SPECIAL OFFERS FOR NOVEMBER & DECEMBER 2005

NOVEMBER & DECEMBER: EXCLUSIVE 4-DAY BIRDING BREAKS

IN SOUTHERN SPAIN No single supplement

For the past 30 years, former Royal Navy officer, expert birdwatcher, food and fine wine connoisseur – Tom Gullick - has been hosting birdwatchers at his country estate in southern Spain and sharing the highlights of his adopted homeland.  On these four-day birding trips, exclusive groups of only four people are personally driven by Tom in his comfortable Land Cruiser through the wild steppes and marshlands south of Madrid.  The ‘real’ Spain is on offer with the opportunity to visit exclusive private estates with some of the finest bird watching sites.   But, Tom is currently planning his retirement so it’s important to go while you can …there are departures planned for November and December of this year and also next spring - April and May 2006.

Tom shares not only ‘India Alta’ - his extremely comfortable home - but also his enthusiasm, wit and vast knowledge of the special regional birds.  Whilst driving through Sierra Morena’s deep valleys and towering cliffs, he’ll be there to spot and identify the Spanish Imperial, Bonelli and Golden Eagles, Eagle Owls, Black and Griffon Vultures and Black-shouldered Kites.  Approximately 120 species are expected to be seen over four-days.

Tour dates: 18-21 & 25-28 November 2005; 2-5 December 2005

Price: £490 per person including flights, all birding by Land Cruiser, accommodation at ‘India Alta’ in spacious rooms with private bathrooms, and all meals and drinks.

Note: Three people booking together can elect to have a ‘private trip’ at a supplement of £130pp

NOVEMBER: GOA BIRD FESTIVAL            Save £150 per person

You may have missed Glyndebourne and Glastonbury Festivals but there’s still time to fit the WildWings Goa Bird Festival into your ‘bird watching diary’ for November.

The former Portuguese enclave of Goa is rapidly establishing itself as one of the premier winter birding destinations for European birders – and the reasons are not hard to find. The well-developed infrastructure and easy, inexpensive travel by bus and taxi, as well as the guaranteed sunshine and the discounted price, all contribute to make this birding extravaganza great value for money. And, in a relatively small area one can find almost endless habitats from estuaries and mangroves to rice fields and monsoon forests.  With the tameness and approachability characteristic of the Indian Subcontinent, the species list is remarkable including parakeets and lorikeets, bee-eaters and rollers, hornbills and barbets, orioles and drongos, bulbuls and babblers, flowerpeckers and woodpeckers.

So, why not relax, enjoy a Kingfisher beer and watch the colourful Greater Painted Snipe in glorious evening sunshine … a perfect introduction to Indian birds.

Tour dates from London Gatwick: 5 – 20 November 2005

Accommodation: Based in Baga, the hotel overlooks rice fields and marshes.  Twin rooms have en suite facilities, a fridge and ceiling fan.

Price: Now £799 per person sharing a twin room - saving £150 on the basic cost of £949pp

Price includes flights, airport/hotel transfers, hotel accommodation with breakfast, services of WildWings tour leaders and local guides.  

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER (including Christmas): WILDLIFE CRUISES TO THE SUB ANTARCTIC ISLANDS OF AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND

Save over £1000 per person

Ideal for birdwatchers, botanists, photographers and island enthusiasts, these 19-day wildlife cruises onboard the intimate 48 passenger expedition ship, the Spirit of Enderby, sail south from New Zealand’s southernmost city of Invercargill to the Sub Antarctic Islands of Australia and New Zealand – home to a rich diversity of plants, seabirds and marine mammals, including penguins, albatross and sealions. 

Known as the Galapagos of Antarctica, these unspoilt and forgotten islands of the South Pacific include Snares, Auckland, Macquarie, Campbell, Antipodes and the Bounty Islands.  Auckland and Campbell Islands are home to the world’s rarest sealion and up to 15 species of albatross, eight species of penguin and many different species of petrels, prions and shearwaters head an awesome wildlife list.

Tour dates (from Invercargill, New Zealand)

24 November – 12 December 2005 ; 12 – 30 December 2005 (Christmas onboard). 

WildWings’ Tony Marr will accompany the 12 December 2005 departure.

Price: £3199 per person sharing a standard triple cabin, saving £1030pp on the previously advertised price; £3839 per person sharing a standard twin cabin, saving £390pp. Price includes voyage with accommodation as booked, all meals, shore excursions, lectures and services of expedition team, pre-cruise hotel night with dinner and breakfast, group transfers hotel/ship/airport. 

For press enquiries please contact Debra Taylor at toucanmoon 01491 613424 debra@toucanmoon.com

WildWings
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wildinfo@wildwings.co.uk www.wildwings.co.uk

Prepared by toucanmoon /12 January 2005
St John’s Hall, Shirburn Street, Watlington OX49 5BT
(t) 01491 613424 (e) debra@toucanmoon.com