Alpine Chough in grand alpine surroundings! Photographed on our June tour to the Swiss Alps Brian Small/Limosa

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1 Switzerland SWISS ALPS IN SUMMER Alpine Chough in grand alpine surroundings! Photographed on our June tour to the Swiss Alps Brian Small/Limosa 2016 Sunday 19th - Sunday 26th June (8 days) Single-centre tour with Brian Small Few countries in the world are as beautiful as Switzerland. Now in its 13th season, this immensely scenic summer tour to the glorious Valais region boasts everything from Lammergeier, Wallcreeper and Alpine Accentor through to a journey by Swiss mountain railway up to the Gornergrat glacier at 3000m - for lunch with the Alpine Choughs, Snowfinch and spectacular views to the Matterhorn! As well as great birding, over the years our groups have recorded 120 species of butterfly on this remarkable tour, too. Summer 'birds & butterflies' tour to the beautiful Valais region of Switzerland Superb alpine birding amidst an idyllic chocolate-box landscape Specialities include Lammergeier, Nutcracker, Wallcreeper, Alpine Accentor, Snowfinch Up to 70 species of butterfly possible - from Peak White to Swiss Brassy Ringlet Travel by Swiss mountain railway up to 3000m - for spectacular views to the Matterhorn See the Gornergrat glacier - and share your picnic with Alpine Choughs and Alpine Marmots! Ride to the immense Grande Dixence dam by cable car, and stroll back down again Sublime alpine scenery and upland meadows ablaze with wildflowers Expertly led by Limosa guide Brian Small What's Included? Limosa Tour Leader Flights London to Geneva with British Airways 7 nights at one hotel in the picturesque Val d Herens All meals included, with dinners taken at local restaurants Swiss mountain railway journey to the Gornergrat glacier Cable car ride at Grande Dixence All local travel, entry fees, tour based tips and taxes LIMOSA HOLIDAYS, West End Farmhouse, Chapelfield, Stalham, Norfolk NR12 9EJ (UK) TEL: +44 (0) info@limosaholidays.co.uk WEB: limosaholidays.co.uk

2 Outline Itinerary Day 1: Fly London (Heathrow)-Geneva. Transfer east along the Rhône valley to the Val d Herens. Evolene (7 nts) Days 2-7: We spend the week exploring the beautiful Swiss Alps, from the glorious Val d Herens itself, east to Zermatt and the Gornergrat glacier Day 8: We return to Geneva, fly London Tour Overview Switzerland is rightly famous for its stupendous upland scenery and crisp mountain air. The southern Valais region that borders with Italy is one of the most beautiful of all - and a prime location for alpine birding. Crested Tits and Western Bonelli's Warblers frequent the forests, boldly spotted Nutcrackers conceal themselves amongst the pines, and the trills of handsome red Lesser Redpolls rise above flower-filled alpine meadows. From Geneva, we follow the valley of the mighty Rhône eastwards to reach our base in the picturesque Val d'herens, which is both a Parc Regional and a Biosphere Reserve. With no changes of hotel to worry about during our stay, we shall be free to devote ourselves to some of the most spectacular birding and landscapes in all Switzerland: from the glaciers at the head of the lovely Val d'herens itself, east to the famous Gornergrat with its majestic views of the Matterhorn. In mid-latejune, the weather in the Alps is typically warm with plenty of sunshine and our aim will certainly be to make the most of this! The woods and mountains around about our hotel are the perfect place to start. Red-backed Shrike, Fieldfare and Serin are to be found in the gardens and meadows around town, and Dippers bob beside the mountain streams as we listen for the chatter of Siskins. On one day, we will travel to Zermatt and take the mountain railway up to the Gornergrat. If visibility is good, we shall enjoy uninterrupted views across the glaciers towards the iconic chiselled peak of the Matterhorn - one of the most spectacular views in the world. Here, at an elevation of around 3000m, we ll watch for Snowfinch and Alpine Accentor, while playful Alpine Choughs may even feed from our hands! Should visibility on the high tops let us down, we will find birding along the floor of the Rhône valley is equally rewarding. Black Kite, Honey Buzzard, Nightingale, Marsh Warbler and Golden Oriole await our discovery here. We'll also pay a visit to the stupendous Grande Dixence dam - scene of a death-defying bungee jump in the James Bond movie GoldenEye. Travelling up via a short cable car ride, we plan to make our descent on foot (rather than elastic!) and can expect stupendous views plus chances of some great plants and birds along the way. Alpine Accentor, Ring Ouzel, Water Pipits in pastel blue summer plumage and Golden Eagles are likely, while plants can include Snowdon Lily, a variety of primroses and a good chance of Edelweiss. From Eider to the 'Mediterranean' Blue Rock Thrush, birding in