Jetsettersblog

Take some time out to appreciate our black and white furry friends with Gap Adventures.

The adventure tour operator is offering discounts of up to 15 per cent across a number of once-in-a-lifetime trips, all of which visit penguins in their natural environment.

Choose from voyaging around the Galapagos, cruising in Antarctica or even enjoying an overland tour in South Africa – you’re bound to spot a penguin in one of these amazing locations.

To receive these fantastic discounts quote PENGUINDAY10 (for Galapagos and Overland South Africa trips) or PENGUINDAY15 (for Antarctica trips) when booking online at www.gapadventures.com  or through the Gap Adventures reservation centre on 08444 10 10 90.

Bookings must be made before 1 March 2010. Terms and conditions apply.

The below trips are included in the promotion:

10% discount on all Voyage Galapagos trips
Now from £989 (6 day Budget Galapagos)
A variety of departures and trips are available.

Visit the world’s most northern located penguins by heading off on a fantastic cruise around the Galapagos.

These unique islands are famous for a variety of unusual creatures, from blue-footed boobies to lava lizards.

As the Galapagos Archipelago is so isolated, these fantastic trips offer you the chance to get closer to the wildlife than you would anywhere else in the world. All Voyage Galapagos products are in included.
For more information please visit www.gapadventures.com/marine/galapagos-island-cruises

15% discount on the following two Antarctica trips
Cruise around the spectacular Antarctica on the fabulous new ship, MS Expedition.

On this once-in-a-lifetime trip you will visit scenery that has inspired bold explorers for centuries and travel through the icy and remote realm of the Penguins. See the beautiful Antarctic Peninsula, immense icebergs and amazing wildlife.

For more information please visit www.gapadventures.com/marine/expedition-cruising

Antarctica Classic
Trip code: XVCASX
Price: WAS: from £2,499 NOW: from £2,124
Dates: 5 – 17 November 2010 and 16 – 26 November 2010

For more information please visit www.gapadventures.com/trips/antarctica-classic/XVCASX/2011

Quest for the Antarctic Circle
Trip code: XVQCSX
Price: WAS: from £2,789 NOW: from £2,371

Dates: 23 February – 8 March 2011 and 7 – 20 March 2011
For more information please visit www.gapadventures.com/trips/antarctica-classic/XVQCSX/2011/

10% discount on Port Elizabeth to Cape Town World Cup Overland

Didn’t think you’d ever see penguins in South Africa? Think again. It is actually possible to see penguins all along the east coast. This fantastic trip offers both football and wildlife fans a trip filled with cultural and natural diversity.

It is a unique African journey that takes you to the beaches and forests of the Garden Route, wildlife of the Addo Elephant Park and the city buzz of Cape Town with its fanatic football atmosphere.

Trip code: DAWP
Price: WAS: £479 NOW: £431
Dates: 1 – 7 July 2010
For more information please visit www.gapadventures.com/tour/DAWP

Terms and conditions:

This promotion is valid for new bookings made before 1st March, 2010 on selected products and departures. In the Galapagos all 6, 7 and 10 day ‘Voyage Galapagos’, ‘Budget Galapagos’, ‘Comfort Galapagos’ and ‘Superior Galapagos’ trips are eligible (i.e. trips prefixed with ‘EV’) as long as travel is completed by 1 September 2010.

In the case of Expedition sailings and Overland South Africa, the promotion is eligible only on the following departures: XVCASX on either 5 November 2010 or 16 November 2010, XVQCSX on either 23 February 2011 or 7 March 2011 and DAWP on 1 July 2010. Discount only applies to bookings made online at www.gapadventures.com  or by calling Gap Adventures reservation centre on 08444 10 10 90 and quoting PENGUINDAY10 or PENGUINDAY15. Independent, tailormade or custom group trips are not eligible and this promotion cannot be combined with any other discount or promotion and does not apply to optional extras such as ‘my own room’, single supplements and applicable in-country fees.

