COVID-19 UPDATE, 6 JUNE 2021
This is the fourteenth in our marathon series of updates. International travel for leisure was permitted from 17 May under a ‘traffic light’ system but as usual, there is confusion as some government sources say only leisure travel to green listed countries is allowed! Legally, travel to ALL countries is permitted BUT under different restrictions as per the chart. The full list of red, amber and green countries can be found on the following link:
Red, amber and green list rules for entering England
PCR-type Covid-19 tests are required from your destination country not more than 72 hours before departure for re-entry to the UK in all categories and the cost of these will vary locally but are invariably cheaper than in the UK. Please bear in mind that not all countries on the green and orange lists will allow international tourists to enter and even then, you will almost certainly need proof that you have been vaccinated or have a negative Covid-19 PCR test within a certain timescale (often between 72 and 120 hours). Many Boots the Chemist branches are offering Covid-19 PCR tests with a 48-hour turnaround for £99:
In-store COVID-19 PCR Testing Service.
And a company called Randox are offering a similar service with a 24-hour turnaround for £85:
In Clinic/Travel Centre PCR Testing.
Costs of tests are however, continually falling and are expected to be no more than £60 shortly.
Vaccination data has already being uploaded to peoples’ NHS Apps so we strongly recommend that you download this app to your smart phones if you don’t already have it. At the present time there is no international standard of proof that you have been vaccinated but we believe that the NHS app will be the way forward. Regarding Travel Insurance, most companies are now offering cover including if you catch Covid-19 before you travel, are advised by your doctor not to travel for health reasons, test positive abroad and need hospital treatment but you will need to check your policy wording carefully. What will NOT be covered is if the Foreign Office changes which category the destination country is in prior to travel (i.e. changed to ‘amber’ or ‘red’ lists) OR the country you are due to visit goes into lock down. Although the testing difference between green and amber countries is quite small and 10-day home quarantine is an option for some people, the main problem with running tours to ‘amber’ listed countries is that as they are against Foreign Office advice (not illegal, just against their advice) therefore travel insurance is not valid.
Like all responsible birdwatching tour companies, we are keeping our clients as up-to-date as possible but with no help from the government. We are receiving an unprecedented level of interest in our 2022 tours which is encouraging although demand may exceed availability for some destinations especially as sadly, some of our friends in other bird tour companies are no longer operating. Whatever happens, you can be assured that when we can all start travelling again, BIRDFINDERS will continue to be there for you offering the best of birdwatching tours. Of our tours, there are presently none in the ‘green’ category that accept tourists and no new countries were added to the list. The lists are updated every 3 weeks however, with the next review being 24 June when we hope that some other EU countries, the USA and maybe other destinations will be added. It is therefore possible that both Arizona and California in July/August/September respectively could be the first of many autumn tours than can go ahead but in the meantime the only tour we can definitely offer you are the Isles of Scilly 16–23 October.
Welcome to Birdfinders, one of Britain's most successful birdwatching holiday companies: run by birders for birders. We've been in business since 1993 and have been growing and adding to our birdwatching tours list every year since. We offer exceptional value birdwatching holidays to locations around the world, so stop wishing, start packing!
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PAPUA NEW GUINEA |
LESSER ANTILLES |
The extraordinary island of New Guinea supports most of the world’s 50 plus species of birds-of-paradise with the majority of these found in the eastern part in Papua New Guinea. With improved infrastructure this destination is less physically demanding than in the past and we will enjoy excellent views of a number of them including the spectacular Raggiana Bird-of-paradise as well as bowerbirds, parotias, manucodes, riflebirds and sicklebills. |
Visit ten small Caribbean islands with around thirty endemic species and forty-five Caribbean specialties on this adventurous new tour. We will be looking for endemic parrots, tremblers, thrashers and hummingbirds amid stunning scenery ranging from volcanoes, mountains, lush rainforests and azure seas in this chain stretching between Puerto Rico in the north to Trinidad and Tobago in the south, all in warm winter sunshine. |
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Birdfinders was founded by Vaughan Ashby in 1993 and has been growing ever since. Recent years have seen amazing growth despite the world economic downturn. We run excellent value and well priced tours to locations around the world and get a lot of repeat business from satisfied customers as well as new customers joining us after they discover what good value Birdfinders is and how good and bird-filled our tours are.
