Cotonouwill be the fifth new destination on the continent that the airline has introduced since October last year. Ndola (Zambia), Kigali (Rwanda), Bujumbura (Burundi) and Pointe Noire (Congo) were other recent additions to its expansive route network in Africa. Cotonou is the economic capital of Benin and the country’s largest city.

This unique cruise combines African coastal cruising along the coast of Senegal and Gambia, with exploration of the Saloun Delta and the Gambia River.

The very reasonably priced optional excursion programme gives passengers the opportunity to discover the diverse flora and fauna of this wonderful area as well as the fascinating culture and history of the local inhabitants.

Seafarer Managing Director, Chris Lorenzo said “This superb and quite unique cruise is a repeat of the very successful cruise series operated here last winter, whilst the 23 cabin mega yacht Pegasus, is the only European owned and crewed cruises vessel operating in this area”.

Facilities on board the Pegasus include ample sun decks, a spacious and comfortable lounge and bar, a restaurant and well appointed outside cabins with air conditioning and en suite facilities. Pegasus is fully SOLAS compliant, and cruises the Mediterranean and Black Sea during the summer months.

Early booking prices for a 7 night cruise from Senegal start at £1225pp cruise only, or from £1,888 with flights and transfers. A 2 night extension in Dakar, Senegal with excursions costs £395

For More info Contact Chris Lorenzo at
Seafarer Cruising & Sailing Holidays
On 0208 324 3117 or email on info@seafarercruises.com

Outdoor Research Bug Bucket Hat Khaki, L – With no-see-um netting to hold off the bugs, the Outdoor Research Bug Bucket Hat is an ideal choice for mosquito protection when you’re camping in buggy environments. The netting on the Bug Bucket Hat seals around your neck with a drawcord and stuffs into the crown when not in use. Made with UPF 30+ SolarSheild fabric, this Outdoor Research hat also keeps the sun from burning your head and neck. The Bug Bucket hat stuffs into a hidden pocket, allowing it to stow easily when not in use.

Located on a prime beachfront site adjacent to Cotonou’s convention center, close to the Presidential Palace in the diplomatic and government quarter of the city and within a five-minute drive from the international airport and sea port, the Cotonou Marriott will provide recreational amenities including a private beach, outdoor swimming pool, a health and leisure club and tennis courts. Other features will include five restaurants from which guest can choose from a casual, all-day dining experience, a specialty restaurant, a pool grille, a sports bar serving light snacks and a lobby lounge that will be part of a versatile, multi-purpose space that will serve as a social center for guests and local residents.

Other amenities will include a state-of-the-art business center, 24-hour room service, in room mini bar and safe, retail space for sundries, wide-screen television, Internet services and airport shuttle transfers. A special lounge will be available for airline crews. For conferences and social events, the Cotonou Marriott will have 800 square meters of flexible function space consisting of a 400-square-meter ballroom that will be divisible into four sections and will feature natural light, a boardroom, and 360 meters of space consisting of a five individual, interconnecting rooms. For more information, visit www.marriott.com

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In Vietnam and Cambodia, Lindblad is offering a cruise along the Mekong River, including Angkor and Saigon, aboard the new, 48-passenger Jahan.

The 14-day itinerary takes in the temples of Angkor; the floating villages, markets and small communities along the Mekong; and the cities of Phnom Penh and Saigon.

Rates start at $7,980 per person, double.

In Turkey and Greece, Lindblad is offering a new itinerary and a new expedition environment aboard the 58-passenger, four-masted Sea Cloud. “Exploring Turkey & Greece: A Sailing Odyssey” is a journey to the home of Western civilization along the Turkish coast and the Greek isles.

The 10-day itinerary includes visits to Istanbul, a bridge between East and West; Ephesus, one of the great centers of the Greek world; Didyma, home to one of Apollo’s oracles; and Greece’s Cycladic islands of Santorini, Folégandros and sacred Delos, home to some of the greatest works created by the ancients. Rates start at $7,990 per person, double.

The “West African Odyssey: Exploring from South Africa to Morocco” cruise spans 16 countries.

