African Travel Inc., a company that specializes in super-luxe journeys throughout the African continent, to islands in the Indian Ocean, and to Dubai, recently announced an exciting lineup of itineraries for the 2010 season.

African Travel Inc. caters to travelers who seek highly personalized and customized encounters with African wildlife and culture, and who require product exclusivity, diversification, and extraordinary personal services.

Although these are just a few of African Travel Inc.’s diverse offerings, the following provides a sneak preview of some exciting 2010 itineraries.

The Ultimate Safari

An unprecedented safari experience awaits travelers on this journey that combines culture, natural attractions, and superb Big Five game viewing.

A private car and guide transform ordinary sightseeing into a comfortable and personalized adventure and accommodations have been carefully chosen to reflect the best that Africa has to offer.

Highlights include accommodations in distinctive lodges and camps including some of Conde Nast’s “Gold List” winners, gourmet South African food and wine, dinner with a local Capetonian family, extraordinary game viewing in Kruger National Park and Botswana, an elephant back excursion at Elephant Whispers, and much more. 18 days starting at $10,795 per person, land cost.

Southern Jewels

With a combination of vast pristine wilderness and a small population, Namibia is the definitive land of discovery and soul-searching.

Marvel at the world’s tallest sand dunes and one of the oldest forms of art before becoming entranced in the distinctive safari experience in Etosha, Namibia’s largest animal refuge, before finishing up in cosmopolitan Cape Town. Other highlights include exploring Fish River Canyon, second only in size to the Grand Canyon, climbing the world’s tallest sand dunes at Sossusvlei, viewing some of the fascinating geological features in Damaraland and rock engravings by some of Namibia’s oldest inhabitants, the Bushmen, wildlife excursions in and around Etosha National Park, and more. 13 Days starting at $6,995, land cost.

Nile Splendors

From the moment of arrival in Cairo, travelers are immersed in the sights and sounds of a thriving modern culture living side by side with remnants of the ancient past.

From the legendary pyramids at Giza to the immense temple complex at Karnak, the sheer magnitude of these structures dwarfs the imagination, and to bear witness to the accomplishments is truly a humbling experience.

Highlights of this journey include walking in the footsteps of Egypt’s greatest pharaohs, exploring the temples along the Nile from the comfort of a luxury cruise ship, private tours led by Egyptologist guides, recreating the past while donning a galabeya for a traditional dinner aboard the Nile cruise, gazing at the golden mask of Tut, and much more. 12 days starting at $2195, land cost.

African Travel Inc. caters to adventurers and luxury travelers of all ages — singles, couples, families, small groups of friends, inter-generational, and special interest groups. Their travel experts help travelers plan family travel, honeymoons, golfing tours, spa trips, wine and food tours, as well as cultural extensions and special interest safaris.

To learn more about African Travel Inc. or to order a brochure, visit the website at www.africantravelinc.com  or contact Heidi Podjavorsek at (800) 421-8907 x 115.

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has published the new 2010 brochure for its two expedition ships MS HANSEATIC and MS BREMEN, highlighting almost a dozen bilingual (English/German) adventure cruises for next year including the Antarctic Circle, the Northwest Passage, Kamchatka, Norway and Spitsbergen, as well as island paradises in the Indian Ocean.

MS HANSEATIC, the world’s only 5-star expedition ship and the BREMEN, a 4-star expedition ship, were created to provide intensive exploration in the most elegant surroundings for a maximum of 184 guests (HANSEATIC) and 164 guests (BREMEN). Hapag-Lloyd Cruises is offering guaranteed cruise prices for UK passengers, avoiding price fluctuations due to floating exchange rates.

Well equipped for travel in difficult waters, both ships hold the highest ice class ranking for passenger vessels (E4). Their shallow drafts and high manoeuvrability allow the ships to enter waters larger cruise vessels cannot reach. Trips with Zodiacs, professional expedition guides, lecturers and experts on the travel destinations make every expedition informative and interesting.

The dedicated bilingual cruises included in the 2010 brochure ensure English-speaking passengers feel comfortable from the moment they step onboard.

Documentation in English onboard includes: daily programs, menus, announcements, lectures/video presentations and safety drill instruction. Wherever possible, shore excursions in the port of call are offered in English on a group or individual basis.

