Tour Guide Contents

1. Departures
2. Inclusions and Exclusions
3. Registration and Liability Waiver
4. Reservation Cancellations
5. Tour Cancellations
6. Clothing and Footwear
7. Personal Essentials
8. Books, Guides, Etc.
9. Toilets/Human Waste
10. Garbage
11. Safety and Security
12. Fitness and Health
13. Drinking Water
14. Day Trip Packs
15. Pre/Post Tour Accommodations
16. Valuables
17. Accommodation
18. Food
19. Luggage

a. Departures

Consult the Tour Program Walking & Hiking Tours or Scenic, Nature & History Tours for place of departure. Your guide will pick you up at your accommodation at the time specified on the Detailed Tour Itinerary on departure day. It is essential that you contact us a few days prior to departure to tell us where to find you. Call our office in Halifax Toll free: 1- 877- 455 - 3595, (local call 455-3595 ), or as otherwise advised.

Halifax is the port of entry to Nova Scotia for all international flights. The airport is approximately 25 minutes from the city centre. If you are joining a Newfoundland tour, there are flights into Saint John's, and Deer Lake. For other countries, contact us for information.

b. Inclusions and Exclusions

The listed price for all scheduled tours includes all accommodations and meals (including server gratuities) except: a) breakfast on departure day, supper on the last day, and b) accommodation on the last day. Transportation starting from the point of departure and return to the same location at the end of the tour, including bridge, highway, and ferry tolls is included. National and Provincial Parks fees along with any entrance fees for attractions listed in the itinerary are included. Your tour guide and interpretation are included. The individual tour descriptions may contain specific inclusions not mentioned above. Some activities such as boat cruises are not included and are identified as 'optional' or 'extra $' in the Tour Program or Detailed Tour Itinerary. For custom custom tours, tour-specific inclusions/exclusions may apply.

Taxes are included in the listed price. The tax rate is 13% (Federal/Provincial HST). Visitors to Canada are eligible for a partial rebate (50%) of this tax. Note that this rebate is only applicable to Canadian tours.

c. Registration and Liability Waivers

All participants must complete a Registration Form and sign a Release of Liability and Assumption of Risk, Waiver Form before the trip departs. Any travel experience has inherent risks beyond the accepted safety of life at home or work. It is important that you acknowledge and accept these risks before joining our tours. Please read the Waiver carefully and make sure you understand it before signing. Both forms are included in the brochure package.

To register for a tour, fill out both the forms and fax or mail them to our office.

d. Reservation Cancellations

If notice of your cancellation is received by our office before the start of our pre-departure period, which is the 28 days preceding departure day, money paid less a $50.00 cancellation fee, will be refunded. If notice of your cancellation is received within the 28 day pre-departure period, refunds are subject to the following conditions:

1. we will not grant a refund if the tour was fully booked when you cancelled, and the vacant place cannot be sold before departure;
2. we will not grant a refund if your cancellation, resulted in a tour departure with less than our minimum complement of 5 persons;
3. where neither a), or b) applies, we will refund your payment after deducting any unrecoverable expenses paid to our suppliers for goods and services, such as but not limited to, accommodations and transportation. In addition, we charge $150.00 for a cancellation made within the 28 day pre-departure period, and this fee will be deducted from your original payment.

e. Tour Cancellations

Atlantic Canada Nature Safaris will not cancel a tour within the 28 day pre-departure period, if departure has been confirmed and your full payment has been received, except where circumstances beyond our control prohibit departure. Otherwise, we reserve the right to cancel any scheduled tour. You will receive a full refund of any money paid if a tour is cancelled. We do not compensate or reimburse any related expenses incurred as a result of a cancellation. Purchase of refundable airline tickets and/or appropriate travel insurance is recommended.

f. Clothing and Footwear

You may refer to the following temperature chart and compare it to your own area to select appropriate clothing for Atlantic Canada. For climate info outside Atlantic Canada, consult country specific web sites.

• SUMMER: Day 20 to 25C (68 to 77F), Night 10 to 14C (50 to 57F).
• SPRING, FALL: Day 10 to 16C (50 to 61F), Night 2 to 6C (36 to 43F)

On the coastline, the temperature may be a few degrees lower than it is inland because the wind often blows over cooler ocean water. Also, there is less protection from the wind. The temperature can change dramatically within a very narrow zone along the shoreline. In general, clothing should be lightweight and quick drying. Layering light, thin items is the best way to stay comfortable because you will be able to make adjustments for the broad range of temperatures and activities encountered during the course of a day.