Cruise West will offer cruise-tours to Patagonia in 2011, with four departures.

The new eight- or 10- night itinerary features hotspots in Chile by land, as well as five nights of cruising through channels, bays and fjords from Ushuaia to Punta Arenas aboard the 64-cabin Via Australis.

The cruise sails through the Strait of Magellan and Beagle Channel, which separates the islands of the Tierra del Fuego Archipelago, making a stop at Magdalena Island to visit the colony of Magellanic Penguins.

It continue onto Ainsworth Bay, located inside the Alberto De Agostini National Park, which offers a sun-polar Magellanic forest, and if the timing is right, elephant seals lounging on the beach. Additional highlights include viewing glaciers via Zodiacs in Brookes Bay, searching for marine mammals around Carlos III Island and Rupert Inlet, navigating across Desolation Bay en route to Pia Fjord, exploring smaller inlets by Zodiac, and hiking to a lookout point with views of the entire glacier tongue of Pia Glacier.

The last day includes Glacier Alley; Cape Horn National Park, declared a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2005; and Wulaia Bay, once the site of the largest Yamana aboriginal settlement.

Guests will disembark in Ushuaia and continue by plane to Argentina’s capital city of Buenos Aires for their last night, which features a farewell tango dinner show and city tour.

The 10-night program includes two extra nights in Puerto Natales with private escorted tours of Torres Del Paine National Park and Milodon Cave, where in 1895 the remains of extinct animals such as the sabre tooth tiger and the milodon (giant sloths) were found. The itinerary operates one way between Santiago and Buenos Aires or reverse, depending on departure date.

Departure dates are Jan. 26 and 31 and Feb. 5 and 10, 2011. Prices start at $6,095 per person, double, for the eight-night itinerary and $6,795 for the 10-night program, before savings, and include internal flights, all excursions and hotel nights as listed. Clients can save $600 per person by paying in full by April 30, 2010.

My Exclusive Journeys, a new Miami-based tour company that specializes in creating custom packages to Latin America, is also offering recommended itineraries and sample packages ready to go off the shelf.

The seven-day/six-night Days of Wine and Tango package includes three nights’ accommodation in Buenos Aires; three nights in Mendoza; all airport transfers, hotel taxes and daily breakfast; MEJ’s exclusive unwind program on arrival in Buenos Aires (a greeting by and meeting with your personal guide, coffee/tea, rest and a soothing massage); a private, guided walking tour of historic BA’s diverse neighborhoods; a day in the Pampas with Argentinean cowboys or gauchos; and dinner with a tango show.

In 449-year-old Mendoza, Argentina’s wine capital, MEJ provides a panoramic tour of the city and a tour of the surrounding valleys’ pastoral landscape, cattle farms, small towns and family-run wineries (with wine sampling).

The package price depends on the hotels chosen.

With the luxurious Park Hyatt Palacio Duhau in BA and five-star Cavas Wine Lodge outside Mendoza, the price is $2,580. Using the boutique hotel Casasur Art in BA’s smart Recoleta neighborhood and the restored villa Club Tapiz on a Mendoza wine estate the cost is $1,645.

My Exclusive Journeys’ shorter five-day/four-night Buenos Aires Escapade includes accommodations, airport transfers, daily breakfast, an unwind program, a historic walking tour from Plaza de Mayo to San Telmo, a day in the Pampas with the gauchos, and dinner with a tango show.

It costs $1,690 at the posh Park Hyatt Palacio Duhau or $1,180 at MEJ’s choice, the Casasur Art boutique hotel.

My Exclusive Journeys also offers a Buenos Aires and Iguassu Falls package, as well as trips with exclusive features or small ship cruises in Brazil, (Rio and the chic beach resort Buzios or colorful Salvador de Bahia), Costa Rica (volcanoes, beaches and canopy tours), and Ecuador (Galapagos Islands and Ecuadorean Highlands).