Brochure Highlights – Cooler destinations

Probably the most sought after expedition trip in the world, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises will take guests to the Antarctic Circle on the HANSEATIC in February 2010, and will cross the Antarctic Circle in January 2011 on both the BREMEN and on the HANSEATIC.

Trip logistics: from Ushuaia to Puerto Montt, 12 February to 7 March 2010, 23 days, with stops at the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, South Orkney Islands, South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula; cruise only rates start at £7553 per person

In August 2010 the HANSEATIC will sail the legendary Northwest Passage itinerary. This will be the only Northwest Passage voyage available on the expedition cruise market in 2010.

Trip logistics: from Kangerlussuaq to Nome, 16 August to 11 September 2010, 26 days, with stops in Greenland, Cruising in Disko Bay, Baffin Island, Devon Island, Barrow Strait, Northwest Passage and Alaska; rates starting at £11536 per person including the charter flight Hanover – Kangerlussuaq.

Fjords, Glaciers and the Midnight Sun are especially radiant between June and August. MS BREMEN will offer a 16-day Expedition Norway and Circumnavigation of Spitsbergen.

Trip logistics: from Travemuende to Tromsoe, 27 June to 13 July 2010, 16 days, with stops in Norway and the Norwegian fjords, circumnavigation of Spitsbergen, cruising off Bear Island and the Lofoten Islands; rates start at £4279 per person including the charter flight Tromsoe – Hanover.

Home of sea eagles and brown bears, the Kamchatka Expedition cruise in September 2010 onboard MS HANSEATIC will take guests on a unique trip to Japan and the Kuril Islands. This 19-day itinerary departs from Nome, Alaska (via charter flight from Vancouver (included) and ends in Yokohama/Japan.

Trip logistics: From Nome to Yokohama, 8-30 September 2010, 21 days, with stops in Alaska, Chukchi Peninsula, Chukotka, Kamchatka, Kuril Islands, Sakhalin, Japan; cruise only rates start at £6725 per person.

Brochure Highlights – Island Paradises

Warm water voyages are also a highlight in the BREMEN’s calendar. The expedition cruise between Mahe and Mauritius features the exotic Indian Ocean.

Trip logistics: From Mahé to Mauritius, 15 to 29 November 2010, with stops in Seychelles, Comores, Madagascar, Reunion Island and Mauritius; cruise only rates starting at £3657 per person.

The cruise only prices include:

• Full board on the ship
• Soft drinks from the mini-bar in the cabins refilled daily
• Lectures with experts including precaps and recaps for every zodiac or shore excursion
• Zodiac excursions and landings
• On board equipment for free use includes: snorkelling equipment, Nordic walking poles, bikes and kayaks (Bremen)
• Waterproof warm parkas and rubber boots for use whilst onboard
• Travel cancellation and bankruptcy insurance

For more information on these and other Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ exciting destinations and itineraries, visit www.hl-cruises.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.

The airline flies directly from Washington Dulles International Airport to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and connects to 32 destinations throughout Africa, including Luanda, Angola; Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; Bujumbura, Burundi; Douala, Cameroon; Ndjamena, Chad; Brazzaville, Congo; Lubumbashi, Congo; Kinshasa, Congo Democratic Republic; Djibouti, Djibouti; Cairo, Egypt; Libreville, Gabon; Accra, Ghana; Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Nairobi, Kenya; Lilongwe, Malawi; Bamako, Mali; Abuja, Nigeria; Lagos, Nigeria; Kigali, Rwanda; Dakar, Senegal; Hargeisa, Somaliland; Johannesburg, South Africa; Khartoum, Sudan; Kilimanjaro, Tanzania; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Lomé, Togo; Entebbe/Kampala, Uganda; and Lusaka, Zambia.

For more information, call 800-445-2733 or visit www.ethiopianairlines.com

As in 2008, the new combined brochure is supported by a smaller-format dedicated 44-page Seychelles brochure** which offers greater detail on the operator’s leading destination.

In the combined brochure the UAE continues to dominate the Middle East programme: 13 properties in DUBAI now including the NEW Atlantis the Palm plus a selection of the emerging Emirates with hotels in AJMAN, RAS AL KHAIMAH and FUJAIRAH.

