unlikely event that you have cause to complain you should notify at least one of your party leaders as soon as possible in order that they may assist you. If you are not satisfied there and then, you should write to Bird’s Wildlife & Nature stating the nature of the complaint within 28 days of the completion of the holiday. Failure to do so within the stated number of days will render your complaint as nul and void.
Flights:
With many people nowadays wishing to add extra days either before or after a tour and with many people wanting air miles or other bonuses by booking their own flights, we have excluded the flights from our tours. It is your responsibility to arrange your own flights, although when booking or enquiring about any holiday we can advise you on when/where you can meet the group to begin the tour. Please be aware that you should not book your flight until advised by us that the tour is viable, and you have been informed by us of a meeting place, time and date. We know this can be difficult or annoying especially if you see a bargain flight that needs booking early, but we reiterate DO NOT book your flights until we confirm you can do so. If for any reason the tour cannot go ahead then you will have to refer to your travel insurance in order to get your flight costs back. We can advise certain travel agents that can book your flights for you or you can do this yourself with one of the many on-line booking agencies. It’s as simple as that and you will be able to book and customise your flight to your own personal requirements. Please ensure you reach the joining point on the tour in good time. Note that in the event your own arrival flight is delayed beyond the arrival time of the group, it may not be possible for us to delay the tour for long and any costs incurred in you catching up with the group would be your own responsibility. Consequently you would be advised to arrange a flight that is scheduled to arrive well in advance of the appropriate meeting time/date. Please ensure that we are aware of your flight times, and both joining and departing plans so as everything runs smoothly. For those who wish to book flights through our UK travel operator please give exact dates and Tour Name to Sacha on +44 1603 360099 at Travel Counsellors. sacha.barbato@travelcounsellors.com
Contracts:
When you sign the booking form you are entering into a contract made with Bird’s Wildlife & Nature LTD; Company number – 14056721. This means that you agree to accept all the conditions of booking. The written confirmation of your booking means that we agree to operate your holiday as stated on the website or literature provided. The contract is governed by English law and is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.