All prices are land-only, per person double occupancy, are subject to availability and do not include flights or airport taxes.

My Exclusive Journeys features a wide range of suggested itineraries in Central and South America.

It specializes, however, in customized and personalized programs planned down to the smallest detail. Its CEO, Jaime Alvarez, has 30 years of experience in Latin American travel.

For more information, call 888-334-6905 or visit www.myexclusivejourneys.com

A truly rare 19-night fly, coach, cruise, rail and stay package to South America and the Galapagos Islands in April of next year has an almost regal touch to it. The lucky 40 Australians who’ll participate in this tour will have personal service during a private 5-star yacht visit to Galapagos of the guide chosen to escort a British royal there several years ago.

Created by founder and chairman of ecruising.travel, Brett Dudley and his wife Philippa who will jointly lead the tour, it features 12-nights fully-escorted private-coach touring in Chile, Peru and Ecuador with an English-speaking guide, 7-nights private-charter on the yacht La Pinta to Galapagos with all onboard meals, drinks with dinner, daily lectures and briefings, plus sea kay-aking, Zodiacs, glass bottom boats, snorkelling, a stargazing program – and that British royal’s one-time personal guide, Francisco “Pancho” Dousdebes.

And the visit to Galapagos will coincide with the annual frenetic breeding season of one of the world’s greatest single gatherings of bird- and sea-life.

The package also includes a full-day’s wine-tasting tour on Chile’s Cachapoal Wine Route, and a 2-day visit to Machu Picchu aboard the luxury Hiram Bingham Deluxe Train with private English-speaking guides; there is also a day trip to Valparaiso and luxury hotels are used throughout.

The whole 19-nights is priced from $13,399pp twin-share from Sydney on March 31 next year*; for a fully-detailed 11-page itinerary and inclusions phone 1300 369 848 or visit www.ecruising.travel

*An optional 4-nights to Easter Island is available at extra cost on the way home.

Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race
www.patagonianexpeditionrace.com

CHILEAN PATAGONIA – The Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race returns for its eighth edition next month (February) with the reigning champions taking on the biggest field in history on a course that will create the toughest and most southerly adventure race ever run.

Last year’s event, won by British (and newly crowned Adventure Race World Champions) team Helly Hansen-Prunesco, proved its reputation as the wildest race in the world when American Team Calleva became lost and had to be rescued after surviving on berries for four days.

This year the event will mark Chile’s Bicentenary with 600km-plus of trekking, kayaking, climbing and cycling in the footsteps of explorers Ferdinand Magellan and Charles Darwin through the stunning Tierra del Fuego region of Chilean Patagonia.

And race organizer Stjepan Pavicic said: “Every year we explore new areas of Chilean Patagonia to make the race as scenic, wild and unexplored as possible, always at the limit of the possible. The historic average of teams crossing the finish line is below 50%, last year’s race edition it was as low as 30% – so this year is going to be interesting!

“We have tried to develop a route with historical significance and one that will give competitors the best – and most challenging – experience of the most remote and pristine area of Chilean Patagonia.

“But the value of this race is not only in the physical and mental challenge; it is also in spreading a message to preserve this region. This year that message will be even stronger as the race will pass through Wildlife Conservation Society’s reserve “Karukinka”, the conservation area we collaborate to preserve and develop in a sustainable manner.”

Team Helly Hansen-Prunesco will lead a 60-strong field of men and women that includes teams from 12 nations – UK, USA, Japan, Switzerland, Brazil, Chile, Canada, Russia, Germany, Spain, Argentina and Finland – all battling for the pride of victory. The ‘Land of Fire’ will provide competitors with challenging terrain of white-capped mountains in the Darwin Range, freezing glacier-fed waters in the legendary Beagle Channel and unpredictable sinking moss, known as peatbog, (sp. = turba), widely found in Patagonia.

