06 Jul 2027 - 15 Jul 2027 (10 days)
USD6,700 SPACES AVAILABLE
Tour Leader: Local Leader
Tour Price (Per person): USD6,700 (GBP5,123 * EUR5,883 * AUD10,211)
Pricing notes : *Prices are estimated, and dates may change*
This short photo holiday is based in a photography centre surrounded by professionally placed photo blinds. We’ll make use of up to 17 different blinds situated in diverse habitats, including wetlands, forests, steppe environments, and tree canopies. Unlike many photo tours, here you’ll be able to work with your subject over time, capturing shots in different situations, making it incredibly productive. This setup is ideal for honing your skills, experimenting with settings and gear, and developing your compositional style. Most birds will be within 2 - 10 meters from the blinds and hides.
The blinds are just a short drive from our lodge, with a typical day involving a morning session with optimal lighting, followed by an afternoon session. During the middle of the day, you can rest, edit photos, or photograph birds, dragonflies, or terrapins in the lodge gardens. We may also take a small motorboat to photograph herons in oxbow lakes or a European Beaver family. Alternatively, go on a safari-style drive to capture Red Fox, Roe Deer, and Brown Hare. Towards the end of the tour, we’ll spend time birding and photographing in the northern part of the park, where we’ll visit vast fish farms, steppes, and marshes, encountering many more species.
Highlights
Pygmy Cormorant; Eurasian Spoonbill; Great White & Little Egret; Little Ringed Plover; Black-winged Stilt; White-winged & Whiskered Terns; European Bee-eater; European Roller; Red-footed Falcon; Eurasian Sparrowhawk; Hawfinch; Long-tailed Tit; Common Redstart; Eurasian Turtle Dove; Middle Spotted Woodpecker; Yellowhammer; Red-backed Shrike; Eurasian Nuthatch; Lesser Whitethroat; Black-necked Grebe; Great Bustard; Common Kingfisher; Squacco & Grey Heron;
Eurasian Beaver; Eurasian Otter; Red Fox; Western Roe Deer; Brown Hare.
wetlands, oxbow lakes, grasslands, fishfarms, steppes
warm and pleasant, with average high temperatures of 73–82°F (23–28°C) and clear skies. Humidity levels are usually quite low.
7 with 1 Local Leader
UNDEMANDING: This tour is ideal for birders and wildlife enthusiasts of all experience levels. It’s suitable for most mobility levels and offers a relaxed pace, ensuring an enjoyable experience for everyone.
Comfortable. Almost all activities are optional. • Our Bird Photo Tours are a hybrid between our Classic birding tours and dedicated photographic tours. You don’t have to be a professional photographer or have the biggest lens; this is for everyone with an interest in photography and birding. Whether you’re using a bridge camera or the latest body and prime lens, our aims are the same. • These tours are not aimed at seeing the most species possible on the route, rather taking time to photograph key targets and any other interesting species we may find. Naturally, the overall species list will be lower than a comparable birding focused tour. • Whilst we may use blinds, feeders and hide setups on some of these tours, we will not be spending an entire day nor even several hours fixed in one spot. • These tours are suitable for photographers who prefer opportunistic photography over entire days in a hide. • Our leaders will assist in helping everyone secure good photographic opportunities and advise as much as they can on camera setup. However, they are not professional photographic tour leaders.
Comfortable with en suite facilities.
Birding is undemanding. Primary focus is photography.
Excellent. Professionally built, well located hides & blinds.
The trip was run superbly from start to finish. The logistics, despite some difficulties imposed by weather conditions and countrywide fuel shortages, were impeccable and I thoroughly enjoyed the tour. Stephan did a superb job in ensuring that we all saw as many of the species as possible. He is an accomplished guide and I enjoy traveling with him.
The trip was run superbly from start to finish. The logistics, despite some difficulties imposed by weather conditions and countrywide fuel shortages, were impeccable and I thoroughly enjoyed the tour. Stephan did a superb job in ensuring that we all saw as many of the species as possible. He is an accomplished guide and I enjoy traveling with him.
Note that some of the comments I made regarding the Thailand extension apply to the main Thailand tour. I liked the sequence of sites visited; it ensured the Spoonbill Sandpiper was seen early on and then designed to minimize travel. Staying multiple nights at one site is always appreciated and seemed to be done as much as possible. The guides made special efforts to see bird species sought by the group; we saw more bird species than I expected. The drivers were excellent and also one of them, Jaime, was a good birder who helped the guides track down some species; it was an asset to have internet while in the vehicles. The drivers also produced an excellent video of the trip - a nice touch; they also did an excellent job with mid-morning breaks. I especially enjoyed visiting a hide all morning early on in the trip - it gave us a chance to see some elusive species but also several species very well. One morning was spent looking for a rare duck; I would have rather spent the time looking for a variety of Thai species. Quite a bit of birding was done along roads - it might have been better to bird trails etc. if they are available and afford good views of birds pointed out. Food was excellent (Uthai selected great dishes for the group) and accomodations were good. It was an enjoyable trip with rewarding looks at many of the bird species seen.
Both Andre and Uthai were remarkably tireless and effective in finding and identifying birds, including some of the most elusive species in Thailand. They also did a great job of organizing the logistics of the trip. Our meals were already prepared when we arrived at restaurants and all of the hotel arrangements were handled smoothly. We probably will not consider going on another standard Rockjumper trip. Birding steadily from dawn to after dark was a bit much, especially for 22 uninterrupted days. This pace is appropriate for most serious birders so I don’t fault the guides, but we plan to shift to a style of traveling in which we can set our own schedule. We might consider one of Rockjumper's relaxed tours, but we're not concerned about long hikes and muddy trails as long as the schedule allows for a little down time to read, reflect and recover.
I really enjoyed having Lev as a tour guide, he was very knowledgeable and helpful and great at giving directions to see "hidden" birds in the jungle.
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