The 37-day itinerary explores the entire west coast of Africa from Cape Town, South Africa, to Morocco, offering an array of cultures, scenery and wildlife. Guests will experience daily life in Africa through its markets and music and encounter a great sweep of geography, including the maritime climate of South Africa, the deserts of Namibia, the tropics and savannas of the coast, the desert of the Western Sahara and the city of Marrakech.

The adventure takes place aboard the 148-guest National Geographic Explorer with rates from $28,480 per person, double.

“Exploring the Cultures and Wildlife of Papua New Guinea” is a 16-day itinerary that explores the country’s natural splendor and cultures aboard the 68-guest Oceanic Discoverer.

Guests will observe the active volcano Tavurvur; visit the villagers’ traditional homes and yam huts in the Trobriands, whose cultures were famously studied by anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski; and view art along the Sepik River and the remains of a ship stored in a cave by the Japanese during World War II at Rabaul.

Throughout the voyage, guests can beach comb, swim and snorkel on some of the finest coral reefs in the world. Rates start at $14,790 per person, double.

For more information, call 800-397-3348 or visit www.expeditions.com

Key ports of call include Banjul, Gambia; Walvis Bay, Namibia; Cape Town, South Africa, for two nights; Port Louis, Mauritius; Dubai for an overnight; Abu Dhabi; Muscat, Oman; Alexandria, Egypt; Piraeus, for Athens, Greece; and Valletta, Malta.

“On the itinerary planning front, cruises featuring ports of call across North Africa and the Middle East have come under scrutiny,” said Nigel Lingard, Fred Olsen’s marketing director. “Despite these constraints, we continue to expand our horizons, offering new destinations wherever possible.”

Prices start at $12,043 per person, based on two adults sharing an inside, twin-bed cabin. Up to $600 onboard spending per person is available, depending on cabin grade. Those who book before May 31 receive early booking savings. For more information, call 800-843-0602, email info@bortonoverseas.com  or visit www.bortonoverseas.com

Extensions are run by The Rivers of West Africa program, which operates from Dakar-Senegal. Small vessels sail upstream, at a leisurely pace, with stops in fishing villages or commercial towns along the Atlantic Ocean or as much as 240 miles upstream the Gambia River. Daily excursions will bring in the heart of this fascinating land with its colourful fauna and flora.

With comfort and safety always in mind, Born Free offers groups as well as custom trips designed to offer additional dimensions not found on standard journeys. For more information about rates and trip options, contact Born Free Safaris & Tours at (800) 4-SAFARI,or visit www.bornfreesafaris.com

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has launched a brand new service, Personal Hotelier, across the Crowne Plaza estate throughout Middle East and Africa. Guests staying in Club rooms or on the Crowne Club floor can now enjoy the undivided attention of a hotelier dedicated to catering to their every need.

Crowne Plaza Personal Hotelier is an initiative that provides guests one point of contact, one face, one name and one telephone number to call prior to and during their stay at the hotel. This exclusive service is designed to alleviate the stress of corporate travel, allowing the guest more time and space to think, resulting in making their business trips more efficient and effective.

Commenting on the launch, Haitham Mattar, Director of Marketing Middle East and Africa, said, “Most of our guests are frequent business travellers. While they tend to enjoy travel, it can be exhausting and hectic so we decided to introduce a service to help them get the most of their time with us. “

From the moment a booking for a Club room is made, a member of the Personal Hotelier team will be assigned to the guest, contact them to introduce themselves and then offer them any assistance if required.

A personal hotelier can help guests with everything for business needs, such as updating a presentation, printing documents, making reservations at a restaurant or spa and even personal shopping.

The pilot program, conducted at Crowne Plaza Dubai Festival City, received an overwhelmingly good response.

Results from a survey* conducted amongst guests who participated in the program demonstrated that 95 per cent rated the service excellent with regards to its efficiency and usefulness.

The Personal Hotelier service is available to guest who book Club rooms or on the Crowne Club Floor at all Crowne Plaza properties across Middle East and Africa.

Banned from the festivities, the African slaves would hold their own celebrations using rituals and folklore while imitating their masters’ behavior. Once slavery was abolished in 1838, the freed Africans took their Carnival celebration to the streets and, as each new immigrant population entered Trinidad, a new flavor was added to the festivities.