The race, which is supported by the Chilean government and is the only adventure race partnered with an Olympic Committee, will donate all funds generated beyond the operating budget to conservation projects in the region. This year the event will be widely broadcast around the world thanks to a new partnership with broadcaster Hatch TV and distributor Quattro Media.

ABOUT WENGER PATAGONIAN EXPEDITION RACE

The Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race is an annual adventure race which takes place in the southern-most region of the world. Top-ranked international teams compete in spectacularly rugged and climatically diverse terrain in the Chilean Patagonia region located between southern latitudes 49º and 56º.

Extremely physically and mentally challenging, the event test competitors to the limit on bike, kayak and foot as they traverse plains, mountains, glaciers, native forests, swampland, rivers, lakes and channels, guided only by their mind and spirit and driven on by their physical stamina and experience. Past routes have incorporated the Southern Continental Ice Field, the Torres del Paine National Park, the Strait of Magellan, Tierra del Fuego, the Darwin Range, and the Beagle Channel.

ABOUT CONSERVATION SUPPORT

The Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race aims to raise awareness of the need to preserve the fragile terrain of Southern Patagonia.

The focus is on educating the global community about the environmental issues facing these isolated and virgin territories, developing sustainable tourism and working to avoid the exploitation of natural resources by non-sustainable industrial activities.

The 2010 race passes through a 300,000ha Wildlife Conservation Society conservation area called “Karukinka”, the largest terrain of this kind and one with the very last protected sub-Antarctic forest reserves on earth.

ABOUT WENGER

Wenger was founded in 1893, in the famous Swiss Jura region. It has developed around a passion for innovation, precision and expert craftsmanship and is best known as the maker of the genuine Swiss Army Knife.

Today, the company produces approximately 250 styles of their famous pocketknives, as well as butcher’s and professional catering knives known the world over.

In 1997, Wenger Watch SA was founded in the hotbed for Swiss watches, Biel/Bienne, Switzerland. In just 12 short years Wenger Swiss watches have developed a reputation for reliability, multi-functionality and performance.

Within the last eight years, Wenger established relationships with a small number of industry leaders who began manufacturing Wenger-branded products that embody the characteristics of the world famous Swiss Army Knife in the footwear, tent, backpack, sleeping bag, computer mobility and travel gear categories.

This spectacular Patagonia tour is an exciting multi-sport trip in Chile’s most beautiful national park, Torres del Paine. Sea kayak on emerald Serrano River with the breathtaking backdrop of Torres del Paine.

Don crampons for a day of ice hiking on Grey glacier, and if you wish, try a bit of vertical ice climbing, safely accompanied by our expert ice-climbing guides.

Top off these exhilarating Chile hiking experiences with visits to the rest of the park’s highlights, the French Valley, and the Paine towers.

This is an action-packed, totally unique Patagonia tour filled with unforgettable views, mountains, rivers, and glaciers.

Plus you’ll be staying at fully-equipped camping facilities in picturesque settings where delicious meals and wine are served in rustic Chilean refugios.

www.southernexplorations.com

Travelers to Antarctica can skip the Drake Passage when traveling to Antarctica with Quark Expeditions. This time saving addition to the polar specialist’s extensive selection of Antarctic cruises reduces the Drake Passage crossing from over 2 days to less than 2 hours!

A flight from Punta Arenas, Chile, to Antarctica is the key. The BAE 146 jet aircraft carries 62 passengers and is built to land on short runways, essential in Antarctica. The Antarctic fly and cruise program saves travelers approximately 100 hours of sailing time when compared to traditional expeditions!

A quick crossing does not mean reduced time in Antarctica. Travelers spend the same amount of time exploring the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands as they would on traditional Antarctic expeditions – 5 days – they just get there more quickly!

They board the expedition vessel, Ocean Nova, directly in Antarctica, off the Chilean Research Base Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva, on King George Island.

Ocean Nova, with an ice-strengthened hull, was built for navigating the ice dotted waters of coastal Greenland.

