1. Consumer Protection: The air holidays and flights within this brochure are all ATOL protected. Our ATOL number is ATOL 6156 and this was issued by the Civil Aviation Authority. In the unlikely event of our insolvency, the CAA will ensure that you are not stranded abroad and will arrange to refund any money you have to me for an advance booking. For further information visit their web-site at www.atol.org.uk .

2. Financial Security: The EC Package Travel, Package Holiday and Package Tour Regulations 1992 state that all clients’ money must be fully protected. You can rest assured that BIRDSEEKERS – Natural Selection holidays are covered by the above regulations and security of our own ATOL.

3. Reservations: To make a reservation, complete and return the booking form, together with a cheque made out to BIRDSEEKERS for the deposit for the tour you are interested in. We will then send 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 10 days. Because of the popularity of some tours they are liable to be booked up quickly. It is in your own interest to book early to avoid disappointment as we can only accept reservations in order of receipt. Bookings are welcome up to the last minute, please contact us for details of vacancies.

Please note if not taking the full advertised package for your chosen tour i.e. arranging your own flights, or independently staying before or after the tour, we will need to charge a minimum of £100 supplement per person.

4. Payment: The balance for all bookings must be paid 12 weeks before the holiday is due to commence. You will be sent an invoice showing monies paid and the balance due 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. Payment should be by cheque made out to BIRDSEEKERS. Please note that we do not accept payments by post-dated cheques or credit cards. After receipt of balance we will send you written confirmation of all monies paid, along with advisory notes, names of other group members, and bird check list for your particular holiday.

5. 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 to us will be retained by us, except at our discretion. Please ensure you take out adequate insurance to cover this as early as possible. Please note that in some circumstances we would have secured accommodations or paid in full for flights and in these instances you will be invoiced for outstanding money that is not recoverable by us from our flight or ground agents. You do have the right 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, insurances and other payments will be refunded in full.

6. Insurance: It is a condition of booking that all clients must take out adequate holiday insurance. This can be arranged by us through “Matthew Gerard Insurance Services Ltd” at a very competitive rate, although you are free to purchase a policy wherever you wish, as long as we receive a copy and deem it to be adequate. Please note that the single trip insurance we now offer has an upper age limit of 64. Also if travelling on more than one holiday within a 12 month period we can offer an annual travel insurance, please enquire if interested. (under 65 only ). If you are over the previous age groups then please enquire

7. Passports and Visa Requirements: It is your responsibility to ensure that you have a valid passport and where necessary a visa. Your passport should be valid for at least six months after the duration of your holiday. If a visa is required for holders of British Citizens Passports, then you will be advised under the holiday’s itinerary. We accept no responsibility for your failure to comply with these regulations.

8. 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. Our guides will carry a first aid / medical kit appropriate to the area being visited. 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.

9. Restrictions on Participation and other important details: It is BIRDSEEKERS – Natural Selection aim to take small groups on tours that do not normally entail too much strenuous activity. If on occasions this cannot be avoided it will be made perfectly clear in the holiday’s itinerary. Some destinations will require early morning starts and possibly late returns, this maximises our opportunities to find and see certain species, and as regular wildlife watchers understand these are by far the most productive times of day. Depending on the type of tour it may be necessary for participants to be able to complete moderate walks over a variety of terrain. It may be of particular interest to note that some of our tours base themselves in one centre, this allows for a flexible itinerary, resulting in a more relaxed holiday. Once again depending on which tour you choose there may 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 we 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. Small groups call for consideration from all participants so that we may all 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 them 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 maybe interested in.
Forest birding: While in forests or narrow trails we require the following to be adhered to: when in rows following the leader everyone should rotate on a regular basis – i.e. the person 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 we do not wear bright and gaudy colours while searching for 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 recorders or trying to track down specific species by call, then it is important to keep silent so as to give us 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 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.
Vehicles: Finally we would draw your attention to the fact that while travelling in vehicles we must again rotate. With a once or twice daily rotation everyone gets a chance to sit in the best seats, if these exist.

10. Tour Alterations: Circumstances can change i.e. weather conditions, transport, political situations and even bird migration. Because of this Birdseekers – Natural Selection 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 by us in writing, after which you have the option to continue or to cancel. If you decide to cancel your tour then you will be refunded in full. If an itinerary has to be changed by the leader while you are on the holiday then you must respect their professional decision.

11. Group Sizes: Our 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 birdlife. Depending on the tour we have restricted clients to between 3 and 14 per tour. If we do not reach a minimum for each individual tour it may have to be cancelled. Some of our Natural-Selection tours will be accompanied by one or more of our own guides while other tours will be led by our local guides only.

12. Accommodation: We are generally all in favour of situating ourselves quite often right in the heart of the best wildlife watching areas, or as close as we can be. We pride ourselves on our carefully picked lodgings, wherever possible staying in good quality, comfortable accommodation often of a high standard and nearly always with en-suite facilities. This feature has become well known to all BIRDSEEKERS regular clients, and sets us above any similarly priced tours offered by other companies. The food on offer in these establishments is again normally of the best quality and enhances our reputation even further. Occasionally some destinations, and especially third world countries, may mean us having to stay in more basic accommodation so as to get the best from the area we are visiting. In these few instances it will be stated within the holiday’s itinerary. 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 my 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 will apply.

13. 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, including picnic lunches and sometimes wine! A few destinations do not include food, and these are normally in the USA and Canada. Here the choice and variety of eating establishment’s 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, celiac, glutton free or special needs meals.

14. Itineraries: We have put a lot of thought and ground work into these so as we 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 flora and fauna. 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 and where possible we will not rush around getting brief views of birds just to build up a huge list. It is very important to us that you come home from a BIRDSEEKERS – Natural-Selection 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 growth in happy and loyal clients who now want to expand their knowledge and enjoyment to other species of our natural world.

15. 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, checklists and any other relevant details. Depending on the tour you participate in you may or may not receive a follow up report. It must be stressed that when using local guides who are experts in their field, they may not be used to or may not be able to commit to the production of an after tour report. Please contact us if you require any further information.

16. Birds and other Wildlife: Any species mentioned in the tour itineraries or check lists 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. Previous tour sightings will be listed within the checklists and we will try to do a roll-call at the end of each day.

17. Surcharges: The price of each tour is calculated well in advance, and unexpected cost increases can sometimes occur. We reserve the right to increase the price of your holiday subject to increases in the following items: governmental action, aircraft fuel, over-flying charges, and airport and transport charges. Even in this case, we will absorb an amount equivalent to 2% of the tour price which excludes insurance premiums and any amendment charges. Only amounts in excess of 2% will be surcharged.

18. Liability: We have taken all reasonable steps to ensure that our holidays 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, sickness, weather, strikes, war or other political crises, acts of God or other events which amount to force majeure. With flight costs worked out a long time in advance, actual costs may vary. Under no circumstances whatsoever will a refund be made if the actual flight cost is less than we were originally quoted for.

19. 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 we may assist you. If you are not satisfied there and then, you should write to us stating the nature of the complaint within 28 days of the completion of the holiday.

20. Contracts: When you sign the booking form you are entering into a contract made with Steve Bird, trading as BIRDSEEKERS, 4a Plymouth Road, Plympton, Plymouth, Devon, PL7 4JR. This means that you agree to accept all the conditions of booking. My written confirmation of your booking means that I agree to operate your holiday as stated in the brochure. The contract is governed by English law and is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.

Natural-Selection is a part of the company BIRDSEEKERS and is subject to all the above terms and conditions.