Cost of Birding Trips (1 Viewer)

[birdman]

This month's advertised birding trip in Birdwatching is a week in the Spanish Pyrenees from May 17th to 24th.

This is somewhere I have wanted to visit for many years (even without the attraction of the bird life).

Well apart from the fact that I cannot get that week off work – the other reason I cannot go, is because the cost is too prohibitive; £1,095 per person! (My partner would be almost as keen to go as me.)

Can anyone out there tell me why these trips are just so-o-o-o expensive?

I appreciate that you get one (or maybe more) experts to help you see the birds and other wildlife, but even so this seems an awful lot of money for a week's birding.

Has anyone been on one of these trips, or organised or led one?

Can you tell me why I should make this kind of outlay? Are they overpriced, or am I being too tight-fisted when I should realise the value of what's being offered?

I am willing to be completely shot down in flames if anyone thinks it is deserved!

 

[KC Foggin]

To some extent, I believe that birdwatchers are thought of as a growing multi-million dollar market. I guess when you factor in what we spend on seed, cameras, lenses, scopes, blinds/hides and just our undying enthusiasm to add a new bird to our list, I suppose that the tour operators figure we will spend anything to find that rare/new bird. Just my observation.

 

[Alastair Rae]

Yes, they are very expensive. Ann & I been on lots of commercial trips - they're our only major extravagance.

Are they worth it? It depends on the destination. You could probably work out your own trip to the Pyrennees but you'd need very detailed info to find most of the specialities.

Our rule of thumb is - difficult or dodgy places, go with a group. Easier places, we can work out our own itinerary and find our own birds.

 

[peter hayes]

Birdman

The answer to your problem is right here - Bird Forum. The forthcoming BF Scottish trip is an example of what can be achieved at a much lower price than the established companies. And in the future, it's hoped to organise foreign trips.

Think about it; we have more than 700 members already - most in the UK. That's a pretty powerful bargaining tool when making group bookings.

 

[birdman]

Mmmm!

So it's not just me then!?!?!? Nor judging by KC's reply, it's not just rip-off Britain either!

I saw Steve's post last night Peter, and I am very interested - the additonal problem this year is that we have recently moved house, and I'm not sure we can go anywhere this year.

TonyK, my trips to Slovenia have been "semi-independent", all booked personally through the internet - also French Pyrenees. Not sure I've quite got the "whatever" to head much further afield independently.

I quite like Alastair's rule of thumb - but if the "group" was a BF group, that would be fine by me.

 

[birdman]

You're right, there are plenty of "difficult and dodgy" places here in the UK.

I have this image of "The Independent Traveller" walking around the world with 2 dollars and a piece of string to get by on! Doesn't ever occur to me there are other options.

(Mind you, I do have this hankering for somewhere a bit jungly.)

 

[birdman]

Sounds great...

... but hang on....

... isn't everything in Aus with 0 or >4 legs deadly poisonous?!?!?

Might have to invest in a hermetically sealed suit!

 

[HokkaidoStu]

bird trips

Don`t know much about the Pyrenees but like some other poster said it should be pretty easy to organise your own trip.
If you`re travelling to more exotic locales don`t forget that( if you`re travelling independently) you can hire your own local birding guides at a fraction of the daily cost of an organised tour.
I`ve been to a few third world countries and managed to get a bit of birding in under my own steam. There were locally aranged tours available and the price was very reasonable (I remember a whole DAY on Chilka Lake in Orissa India including boat and driver cost about $30 for example). I`d say this would be true in most of Asia/South America (I`ve never been to Africa).
Nothing ventured nothing gained.

 

[fatbirder]

I agree wholeheartedly that some organised birding trips are very expensive and clearly support the extravagant lifestyle of some company owners and lavish brochures etc. Not all companies are like that of course but most, by their very difinition will not pass savings on to the birders.

I have run (sometimes in conjunction with commercial operators) several trips for the dba (disabled birders) our needs are, as you might expect, a little more elaborate than most birders as we have to have accessible hotels, larger vehicles etc. But, and its is a big BUT - we have managed to run them for a lot less than equivalent trips for able-bodied birders!

There is obviously room for trips run by birders for birders using local ground agents... I shall be speaking to Steve about this very soon!

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