Thank you for your interest
in traveling with Legacy Tours. We consider ourselves lucky, indeed, to
work passionately in a field we love. Although dedicated primarily to
ornithological goals, our focus is on the natural history of each region that
we visit. Many times, depending on the specific trip, we combine unique
activities pertinent to an area, and include the opportunity to relax, explore
hotel grounds, or wooden trails on your own.
Our travelers include people from all parts of the world. The
A number of our tours are designed to examine a specific region in depth.
We use the word HERITAGE to highlight these tours. We have found
these tours to be great companion trips, as other activities are mixed with the
daily bird watching. An afternoon among Mayan ruins offers an absorbing
study in pre-Columbian history, while the birds of the surrounding jungle
clamor for serious attention during the morning hours. Lodges are chosen
to maximize opportunities to take snapshots, explore local natural history, or
simply relax ensconced in a rich tropical ambiance. Excellent birding
takes place daily but the route and climate often limit activity to early
morning and late afternoon. A post-lunch activity might include a visit
to a unique point of interest, swimming in the pool, or relaxing with a good
book. Unless it is a travel-day all activities are optional. Some
folks simply enjoy a chance to rest in the incredible surroundings, while
others may choose to explore on their own. The number of participants is
between five and sixteen, depending on the local, and variables like
transportation and space availability at lodges. Transportation for the
group is by comfortable private motor coach, mini van, four-wheel-drive
vehicle, boat or motor launch, charter airplane or commercial airline as the
topography and itinerary demands. A HERITAGE TOUR, generally features two
or three nights in each lodge, with less packing and unpacking, and is on
average ten to fourteen days in duration. Naturally, the itinerary for
each tour would outline specific details for the trip. Finally, a serious
bird watcher need not be concerned that companion is a euphemism for compromise.
For example, our Heritage Tour to
RESERVATIONS
You may reserve space with Legacy
Tours by sending to our office a completed registration form for a specific
tour along with a deposit of US $300 per traveler (some custom tours require a
$500 deposit). All deposits are processed in the order in which they are
received, and are not refundable. We are also happy to process your reservation
by phone or fax should you prefer, but we must have a signed registration form
returned to our office within fourteen days. As ground transportation and
lodging are usually prepaid, one third of the tour price is due four months
prior to departure. Final payment is due sixty days before the tour
begins. Up to US $300 of the cost of your tour, may be paid to Legacy
Tours using Visa/MasterCard at no cost to you, after which the 4% fee charged
to terminals to process credit cards is added to YOUR balance. Signed registration
forms shall be deemed consent to the following terms and conditions for
participation with Legacy Tours, Inc. You will be responsible for meeting
your payment schedule on time. Upon receiving your deposit we will return to
you a timetable for your payments. Legacy
WHAT TOUR COST INCLUDES
Accommodations: We use three to four-star hotels (or best available)
with private bathroom facilities. All reservations are based on double
occupancy. If a couple prefers two single queen beds please advise us in
advance, and we will book it when available. We reserve the right to
substitute hotels of a like nature for those specified in a specific tour
itinerary.
Meals: We provide three meals per day based on the cuisine offered
in each country. Because we are frequently in-the-field at mid-day it is
not unusual to expect a box or picnic lunch. We ask that you remember
that many areas outside the
Transportation: Normally, all transportation within a country from
the on-set of a tour is provided. It will be by private motor coach, mini
van, four-wheel-drive vehicle, boat or motor launch, or charter airplane, as
the topography and itinerary requires. However, unless otherwise noted,
commercial airlines flights in any country will NOT be included in the cost.
Taxes, Fees, and Gratuities: All entrance fees for national parks
and points of interest, all government taxes and services imposed for travel,
hotels, and restaurants and all gratuities for all service
providers--chauffeurs, local naturalists, wait staff, porters and hospitality staff
at each hotel is handled COMPLETELY by Legacy Tours. **Please observe:
for custom travelers this aspect of our commitment is negotiated with
each specific tour.
Transfers and Baggage: We provide for the handling of two average
size pieces of luggage per traveler in major transfer situations (i.e.
in-country air, boat or train travel). To-and-from the vehicle or within
a hotel lobby will frequently be your responsibility. Consequently we ask
that you pack with the expectation that you will carry your own bags.
TOUR MATERIALS
Upon our receiving your registration and initial deposit for a HERITAGE
tour, we mail our recommendations for suggested reading, visa requirements,
health provisos (if any), climate possibilities, appropriate apparel and
packing suggestions. In-country telephone numbers, a bird checklist, and
a final itinerary will be sent to you following the receipt of final payment.