• LEAD IN for Dubai: Five nights b&b at the 5 star Hyatt Regency Dubai costs from £845pp including return flights with Emirates from Heathrow and private transfers. Regional departures available.

In OMAN, Elite’s private car cultural tour the ‘Oman Adventure’ takes in Muscat, Al Sawadi, Nizwa and Sur, with options to extend in Musandam and Salalah. The choice of hotels in Muscat includes the long awaited re-opening of the newly refurbished Al Bustan Palace InterContinental Muscat.

• NEW: The 5 star Al Bustan Palace InterContinental Muscat costs from £1329 per person for five nights, including return flights with Oman Air, private transfers and b&b accommodation.

The operator’s JORDAN programme is similar to 2008 with the popular ‘Jordan Discovery Tour’ visiting Amman, Jerash and Petra and options to further extend in Petra, Dead Sea or Aqaba (Red Sea).

Elite has devoted a full page of its brochure to Middle East two-centre arrangements of ten to 12 nights. Dubai is linked with Muscat, Maldives, Mauritius and Seychelles and Sri Lanka.

• NEW: A 12 night two-centre of Sri Lanka and Dubai leads in for £1595pp including flights with Emirates from Heathrow, eight nights’ b&b at the Taj Exotica in Columbo, Sri Lanka and four nights’ b&b at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel in Dubai plus private transfers.

For the SEYCHELLES, the operator is offering a total of 45 properties in 2009. Following their success in 2008, the number of Seychelles Secrets – small hotels, guesthouses and self-catering accommodation has been doubled. All these can be found in the dedicated Seychelles brochure, but a selection are in the main brochure along with hotels on the main islands of Mahé, Praslin and La Digue, plus private island resorts including Bird, Denis and the newly refurbished Ste Anne Resort and Spa. A page on recommended island hopping itineraries demonstrates how product can be tailored to accommodate specific requirements.

• LEAD IN for Seychelles in 2009: £899pp for five nights’ b&b at Lazare Picault on Mahé including return flights with Air Seychelles from Heathrow and private transfers. Extra night from £30pp.

• UPGRADED: Five nights at the newly reopened 5 star Beachcomber Ste Anne Resort and Spa costs from £2169pp including return flights with Air Seychelles from Heathrow, private transfers, and half board accommodation in a Villa Beau Sejour

In MAURITIUS, Elite Vacations offers 25 properties including four NEW hotels, Sugar Beach, La Pirogue, Les Pavilions (recently upgraded) and The Grand Mauritian which opened in 2008.

• LEAD IN: Five nights at Bois d’Oiseaux near Trou aux Biches costs from £899 per person where four people share a two-bedroom self-catering apartment

• NEW: Seven nights’ half board at the 4 star La Pirogue in Flic en Flac costs from £1625 per person including return flights with Air Mauritius from Heathrow and private transfers

Elite Vacations is offering 13 properties in the MALDIVES with the new 5 star Diva Maldives resort on Ari Atoll making its debut.
• NEW: Seven nights’ half board in a junior suite at the 5 star DIVA Maldives costs from £2239 per person including return flights with Sri Lankan Airlines from London Heathrow and transfers.

In SRI LANKA, the programme remains largely unchanged with a seven night Sri Lanka Discovery Tour taking in Colombo, Kandalama, Kandy and Nuwara Eliya plus a choice of three beach hotels.

• LEAD IN: Seven b&b nights at the 5 star Taj Exotica in Bentota costs from £1109 per person including return flights with Sri Lankan Airlines from Heathrow and transfers

In MADAGASCAR, there is a seven night Madagascar Adventure Tour plus three beach hotels for extended stays. Also available are options of two-centre holidays with Mauritius or with an East African safari using the new Kenya Airways service from Nairobi.

• LEAD IN: A seven night Madagascar Adventure costs from £2598pp including return flights with Kenya Airways via Nairobi, transfers and full board accommodation (half board in Tana)

In 2009, Elite Vacations offers a choice of four 4 x 4 safaris in EAST AFRICA plus a choice of seven beach hotels in MOMBASA and ZANZIBAR

• LEAD IN: Seven half-board nights at the 4 star superior Ocean Paradise Resort in Zanzibar costs from £1098 per person including return flights with Kenya Airways from Heathrow via Nairobi and transfers.