All cabins have exterior views and bathrooms en suite. A glass-enclosed observation lounge converts to a modern presentation room. The vessel has navigated Antarctic waters with unparalleled success, including the challenging Weddell Sea.

Quark Expeditions offers this 8-day, Antarctic Fly and Cruise program operated by Antarctica XXI, beginning December 13, 2010.

There are seven departures available. Per person prices, inclusive of the roundtrip Antarctic flight, are $8,990 for triple occupancy and USD$9,990 for twin occupancy. Travelers can book online (www.quarkexpeditions.com/antarctic/antarctica-flights ) or call 1-866-961-2960 to speak to a polar travel consultant.

About Quark Expeditions

Quark Expeditions was the first polar adventure company to transit the Northeast Passage with commercial passengers; the first to take travelers to the “far side” of Antarctica and the first to circumnavigate the Antarctic continent with guests, twice. In 2006 and 2007, Quark was named a recipient of National Geographic Traveler’s “50 Tours of a Lifetime” for “Emperor Penguin Safari” and the “Far Side” respectively. In 2006, Outside magazine named Quark’s “Emperor Penguin Safari” as one of the New Trips of a Lifetime.

My Exclusive Journeys, a new South American specialist tour operator, is offering a series of small ship cruises in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador and Peru, with pre/post extensions in various cities.

The ships, which range from seven to 64 cabins, vary in accommodation and amenity levels.

Some are small and casual, just right for a family charter, while others are larger and more luxurious.

One has a helicopter on board. In Argentina and Chile, the five-deck, 64-cabin twin ships Mare and Via Australis, which were purposely built for cruises to Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, sail from Ushuaia around Cape Horn to Punta Arenas on three-night voyages.

On the Beyond the End of the World journey, they are combined with Buenos Aires, Santiago and the Santa Cruz Wine Region (from $2,529).

Longer journeys from Buenos Aires to Santiago and vice versa include Bariloche or Iguazu Falls (from $3,933).

In Brazil, the four-deck, 15-cabin riverboat Premium has spacious cabins and public spaces, but is shallow enough to navigate remote tributaries.

It makes two-, three- and five-night cruises on the Amazon from Manaus, including Rio and Salvador de Bahia (from $2,941).

The larger, upscale Gran Amazon (which has two pools, a fitness room and Internet access) cruises along the Negro and Solimoes rivers, as well as the Amazon.

Nomads of the Seas’ Atmosphere carries 28 passengers on seven-night “Posh Patagonia” cruises deep into the wilds of Chilean Patagonia in great luxury, complete with spa, thalassotherapy pools, a gourmet restaurant and even a helicopter (from $10,928).

The operator offers a choice of small motor yachts, catamarans and expedition vessels plying Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands.

The star of the show, however, is the stylish motor sailer, Alta, which makes seven-night voyages through the Galapagos, often under sail.

They can be combined with a pre/post extension to Quito (from $6,995).

In Peru, cruising the northern Amazon from Iquitos, there are two beautiful cruise ships that look rather like large houseboats.

The Aqua, custom-designed in 2007 to the highest standards, has 12 cabins with panoramic windows, excellent Peruvian cuisine and all the comforts of home. The Delfin, a 19th century-style Amazon riverboat, has seven cabins with private bath and air conditioning. Both offer three-, four- and seven-night cruises plus visits to Cuzco and Machu Picchu (from $4,822).

All prices quoted are per person double occupancy, subject to availability and do not include flights, departure taxes, hotel taxes, Galapagos Park fees or gratuities. Cruise only rates are available upon request. In addition to small cruises, the Miami-based tour company features a wide range of “suggested itineraries” in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Peru.
However, it specializes in customized and personalized programs planned down to the smallest detail. Its CEO, Jaime Alvarez, has 30 years of experience in Latin American travel.