Today, the diverse culture of both islands has influenced the music, food and traditions of the festival.

Feb. 21, Carnival Saturday, is when the masqueraders of the future, the children, come out dressed in costumes. Thousands of children take to the streets with their parents waving enthusiastically from the sidelines. Also on Feb. 21 is Panorama, the annual competition for national instrument — the steel pan. Preliminary contests are held throughout the country in the weeks leading up to Carnival. The finals are held on the Saturday night before Carnival officially begins.

The Kings and Queens Costume Competition will be held on Sunday, Feb. 22, and celebrates the costumes, weighing between 50 and 200 pounds. These costumes usually depict dragons that breathe fire, butterflies that bounce and flutter or insects with glowing eyes and antennas.

They are the leaders of each one of the masquerade bands and the costume competition for King and Queen is fierce. Designers spend months creating costumes that can reach up to 30 feet high and are usually attached to wheels, making mobility easier for the brave soul who will spend two days in it parading and dancing on the streets of Port of Spain.

On Monday, Feb. 23, J’Ouvert, the official start of Carnival, takes place before dawn. Revelers dress in old clothes and cover themselves in oil, grease, paint, chocolate and/or mud and parade through the towns and villages of Trinidad to the sounds of soca and calypso until the sun comes up. On Monday, Feb. 23, and Tuesday, Feb. 24, masquerade bands consisting of thousands of people “jumping up” in the streets of Port of Spain.

Band members wear glittery, colorful, scantily-clad costumes. Each band has its own historical, mythological or tropical concept with various sections of the band depicting aspects of the theme. Carnival Monday is just a “warm-up” for Carnival Tuesday and marching begins around midday after J’Ouvert morning. Participants view it as a dress rehearsal (headpieces and full costume are not required) for Carnival Tuesday, as well as a qualification for judging. Carnival Tuesday begins promptly at 8 a.m. and masqueraders are in full costume ready and waiting to dance in front of the judges.

For more information, call 800-816-7541 or visit www.goTrinidadandTobago.com

Explore Egypt with a tourist guide

Hailed as “the travel service innovation of 2008″ by the Irish Times

OurExplorer facilitates with ease the on-line booking of professional tourist guides from all over the world. Save time and money while you explore your next destination with the wisdom and guidance of a local.

Have you ever thought whilst visiting a new destination, “I wonder where the locals eat, drink, fish, ski, shop or party?” OurExplorer suggests its time for us all to stop simply sight-seeing but rather start exploring with the local wisdom and knowledge of a professional tourist guide.

OurExplorer has launched a new travel concept in BETA, a user-rated tourist guide booking tool created exclusively for your personal travel needs.

As the global financial crisis still looms, OurExplorer can save travellers hassle and money by getting the maximum out of their overseas adventure with a private tourist guide.

Enjoy the insight of the best shopping and value for money dining experiences in a city, directly from a native. Some tourist guides are currently offering special discounted rates and free tour hours on OurExplorer.

OurExplorer promote professional tourist guides only. Pre booking, the traveller can view their experience, license, past client testimonials or even chat with the tourist guide.

OurExplorer launched in July 2008 with now over 400 private tourist guides covering more than 80 countries worldwide — making it the biggest professional tourist guide directory in the world and growing all the time!

Make your trip overseas unique and full of adventure.
You book your flight and accommodation on-line, why not your tourist guide?
Get a tourist guide for land (city guide, mountain guide) or sea (diving guide).

Purpose of OurExplorer:

1. To help tourist guides increase their income thereby benefiting the local community – especially those in poor countries e.g. Kenya, Mexico and Cambodia.

2. Increase cross cultural awareness and acceptance via direct connection with locals e.g. people in USA get the chance to understand those in Pakistan and Israel

“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry but it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends,” said Mahatma Gandhi.

“Less than 9.7% of overseas travelers interact in meaningful discussion with a local,” according to the Tourism 2020 Vision reported by WTO.

The IMF concluded in March 2007 that “direct support of independent local businesses when you travel has the most positive results on local economy”.