TOUR DIRECTORS
Michael Carmody, our primary guide, has led groups of birders to the
tropics for the past fifteen years. Fluent in Spanish, Michael has a deep
respect for the people of Latin America, in addition to first hand knowledge of
over three thousand birds occurring in the
Susan Carmody serves as second leader on many of the HERITAGE
WHAT THE TOUR COST DOES NOT INCLUDE
All travel before and after the tour, including airport departure taxes,
documentation fees for passport, immunizations if desired, insurance of any
kind, excess baggage charges, medical costs, hospitalization expenses, or evacuation
from remote areas. Any alcoholic (not included by Legacy Tours) or
bottled beverages (other than at meals, or directly stated in the itinerary),
telephone calls, laundry, room service, meals taken when not choosing to
accompany the group, any charge incurred through personal negligence, and all
items of a personal nature. Activities, accommodations and transfers
additional to those provided in the tour will be at the individual’s expense.
Legacy
CUSTOM TRIPS
Increasingly we are asked to guide
for individuals and custom groups. We make ourselves available for custom
trips on a first-come-first-serve basis. The fee schedule and route
options vary with projected party size and tour destination.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
A valid passport is REQUIRED for travel (except in the
SINGLE TRAVELERS
Single travelers are always welcome with Legacy Tours. If you are
traveling alone and wish to have a roommate we process all registrations in the
order they arrive. We CANNOT GAURANTEE assignment of a
roommate. If we do not receive an application from another same-sex
individual seeking a roommate you will be charged the single supplement charge
for your specific tour. The single supplement option, if you prefer, to
travel without a companion is available on most tours. The cost for
single supplements varies, and we encourage you to inquire about the specific
trip expense.
COST INCREASE
Legacy Tours takes great pride in only taking our clients to locations
where we have first-hand experience. Consequently, in order to assure the
best possible lodging and transportation, trips are booked and priced up to fifteen
months in advance. It is feasible that fluctuations in either tariff or
exchange rates could seriously impact our projected cost per participant.
Although it is extremely rare (to date, we have exercised this option
only twice), we reserve the right to increase the over-all cost of a tour
package by up to ten percent. If the cost increase exceeds this
percentage clients may withdraw without penalty.
RESTRICTIONS ON PARTICIPATION
Those who travel with Legacy Tours need only to adhere to basic common
sense ground rules on participation. Those with health problems, or
any physical limitations, should advise us in a detailed written fashion at
the time of registration. We are happy to provide information you may
need to judge your capacity to participate fully in the trip. We do not
normally consider our mainstream daily activities to be strenuous physical
activity - if there is an exception to this rule it will be noted in the
initial itinerary. We do expect individuals to participate in gentle walks
of one to four hours duration, ride in any seat on tour vehicles, and
participate in the basic tour itinerary. Legacy Tours, Inc. reserves the
absolute right to terminate (with no guaranteed return of previously paid tour
cost) the trip for people unable or unwilling to conduct themselves in a manner
that is satisfactory for the enjoyment and safety of the entire group and its
operation. Legacy Tours, Inc. reserves the right to decline or accept
anyone as a tour member. Participants are completely responsible to judge
the appropriateness of these daily activities to their physical and emotional
capabilities. Legacy Tours, Inc. and its affiliates will take no
responsibility for special arrangements or problems incurred by participants
unable or unwilling to complete daily activities as planned.
TOUR CANCELLATIONS, ITINERARY ALTERATIONS, AND REFUNDS
Legacy Tours works carefully to outline a tour and its complete itinerary,
however it is occasionally necessary to make changes while the trip is in progress
(as forced by weather related problems, political issues, airline rescheduling
or strike and other changes out of our control). If we confront such
situations please note the additional costs, if any, are the responsibility of
the individual traveler. Legacy Tours, Inc. will not refund any amount
for the unused portion of a tour unless it has been agreed to in writing prior
to departure. We strongly recommend the purchase of trip interruption
insurance.
Legacy Tours, Inc. reserves the right to cancel a tour prior to departure and a
full refund (including initial deposit) in this case will be issued within 30
days. This will constitute full and complete settlement to the registrant.
Legacy
For cancellation by participants, Legacy Tours, Inc must receive notification
of cancellation in writing. If cancellation is received 120 days prior to
departure, then payments, less the initial non-refundable deposit, will be
returned in full within 45 days. If cancellation is received less than 60
days from departure we will refund costs, if any, as returned by individual
providers. We will not return inseparable costs such as those for vehicle
rental, leader’s expense, advance tour expenditures, or other fixed-expense
services. In that real emergencies do happen, we strongly recommend that
you purchase of trip cancellation insurance.