WEDDINGS AND HONEYMOONS – Growth in 2008 has prompted Elite to expand the brochure coverage on weddings and honeymoons. The Gift Voucher scheme has proved very popular with honeymooners for reducing their overall cost or for upgrades.

TWO CENTRES – There is a greater emphasis on two centre options this year, and there are a further two pages suggesting popular African and Indian Ocean twin-centres, although different hotels and durations are also available.

SPA – The overall spa offering has been extended in response to the popularity of these properties in 2008, and two pages set out some of the most popular spas featured across a range of destination, and the treatments and products offered in each.

Peter Jackson**, Managing Direction of Elite Vacations, commented, “We continue to offer a cross section of product to appeal to most budgets. Our policy of treating all clients the same, however, means that no matter what the holiday cost our clients receive complimentary lounge passes at the UK airports and private transfers in resort.

Both Elite Vacations’ 2009 brochures are supported by the website www.elitevacations.com  which has been updated to offer greater choice and in many cases, more detailed information and further images.

• All prices are unconditionally guaranteed at the time of booking and include scheduled flights, airport lounge pass and private transfers (where appropriate).

• Contact: Elite Vacations 01707-371000; www.elitevacations.com
**Elite Vacations’ 2009 Seychelles brochure is currently the only one dedicated to the destination available in the market place this year

The tour begins on Grande Comoro, the largest and geologically the youngest of the Comoros Islands. The island’s most prominent geographical feature is the 2,361 metre high Mt Karthala, an active volcano that still rumbles uneasily at the roof of the island.

For those with a reasonable level of fitness there is the option to climb Karthala, camping overnight in the crater, and presuming no unexpected eruption disturbs one’s slumbers, waking to the most spectacular of sunrises. From Grande Comoro continue to Anjouan, widely considered to be the most beautiful of the three islands now known as the Union of the Comoros (the fourth island is still French territory).

From Anjouan take a short flight to the final destination, the island of Mohéli, described as a super-tranquil place. This lost paradise is the smallest, wildest, least populated and least developed island of the Union. Mohéli’s southern coast of coral reefs and dramatically craggy offshore islets is part of the Comoros’ only national park, Parc Marin de Mohéli, which protects dolphins, whales and sea turtles. On Mohéli, travellers are accommodated at the excellent Laka Lodge, a new 10-room resort located on the south coast, highly recommended by the team at Undiscovered Destinations.

The tour costs from £2,150 (minimum of two people travelling) including scheduled flights from the UK (£1,300 p/p excluding flights), transfers, domestic flights, accommodation, daily breakfast, some lunches and dinners and the services of an English speaking guide.

Undiscovered Destinations
0191 296 2674
info@undiscovered-destinations.com
www.undiscovered-destinations.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

Boutique Safari Operator Now Offering Carbon Neutral Travel

BOULDER/ DENVER, CO – Africa Adventure Consultants continues to lead the industry with innovative safari design, and now they are pleased to announce the launch of a comprehensive effort to reduce carbon emissions as well. Africa Adventure Consultants has joined forces with Sustainable Travel International (STI) on its pioneering TravelGreen™ program, which allows Africa Adventure Consultants to offer carbon neutral safaris to travelers. Africa Adventure Consultants is STI’s first African safari operator partner implementing a sophisticated program that offers carbon offsets on every safari the company sells.

“Carbon neutral” means the point at which greenhouse gas emissions have been identified, measured, reduced where possible, and 100% of the remaining emissions have been offset through high quality renewable energy or energy efficiency projects. Total greenhouse gas emissions are a factor of the air travel to get to Africa as well as the style of safari people enjoy. Sustainable Travel International assists in determining the total greenhouse gas emission per traveler, and Africa Adventure Consultants then absorbs 50% of that amount and provides the option for the traveler to offset the remaining 50%.