the Swiss Alps is full of surprises. Highlights from our last tour included sightings of Lammergeier, superb views of Golden Eagle and Rock Thrush, and a fabulous close encounter with a pair of Wallcreepers. We ve even been lucky to find the shy Rock Partridge here once or twice in the past! Add the exciting prospect of as many as 70 different species of butterfly on the wing - from Mazarine and Amanda s Blues, through Mountain Dappled White and Clouded Apollo to Niobe and Cynthia s Fritillaries - and you have all the ingredients for a wonderful wildlife holiday. With easy paced walks and plenty of invigorating Swiss mountain air, this tour offers an unbeatable introduction to alpine birds and butterflies. Limosa has been operating birdwatching tours to Switzerland since 2002 and this will be our thirteenth visit to the Swiss Alps in summer - a tour designed and led for us by Limosa principal guide Brian Small. 2 Call: info@limosaholidays.co.uk

3 Daily Itinerary Day 1 TO GENEVA & THE VAL D HERENS Our birdwatching tour to Switzerland begins with a flight from London Heathrow to Geneva. We drive east along the Rhône valley to Sion, then swing south into the chocolate-box landscape of the glorious Val d Herens. Along the way, we should see our first Black Kites beside the banks of Lac Leman (Lake Geneva). Goshawk is also possible here. In the late afternoon we arrive at our quaint hotel in the beautiful Val d Herens, which will be our base throughout the holiday. Night Evolene Days 2-7 THE VAL D HERENS, RHONE VALLEY & GORNERGRAT GLACIER Waking to the crisp mountain air and gravelgargling song of Black Redstarts from the rooftops, our daily plan will depend a little on the weather - which, incidentally, is usually at its best in Switzerland in June. Much of our time will be spent exploring the woods and mountains of the Val d Herens itself (which is both a Parc Regional and a Biosphere Reserve), with its heady mix of stunning scenery, alpine scents and sounds, and alluring montane birds. The very rare Lammergeier is once again to be looked for in the skies over this fabulous region - our last four groups have all been lucky! Serins gabble away like speeded-up Corn Buntings, and Dippers and Grey Wagtails haunt the river at Evolene. We also have chances of finding the outsize Black Woodpecker here - although despite their size and far-carrying cries, they can prove surprisingly elusive. This lovely valley is also home to Crag Martin, hottempered Fieldfares, Rock Bunting and Redbacked Shrike. We should encounter a few alpine Ring Ouzels too, here of the frosted central European race alpestris. Golden Eagles sweep the skies and as we scan for them, we ll watch and listen for parties of fast-flying Alpine Swifts. Of special interest in this particular corner of Switzerland, we may be fortunate to come across the puzzling Italian Sparrow (variously treated as a hybrid between Spanish and House Sparrows, or as a subspecies of Spanish Sparrow); although it appears this little bird has now all but disappeared from its former haunts, we may see one with careful checking. Taking a walk above the tree-line to the high alpine meadows and the Tsidjoure Nouve glacier, Water Pipits and Alpine Willow Tits sing, and we may hear the creaking door call of perfectly-camouflaged Ptarmigan. The timid and rarely seen Rock Partridge also occurs here; though we should indeed be very fortunate to find one, we have been lucky to enjoy fantastic views on two or three previous tours! Arolla is best known as a climbing centre. Quiet in early summer, for the visiting birdwatcher dappled Nutcrackers screech from the tops of pines that are the haunt of Western Bonelli s Warbler, Firecrest and Crested and Willow Tits. In June, we have occasionally found Griffon Vulture and Citril Finch here too, along with the superb Rock Thrush. The upper slopes are the haunt of Alpine Chamois and Alpine Ibex, and this area also offers a good chance of finding the crimson-winged Wallcreeper - no mean feat in a landscape so vast! And with a splendid array of alpine butterflies to look for - including such delights as Mazarine and Amanda s Blues, Alpine and Pearly Heaths, Spotted and Knapweed Fritillaries, Almond-eyed and Swiss Brassy Ringlets, Mountain Clouded Yellow and Alpine Skipper - this is a place destined to linger long in the memory. On one of our days, after a relatively short drive east to Zermatt, we plan to take the mountain railway high up to the Gornergrat. Set at around 3000m, if visibility is good, stunning views across the glacier towards the Matterhorn will tempt our eyes away from the schools of playful Alpine Choughs, which jostle for visitors leftover food - and were close enough to stroke last time! Plump Alpine Marmots and endearing Snowfinches sometimes join in too, but the less demonstrative Alpine Accentors are much more easily overlooked as they shuffle quietly about. Two special butterflies to watch out for at this altitude are the Peak White and Silky Ringlet. Descending to the Riffelberg hotel, we have further opportunities to search for Snowfinch and check the alpine meadow for flowers such as 3 Call: info@limosaholidays.co.uk

4 the lovely Pink Rock Jasmine. Later, investigation of the lower slopes may reveal Red-backed Shrike, Northern Wheatear and Ortolan Bunting to round off another exciting day in the field. Up a side valley from the Val d Herens we will pay a visit to the immense Grande Dixence dam, taking the cable car up to the top and walking slowly back down. If the dam's vital statistics are impressive - 235m (935 feet) high and 200m (656 feet) wide at the base - so is the birding! We often see Golden Eagles cruising above the slopes and this site offers another chance for Lammergeier as well as Alpine Accentor, Ring Ouzel and singing Water Pipit. Switzerland's national flower, the Edelweiss, may be in bloom amongst many interesting plants on the slopes. Promising a whole new suite of birds, a visit to the floor of the Rhône Valley can be equally rewarding. There are Wallcreepers to look for at a special site and, remarkably, we might even find the Mediterranean Blue Rock Thrush at some towering cliffs. Nightingales, Blackcaps and Garden Warblers provide lots of background sound as we listen for the telltale voices of other valley dwellers such as Quail, Marsh Warbler, Whinchat and Golden Oriole. Overhead, we could see Peregrine or perhaps a dashing Hobby, while Common and Honey Buzzards are quick to take advantage of thermals as the day begins to warm and small parties of sub-alpine Swifts cruise the valleysides. Six nights Evolene Day 8 RETURN TO GENEVA, FLY LONDON Bidding a reluctant farewell to the Val d Herens after breakfast this morning, we make our way back west along the Rhône valley. If travel time permits (usually it does), we will enjoy a short stop at Les Grangettes, where the river flows into the eastern end of Lac Leman. Regular nowadays in summer, the Eider breeds only in Northern Europe and is a most surprising bird to find on the lake! An array of other wetland birds is possible too, with Black-necked and Great Crested Grebes, Red-crested Pochard and Yellow-legged Gull among species we have seen in the past. Our birding over, we continue to Geneva and board our afternoon flight to London (Heathrow), where our summer birdwatching and butterflies tour to the Swiss Alps concludes. Trip Information Group Size 12 participants & 2 leaders Birds species Butterflies Up to 70 species likely, depending upon the weather. Every year is different it seems, but we ve now recorded the incredible total of more than 120 different species on this remarkable tour! Accommodation 7 nights accommodation at one hotel in the Swiss Alps. Our hotel for the past dozen years on this tour is a small, quaint and very friendly family-run establishment in the quiet rural town of Evolene right at the heart of the picturesque Val d Herens. Hotels are few and far between in the gorgeous spot and while rooms at our charming little hotel (2 star) are modest, all have en suite facilities. Meals All main meals are included in the tour price commencing with dinner on arrival at Evolene on Day 1 and concluding with lunch on Day 8. Breakfasts are Continental-style and served at the hotel. Our dinners will be taken at a variety of local restaurants, all within a short stroll of our hotel in Evolene. Lunches are a mix of picnics and sit-down meals at a local Gasthof. Walking The floor of the Rhône valley is relatively flat and the going is easy. Elsewhere, our walks are not strenuous but this is the Alps of course, so expect some uphill stretches - all taken at a gentle pace, with our itinerary being carefully planned to avoid arduous hikes. Swiss alpine trails are well marked and generally in good condition. For our visit to Grande Dixence, we make the short ascent by cable car and walk back down. Stout walking shoes or lightweight boots with good corrugated soles for grip recommended for this tour. Maximum elevation on this tour: ca. 3100m (10000 feet). 4 Call: info@limosaholidays.co.uk

5 Weather The weather in the Swiss Alps is typically at its best in early summer (June), usually warm with plenty of sunshine. In the mountains of course, cloudy conditions with some rainfall are always possible - but we have found it s often possible to dodge poor weather locally by moving higher up or lower down the valleys. Temperature also varies according to altitude. In Zurich, the monthly range for June is 12-23C (54-74F). Flights We use the scheduled services of British Airways, Swiss or similar direct from London Heathrow-Geneva. Ground Transport By minibus. Photos Good-excellent incidental photographic opportunities, including birds, butterflies, alpine flowers and glorious mountain scenery. Tour Cost 2016 (8 days): 1845 (inc flights from London) Land only cost: 1695 Deposit: 300 Single Supp: 125 Cost includes Services of our expert guides, flights London (Heathrow)-Geneva, 7 nights hotel accommodation, all main meals (with water provided), all local travel (including mountain railway excursion to the Gornergrat and cable car to Grande Dixence), all entry fees, tour based tips and airport taxes, map & Limosa checklist of birds and butterflies for the tour. Cost excludes Insurance, drinks & other items of a personal nature. This trip will be operated in conjunction with The Travelling Naturalist About Your Guides Brian Small Brian lives in Suffolk with his wife and their teenage son. A teacher for 11 years, since 2013 he has worked full time for Limosa, guiding tours and as operations and media manager in the Limosa office. Brian has travelled widely around the globe and is the inspiration behind a growing number of Limosa tours, including Switzerland, Portugal and Madeira, Kuwait, India for Tigers, and Brazil. He regularly guides BirdWalks in Norfolk and Suffolk, too. Brian is an accomplished bird artist and his current projects include work on major new guides to birds in Brazil and various parts of Africa. Happily, he has lately recovered from a previous affliction that saw him sifting through gull flocks on the local pig fields (something of a solitary occupation we re told!) and he now concentrates on working his local patch on the Suffolk coast, searching especially for migrants. Brimming with infectious enthusiasm, Brian has been guiding our tours since 2002 and quickly acquired his own Limosa fan club. Switzerland has been a favourite destination since childhood and Brian not only designed but has also led the majority of our 'Swiss Alps in Summer' tours, now in its 13th season. A second Limosa guide (tba) will be added as group size warrants. What You Say: It was wonderful to be in the Swiss Alps. The scenery was magnificent and the birds, flowers and butterflies an interesting mixture. It was a great trip. The food at the hotel and restaurants was excellent too. MC, Switzerland tour Brian and Robin worked extremely hard, not only in making sure everybody saw as many of the birds, plants, butterflies and mammals as possible, but also that everyone was safe, comfortable and extremely well fed. The picnic lunches were marvellous. AM, Switzerland tour 5 Call: info@limosaholidays.co.uk

6 Both Nadine and I had a marvellous experience on this tour. I tallied seven life birds, oodles of butterflies and wildflowers, and best of all, many, many wonderful memories of stunning alpine scenery. The ability to stay and relax at one lodge for the entire week rather than rush from hotel to hotel was a real plus... Your tour leaders were superb - friendly, witty, accommodating to needs of various participants and above all were exceptional at finding and working to ensure everyone saw all the animals and plants around at that time of year. This trip was very good value for money and I am glad I had the opportunity to enjoy it. BT, Switzerland tour Financial Security Limosa Holidays is a fully bonded Tour Operator and a member of the Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO). We hold an ATOL (Air Tour Operators Licence) granted by the CAA, providing for your protection in the event of Limosa Holidays' insolvency. Our licence number is ATOL For tours not including the cost of a flight from the UK or for holidays booked by you as Land Only, all payments made to us are fully bonded through the Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited (ABTOT). Our ABTOT membership number is For details please see our brochure or website: Limosa Loyalty Discount We are proud of the number of loyal customers who travel regularly with us. As our way of saying thank you, we offer a Frequent Travel Discount. Under the scheme, everyone who takes four trips with us is entitled to claim a 5% discount on their 5th trip *1. Remember to request your discount at time of booking! *1 Please note: This offer applies to the basic tour cost only and excludes certain commissionbased trips, extras such as additional flights, private extensions and cancellations. Discounts cannot be given in lieu of tour deposits or off the cost of single room supplements. How To Book Check availability on our website or with our office. We are happy to hold Provisional Reservations for up to 7 days. After this, we do require a Booking Form and deposit to confirm your place on tour. Any unconfirmed space will be released. Book Online, by Phone or by Post You can book and pay the deposit simply and securely Online via our website, using the Book This Tour button on the relevant tour page or the Booking tab at the top of the page. Telephone bookings must be confirmed in writing by completion of a Booking Form (there's one tucked inside every brochure or as a PDF download from our website), which can