GUIDED BIRDING & WILDLIFE TOURS SINCE 1985 Tour Info

Transcription

1 Limosa GUIDED BIRDING & WILDLIFE TOURS SINCE 1985 Tour Info Hungary Carnival of Cranes One of Europe s great wildlife spectacles - the mass arrivals of Common Cranes in the Hungarian Hortobágy Agoston Paksz 2014 Saturday 11th - Saturday 18th October 2015 Sunday 11th - Sunday 18th October LEADERS Barrie Cooper & local guides An 8-day birdwatching tour to Hungary in autumn, focusing on one of Europe s great wildlife spectacles: the mass arrivals of Common Cranes over the sweeping steppe grasslands, lakes and marshes of the Hortobágy National Park. October sees peak numbers of Cranes, along with flocks of wild geese, Great Bustards, birds of prey and a wealth of wetland birds. Add a superb range of woodpeckers, Hawfinch, and Ural and Eagle Owls in the glorious Zemplén Hills - and you've got the classic Hungarian tour! Some of the most spectacular autumn birding anywhere in Europe Mid-October finds peak numbers of Cranes in the Hortobágy... Recent satellite counts have revealed up to 100,000 birds! Autumn goose flocks can conceal the rare Lesser White-fronted Goose 4 nights in the magnificent Hortobágy National Park White-tailed and Eastern Imperial Eagles, Saker, Great Bustard, Stone-curlew, Dotterel Sociable Plover and Red-breasted Goose surprise finds on our October 2013 tour! 3 nights in the beautiful Zemplen for raptors, owls, woodpeckers and Hawfinch Scheduled flights London to Budapest Comfortable and characterful hotels, with all meals (and some wine) included Led by RSPB ornithologist Barrie Cooper and our specialist team of Hungarian guides LIMOSA, West End Farmhouse, Chapelfield, Stalham, Norfolk NR12 9EJ (UK) TEL: +44 (0) info@limosaholidays.co.uk WEB: limosaholidays.co.uk

2 Tour Overview One of Eastern Europe s truly great bird areas, an autumn visit to the Hungarian Hortobágy is hard to beat. For in addition to its wealth of scarce resident birds, the sweeping steppe grasslands and reedfringed lakes of this most famous National Park are a vital staging post for huge numbers of passage migrants and winter visitors streaming south to escape the onset of winter further north. October is the time to visit. Only then do the large flocks of winter wildfowl and droves of stately Great Bustards assemble on the plains - where they are joined by legions of regal, trumpeting Common Cranes! Numbers reach a peak in mid-october, when there may be upwards of 100,000 of these magnificent birds in the area. At one spot we visit, it is quite possible to find an incredible 20,000 Cranes roosting together. The sight and sound of these huge birds flying to roost against a backdrop glowing red with the last rays of autumn sun is an experience never to be forgotten. With them from the north come the great skeins of wild geese. The majority of those arriving now will be Russian White-fronts, but we should see Eastern Greylag and Taiga Bean Geese, too. With the help of our expert local guides and contacts, we also have a chance of finding the rare Lesser White-fronted Goose in amongst them - two were found on our October 2013 tour, along with a single Red-breasted Goose. The Hortobágy s extensive grasslands support significant populations of rodents, notably the squirrel-like Souslik. These in turn attract numerous birds of prey, and October is an excellent month to look for them. White-tailed and Eastern Imperial Eagles, Long-legged and Rough-legged Buzzards, Goshawk and Saker... we have seen them all on this tour. As we search the steppes for them, we may well encounter a late autumn gathering of Stone-curlews, enjoy close views of migrant Dotterel (October regularly finds up to 200 birds in the Hortobágy), or perhaps a solitary Great Grey Shrike watching over the steppe. Equally exciting are the Hortobágy s many fish ponds - immense reed-fringed lakes that shelter the likes of Pygmy Cormorant, Bittern, Great White Egret, and Bearded and Penduline Tits. Long-eared Owls will be gathering in significant numbers at their favoured winter roosts and an October visit adds the prospect of passage waders, with Spotted Redshank, Little Stint and Ruff among species we regularly see. On last year's tour, Sociable Plover was an unexpected highlight here! We conclude our autumn tour in the beautiful Zemplén Hills. In October, the picturesque autumnal forests are a glorious sight to behold, richly hued in the golds, reds and browns of autumn. Specialities include Ural and Eagle Owls, gangs of Hawfinches and up to eight different species of woodpecker - including the rare White-backed. We ran our first Carnival of Cranes tour as long ago as October 1993, and autumn birdwatching tours to Hungary have been a regular feature of the Limosa programme ever since. Join us this year for a truly enchanting autumn week and share in the delight of one of Europe s most thrilling birding experiences! Outline Itinerary Day 1: Days 2-4: Days 5-7: Day 8: Fly London-Budapest. Transfer east to the Hortobágy. Nádudvar (4 nts) Hortobágy National Park. Debrecen Great Forest and Zemplén Hills. Komlóska (3 nts) Return to Budapest, fly London 2 Any questions? Call: +44 (0) Web:

3 Daily Itinerary Day 1 FLY BUDAPEST, EAST TO THE HORTOBÁGY Our autumn birdwatching tours to Hungary begin with a flight from London to the Hungarian capital, Budapest. We ll be met on arrival by our Hungarian co-leader and travel east (a journey of about three hours) to the freshwater marshes and puszta steppe of the Hortobágy. We spend four nights here, staying at a characterful rural hotel near Nádudvar, right on the edge of the magnificient National Park. Built in the style of a traditional Hungarian hunting lodge, it s the perfect base from which to explore the Hortobagy, with its 50,000 hectares of lakes, reedmarsh and forest set amidst remnants of the original steppe grassland or puszta. Night Nádudvar. Days 2-4 HORTOBÁGY NATIONAL PARK Of major importance are the region s many halastoi or fish ponds. In reality, these are not 'ponds' at all but huge man-made lakes, hemmed with reed. Marsh Harriers float on upturned wings above the golden swathes as we watch for restless parties of Bearded and Penduline Tits in the reeds and willows. Elegant Great White Egrets, mahogany-red Ferruginous Ducks and lumbering White-tailed Eagles are usually about in October, as skeins of Eastern Greylags and Russian White-fronted Geese clamour noisily across the Hungarian sky. We ll sift carefully through the goose flocks in our quest to find the scarce Bean Goose as well as the rare Lesser White-fronted. With its neat pink bill, prominent white forehead blaze and distinctive yellow 'eye-ring', this petite grey goose is not only one of Europe s rarest but also one of the most attractive. All this is but a prelude to the spectacle of the 'Carnival of Cranes'. Few sights or sounds in nature are more stirring than the massed arrivals and wild bugling cries of these great birds, as wave after wave of elegant cranes passes against a reddening October sky. Although we are unlikely to find them all together in one place, recent counts by satellite during October have revealed peak numbers in the Hortobágy to be in excess of 100,000 birds! With our local guide, we will visit one of the major roosts. On the surrounding steppe, Great Bustards gather in droves as winter approaches. Moving sedately across the autumnal fields, these proud, turkey-sized birds can be rather easier to find now than in spring. An abundance of European Sousliks and other small rodents makes the puszta one of the best places in Europe for birds of prey. In October, we should see Saker, Hen Harrier and Common Buzzard hunting over the steppe, with Rough-legged Buzzard and Eastern Imperial Eagle also possible. We may come across a dashing Merlin chasing down a hapless Meadow Pipit or Skylark, and we could be lucky to encounter one or two of the autumn s rarer raptors - perhaps a tardy Short-toed Eagle, a cinnamon-tailed Long-legged Buzzard or a wandering Pallid Harrier, the latter a scarce but annual visitor to the park. In October, we shall make a special effort to look for Dotterel, another scarce but regular autumn visitor to the Hortobágy, one that usually lingers until the first snows arrive. Stonechats perch up openly and we have chances of late migrants such as Great Grey Shrike, Red-throated Pipit, Lapland Bunting or even Twite before the mellow hues of the Hungarian autumn slip silently into winter. Last but by no means least, October is a great month to find both Long-eared and Short-eared Owls in the Hortobágy. Our local guide will check out some favoured roost sites for us, visits to which have been a highlight for participants on previous tours - we will see if we can beat our previous count of 74 birds! Three nights Nadudvar. 3 Any questions? Call: +44 (0) Web:

4 Day 5 THE GREAT FOREST & ZEMPLÉN HILLS Leaving the Hortobágy this morning, we head north towards the rolling Zemplén Hills. We ll break our journey with a visit to the Great Forest near Debrecen, Hungary s second city. Preserving some of the oldest oak woodland in the area, here we may be lucky to find the big Black Woodpecker, along with the mouse-like Short-toed Treecreeper and the 'snow-headed' northern and eastern form of Long-tailed Tit. Our destination this evening is the picturesque wine-growing district of Tokaj, close to the border with Slovakia. We will spend three nights here, staying at a superbly situated hotel right beside the Zemplén s beautiful hill-forests. Night Komlóska. Days 6-7 ZEMPLÉN HILLS With the unmistakable scent of autumn in the air, birdwatching in the magnificent Zemplén Hills is a sheer delight. Rising to almost 1000m and pretty as a picture, the Zemplén's extensive forests of ancient beech, hornbeam and oak are simply outstanding for woodpeckers - we will try for Black, Grey-headed, Syrian, Middle Spotted and the rare White-backed. Roving gangs of Hawfinches are much in evidence here in autumn as we search for two of the region s largest but most elusive avian residents: Ural Owl and Eagle Owl. Goshawk, Crested Tit and Short-toed Treecreeper are among other forest dwellers to watch for. If we are lucky, a Golden Eagle or perhaps the impressive Eastern Imperial Eagle may soar into view overhead. Three nights Komlóska. Day 8 RETURN TO BUDAPEST, FLY LONDON There may be time for one last look around the Zemplén this morning before we must travel back to Budapest. Afternoon flight to London, where our autumn birdwatching tour to Hungary concludes. Please note: for operational reasons it is occasionally necessary to switch the itinerary around, visiting the Zemplén Hills first and the Hortobágy second. Should this be necessary, please note the change has no effect on our birding or the places we visit. Trip Information Group Limit 14 participants & 2 leaders Birds species Accommodation We stay at two comfortable and characterful hotels, with all rooms en suite. 4 nights at Nadudvar, where we stay in a former hunting lodge with its own private lake - and perfectly situated on the edge of the Hortobágy National Park. 3 nights in the Zemplén Hills, staying at a lovely hotel in the village of Komlóska - with great forest birding right outside, and its own wine cellar inside! Meals All main meals are included in the tour price. Food is good. Breakfasts and dinners will be taken at the hotels. For lunches we mix visits to traditional Hungarian inns (csarda) with tasty picnics in the field and forest. Walking In the Hortobagy, easy walks over flat terrain. In the Zemplen, our walks are typically shorter, mostly along forest tracks and trails; expect some hills of course, but nothing too strenuous and all taken at a gentle pace. Sturdy, waterproof walking shoes or boots advised. October weather can be mixed (just like back home!) so pack wet weather gear and waterproof walking shoes or boots, just in case! 4 Any questions? Call: +44 (0) Web:

5 Weather Hungary frequently enjoys an Indian Summer in October, when the weather can often be very pleasantly warm and sunny. Some wet weather is also possible however, so dress as you would in the UK at this season. In October, daytime temperatures in Budapest average warmer than in the UK, ranging between 7-16 C (44-60F). Flights Scheduled flights from London to Budapest with British Airways or Easyjet. Ground Transport By coach or minibus (according to final group size), with local driver Photos Some good incidental photographic opportunities. Tour Cost (8 days): 1595 (inc flights from London) Land only cost: 1470 Deposit: 300 Single Supp: 165 Cost includes Scheduled flights London-Budapest, all accommodation, main meals, coach/minibus transport, tips to driver and local guides, airport taxes, map, bird checklist and services of the leaders. Cost excludes Insurance, drinks & other items of a personal nature. Both trips will be operated in conjunction with The Travelling Naturalist About Your Guides Barrie Cooper Barrie has had a lifelong interest in nature and works for the RSPB as their International Education Manager. Birds such as Skylarks, Lapwings and Yellow Wagtails enthralled him as a young boy growing up in Lancashire. But a picture of a Cock-of-the-Rock triggered his love affair with foreign birds and he has since visited many countries in search of birds. His work with the RSPB gives him the chance to combine his passions of wildlife, nature conservation and travel. Barrie led our inaugural tour to Belarus in spring 2012 and has been back every year since (our 2015 tour there will be his 15th visit to the country). He also guides our autumn tours to Estonia and Hungary. He rates Eastern Europe as one of his favourite birding destinations and is looking forward to sharing his Hungarian experiences with you. Barrie will be accompanied throughout our tour by a local guide from our specialist team of experienced Hungarian leaders. What You Say Thanks for a great trip - with lots of fun, as well as lots of birds. Cecile Gillard, Hungary Cranes tour 5 Any questions? Call: +44 (0) Web:

6 Limosa Loyalty Discount We are proud of the number of loyal customers who travel regularly with us. As our way of saying thank you, we offer a Frequent Travel Discount. Under the scheme, everyone who takes four trips with us is entitled to claim a 5% discount on their fifth trip *1. Alternatively, you can opt to save your discounts up and carry them forward to claim a 10% discount on your 10th trip. The choice is yours, but please remember to request your discount at time of booking! *1 Please note: This offer applies to the basic tour cost only and excludes certain commission-based trips, extras such as additional flights, private extensions and cancellations. Discounts cannot be given in lieu of tour deposits or off the cost of single room supplements. How to Book Be sure to read our Booking Conditions and General Information found at the back of our brochure or on our website - You can make a booking by one of three easy methods, but if you experience any problems please feel free to contact the office: Book Online: You can book swiftly and securely online via our website: via the Book This Tour button on the relevant tour page or the Booking tab at the top of the page. Book by Post: Our brochures contain a Booking Form, but you can also download a copy from our website - Please complete both sides of the form - remembering to sign and date the section at the bottom of the second page - send this to us, together with the appropriate Booking Deposit (see below). Telephone bookings: Telephone bookings will be accepted on a provisional basis to allow time for your Booking Form and deposit to reach us by mail. We will hold provisional reservations for up to 14 days pending receipt of booking form, after which time any unconfirmed space will be released. Payments Deposits: The amount of deposit per person is shown above. We accept payment by cheque (drawn on a UK bank in GB Pounds Sterling), by BACS or internet banking (please ask us for our bank details), and by debit card. We also accept most major credit cards (not AmEx). Final Balance: Full payment of the balance is due not later than 12 weeks prior to departure (occasionally longer in the case of some tours such as cruises or those involving rail travel). We will send you an invoice at about this time indicating the balance. We accept payment for final balances by cheque or debit card. Alternatively, please ask for our bank details if you prefer to transfer your payment direct to our bank account. Payment of the balance can also be by credit card with a 2% commission charge for the latter (see below). Card Charges: Due to escalating credit card charges we are no longer able to absorb the cost of these in respect of balance payments. We will not charge for payment by credit card of the initial booking deposit (amount as indicated in the Tour Cost section, above), but we will make a 2% commission charge on any balances or subsequent payments (e.g. interim flight deposits) paid by credit card. Please note we do not charge commission on payments made by debit card or by cheque or direct to bank. 6 Any questions? Call: +44 (0) Web:

7 Late Bookings: In order for us to guarantee your airline seats, hotels etc., full payment is required at time of booking for all late bookings (i.e. bookings made within 12 weeks of departure). When to Book This is one of the most Frequently Asked Questions - the short answer is as early as possible! Accommodation and flights are much more easily secured well in advance and there is nothing more frustrating than to know that on paper space is still available on the tour but that hotels and/or flights are full. To encourage early booking therefore, we are pleased to offer an Early Booking Discount - see our current brochure or website for details. Our tours are limited to small group sizes, so they can fill up quickly - sometimes even before our new brochure comes out! It's not unusual to find trips are fully booked around four to six months in advance. Single rooms in particular can often be in short supply and among the first to go, so do try to plan well ahead if you definitely require one of these. Last-minute bookings: We inevitably receive a few unexpected late cancellations over the course of a season so it is always worth enquiring about vacancies on any tour - even for those departing in just a few weeks time! Other Things You Need To Know Passports & Visas All participants must be in possession of a valid passport. For UK passport holders, for stays of up to three months, your passport must be valid for the proposed duration of your stay. Although no additional period of validity beyond this is required, when travelling anywhere overseas we always recommend that your passport has a minimum of 6 months left to run after your intended date of return home in case of unforeseen delay. VISA NOT REQUIRED by UK passport holders to enter Hungary. Holders of non-uk passports should contact the nearest Hungarian embassy or consulate to check whether or not they require a visa/s. If a visa is required, you need to apply locally. If the embassy or consulate requires you to provide a letter confirming that you are booked on an all-inclusive tour, please contact our office and we will be happy to provide one. Health & Vaccinations Compulsory vaccinations: None. Recommended vaccinations: For travel everywhere (even within the UK), we recommend you check you are up-to-date with protection against tetanus, polio and hepatitis A. Ticks can occur in grassy, forested and wetland areas below 1400m during the summer months across most of continental Europe, including Hungary. If you are concerned by this, you may wish to seek advice about inoculations and other measures to prevent tick-related problems (such as tick-borne encephalitis) prior to travel. The above information, together with that contained within our Travel Information sheets (sent to everyone who books), outlines health requirements for this tour. Please note that these details are given for guidance only - and are only for certain diseases - and you must consult your doctor in good time prior to travel as to what immunisations (if any) are needed for your chosen holiday. 7 Any questions? Call: +44 (0) Web:

8 For full and up-to-date health information we urge everyone to consult The National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) website prior to booking any overseas holiday. NaTHNaC is funded by the UK Government s Health Protection Agency and provides health information for both health professionals and travellers, with information compiled by its own clinical and scientific team. You can search for your individual country requirements, which are updated regularly. Your Safety & Travel Advice An unavoidable aspect of travelling abroad nowadays is the threat it may pose to your safety and security. The UK s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) encourages British nationals to be better prepared for their overseas trips with a view to avoiding common travelling traumas, risks and dangers. In order for you to assess and protect against any risks in your chosen destination it is strongly recommended that you refer to the relevant FCO Travel Advice both prior to booking and regularly before you travel. It is standard Limosa policy for our office to send a copy of the relevant FCO Travel Advice about the tour to all participants along with their Final Letter (2-4 weeks prior to the trip). Know Before You Go - staying safe and healthy abroad - is a travel safety campaign run by the FCO, and another useful resource: Further useful information on visas, health, etc., can be found at the World Travel Guide website: Travel Insurance Good travel insurance is essential before setting off on any overseas trip. In common with all responsible tour operators, it is a condition of booking that all clients are fully and adequately insured before travelling overseas with us. Your travel insurance should cover against cancellation, curtailment, missed departure, delay, personal accident, death, loss of baggage and valuables (see note below), personal liability and legal expenses. Most importantly, your insurance must cover you fully in respect of medical care and repatriation should you become too ill to continue with the tour, including the cost of emergency evacuation by helicopter or air ambulance should this be necessary. Note that passenger liability insurance covering the transportation that we hire, particularly in Third World countries, may be inadequate; it is therefore important that your insurance cover includes sufficient provision for your dependents in the event of an accident. We recommend that you obtain travel insurance as soon as possible after booking your holiday to ensure you are protected right from the word go in the event of unexpected cancellation prior to departure due to accident or illness. You must inform your insurers of any pre-existing medical conditions (including those of persons not necessarily travelling but upon whom your holiday may depend) that may require treatment during a period of overseas travel or might cause you to cancel the trip. Once you have arranged your insurance, please be sure to send us the following essential details: name and contact details of your insurance provider, your policy number, expiry date and your insurers 24hr Emergency Assistance number. Important Things to Note! Be aware that Travel Insurance does not normally provide sufficient cover for valuable optical 8 Any questions? Call: +44 (0) Web:

9 equipment, which is often best protected under your own household insurance policy. If in doubt ask your insurers for advice prior to travel. Most travel insurance policies limit the amount of cover, typically up to a maximum tour cost of 5000 per person. If the tour you are booking exceeds this amount, additional cover can usually be provided upon payment of additional premium. We recommend all travellers check their individual policy limit to ensure the full cost of their holiday is covered. Arranging Your Insurance: due to UK Government legislation, under Financial Services Authority (FSA) regulations, we are not allowed to offer or recommend travel related insurance to customers. Premiums can vary widely according to your age, needs, health, choice of destination and other factors, while many people nowadays have Annual Travel Insurance cover. For these reasons, we leave you free to shop around and pick your own policy, one best suited to your own individual needs. General Information Our website gives easy access to detailed tour itineraries (Tour Info Packs), trip reports, trip photos and the latest Limosa News. Special Diets & Other Requests We pass on all such requests to the airlines, hotels and other suppliers, and do our best to ensure (but of course cannot guarantee) that your needs will be met. Please be sure to tell us about these (in as much detail as possible) at the time of booking, to allow good time to make the necessary arrangements. Smoking Almost all of our clients prefer a smoke-free environment. For the enjoyment and comfort of all, we ask that smokers refrain from smoking in proximity to the group and respect our NO SMOKING policy in the vehicle, at meal times and when watching wildlife. Any Questions? If you have any questions at any time, you ll find our office staff friendly, efficient, approachable - and just a phone call away, eager to assist you in every way. Our office is open hrs Mon-Fri, and can also be reached by fax and . In the event we are unable to take your call, please leave a message on our answerphone (24 hrs) and our office will contact you as soon as we can. Thank you for your interest in our tours. We do hope that you will be able to join us - and we look forward to hearing from you again! CK Any questions? Call: +44 (0) Web: