GENERAL INFORMATION & BOOKING CONDITIONS

Note: For the Papua New Guinea Tour - different Information and Booking Conditions apply

 

Weather/Clothing

All tours are taking place in the tropical part of Australia. The temperatures vary from cool nights and warm/hot days in winter (June - October) to warm nights and hot days in Summer (November - March). On some days we take a break/siesta in the middle of the day, specially after we have been out in the previous night, had an early morning and have plans for the afternoon and night time again.

Please avoid bright clothing, and being cool and comfortable is desirable. Firm footwear and and on some tours a pair of old shoes for mangroves is recommended, also a hat, sun screen, a small personal water bottle and insect repellent. In the tropics rain is possible at any time of the year, so please come prepared.

Telescope/Torches/Library

On most tours we supply one telescope and the spotlighting equipment. Please bring a small torch (flashlight) for your personal use. On all tours in Queensland we carry an extensive library, containing the leading field guides covering birds, mammals, frogs and reptiles.

Costs

Included in the cost are all accommodations, meals, transport, entry fees, boat excursions and some flights within Australia and as mentioned in the itineraries, Not included are drinks of any kind, private tours and excursions, personal spending and excess baggage.

Travel Insurance

The weather conditions in the Tropics are unpredictable. October is the driest month of the year, but in October 1996 the Archer River was in flood and stopped all traffic to Weipa, Iron Range and Cape York. Luckily it didn't affect us. We recommend travel insurance to cover these unpredictable weather conditions, as claims for compensation cannot be considered. The insurance should also cover cancellation, cancellation of flights, accident, loss of personal luggage, hospitalisation, etc. We do not accept responsibility for loss, tropical medical problems, damage or injury to property or persons.

Medical

All our tours are to remote and tropical areas, where medical help is either unavailable or difficult to organise. If you are on any medication please insure adequate supplies for the whole journey, plus several days in the event of an unexpected delay. All tours are suitable for persons of any age in good health. Persons booking a tour who have medical conditions likely to effect their, or other passengers, enjoyment must bring the circumstances to the attention of the organiser at the time of booking. Such conditions include diabetes, epilepsy, asthma, heart disease; problems with your back, hip, legs etc. We cannot accept responsibility for the occurrence of any tropical ailments.

Fitness Requirements

All tours lead into remote and often rough conditions, which include walking on unsealed and uneven bush tracks through rainforest, woodland or on rocky ground. There will be situations when we leave the walking track or road to pursue a bird. In some areas we also have to walk steep hills. If in doubt about your fitness in regards to a particular tour please contact us for more information.

Your guide(s)

Klaus Uhlenhut worked as natural history and birdwatching guide since 1983. In 1989 he founded 'Kirrama Wildlife Tours' and conducts birdwatching tours in Northern Australia, the area which he knows best. All tours concentrate on the endemic birds of each region.

Klaus is a contributor to two photographic libraries, Australian Nature Transparencies in Melbourne / Australia and Animals Animals / Earth Scenes in New York / USA.

His photographs have been used in numerous publications including wilderness diaries, educational material, books, magazines and calendars. Klaus will help you with your photography with practical hints of his experience and catching / setting up smaller animals like snakes, lizards, frogs, crabs, spiders and insects.

Other guides are part of some of the tours like the Cape York Bird Week and the Papua New Guinea Tour. Please check for more info about your guides.

Payment, Cancellation and Refunds

To confirm a booking we require a 10% deposit. For some tours, which include non-refundable airline tickets, the deposit will be higher than 10%. Deposits are fully refundable if cancellation is received more than 6 months before the tour date. Between 1 and 5 months of the tour date deposits are not refundable. However, they can be credited to another booking within the following 12 months.

The balance is to be paid 30 days before departure date. As this is not refundable we advise you to take out adequate travel insurance.

Booking requests with deposits will be considered in order of their receipt. Telephone or email requests will be treated as bookings from the date of receipt provided they are followed with the deposit within 14 days. All payments should be in Australian Dollars. Please make cheques payable to ‘Klaus & Brenda Uhlenhut’ or 'Kirrama Wildlife Tours'. Alternatively, please ask for details to transfer electronically. Sorry, no credit card facilities.

We reserve the right to cancel any tour, upon which case a full refund will be given.

If you cancel less than 30 days prior to departure date, then we reserve the right to charge for full cancellation. Payments for non-refundable airfares and accommodation cannot be reimbursed at any time.

 

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