be mailed to us in the time honoured way. Be sure to read our Booking Conditions and General Information (found at the back of our brochure, on our website or available from our office on request) prior to booking. When to Book Early booking is advised since flights and accommodation are much more easily secured well in advance. To encourage early booking, we are pleased to offer an Early Bird Discount - see our current brochure or website for details. Our tours are limited to small group sizes. So they can fill up quickly - sometimes even before our new brochure comes out! Single rooms in particular can often be in short supply and among the first to go, so do try to plan well ahead if you definitely require one of these. Last-minute Bookings: We inevitably receive a few unexpected cancellations over the course of a season so it is always worth enquiring about vacancies on any tour - even for those departing in just a few weeks! 6 Call: info@limosaholidays.co.uk

7 Payments The amount of booking deposit per person is shown alongside every tour. We accept deposit payments by debit card, cheque (payable to Limosa Holidays and drawn on a UK bank in GB Pounds Sterling) and BACS (please ask for our bank details). We also accept Visa and MasterCard credit cards, with no transaction charge on payment of tour deposits. Full payment of the balance is due not later than 12 weeks prior to departure (20 weeks in the case of certain tours such as cruises or those involving rail travel). We will send you an invoice before the balance is due. We accept payment for balances (and interim payments) by cheque, BACS or UK debit card. We also accept balances (and interim payments) by credit card or overseas debit card but with a charge of 2% of the transaction amount to help offset card company charges. [Note that we do not retain your card details, which are destroyed once used. This means we may need to phone you again for details for subsequent payments.] Payment by overseas customers must be in GB Pounds Sterling and may be made by transfer to our bank (please ask for our bank details), or by overseas debit or credit card with a 2% transaction charge. Please note we do not accept cheques on US Banks in US Dollars, or cheques in Euros or Eurocheques. Late Booking Payments: In order for us to guarantee your airline seats, hotels etc., full payment is required at time of booking for all late bookings (i.e. bookings made within 12 weeks of departure). Other Things You Need To Know Passports & Visas All participants must be in possession of a valid passport. For UK passport holders, your passport should be valid for the proposed duration of your stay. Although no additional period of validity beyond this is required, when travelling anywhere overseas we always recommend your passport has a minimum of 6 months left to run after your intended date of return home, in case of unforeseen delay. VISA NOT REQUIRED by UK passport holders to enter Switzerland. All other nationalities should contact the nearest Swiss embassy or consulate to check whether or not they require a visa. If a visa is required, you will need to apply locally. If the embassy or consulate requires you to provide a letter confirming that you are booked on an allinclusive tour, please contact our office and we will be happy to provide one. Health & Vaccinations Compulsory vaccinations: None. Recommended vaccinations: For travel everywhere (even within the UK) we recommend you check you are up-to-date with protection against tetanus, polio and hepatitis A. Ticks occur in grassy, forested and wetland areas below 1400m during the summer months across most of continental Europe, including Switzerland. If you are at all concerned by this, you may wish to seek advice about inoculations and other measures to prevent tick-related problems (such as tick-borne encephalitis) prior to travel. The above information, together with that contained within our Travel Information sheets (sent to everyone who books), outlines health requirements for this tour. Please note that these details are given for guidance only - and are only for certain diseases - and you must consult your doctor in good time prior to travel as to what immunisations (if any) are needed for your chosen holiday. For full and up-to-date health information we urge everyone to consult The National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) website prior to booking any overseas holiday. NaTHNaC is funded by the UK Government s Health Protection Agency and provides health information for both health professionals and travellers, with information compiled by its own 7 Call: info@limosaholidays.co.uk

