MORE INFORMATION ABOUT FIELD GUIDES
....AND GETTING AROUND OUR WEB PAGES
Who is Field Guides? Field Guides has been operating high-quality birding tours since 1985 from its headquarters in Austin, Texas. We have always believed in two simple premises: we want all of our clients to share in the excitement and fun of a top-notch birding adventure, and we want to provide the best service possible to both our tour participants and our independent travel clients. We are delighted by what seems to be success in both categories: we have a large and loyal following, many of whom have been on 5, 10, or in some cases, dozens of tours with us, and these clients, in turn, are our greatest advertising--most of our new clients come to us by word of mouth via a friend who suggested they "must" try a Field Guides tour.
We offer more than 100 advertised and private tours annually, featuring small groups and including meals (see below). Additionally we arrange numerous birding trips for birding clubs and private groups. We can also arrange for an experienced Field Guides leader to accompany your group of 8 or more.
Who goes with us? We have traveled with thousands of birders of all ages and skills. You don't have to be an expert...we can help you develop your skills. You just have to enjoy traveling and want to observe the world's many beautiful and fascinating birds, not to mention all the other wildlife, fabulous landscapes, and distinct cultures we see along the way.
Why do our clients travel with us? From novice to seasoned aficionado, our clients continue to travel with us because we design our itineraries carefully, provide comprehensive pre-and post-tour information, handle logistics smoothly, and because our guides are not only first-rate field ornithologists skilled at finding birds and showing them to all members of a group, but also warm, fun-loving people who genuinely enjoy making the tour a pleasant experience for each participant.
Beyond creating itineraries that balance fabulous birding with reasonable logistics, it's our job to make your vacation as free of concern as possible. Our tours include all meals (with a ready supply of field refreshments from our coolers on most tours). We also understand that being unreasonably crowded is not part of a memorable birding trip, so our tours typically are limited to 14 participants on many itineraries (with 2 guides); some are limited to still smaller numbers. We also offer a frequent traveler discount.
The Field Guides Frequent Traveler Program: We appreciate your repeat business and wish to reward you for choosing Field Guides for your birding holiday. Everyone who takes four trips with us will receive a 5 percent discount on the fifth (tenth, fifteenth, etc.) trip. Any published tour (partial trips and extensions excluded) or sanctioned private group tour, regardless of length, counts toward the discount. This offer is non-transferable and is retroactive to include anyone who has traveled with Field Guides since its inception. (This offer does not apply to anyone already participating in our Lifetime Repeater's Discount program.)
How big are our groups and what's included in our tour fees? We believe that small groups make for high-quality birding tours. Most of our tours are limited to 14 participants with 2 guides. Fees are based on double occupancy (single supplements are available for most tours). Unless otherwise indicated on a tour's itinerary, the tour fee includes: all lodging and meals as listed in the itinerary, all transportation during the tour (including internal air transfers), entrance fees for parks and other areas, baggage handling, tips, and the guide services of the tour guide(s). Unless indicated otherwise, our tour fees do not include: transportation to and from tour departure points, alcoholic beverages, passport and visa fees, airport taxes, phone calls, laundry, or other items of a personal nature.
Are you new to the World Wide Web? If so, here are a few tips. The Field Guides website comprises many separate "pages" (documents), that you can go between via links. Throughout the text of all pages, you will note occasional headers, titles, navigation bars, or words that appear in color on your screen and are underlined. Clicking on these will lead you to another link (the description of a tour, news, etc.). Also throughout the pages are some images that are clickable. These are mostly the colored navigation buttons for TOURS, NEWS, REGIONS, GUIDES, TRAVEL DESK, TOP, or any of various others. Click on these buttons to go to the appropriate page. Clicking on the Field Guides image next to the navigation buttons will take you back to our home page.
One of the great things about the Web is the ability to contact us via e-mail, and you will see mail links on each page. You may wish to obtain more information about a tour or travel option, or you may wish to suggest something about our Web site. We welcome your contact and will get back to you promptly.
Contact our office by e-mail in Austin, Texas at fieldguides@fieldguides.com.
- 1+ 800-728-4953
- 1+ 512-263-7295
- 1+ 512-263-0117 (fax)
Field Guides Incorporated, 9433 Bee Cave Road, Building 1, Suite 150, Austin, TX 78733