“Rather than just donating money, OurExplorer is a sustainable long term solution to help low income families globally,” said David Cunningham (Chief Exploring Officer).

When people think of Africa, they think of the big five safari sightings (lion, leopard, elephant, water buffalo, and rhino) or the big five tragedies of the continent (war, genocide, famine, political corruption, and the HIV/AIDS epidemic). But Africa encompasses much more than wildlife and warfare.

Africa is huge. It’s four times the size of the United States. It’s roughly 5,000 miles long and 4,600 miles wide. Africa makes up 20% of the earth’s landmass.

“There’s a whole continent beyond the cliché that appeals to luxury travelers and intrepid adventurers alike,” says Andy Alpine, co-founder of Specialty Travel Index (SpecialtyTravel.com). “The photo safari is still a big draw, of course–where else in the world can you experience the sight of a lion stalking its prey or the magnificent wildebeest migration across Serengeti’s endless plains? You could track wildlife in every country in Africa and still not get tired of it. But there is a rich cache of African experiences that many people don’t discover until their second trip to Africa–and some may overlook it altogether.”

Specialty Travel Index puts hundreds of African vacations from some of Africa’s best outfitters in one easy to navigate web site. Travel agents and travelers can narrow down their choices by country and by type of trip with a couple clicks.

Here’s a look at just a few of the dream-of-a-lifetime African travel experiences from different outfitters that can be found at www.specialtytravel.com and the magazine/directory Specialty Travel Index:

Ghana arts & Culture

Ghana is a kaleidoscope of arts. Palace Travel’s seven day art and culture tour of Ghana gives collectors and culture buffs a unique and up-close cultural experience. Travelers visit a local casket making shop to see a collection of caskets carved in the shapes of various objects depicting traditional beliefs in life after death (the “Fantasy Coffins” of Teshie Nungua have been featured in National Geographic and galleries worldwide).

They take drumming and dancing lessons on Kokrobrite Beach and learn to make fufu, ground nut soup, red red, and palava sauce in a Ghanian cooking workshop. Then its’ on to the Ashanti craft villages–Pankrono, where potters create colorful hand-built vessels; Ahwiaa, known for royal stools, walking sticks and fertility dolls; Ntonso where artisans hand-stamp patterns on cotton cloth to make adinkra textiles worn for funerals and other solemn occasions; and Bonwire where the famous Kente cloth is handmade on looms, in a time-honored tradition passed down through generations. If your suitcase isn’t stuffed with art by then, it will be after the Kumasi Central Market (also known as Kejetia Market), the largest open-air market in West Africa, where more than 10,000 vendors sell just about everything you could need or want – food, fabric, clothing, furniture, beauty products, and handmade crafts.

PALACE TRAVEL

Diving the Red Sea

The Red Sea, where the desert meets the ocean, is one of the planet’s most fascinating natural sea environments. There are about 200 of coral types and over a thousand species of fish, more species than anybody of water its size. Many divers consider the Red Sea is the best diving in the world world. Lotus International’s Deep Down in the Red Sea diving tour starts in Cairo and gives divers the chance to explore the Abou Dabab Reefs, Elephinstone Reef, Dolphin Reefs (3 dives with the dolphins), St. Johns, Marsa Alam, and West Abu Dabab. LOTUS INTERNATIONAL TOURS

Photographer’s Safaris

There can’t be an amateur or professional photographer alive that hasn’t fantasized about the capturing a shot of lions cubs playing in the grass, a leopard in a tree, or a line of elephants. A professional photographer leads small (10 or fewer) photo-hungry groups on daily game hunts–at a photographers pace–in open vehicles and bushwalks through private game reserves and Kruger National Park. Photographers will spot game from above on an ultra light flight and take a boat through the world’s third largest canyon for hippo and croc shots. In the evening, guests compare shots in the tree house style lodge. AFRICA WILD SAFARIS

Explore the Kalahari

Few parts of Africa can match the mystique of Botswana’s Kalahari Desert. Its unique and striking environment, and its vastness and isolation, leaves a lasting impression on all visitors. In addition to exploring its fragile ecosystem, Travelers with Mountain Travel Sobek’s Kalahari Desert private adventure can experience the cultural richness of the indigenous San (Bushman) people, who live in complete harmony with their environment. From Jack’s Camp, an elegant, traditional East African–style camp (the best in the Kalahari!), you’ll explore the saltpans on quad bikes, search for the elusive brown hyena, and take a walk with a Bushman and learn how the San people have survived for centuries in this harshly beautiful environment.

