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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).

VoyageTrek Travel
Cliff Hawk
(206) 695-2915
cliffh@voyagetrek.com
www.voyagetrek.com

SEATTLE—VoyageTrek Travel, the free online travel directory that provides destination match-making services for travelers, announced that it is expanding its program to African safaris and Galapagos Islands adventure cruising. This unique company premiered the AdventureMatch matching service in March 2008. The program has been enthusiastically received by the travel industry.

Current match-making categories include tours to Alaska, select fly fishing lodges, and dude ranches throughout the Western United States. VoyageTrek Founder Cliff Hawk says tour operators are responding well to the new program and the company has had an easy time recruiting top new tour operators. Answering to its initial success and ongoing demand, VoyageTrek continues to expand its travel segments and commitment to helping people find their ideal vacation.

“By adding Africa and Ecuador as travel segments, we provide exceptional value to travelers interested in these areas,” says Hawk. “No one wants to pick the wrong tour operator, and on the other end, the tour operators who are providing the best tours in the business often don’t have a marketing budget or are only known by word-of-mouth so they need an easier way to find leisure travel customers suited to their services.”

As the leading customer referral and match-making program in the adventure tourism industry, VoyageTrek provides multi-category, customized match-making between high-end travelers and suppliers. For adventurers wanting to find their ideal Alaska tour, fly fishing, or rafting destination, as well as a dude ranch, safari or Galapagos cruise, they can do a search at www.voyagetrek.com and click on the “Get Matched Now!” button and program link.

For tour operators interested in the adventure match program, log on to www.voyagetrek.com/operator  or call Hawk at (206) 695-2915.

Baobab’s Nature Expeditions provide adventurous travelers with a passport to the planet’s most spectacular natural wonders.

On these trips, visitors will have enriching and illuminating encounters with nature, allowing them to experience the world from a whole new perspective. Baobab’s team of expert guides will take participants off the beaten path in to wild and wondrous places that are as inspiring as they are educational. With Baobab, people can discover the heart and soul of each destination firsthand.

Whether they dream of seeing the grizzlies in Glacier National Park, crave the experience of a close encounter with a giant polar bear, or desire to reach out and touch a grey whale, Baobab will show travelers the way to a new brand of experiential travel.

Baobab provides access to some of the most knowledgeable guides in the industry, and these Nature Expeditions are led by naturalists who are experts in their field.

Their passion for uncovering and interpreting the mysteries of nature is second to none. Baobab offers trips for those that want to experience the wonders of some of the last truly wild places on earth in areas like Antarctica, Asia, Galapagos, Latin America, and the rugged and remote parts of the northern hemisphere.

www.baobabexpeditions.com

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

The latest episode of BBC2’s Tribal Wives featured a 33 year-old teacher and life coach who lives at home with her mum, hasn’t had any luck with relationships and feels stuck in a rut. After living for a month with Africa’s most famous tribes, the Maasai, and learning from their lives, she makes radical life changes…

Get off life’s beaten track and change your own future with Dragoman Overland’s 5-week, life-enhancing Africa East & South journey, experiencing spectacular landscapes, visiting Africa’s best wildlife areas and meeting Tanzania’s Maasai (head shaving and facial scarification are optional), departing Livingstone 22nd September 2008. (Trip code AES38).

The journey kicks off with the stunning sight of Victoria Falls followed by an optional exploration of the Kafue and Zambezi Rivers by canoe, taking in views of broad floodplains and rugged escarpments. Rural Zambia is the Africa of storybooks and the drive through semi-forested mountains, small villages and across cattle ranching country allows for great opportunities to experience its diverse beauty.

South Luangwa NP is perhaps the best place to observe vast numbers of Hippo, Crocodile, Elephant and the only place to see Thorncroft Giraffe, as well as endemic Red Lechwe. During time in the park, visit Kawaza Village Community Project for lunch and traditional dancing. On arrival in Malawi many activities are available, ranging from relaxing on the sandy shores of Lake Malawi to high altitude diving, horse riding to birdwatching walks in search of magnificent Fish Eagles. Next, is the historically infamous tropical Spice Island of Zanzibar, which far from slavery and ivory trades, now offers a warm African welcome amongst its stunning palm-fringed beaches and bustling markets.