For more information, call 888-334-690 or visit www.myexclusivejourneys.com

The Globus Family of Brands is reporting a double-digit percentage growth in its South America business, a trend that has been accentuated Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s winning of its bid to sponsor the 2016 Olympics.

Pamela Hoffee, vice president of product and operations for the Globus family of brands, says that Globus customers are attracted to South America for its culture, access, favorable currency, diversity, food and adventure. ”

While the logistics involved in traveling to South America can seem somewhat intimidating for first-time travelers to the destination,” Hoffee said, “a guided tour or independent travel package (Monograms) with help from our experts present travelers a great, stress-free yet fun-filled solution.”

The Globus group is offering more than 20 vacations to emerging destinations in South and Central America. Its most popular itineraries for 2010 are Globus’ Legacy of the Incas (11 days), priced from $2,979, land only; Avalon Waterways’ new Ecuador and the Galápagos (eight days), priced from $3,379, land and cruise only; and Globus’ South American Escape (nine days), priced from $2,469, land only.

Spotlighting the Globus family of brands’ increased dedication to growth in this area of the world, Monograms is offering travelers three new independent vacations to South America: Brazil, Argentina & Chile (12 days), priced from $2,239, land only; Amazonia Voyage with Rio & Iguassu (10 days), priced from $2,769, land and cruise only; and Costa Rica Wonders (eight days), priced from $1,299, land only.

“Not only are Americans discovering all the beauty, color and vigor Latin America offers, the dollar goes further in South and Central America than in many other destinations,” said Scott Nisbet, president and chief executive officer for the Globus family of brands.

Additional 2010 South America Tour, Cruise & Tour and Independent Vacation offerings include: Globus (Tour) — Natural Wonders of Costa Rica (nine days), priced from $1,529, land only. South American Escape (eight days from Rio de Janeiro to Buenos Aires), priced from $2,469, land and intra-vacation air only; Mayan Civilizations: Honduras, Guatemala & Belize (12 days from Guatemala City to San Ignacio), priced from $2,559, land only; and Mexico’s Colonial Cities (eight days), priced from $1,349, land only.

Avalon Waterways (Cruise and Tour) — Discover the Galápagos & Peru (13 days from Lima to Quinto), priced from $5,169, land, cruise and intra-vacation air only. Monograms (Independent Travel) — Peru Highlights (six days), priced from $1,639, land only; Patagonian & Chilean Fjords (13 days), priced from $6,179, land and cruise only; and Galápagos Highlights (six days), priced from $2,589, land, cruise and intra-vacation air only.

Littleton, Colo.-based Group Voyagers, Inc. is the privately held company that markets and sells the Globus family of brands within the United States. Globus, Cosmos, Monograms and Avalon Waterways offer tour, independent travel package, river and small ship cruise options. Globus is one of the world’s largest tour operators, with 80 years of international travel experience.

For more information, call 800-221-0090 or visit www.globusfamilypartner.com www.globusjourneys.com or www.ColorfulSouthAmerica.com

iExplore
CONTACT: Amanda Sundt
TEL: (312) 492-9443 x140
E-MAIL: amanda@iexplore.com
WEB: http://www.iexplore.com

Named as one of National Geographic’s “Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth”, the iExplore team prides themselves on catering to every traveler’s needs and concerns as well as offering supreme flexibility on each of their itineraries.

iExplore’s travel expert, Amanda Sundt, has organized a gaggle of once-in-a-lifetime travel adventures. Whether you’re a history buff, outdoor enthusiast or looking for a family trip, iExplore can organize something truly amazing.

Japan

Samurai Experience

The Samurai’s are revered warriors and masters of the sword. This trip offers a truly unique and rare experience—a glimpse into the secret world of the Samurai! Take a privately guided tour of the Samurai museum in Akita with a Samurai scholar giving you first hand insight on the history, attire and philosophy of the Samurai.

Then, go to one of the last remaining Samurai Training Schools in Kyoto where you will tour the facilities and attend a private demonstration!