With Birdfinders you get:
At Birdfinders we cater to all levels of ability and enthusiasm is more important than knowledge as our experienced leaders are always on hand to assist. Although all of our birdwatching holidays and birdwatching tours are designed specifically for finding birds, we stop wherever possible for other forms of wildlife and previous tour participants have been able to combine birds with their interests in mammals, butterflies, plants, insects etc. Furthermore, whilst the very nature of birdwatching dictates some early-morning starts to ensure that we see as many species as possible, we can frequently arrange for participants to take time off to relax or sightsee, providing that does not conflict with the itinerary of the tour.
All participants in Birdfinders tours will receive, in advance of the tour, a copy of a previous tour report (where available) or, a few weeks after returning, a copy of the current tour report (if a new tour). To keep costs down tour reports are not originated every year. However, currently we have nearly 200 tour reports, in pdf format, available on our website. We also have a list of photos from our tours – now nearly 9000 images!
Participants also receive in advance a blank daily bird checklist for the tour, together with an information letter detailing helpful advice such as health requirements, what to bring, recommended reading, etc. At the end of each tour, a feedback form is provided so that tours can constantly be improved.
We can also arrange customised tours to selected countries. See our Custom Tours page or contact us. Also, keep an eye on our Future Tours page to see where we're planning on going to next.
We look forward to welcoming you on one of our tours in the near future.
Vaughan and Svetlana Ashby and the Birdfinders team
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Birdfinders is a Corporate Member of the Ornithological Society of the Middle East. Many of our tours visit countries in the OSME region: Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Israel in Spring, Israel in Autumn, Kazakhstan, UAE, Kuwait in Winter and Kuwait in Spring and Uzbekistan. Join Birdfinders on one of our bird-filled tours in this exciting region. |
Birdfinders is pleased to be a Corporate Sponsor of the African Bird Club. Birdfinders runs ten tours to Africa and Madagascar, south of the Sahara, along with four in the Western Palearctic plus two to islands off the African coast: Maderia and The Canaries. Join Birdfinders on one of our superb trips to this amazing continent. |
Birdfinders has become a Corporate Sponsor of the Neotropical Bird Club. We have 14 tours to the neotropical area of Central and South America and the Caribbean. Join Birdfinders on one of our fantastic trips to this bird-filled part of the world. |
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Birdfinders is one of the few bird tour companies including flights with all of its tours. During the Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing cancellation of many 2020 tours, we have assumed the work of reclaiming monies on our customers’ behalf. Despite the difficulties this entails, we are pleased to advise you that we will continue to include flights with all of our tours going forward. However, because of the unpredictability of flight costs for future tours, unfortunately, we will have to reserve the right to pass on potential additional flight costs to you. When international flights return to anything resembling normality, some predict that costs will rise due to reduced availability; others predict that, initially at least, costs will fall to encourage us back into the air. At this stage, we simply don’t know which of these predictions will come to pass. We have therefore had to estimate the flight costs for all of our 2021 tours. If the actual cost of the flights is more than 25% higher than our estimate, you will have the option to pay the additional cost or withdraw from the tour without penalty. Equally, if we secure the flights for 25% or more below our estimated price, we will deduct the difference from your final invoice. We believe that this is the fairest way to operate all of our tours from now until the end of 2021, when we will hopefully have a clearer idea of “the new normal” for flight prices. If you book late for a tour, it is likely that you will need to pay a flight supplement as generally prices tend to increase nearer to departure. |