Back on the African mainland in Tanzania, further opportunities to see major wildlife species including Black Rhino are on offer during Land Rover explorations of Ngorongoro Crater. Later, travelling through the characteristic rolling grasslands of the Serengeti, wild camping is guaranteed to live up to expectation.

The ultimate in game viewing can be experienced during an optional early morning hot air balloon safari. As well as spectacular wildlife, nights on idyllic Indian Ocean Beaches and a camel trip to traditional Maasai villages, many other aspects of Africa are explored throughout this journey, including getting hands-on at the Kariandusi School Trust’s latest project at Langalanga - a great way to meet local people. Finally, soak up the cosmopolitan atmosphere and stock up on souvenirs in Nairobi, journey’s end.

The overland costs £995 p/p plus kitty of $1,160 (~£578) including transport aboard Dragoman Overland’s customised Mercedes-Benz truck, canoe, jeep and boat, camping and hotel accommodation (85%/15%), all camp meals plus the expertise of Dragoman’s two person crew and local camp master. Flights are not included but are available through Dragoman.

Dragoman Overland
01728 861 133
info@dragoman.co.uk
www.dragoman.com

Somak Holidays marks its 40th birthday with the launch of a new Worldwide brochure featuring 40 new experiences.

Thai home-stays, mobile safaris, working ranches and luxury lodges: These are just some of the forty fabulous holidays Somak Holidays (www.somak.co.uk ) is offering to mark its 40th birthday.

The range of adventures is being showcased in a tantalizing new Worldwide brochure from the family-run specialist operator. The 200-page brochure encompasses the best of Somak’s India, Africa, Far East, Middle East and Indian Ocean programmes and introduces 40 brand new experiences ranging from a holiday to Dubai’s new Atlantis, The Palm to a Thai ‘home-stay’.

The full list of 40 new experiences in the exotic, new, Worldwide brochure can be viewed at www.somak.co.uk/press. Below are some of the highlights……

OUT OF AFRICA

Somak’s Elewana Safari and Tanganyika Under Canvas are two new Tanzania safaris, offering completely different experiences. Elewana Safari brings you a true ‘Out of Africa’ experience with stays in some of the most luxurious accommodation Tanzania has to offer.

Guests journey through Tarangire, Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the famed Serengeti, where a variety of wildlife can be spotted including wildebeest, zebras, elephants, rhinos, oryx, buffalo, Africa’s big cats and birds of prey.

Accommodation includes the Arusha Coffee Lodge, an exclusive boutique lodge which radiates the warmth of the old colonial plantation homes; Tarangire TreeTops, an exotic lodge perched high up in the age-old Boabab and Marula trees; Ngorongoro Farm House which is situated at the foot of Ngorongoro Crater and boasts three stylish and sophisticated camps; and finally, the Serengeti Migration Camp, a haven of sumptuous indulgence, featuring spacious tents that overlook the Grumeti River and its resident hippos.

Prices start from £2,585 per person and this includes seven nights’ accommodation, return flights from London Heathrow to Nairobi with Kenya Airways, transfers, game drives and all meals at safari lodges.

Tanganyika Under Canvas allows guests to follow in the footsteps of animals on the annual ‘Great Migration’ by accommodating them in deluxe ‘mobile tents’ for the final part of this eight-day itinerary. The exclusive mobile camp is intimately integrated into the surrounding African bush and moves around the Serengeti enabling guests to enjoy one of the natural world’s greatest spectacles.

The mobile camp experience is preceded by one night in Arusha (Olasiti Lodge), a night at Tarangire (Maramboi Tented Camp) and two nights at Ngorongoro (Ngorongoro Farm House).

Prices start from £2,340 per person and this includes seven nights’ accommodation, return flights from London Heathrow to Nairobi with Kenya Airways, transfers, game drives and all meals at safari lodges.

In Kenya, holiday-makers can sample life on a working ranch at Borana Lodge, new to Somak, or indulge in the ultimate in secluded luxury at Alfajiri Villas in Mombasa on the Kenyan coast. Borana Lodge offers guests the opportunity to immerse themselves in the ranching experience and Alfajiri Villas come with a private butler.

Matemwe Retreat in Zanzibar is a new addition to Matamwe Lodge and consists of three fabulous villas, each featuring a private cocktail bar, an air-conditioned bedroom, bathroom with double basins, shower, and large romantic bathtub overlooking the Indian Ocean. The villas have their own small beach right in front of them and there’s also a plunge pool on the private roof terrace, complete with sun and shade decks.

DISCOVER THAILAND

For holiday-makers looking for something a little bit different in Thailand, Somak Holidays has launched a brand new Hidden Thailand itinerary, which incorporates an authentic Thai-living experience at a ‘home stay’ in Chiang Mai. The 12-night holiday begins in Chiang Rai where guests will enjoy a boat ride along the Mekong River plus visits to the Chinese refugee village and the area’s hill tribes. It also takes in the beach resort of Phuket and the jungle of the Khao Sok national park where guests with a sense of adventure will delight in their tree-top accommodation. At the Chiang Mai home-stay guests will visit orchid farms and working elephant camps, travelling by ox-cart, bamboo raft and elephant and there is an optional batik painting excursion for those looking to nurture their artistic flair.

Prices start from £1,582 per person and this includes 12 nights’ accommodation; return flights from London Heathrow to Chiang Rai (returning from Phuket) with Thai Airways, transfers, 12 breakfasts, six lunches and four dinners.

MIDDLE EAST SPREAD

Two new Oman itinerary extensions are featured in the Worldwide brochure, both providing the opportunity to overnight in individual tents in the desert sands of Wahiba. Desert Nights Resort and Hidden Treasures of Oman can be added to the original Treasures of Oman, six-night itinerary which takes in Muscat, Nizwa and Nahkl. Both tours escort visitors by 4WD along the scenic coastal route and over dunes to Wahiba Sands where they will stay for a night or two in a Bedouin-style tent with a cosy sit-out that boasts panoramic views across the golden sands.

Prices for the six-night Treasures of Oman start from £1,180 per person and includes return flights from London Gatwick to Muscat, six nights’ accommodation and transfers. A one-night Desert Nights Resort extension costs from £309 per person and a two-night Hidden Treasures of Oman extension starts from £419 per person.

NEW HOTELS

Brand new lodges and hotels include the David Livingstone Safari Lodge & Spa and the Protea Hotel Livingstone, both in Zambia. The 77-room David Livingstone Safari Lodge & Spa opened in April 2008, on the banks of the mighty Zambezi. The hotel offers visitors a restaurant and bar, a variety of safari excursions and activities in and around the falls. The Lady Livingstone, a 144 seater, triple-deck river cruiser enables guests to experience Africa in a unique style on the Zambezi River. The 80-room Protea Hotel Livingstone is located on the outskirts of Livingstone, in the heart of Zambia. The famous Victoria Falls is a mere 10kms from the hotel, making it the ideal base from which to view this must-see spectacular.

In addition, the Worldwide brochure features the hotly anticipated Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai. Opening in September 2008, this iconic, lavish resort will be the largest water-themed attraction in the Middle East. The resort will house the world’s largest water park, Aquaventure, Dolphin Bay, which is home to 27 dolphins and The Lost Chambers, a maze of underwater passageways and a variety of dining experiences including four world-class celebrity chef restaurants.

The mega-resort comprises 1,539 rooms in total, all with stunning views, 17 restaurants, bistros, cafes, bars and restaurants Sanctuary Nightclub, a spa, tennis courts, running track and gym.

For more information go to www.somak.co.uk  or call 020 8423 3000