Here a Samurai in training and his master will allow you to observe (and participate—for the more adventuresome) the techniques and discipline required to handle the sword. Your journey concludes with a privately guided tour of the sword museum in Tokyo. BEST FOR Japanese history buffs and martial arts lovers BUT BEWARE—you may have to swing a sword! Cost: $1,400 per person, excluding airfare.

Antarctica

Chill Out This Summer: Once in a Lifetime Tour Explores Emperor Penguin habitat in Antarctica

Only 150, 000 visitors have even been to Antarctica.

A select few scientists and researchers have been privileged enough to actually stay on the continent and explore. Be one of them! Join researchers at the Halley Research Station operated by the British Antarctic Survey.

Arrive by charter jet and begin this truly “insider’s experience”.

Among the highlights you will experience: a visit the Emperor Penguin Colony, located near the station and a trip to the “hinge zone” where the floating ice shelf is joined to the continent.

This remarkable, once-in-a-lifetime experience is only available through iExplore.

BEST FOR Adventurous types who want some great travel bragging rights BUT BEWARE your plans need to be flexible as the weather is very unpredictable in that part of the world and your charter flight may not be able to take off on your set date. Cost: $5,738 per person for charter flight from Ushuaia to St. George’s Island and time on research base.

Russia

Insiders Moscow – Brezhnev to Baryshnikov

The Cold War may be over, but the politics and mystery of that era continue to intrigue and fascinate many. Experience a first-hand account of cold war Russia by having lunch with an ex-KGB agent in a Moscow restaurant that was a known KGB “hotspot” during the cold war.

This remarkable experience will allow you to live history and get a up close and personal account of the Cold War era. BEST FOR: This is a great trip for families—especially with teens. BUT BEWARE: Availability is very limited. Cost: $250 per person

If Russian culture is more your forte, get an insider’s look at Russia’s renowned ballet. Take in a performance of the Bolshoi Ballet Company—one of Russia’s oldest and most highly regarded ballet companies.

You will attend the performance— with a noted ballet critic and historian. After the performance, enjoy a backstage tour and introduction to the company Then, go on to tea, where the critic will share his insights on the performance.

Truly a world class experience for any ballet lover. BEST FOR: families, particularly who have ballerinas in training. BUT BEWARE: This opportunity is only available when the ballet is in season. Cost: $500 per person

Botswana

Elephant Experience

Spend a day with three amazing semi-habituated elephants.

Two of the elephants, Jabu and Thembi, were orphaned in a Kruger National Park culling operation more than 20 years ago.

Doug Groves adopted them back then and has been caring for them ever since.

He adopted a third member of the herd, Morula, after she was orphaned in Zimbabwe.

He uses his organization, Living With Elephants, to “foster harmonious relationship between people and elephants”.

Walk alongside the elephants and see how they go about their day from grazing, bathing and drinking.

End the day with a new appreciation for and understanding of these gentle giants. BEST FOR:

Animal lovers of all ages who want to really get up close and personal. BUT BEWARE: You might end up all wet after an elephant takes a nice long drink! Cost: $350 per person

Argentina

Man vs. Nature – Create Your Own Old Man and the Sea Legend

The Dorado is the “river tiger” of Argentina.

To try your hand at catching the Dorado you will journey to a remote part of this gorgeous country—near the town of Romang.

Here you will meet up with your private fishing guide and spend the next 5 days fishing in the freshwater with your private guide. While you may be here for the fishing, the accommodations at Timbo Lodge are truly luxurious and will change the way you think about a fishing lodge.

The lodge only has 4 rooms and the chef will prepare all meals to your specifications. Truly a world class fishing experience. BEST FOR the diehard fisherman who is looking for a challenge BUT BEWARE you must be strong enough to lift up your prize dorado for a photograph! Cost: $3,975 for 10 days—includes 3 days/ nights in Buenos Aires. Excludes airfare.