Welcome to our 2005 brochure!

Click Here for list of destinations & Tours

We have tried to pack in as much information as possible into our printed brochure, within the constraints of two pages per trip. We hope that by reading it you will have a good idea about what you can expect. If, however, you have any questions please do not hesitate to get in touch.

As always we have been exploring and testing new destinations. This year we have added four completely new tours: Uganda speaks for itself, especially with the cover photographs; Oman was a revelation - a quiet corner of the world with lovely people and masses of excellent birds; in Ecuador we can expect over 400 bird species on one of the most compact yet diverse itineraries in the whole of South America; and lastly we have used a direct flight to Sardinia, then added Corsica, to comfortably see the endemics and autumn breeding Eleonora's Falcons.

We have re-jigged some itineraries as new information has arisen. To Costa Rica, we have added excellent new sites; in Norway, we have reduced the travelling with no loss of birds; our South Africa tripwill be more focused on the exciting birds of the Cape Town area; and we have made Goa even spicier with an excursion into Karnataka.

Despite the obvious popularity of many trips, we cannot go everywhere each year. So some trips that were rested in 2004 are back for 2005. These are south-west Turkey, Bulgaria in spring, the Spanish Grand Tour, Camargue in spring, the Danube Delta, northern Greece, Hungary, and Kerala in southern India.

Last year we introduced an early booking discount and this has proved very popular. If you book more than 15 weeks prior to the date of departure we will give a discount on the full brochure price, and this is shown in the box at the end of each holiday.

Whilst we have always welcomed last minute bookings, it is a fact that airlines increase their seat prices as the planes become nearly full. Furthermore, there is nothing more frustrating than receiving a late booking only to find that the flight is fully booked.

We hope that clients who are unable to book early do not see this as having to pay a premium; they are not. What we are offering is to pass on savings made by us when reserving flights well in advance.

Our team consists of four principal leaders, who between them will lead all of the holidays. The reason for this is to maintain a consistent standard of leading. We keep in touch with many of the part-time leaders whom we employed in the past. Their role these days is co-leading when the number of bookings allow.

Throughout our brochure we have tried to convey exactly what the holidays will be like and in particular, on pages four and five of the printed brochure, we go into great detail about the style of holidays we operate. Bird Holidays are bird watching holidays, not twitching trips. You will be taken to the best sites, looking for that area's exciting birds. You will not be obsessively rushed around with a long list of species, which must be seen at all costs.

There are other companies that cater for that market and we do not see ourselves as competitors with them. All prices quoted are fully inclusive, with full-board accommodation provided on every trip. We even include bottled water throughout the day and soft drinks at meal times (plus the odd beer or glass of wine thrown in). There are absolutely no hidden extra charges for joining in all the holiday activities.

We should emphasise that our holidays are suitable for all levels, from beginner to seasoned traveller - we are all there to learn and enjoy. With a wide range of trips on offer, there is something to suit everyone. Why not join us in 2005?

If you have any questions about a tour please do not hesitate to get in touch. Hope to see you soon!

PAUL J. WILLOUGHBY .........................................ANDREW WOODALL

ROGER BARNES.................................................... PHIL PALMER

BIRD HOLIDAYS, PRINCIPAL LEADERS, JULY 2004

BIRD HOLIDAYS, 10 Ivegate, Yeadon, Leeds, England, LS19 7RE

E-mail info@birdholidays.co.uk OR phil@birdholidays.fsnet.co.uk

Atol Protected (Atol No 5546)