About Natural History Travel

NATURAL HISTORY TRAVEL was set up by Bob Gibbons to offer good quality natural history and photography tours at sensible prices, without the high costs associated with glossy brochures, extensive advertising, and plush offices. The aim is to offer tours where we look at all the aspects of natural life that the region has to offer - flowers, birds, butterflies, dragonflies etc. - though we may concentrate on one or other according to the interests of the group and the type of location. Bob has a very wide range of interests within natural history and photography, and all the other leaders are selected for their special knowledge of an area or subject. We set out to make all tours enjoyable, allowing for learning and discovery, whatever your level of interest or expertise, in a relaxed and usually entertaining atmosphere.

Sagitta, our boat in the Galapagos

Many people enjoy taking photographs on such trips, and advice is always available if required. We also prepare advance guidance sheets on photographic equipment and film, if required.

Unless specifically described otherwise, tours are normally restricted to a maximum of 14 participants when there is one leader, and 18-20 when there are two or three leaders.

HOW DIFFICULT?

We are often asked whether the tours are suitable for people who cannot walk far. This is always difficult to answer without knowing an individual's capabilities, but in general – unless otherwise indicated – the tours are suitable for most people. We don't rush about, there are few long walks, and we try to be flexible, sometimes hiring an additional vehicle or splitting the group temporarily to allow everyone to enjoy themselves at their own pace. Of the tours in this brochure, the easiest are Cyprus, east Crete, The Brenne,The Dordogne, South Sweden and the Galapagos. Tours marked with may include walks of 5 miles or over, though it is nearly always possible to avoid doing these without missing out on anything else. Feel free to get in touch if there are any concerns.

As far as level of knowledge goes, no-one need feel exluded. Although we aim to identify as much as possible, and take an extensive library, there is no pressure to be involved with anything you are not interested in.

Thoughts from previous tour participants:

"Your arrangements were - as ever - superb"

"So relaxed, and at the same time giving such attention to detail, and care to each person. And you know the scientific name of every flower! { Editor's note: 'I wish!'}"

"Such weather, such plants, and what timing. Many thanks for another wonderful trip."

"Thank you so much for such a lovely holiday … by the end of the week, I had seen and heard things in the natural world that I hadn't known existed. It was as if my senses were coming alive…"

"I, for one, particularly appreciate the careful reconnaissance you do before we arrive, to make sure you know what is flowering and where; it brings an immediacy and freshness, and of course breadth of knowledge, to your trips, which is exciting for us who are with you as we get the maximum out of the habitats that we are going to see."

"And the lists, which bear witness to all the exciting things we saw…"

COSTS

All our tours are probably best described as mid-range in terms of the facilities and luxuries offered, but towards the lower range in price. We avoid very expensive hotels and costly routes, and pass on the benefits of our low office and administration costs. We are very loosely associated with the Kingcombe Centre , which allows for efficient sharing of resources, though we are entirely separate from the centre in other respects. Our holiday arrangements are handled by Sunvil Holidays, though we are not part of Sunvil.

Individual details of what is included in the holiday price are shown under the entry for each tour. All foreign tours include flights or other transport to the destination – unless specified otherwise; transfer and transport within the country of destination; accommodation, meals as described, the services of leaders, airport charges (unless specifically mentioned), pre-travel information, and post-trip report. Insurance is not included (see Insurance Option below). We apologise for having to charge single room supplements in most cases - these are no more than the cost charged to us by the hotels or centres. The tour descriptions try to give an accurate idea of what to expect, but they are not a guarantee that we will see specific things. The weather, state of the season, and the wildlife itself, can all behave unexpectedly.

We would normally expect to absorb the cost of any currency fluctuations, but we have to reserve the right to make a surcharge at no more than the increased cost to us. We would automatically absorb fluctuations up to 5% of the total costs of the holiday, and - so far - have never charged any additional amount.

A proportion of the profit from each tour goes into a trust fund which will make donations to suitable conservation projects, particularly in the countries that we visit, but also elsewhere if considered appropriate. We are especially keen at present to encourage land purchase by conservation organisations in south European countries. Suggested projects are welcome.

If anyone prefers to make their own travel arrangements, please let us know, and we will try to work out an appropriate price. We can’t make group bookings with the low-cost airlines, but there may sometimes be a lower-cost alternative if you prefer to book your own flights.

YOUR GUARANTEE

All the foreign tours are run through fully-bonded operators, and meet all current UK and EU regulations.

INSURANCE

Insurance for foreign tours is essential. Sunvil and Select Latin America (Galapagos) offer very competitive schemes - see How to book - or we need to know that you have made other arrangements.

BOOKING

Early booking is advisable, as the tours can fill up quickly. This year's tours (2006) were almost all full within 3 - 4 weeks of the brochure being issued.

See How to Book

POST-TOUR REPORTS

After each trip, we produced detailed reports on all that we saw during the trip, arranged chronologically. These prove very useful as aide-memoires and to help in identifying photographs, or re-learning species. Unless there are several consecutive tours keeping the leader out of the office, these are produced and sent out within about 10 days of the end of the tour, as we realise that they are much more useful if they come while the trip is still fresh in the memory.