“We’ve found that our clients not only appreciate our initiative to protect and preserve the delicate ecosystems of Africa, but appreciate being given the voluntary opportunity to contribute directly as well.” said Kent Redding, President of Africa Adventure Consultants. “Earlier this year we worked to make our Denver office 100% carbon neutral, we continue to carefully select game areas in Africa that operate under sensitive environmental standards and now feel that Carbon Neutral travel is the next logical step. What does this mean for our clients? We are providing a way to travel to Africa with a limited negative impact on the environment.”

Africa Adventure Consultants also works with their African partner companies to reduce CO2 emissions by implementing solar and wind power schemes, reduce wood burning, protect land to create carbon sinks, and more.

Proceeds from purchased offsets are invested by Sustainable Travel International into high-impact sustainable development projects, including reforestation, renewable energy and energy conservation. These projects, which also benefit local communities, are located throughout Africa and other regions. Sustainable Travel International provides carbon offset projects that are independently verified by third-party sources.

The projects must verifiably reduce greenhouse gas emissions according to the CDM Gold Standard, consistent with the principles of the Kyoto Protocol, or meet the standards set forth by the Climate, Community, and Biodiversity Alliance. In 2007 Sustainable Travel International received the highest ranking in an independent study of carbon offsetting programs commissioned by the environmental group Clean Air-Cool Planet.

About Sustainable Travel International

Sustainable Travel International is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to promote sustainable development and eco-friendly travel by providing programs that help travelers and travel-related companies protect the environmental, socio-cultural and economic needs of the places they visit, and the planet at large.

About Africa Adventure Consultants

Denver-based Africa Adventure Consultants organizes safari adventures throughout East and Southern Africa, with destinations including Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Namibia, Botswana, Malawi, South Africa, Zambia and Victoria Falls. The company sells destinations they know personally and offer guests assurance of strong on-the-ground partnerships with only the best local companies. Africa Adventure Consultants supports a variety of African conservation organizations, community-based tourism programs and humanitarian causes. With an eye on personal service, the principals create customized trips for individuals and small groups.

To learn more, please call 1.866.778.1089.

It’s true that humans do a lot more damage to shark populations than vice versa. Marine biologists report that sharks are in rapid decline around the world. In the North Atlantic Ocean, shark populations have declined more than 50 percent over the past 20 years alone, with some species now nearing extinction.

Experts see the primary cause as overfishing, which depletes sharks as well as their prey. Sharks are especially vulnerable to illegal “longlines” (fishing nets strung across dozens if not hundreds of miles of ocean), where they get inadvertently snared along with the tuna and swordfish fishermen intend to catch.

Rising demand for shark fin soup in is also contributing to the demise of sharks. According to a report by Wildaid, shark fins are among the most expensive seafood products in the world, selling for some $700 per kilogram on the Hong Kong market. With prices like that, many longline fishermen, who are already operating illegally, are happy to augment their incomes by “finning” a few sharks along the way. (Finning is the practice of removing a fin from a shark and discarding the rest of the carcass at sea.)

Often, threatened wildlife species manage to maintain their numbers in spite of excessive human predation. But sharks face an especially uphill battle, says renowned shark expert Ransom Myers, because they “take a long time to mature and have relatively few babies.”

So what is being done to save sharks? In the U.S., the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation Act is the primary law that oversees the conservation of U.S. fisheries and has established various management regulations for 39 species of sharks in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. It outlaws finning if the carcass is discarded but not if the rest of carcass is kept, clearly an unfortunate loophole.

The U.S. also helped develop a United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization treaty (the International Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks) whereby 87 countries agreed to develop their own plans for the conservation of sharks. However, only two countries—the U.S. and Australia—have lived up to the agreement. The U.S. plan is administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which has been working with regional fisheries authorities to make sure fishermen are sticking to cautiously low quotas regarding the number of sharks they are allowed to catch.

What can consumers do to save the sharks? The Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California urges consumers to avoid all shark products, not just on restaurant menus but also all souvenirs such as jaws and teeth, and shark-cartilage pills, which have been touted as cancer cures but which have been proven to be completely ineffective and are now widely considered a scam. The aquarium also encourages consumers to support with their pocketbooks conservation groups working to protect sharks and oceans, and specifically those working to set aside marine reserves that are off-limits to fishing.

CONTACTS: Wildaid, http://www.wildaid.org/  Monterey Bay Aquarium, www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp

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