On longer hikes, avoid wearing heavyweight 100% cotton items such as sweat/track pants and tops and blue jeans. In hot weather you will quickly overheat and in wet weather they become sodden, uncomfortable and dry very slowly. We also advise that you choose lighter colours and avoid black in hot sunny weather. While hiking, the combination of exertion, hot sun, and heavy, dark clothing can result in a very uncomfortable condition called heat exhaustion. Like prolonged exposure to cold without sufficient clothes, prolonged exposure to extreme heat exacerbated by improper clothing can be life threatening.

Dressing appropriately is an issue of comfort and safety, whether the weather is cold or hot, so please choose you clothing carefully. The following clothing items are recommended.

1. Hat (wide brim preferable). In spring and fall , light gloves may be useful on some days
2. Tops - short sleeve shirt; long sleeve shirt; medium to heavy weight sweater/pullover; lightweight, waterproof, jacket/anorak.
3. Bottoms - short pants (except early spring and late fall); long pants; long underwear bottoms or tights (early spring and fall); swimsuit; lightweight, waterproof pants.
4. Footwear - Light hiking boots with ankle support are recommended as minimum footwear for all hiking/walking tours. Serious, backpacking type hiking boots are not necessary . We recommend that you bring an additional pair of footwear as a backup for your hiking or walking shoes. Light walking shoes or runners ar suitable for Scenic, Nature and History Tours.
   Boots that you have never worn before can give you a lot of misery, especially if the problem persists and the shop you bought them from is on the other side of the world. Try to do some walking in new boots before you leave home. Also, try on and walk in any old boots that you have not worn in a long while to make sure they are OK.

g. Personal Essentials

If you are dependent upon medications and equipment such as eye glasses, make sure you bring enough of what you need for the entire trip, and pack a spare pair of glasses if you can't do without them. There will be shops along the way that carry most of what you need, but they may not be open when your need is greatest. Your kit of personal essentials should include at least the following items: toiletries, prescription medications, eye glasses, sun screen, insect repellant, binoculars, and camera plus film. Print film is usually available in the smallest of shops along the way but slide film and camera batteries are not. Make sure you have all the slide film and batteries you need before departure.

We do not have the capacity to transport lots of luggage during the tour. Please limit your luggage to one standard large (not extra large) piece, or two small pieces of equivalent volume, per person. If you have luggage that is not required during the tour, please make arrangements to store it at your accommodation, or we will assist with storage.

h. Books, Guides, Etc.

We carry a small library of reference materials in the tour van for your use. However, they are not for use in the field during hikes. Your guide will bring field guides on all hikes and walks, and by all means, bring your own.

i. Toilets/Human Waste

There will be periods during hikes and walks when toilets are not available. Choose a location well away (50 paces recommended, although not usually possible or practical) from any stream, pond, or lake and cover your feces and toilet paper thoroughly. When on the open, uninhabited coastline, you can do 'it' in the intertidal zone (below the high tide line), but stay well back from the water's edge to avoid being swept away by breaking waves. Cover everything thoroughly with rocks, sand, etc. Suffice to say that everyone's tolerance level for carelessness in this matter is extremely low.

j. Garbage

Everything that is carried into a wilderness area, except for what is eaten or ingested, will be carried out.

k. Safety and Security

Your safety throughout the tour is our primary concern. While the activities that you will be engaged in are low risk, there are some conditions that warrant vigilance and caution.

In particular, on some trails there are steep embankments and cliffs that do not have a guard rail or barrier of any kind. We will be hiking along some sections of shoreline where rapid erosion is common and trails that follow the edge of embankments may be undermined. This is a condition that is not always visible from the trail. In general, regard all such areas as unstable and potentially dangerous. Please follow instructions from your guide and keep well back from the edge of any embankment or precipice.

Our guides are trained to attend to minor injuries, and we carry a First Aid Kit and communication equipment. Participants should be aware that in wilderness conditions, an injury or other medical emergency places a victim at greater risk than in areas where professional medical help and services are readily available.

People who have a history of anaphylactic reaction to any food or insect bites, such as bee stings, are encouraged to carry an injectable epinephrine (adrenaline) kit(s) that will administer at least two doses.

There are no 'poisonous' snakes or other such creatures that have a lethal, venomous bite in Atlantic Canada and Ireland. There are no grizzly bears but there are black bears; however, sightings of black bears are not common and encounters on the trails are very, very rare. Technically, you will be in 'bear country'. The risk of injury due to contact with wildlife is as low as it gets in North America. There are no bears in Ireland.