8 clinical and scientific team. You can search for individual country requirements, which are updated regularly. Your Safety & Travel Advice An unavoidable aspect of travelling abroad nowadays is the risk it may pose to your safety and security. The best advice on current risks is provided by the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO). In order to assess and protect against any risks in your chosen destination we strongly recommended that you refer to the relevant FCO Travel Advice - both prior to booking and regularly before you travel. See It is standard Limosa policy for our office to send a copy of the relevant FCO Travel Advice about the tour to all participants along with their Final Letter (ca. 2-3 weeks prior to the trip). Know Before You Go - staying safe and healthy abroad - is a travel safety campaign run by the FCO, and another useful resource. Go to: Further useful information on visas, health, etc., can be found at the World Travel Guide website: Travel Insurance Good travel insurance is essential before setting off on any overseas trip. In common with all responsible tour operators, it is a condition of booking that all clients are fully and adequately insured before travelling overseas with us. Your travel insurance should cover against cancellation, curtailment, missed departure, delay, personal accident, death, loss of baggage and valuables (see note below), personal liability and legal expenses. Most importantly, your insurance must cover you fully in respect of medical care and repatriation should you become too ill to continue with the tour, including the cost of emergency evacuation by helicopter or air ambulance should this be necessary. Note that passenger liability insurance covering the transportation that we hire, particularly in Third World countries, may be inadequate; it is therefore important that your insurance cover includes sufficient provision for your dependents in the event of an accident. We recommend that you obtain travel insurance as soon as possible after booking your holiday to ensure you are protected right from the word go in the event of unexpected cancellation prior to departure due to accident or illness. You must inform your insurers of any pre-existing medical conditions (including those of persons not necessarily travelling but upon whom your holiday may depend) that may require treatment during a period of overseas travel or might cause you to cancel the trip. Once you have arranged your insurance, please be sure to send us the following essential details: name and contact details of your insurance provider, your policy number, expiry date and your insurers 24hr Emergency Assistance number. Important Things to Note about Travel Insurance Travel Insurance does not normally provide sufficient cover for valuable optical equipment, which is often best protected under your own household insurance policy. If in doubt ask your insurers for advice prior to travel. Most travel insurance policies limit the amount of cover, typically up to a maximum tour cost of 5000 per person. If the tour you are booking exceeds this amount, additional cover can usually be provided upon payment of additional premium. We recommend all travellers check their individual policy limit to ensure the full cost of their holiday is covered. Arranging Your Insurance: due to UK Government legislation, under Financial Services Authority (FSA) regulations, we are not allowed to offer or recommend travel related insurance to customers. Premiums can vary widely according to your age, needs, health, choice of destination and other factors, while many people nowadays have Annual Travel Insurance cover. For these reasons, we leave you 8 Call: info@limosaholidays.co.uk

9 free to shop around and pick your own policy, one best suited to your own individual needs. General Information Our website gives easy access to detailed tour itineraries (Tour Info Packs), trip reports, trip photos and the latest Limosa News. Special Diets & Other Requests We pass on all such requests to the airlines, hotels and other suppliers, and do our best to ensure (but of course cannot guarantee) that your needs will be met. Please be sure to tell us about these (in as much detail as possible) at the time of booking, to allow good time to make the necessary arrangements. Smoking Almost all of our clients prefer a smoke-free environment. For the enjoyment and comfort of all, we ask that smokers refrain from smoking in proximity to the group and respect our NO SMOKING policy in the vehicle, at meal times and when watching wildlife. Any Questions? If you have any questions at any time, you ll find our office staff friendly, efficient, approachable - and just a phone call away, eager to assist you in every way. Our office is open hrs Mon-Fri, and can also be reached by fax and . In the event we are unable to take your call, please leave a message on our answerphone (24 hrs) and our office will contact you as soon as we can. Thank you for your interest in our tours. We do hope that you will be able to join us - and we look forward to hearing from you again! CK Call: info@limosaholidays.co.uk