In my previous mail this may not have been made sufficiently clear; but of course I agree absolutely that tour leaders should always keep to the ‘promised’ and scheduled programme, and not cut out certain harder daytrips because of the wishes of part of the participants. The trip should always follow the scheduled programme, and if some participants are not up to that, they can stay at the hotel that day. When we were in Madagascar with Rockjumpers, almost the opposite happened: the leader offered an extra extension of a day trip, which involved a steep and prolonged climb, and here only the couple that was fittest—and the best birders—took part, while the other participants–me too- returned to the lodge on the Masoala peninsula.
The various tour companies almost always in their prospects have an indication of the grade of difficulty of the tour and ask participants to make sure they are up to that. It seems technically complicated, however, for them to have any control that the participants are in fact as fit as they claim to be; many people tend to overestimate their own fitness. Personally I feel that certain trips (PNG, Philippines, maybe Surinam) are already beyond my capacities, although until now I have had no particular difficulties to follow the trips I have been on, including Madagascar and bhutan. And I still maintain that it is for people like me that these trips probably yield optimal enjoyment and results; there are other outlets for the most dedicated and accomplished birders.
Happy New Year to all!
Wim Vader, Tromsø Museum
9037 Tromsø, Norway
wim.vader@uit.no
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