Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Bird-Photo-Tours Asia is structured under the following key criteria:

• Maximize bird photography opportunities to ensure you depart Bird-Photo-Tours Asia armed with a gallery of high-quality bird portraits of some of the world’s most ‘special’ birds.
• Manage all Bird-Photo-Tours Asia logistics so that you can focus exclusively on your bird photography. 
• Design Bird-Photo-Tours Asia that are safe, comfortable, creative and enjoyable.

Unlike other birdwatching tour companies that offer photography as just one of several activities, bird photography is the core activity at Bird-Photo-Tours Asia. Each day our schedule is organised to maximize our time in-the-field photographing birds, visiting the very best habitats and locations for bird photography. To summarize, our Bird-Photo-Tours Asia are spent fully immersed in bird photography as the core activity. 

If you are relatively new to bird photography and/or if this is your first Bird-Photo-Tours Asia, consider the following key factors regarding tour selection:

• Selecting a tour where you will be photographing those birds that interest and appeal to you the most, plus.
• Choosing a Bird-Photo-Tours Asia that has been graded as ‘Easy’ and finally.
• Should you require further advice feel free to contact us and we will assist you in making an informed decision.

Bird-Photo-Tours Asia includes accommodation, meals, transportation, leadership and bird photography instruction. Items not included in Bird-Photo-Tours include bar bills, laundry, items of a personal nature, VISA costs and flight costs to and from Bird-Photo-Tours Asia’ starting point. When comparing Bird-Photo-Tours Asia to trips offered by other birdwatching tour companies, be sure to note what is covered in each trip you are considering, the reason being that some companies have unexpected costs you would normally expect to be included in the cost of a tour, but may in fact not.

Bird-Photo-Tours Asia are designed for bird photographers across the spectrum from newcomers up to experienced. For those new to bird photography, it does obviously assist to have a basic understanding of your camera and Bird-Photo-Tours Asia would recommend both reviewing and bringing the camera manual on your tour.  On the tour itself our Tour Leaders can assist in answering any questions you may have regarding Bird Photography.

Quality amateur camera equipment will suffice. The following camera manufacturers Canon, Nikon, Sony, Panasonic, Olympus and others produce both consumer as well as professional camera equipment. Most of our Bird-Photo-Tours Asia participants have two camera bodies, normally from the same manufacturer, plus at least one, sometimes two, zoom lenses. It is recommended to carry a pair of binoculars with you at Bird-Photo-Tours Asia to help bring you closer to the birds themselves.

We normally select premium or “best available” accommodations but generally refrain from extravagance. Our key criteria in selecting accommodation are proximity to our target birds. The light is at its best and birds are at their most active at dawn and dusk, so it is imperative that our choice of accommodation is as close as possible to the habitat of our target birds, especially with early starts and late finishes. In the middle of the day, the light is at its harshest and bird activity declines significantly and we normally return back to our guesthouse to rest, recuperate, download and edit photos, another reason to have our accommodation as close as possible to our filming locations. Sometimes, if there are no guesthouses near to our target birds, we will opt to camp, but when doing so, to make the experience as comfortable as possible for our group.

Bird-Photo-Tours Asia are designed for people of average fitness who are in good health. Each of our Bird-Photo-Tours is given an Activity Rating of Easy, Medium or Hard. These ratings can be found in the Tour Details section of our website. Should you wish to consult us further regarding a tour and its Activity Rating feel free to call us for more details.

Bird-Photo-Tours Asia’ participants are people keen on both maximizing their bird photography time whilst also wanting to be with birds that are normally tough-to-observe in the wild. Bird-Photo-Tours Asia’ groups are comprised of like-minded individuals, from working age through to those who have retired, sharing experiences about bird photography, bird behavior, choice of camera equipment, tips on bird photo processing, to name but a few. While Bird-Photo-Tours Asia’ participants come to us from diverse backgrounds and photographic abilities, we find all our participants are spirited who share a love of birds, nature and travel, plus a desire to express this passion through bird photography.

Yes.  We are often told at Bird-Photo-Tours Asia from our non-photographing participants how much they enjoyed the experience, from being with the birds, experiencing their habitats, learning more about birds from our Tour Leaders, to the pace of our itineraries. 

This is limited mainly to 5 participants, which versus other birdwatching tour companies represents a significantly smaller group size. Our core mission at Bird-Photo-Tours Asia is to ensure that everyone can achieve portrait-quality images of our target birds. The best results are achieved in small groups where disturbance of the birds is at a minimum. Small group sizes are an important part of our culture at Bird-Photo-Tours Asia, distinguishing ourselves from other birdwatching tour companies where group sizes can be as high as 12 participants.

Some of the advantages of group Bird-Photo-Tours Asia are as follows:

• Your bird photography time is maximized as you do not need to worry about logistics. This becomes especially important when travelling overseas to photograph birds.
• You will be guided by our Tour Leaders who are experienced in finding and photographing our target birds. Many birdwatching tour companies have experienced leaders, skilled in finding birds, but who are not skilled in photographing birds nor catering for the needs of bird photographers. Our Tour leaders understand bird photography as well as being skillful in finding birds .
• You will be with like-minded people who share your passion for bird photography.
• You will most likely learn new techniques regarding photographing birds.
• There is a higher level of safety when travelling in a group versus alone, especially when travelling overseas.
• We feel confident you will not only find a new friend or two but also walk away with an impressive portfolio of bird portraits from your Bird-Photo-Tours Asia expedition. 

Our trip participants generally range in age from their late-20s to mid-70s, with most in their early-40s to late-60s.

Participants under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian and minors under 16 years old must be pre-approved by Bird-Photo-Tours Asia before enrollment.

Yes. All Bird-Photo-Tours Asia’ fees are quoted at shared-occupancy but for those requiring their own room to themselves this option can be selected with an accompanying single supplement fee. You will be charged the single supplement fee if you desire single accommodations or if you wish to have a roommate but one is not available.  In consideration of the comfort of other participants at Bird-Photo-Tours Asia, please think about opting for single accommodations if you snore heavily.