MOUNTAIN TRAVEL SOBEK

Tracking Large Game on Foot in Big Five Territory

An environmentally-friendly tented camp in the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve, Bateleur Eco Safaris is in the heart of Big 5 territory. Forming a part of the Greater Kruger National Park, all artificial barriers between the reserves have been removed, allowing the wildlife to roam free. Sightings of lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, rhino, cheetah, antelope, and 350 bird species are common. Guides conduct daily bush walks, which teach guests to track large game on foot and provide a fascinating insight into animal behavior. To ensure an authentic wildlife experience, Bateleur Eco Safaris exposes guests to a variety of activities such as bushcraft and survival skills, bringing them closer to nature than ever before.

BATELEUR ECO SAFARIS

Cradle of Voodoo

The Adventure Center offers a journey of extremes through some of Africa’s less-visited countries: Togo, Benin, and Burkina Faso. Traveling through three very different nations, travelers experience diverse cultures and traditional religions, amazing natural attractions, unique architectural styles, friendly people and vibrant local music. From the Gulf of Guinea to the remote nomadic lands in the north of Burkina Faso, travelers visit fetish markets and python temples, spend a night in a traditional stilt village, witness fire-dancing and mask ceremonies and explore the vast expanse of the Burkinabe Sahel. Sometimes, they are even granted an audience with King Maiga Belko at Arabinda. Adventure Center

Maasailand Safari

One of National Geographic Traveler’s “50 Tours of a Lifetime”, this is the chance to explore the African savanna on foot with Maasai warriors, share stories with elders, discuss world issues of common concern, learn about wildlife conservation and animal husbandry, women’s issues, rites of passage, and discover the fine arts of beading, traditional healing, music and dance, all from a base of specially built guest bungalows in the Maasai village of Merrushi. WILDLAND ADVENTURES

Birding in Egypt

Egypt is a bridge between continents offering migratory species the perfect route for their annual flights from Europe and Asia. A wide variety of Egyptian habitats ranging from high rugged mountains to desert and tropical style jungle along the Nile basin, give it a unique character plus the diversity needed to attract an extremely wide range of bird life– over 430 species of birds are found in Egypt. Travel Egypt, in addition to Nile cruises classic Nile Valley tours, operates a tour during the anticipated peak of migrations to afford birders a vacation with the maximum chance to view and photograph the widest variety possible. Birders visit to important antiquity sites and oasis in both upper and lower Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula with its beautiful beaches, incredible undersea life, and bountiful collection of bird life. TRAVEL EGYPT

Spotting Gorilla and Chimps in Uganda

Uganda’s longest operating Safari provider (operating since 1959), Kimbla-Mantana African Safaris, combines luxury tent camps with real beds, comfortable furniture, thick rugs, and fully stocked dining and bar tents (this isn’t roughing it), with game viewing tin a private fleet of 4×4 Land cruisers. Lake Mburo Camp is set in a beautiful game park that has a wide range of Africa’s wildlife; Bwindi Forest Camp is the base for mountain gorilla treks; and Kibale Forest Camp is the forested base for chimpanzee spotting. Kimbla-Mantana African Safaris

These, and many other African experiences (as well as a myriad of special interest and adventure travel adventures), can be found in Specialty Travel Index and on www.SpecialtyTravel.com

STI is easy to use, on the web site with the “Find Your Adventure” search mechanism indexing tours by both interest/activity (Yacht Charter, Wine Tours,) and destination (Costa Rica, France) and in the magazine using similar choices. Subscriptions to the magazine cost $10 per year (Canada $15; other foreign $25) for two issues: July (Fall/Winter) and January (Spring/Summer). Send orders to: info@specialtytravel.com or order online at www.specialtytravel.com