RELEASE FROM LIABILITY
Each participant traveling with Legacy Tours, Inc. acknowledges that he or
she is aware tours may involve certain risks and dangers that include but are
not limited to the feasibility of accident, or illness, while traveling in a
foreign country and/or wilderness area. Legacy Tours, Inc., its officers,
directors, employees, contractors, agents, suppliers and/or assigns will be in
no event liable to any tour participant or his or her heirs or executors for
any loss, annoyance, damage, inconvenience, unfulfilled expectation, injury
(including death) additional expense due to delay or change in services of any
kind, sickness or injury of Legacy personnel or agents, quarantine, weather,
war, strike or negligence.
Legacy Tours, Inc. reserves the right to take photographs or videotapes of any
tour, and may use such images for promotional and/or commercial purposes.
VACCINATIONS AND MEDICATIONS
Vaccinations are not required for most areas. If there is an
exception we will note it in the itinerary. Because we cannot be aware of
individual health issues for each participant we recommend consulting your
doctor for a personal decision in this matter. It is always wise to
prepare for the following: (1) Diarrhea; most hotels offer treated or
filtered water. During the day bottled water is generally available.
Dietary changes may induce diarrhea. Consequently, we advise you
bring a prescription to help prevent the symptoms of diarrhea or over the
counter remedy you are comfortable with. Bottled drinks are always advised.
(2) Fungi; bring an anti-fungal foot powder to use daily in the
moist, tropical climate. (3) Insects; repellent is a tropical
country is ESSENTIAL! (4) Sun-stroke; level 15 and 30 sunscreen is
a must, and if you can comfortably wear a hat all day it is an excellent idea.
WE RECOMMEND INSURANCE
While trip insurance is not required, it is STRONGLY ADVISED. The
financial commitment for a quality tour such as those offered by Legacy Tours
is substantial for most travelers. Consider, as a minimum, trip interruption
coverage to insure for sickness or injury during the tour. To date, we
have had nineteen clients extremely grateful for this provision - everything to
family emergencies and airline strikes! We recommend you contact us to
learn about ways to insure yourself, your baggage, and your tour expenses in
the event of serious difficulty. We will in turn give you toll-free
telephone numbers where you can to pursue concrete answers to your specific
questions.
DAY-BY-DAY WITH LEGACY
In that Legacy presents a variety of tour options; we ask that you clarify,
prior to registration, the pace of the day-to-day activities relative to the
specific tour you are considering. However, in general keep in mind that
birding at its best calls us to begin at unusual hours. Birds are by
nature most active during early morning hours, so a pre-breakfast walk or early
breakfast is frequently part of our schedule. In addition, we often pack a picnic
lunch to provide for travel time or optimum time in the field. On occasion (and
it is always optional here) we plan a post-dinner excursion to show you the
world of owls, nightjars, and potoos! It is possible that while birding
we will push through vegetation, uneven or wet ground, and climb hills.
We see our daily activities as active, but not rugged. In extremely
warm climates it is our general program to rest during the heat of the day (the
birds do this also), and pursue a late afternoon walk. On most evenings,
before or after dinner, we review and compile a list of the birds seen on that
day a great tool to sharpen your memory on field marks! We ask that
should you have specific ornithological targets you let us know beforehand.
Our goal is to deliver to you the very best possible birding and natural
history experience. The more we know about you the better we will serve
this intent.
OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU
Legacy Tours is a family owned company committed to providing our clients
with the very best exposure to birds in their native habitat. In this
process, we feel we can contribute an alternate income for local economies to
consider in lieu of destroying much valued and ever decreasing habitats.
In our travels we enthusiastically address the overall ecosystem, local
culture and natural history, however our focus is primarily on the pursuit
and identification of birds. We address the goals of both lister
and non-lister personalities, and are happy to do so within the framework of
the tour itinerary. Our tours are designed to revolve around a small
group. We are specifically recognized for our personal service and desire to
have each traveler satisfy his or her tour goals. Confident that we
deliver the best service to each individual by limiting the size of each tour
we encourage you to look ahead ....our tours fill quickly. Legacy
FINALLY
We very much look forward to traveling with you, and sharing the countries
and cultures that remain close to our hearts.
Michael Carmody
Susan Connolly Carmody
Legacy
Tel: 509 624-1889
Fax: 509 624-1885
Email: MDCarmody@comcast.net