In the interests of safety, if weather and other environmental or physical conditions warrant, we reserve the right to change the program or itinerary as set out in our literature or otherwise communicated during the course of the tour.

l. Fitness and Health

If you have health problems, particularly respiratory or circulatory problems, we caution that these medical conditions can impair your ability to participate and could be dangerous. It is very important that you disclose any such problems, as well as allergies etc., on the Registration Form. Please consult your doctor for advice if you have any such medical problems.

Note that some hiking/walking tours are more physically demanding than others. This should not present any problem unless you have a health problem or a particular aversion to activities that are moderately physically challenging. Expect a variety of trail surface conditions. The range includes stable, smooth surfaces such as compacted gravel and board walks to loose cobble or sandy beaches nd unsurfaced wilderness footpaths. We try to minimize the time spent on trails that do not have a prepared or maintained surface, but avoiding them completely would seriously limit our selection of hiking venues. The Tour Program contains a general description of trails for each tour, and if after reading the program, you want more details on trails, please contact our office.

m. Drinking Water

We do not drink water from streams or lakes, and if it in the case of an emergency it is necessary to do so, the water would be boiled, filtered, or chemically treated. While hiking, each person will carry his/her own drinking water or other beverage. We have bottles, but encourage you to bring your personal bottle. We strongly urge that you drink lots of water while hiking (minimum of 1.5 to 2 litres/quarts per person per day is the recommended minimum). Do not wait until you are thirsty to drink; sip regularly throughout the day. In very hot weather this is a very serious concern.

n. Day Trip Packs

While hiking, it will be necessary for you to carry a small day pack containing your personal essentials (eg. water, binoculars, snacks, rain jacket and pants etc.). One small day pack per person is recommended.

o. Pre and Post Tour Accommodation

There are numerous options for pre-departure and post tour accommodation including hotels, inns, B&B's, as well as the YMCA\YWCA, and hostels at our departure points. We welcome your questions and can make suggestions that may be helpful, but request that you make your own bookings.

Tourism Nova Scotia operates a toll free booking service. The number is: 1-800-565-0000. The Nova Scotia 'Doers And Dreamers Complete Guide' is a comprehensive tourist guide which includes accommodation listings. Free copies are available by request at this same number. Newfoundland's Department of Tourism has a similar service. The number is: 1-800-563-6353. The internet is the best source of location specific accommodation for Ireland.

p. Valuables

We strongly advise that you do not leave valuables such as cash, credit cards, passports, and plane tickets in the vehicle while you are on the trail or otherwise away from the van. The vehicle is parked in a secure location whenever possible, but there are situations when this is not practical or possible. There is no way to assure the security of your possessions, and Atlantic Canada Nature Safaris assumes no responsibility beyond our insurance obligations for anything lost or stolen at any time. To reduce the risk of financial loss and major disruption of your holiday, please carry valuables with you at all times in a manner appropriate for travel. A sturdy plastic bag with a water tight seal such as a 'zip lock' bag will keep your valuables dry, secure, and organized while on the trail.

q. Accommodation

On most tours, we stay at Country Inns and Lodges. On some tours, where inns and lodges are not available, we use carefully selected B&B's, motels, or cabins. Whenever possible, we use accommodations that are on the ocean or with ocean views, or on a lake or river. Type of accommodation for each tour is specified in the Tour Program and the Tour Itinerary. Double occupancy with a private bathroom is standard. There is a surcharge for a Single Private Room (SPR). Note that you are responsible for your accommodation on the last day.

r. Food

In most cases, our accommodations have a dining room or a restaurant where we have breakfast and supper (dinner), otherwise we use a reputable independent restaurant. The supper meal includes a starter ( either an appetiser, soup, or salad ), a main course, a dessert, and a non-alcoholic beverage. In some cases, high price, speciality main courses are not included. You will be advised of these menu items. Alcoholic beverages are not included, so please make arrangements with your server to pay for these refreshments. As with supper, breakfast is ordered from the menu. You do not have to leave tips for meals; this is included in the tour package. Lunches are picnic style. Picnics are prepared and served by staff and we generally eat while on the trail or as otherwise convenient. Note that breakfast on departure day, and supper on the last day are not included in the tour price. These meals are your responsibility.

s. Luggage

We do not have the capacity to transport lots of luggage during the tour. Please limit your luggage to one standard large (not extra large) piece, or two small pieces of equivalent volume, per person. If you have luggage that is not required during the tour, please make arrangements to store it at your accommodation, or we will assist with storage.

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