An additional extension day of guided bird watching / photography in Penang can be added on this itinerary (inclusive of guiding fees, all transport & meals but excluding additional night’s accommodation in Penang):

Based on 1 person : MYR 700.00 per person per day

Based on 2 persons : MYR 330.00 per person per day

Based on 3 persons : MYR 220.00 per person per day


  1. -Validity from immediate to 31st October 2011 only

  2. -Prices are based on twin sharing of rooms

  3. -Single supplement charges will apply if you wish for a single room.

  4. -Prices are valid for a fixed validity period and subject to revision whenever possible to allow for savings from off-peak periods and new promotions by the hotel.

  5. -Trip is subject to a minimum of only 1 confirmed place.


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Notes

This is only a sample itinerary, and the routes and timing may change according to local weather & environmental conditions, but the content of the trip will remain essentially the same as stated above.


The guiding for all my Guided Nature Photo Safaris are not outsourced. Be assured that I, myself will be personally leading each and every one of the tours offered on this website.


This program is well structured for the bird photographer with ample time allocated to allow for getting a better photograph and there will be regular feeding stations where the photographer will be able to get near to the birds without much difficulty.


This is a Instructional Guided Photo Safari.

Have no concerns if you are a beginner bird photographer as there will be full on-hand instructions & tips on site on actual shooting techniques so that you can learn to take great pictures on the fly. I will be there to guide you on proper camera metering, WB and exposure settings, proper handling techniques for your setup and also advice on the compositional and creative aspects of bird photography. Tips on techniques & tools used in post capture image editing will also be available after hours.


The peak hours for bird activity at the venues in this itinerary is from 0700hrs to 1100hrs and again from 1530hrs to 1700hrs.


All trips are available all year round, but prices may be adjusted for peak periods (school & public holidays).


Advance booking is required for adequate forward planning. Kindly allow minimum two months prior to departure date.


Personal Travel Insurance

We strongly recommend that you purchase relevant & adequate travel insurance to cover your entire stay in Malaysia that includes this trip. Be assured that there is no high risk activity offered in this itinerary that is not covered by a standard travel insurance policy.


We can purchase travel insurance for you if you are not covered at an additional charge of MYR 70.00 per person.


Payment & Deposit

- Payment of 50% is required upon confirmation of booking (confirmation is subject to availability of rooms)

- The balance of the payment must be made 14 days prior to the date of commencement of trip.

- We reserve the right to cancel the booking should the payment not received by the deadline given.


Payment can be made by fund transfer to any of the following bank accounts :

- Maybank (MBB) Account Number  : 107152135075

- CIMB Bank Account Number : 07140006886059

(note - all under account holder name ”CHOO TSE CHIEN”)


For convenience, payments and booking deposits can also be accepted in your local home currency using Paypal. Please request for conversion to your local currency for this.


Contact

Please contact me at tsechien@me.com or by calling +60124748354 (if in Malaysia, just dial 0124748354) if you are interested in getting a place on this this trip.

 

Guided Instructional Photo Safaris by Choo Tse Chien

DAY 2

(Breakfast, lunch & dinner included)

Check out from Penang hotel and the morning birding & photography session will be at a dense lowland evergreen forest area for trogons, bulbuls, forest kingfishers, flowerpeckers, sunbirds, spiderhunters, barbet, broadbills and woodpeckers. If the fig trees are fruiting, the chances of seeing the rhinoceros hornbills and the white crowned hornbills will be high.

You can expect to see birds such as blue banded kingfishers, chestnut naped forktails, blue winged pittas, rhinoceros hornbills, white crowned hornbills, bulbuls - black headed, hairy backed, olive winged, red eye, Finches, yellow bellied, etc etc, scarlet rumped trogons, diard's trogons, various flowerpeckers - crimson breasted, orange bellied, scarlet back and plain, oriental dwarf kingfishers, lineated barbets, gold whiskered barbets, blue eared barbets, banded woodpeckers, laced woodpeckers, checker throated woodpeckers, crimson winged woodpeckers, buff & grey woodpeckers.


Please note that the Bird listing here is only representative and is far from being comprehensive. If there are species you are specifically searching for, please tell us and we can see what we can do.


1300hrs - Lunch en route depending on timings at each venue.

1400hrs - depart for Kuala Gula which is about 60-90 minutes drive away.

1530hrs - arrival at the small fishing village of Kuala Gula where we will check into a homestay

1630hrs to 1830hrs - First boat ride out to the mangrove waterways of the estuary system at Kuala Gula. This will be a private hire (for us only) and the boat will be spacious and stable enough to accommodate 3-4 photographers with 500mm/600mm with tripod legs open.

You can expect to see birds such as milky storks, lesser adjutants, collared kingfishers, stork billed kingfishers, white throated kingfishers, black capped kingfishers, common kingfishers, brahminy kites, white bellied sea eagles, black shouldered kites, black thigh falconets, dollarbirds, pied fantails, greater goldenback woodpeckers, sunda pygmy woodpeckers, blue throated beeeaters, chestnut headed beeeaters, blue tailed beeeaters.


Please note that the Bird listing here is only representative and is far from being comprehensive. If there are species you are specifically searching for, please tell us and we can see what we can do.


1930hrs - seafood dinner and overnight in Kuala Gula

DAY 3

(Breakfast, lunch & dinner included)

0730hrs to 1130hrs - Second boat ride out to the mangrove waterways of the estuary system at Kuala Gula. This will be a private hire (for us only) and the boat will be spacious and stable enough to accommodate 3-4 photographers with 500mm/600mm with tripod legs open.

You can expect to see birds such as milky storks, lesser adjutants, collared kingfishers, stork billed kingfishers, white throated kingfishers, black capped kingfishers, common kingfishers, brahminy kites, white bellied sea eagles, black shouldered kites, black thigh falconets, dollarbirds, pied fantails, greater goldenback woodpeckers, sunda pygmy woodpeckers, blue throated beeeaters, chestnut headed beeeaters, blue tailed beeeaters.


Please note that the Bird listing here is only representative and is far from being comprehensive. If there are species you are specifically searching for, please tell us and we can see what we can do.


1230hrs - seafood lunch at Kuala Gula

1330 to 1400hrs - Depart for nearby historic town of Taiping and some sightseeing and birding along the way.

1930hrs - check into Taiping hotel followed by dinner. Overnight in Taiping town


DAY 4

(Only breakfast & lunch is included)

Early morning departure at 0700hrs for the jeep ride up to the summit of Maxwell Hill at 1,150 meters above sea level. The jeep ride to the summit takes approximately 45 minutes.

You can expect to see birds such as rufous browed flycatchers, Pygmy wren-babblers, Black throated sunbirds, Golden babblers, Ochraceous bulbuls, Large niltavas, Asian paradise flycatchers, Grey headed canary-flycatchers, Streaked spiderhunters, Mountain bulbuls, White chested yuhinas, Bronzed drongos, Pacific swallows, Black crested bulbuls, Little pied flycatchers, White throated fantails, Grey wagtails, Mountain fulvettas, Mountain leaf-warblers, Chestnut capped laughingthrushes, White rumped shamas, Red bearded beeeaters, Orange breasted trogons, Red headed trogons, Black throated barbets, Lesser shortwings, Mountain imperial pigeons.


Please note that the Bird listing here is only representative and is far from being comprehensive. If there are species you are specifically searching for, please tell us and we can see what we can do.


1300hrs -1400hrs - lunch en route while birding

1500hrs - Descend from hilltop of Maxwell Hill to base.

1600hrs - Drive back to Penang for airport drop off (for late evening flight) and check into to hotel.

(please advice if you require a post night's stay in Penang so that we can try to arrange a booking for you OR your departure flight times so that we can time your arrival at Penang airport  departures appropriately)


Inclusions : the following are included :

- Pick up and drop off anywhere in Penang or Penang International Airport

  1. -1 night’s accommodation in Penang (All rooms have attached bathrooms and toilets with hot and cold showers)

  2. -1 night’s accommodation in a homestay in Kuala Gula (private air conditioned rooms with attached how showers and toilets)

  3. -1 night’s accommodation in Taiping (All rooms have attached bathrooms and toilets with hot and cold showers)

- All transportation costs by private 4WD including fuel and toll

- Includes all meals (B/L/D) daily

  1. -Personal bird photography guide for entire duration of tour (4 days)


Exclusions : the following are not included :

- Personal travel insurance

- Any orders on alcohol

- Additional meals and snacks

- Additional activities not specifically listed in above itinerary

- Other incidentals - telephone calls, laundry, paid wifi internet access, room minibar charges.


Prices :

During the migration season, you will quite likely see all these 5 species of kingfishers on the boat trips

Migratory shorebirds such as these pictured above are found in the mudflats around Kuala Gula making it a very important stop-over on their winter & spring migration runs.

All images and content Copyright © Choo Tse Chien. All Rights Reserved

Trio of Chestnut headed beeeaters (merops leschenaulti) in Penanti, Penang. These birds nest each year in Penang from the moths of February to April

As a gauge, MYR 3.00 is equivalent to roughly USD 1.00