IN SEARCH OF THE KING COBRA STEPPES DISCOVERY TAKES YOU TO A HOTSPOT OF BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY

NEW YORK, NY (02/14)Ever looking beyond the ordinary, Steppes Discovery, part of the Steppes Travel Group, hosts a tour to track India’s most revered snake, the King Cobra.  This 10-day unconventional journey takes place in a hotspot of biological diversity, the Western Ghats, the 1,600 km long mountain range along the western side of India.  You will be in the company of cobra-whisperer Gowri Shankar on a tour led by Sanjay Thakur, an expert herpetologist.

In the world of snakes, lizards, crocs and frogs, the King Cobra is culturally significant with many superstitions around it.  Indians believe the King Cobra possesses exceptional memory.  It is larger than other cobras and prefers a diet of snakes, finding rattlesnakes particularly tasty.  The King Cobra rarely attacks humans but keep in mind that one bite has enough venom in it to bring down an elephant.  It is the world’s longest venomous snake.  They are difficult to discover because they are very shy.

You will trek with Irula tribesmen as they demonstrate age-old skills to track cobras, rat-snakes and vipers.  This is a small Indian tribe who, in addition to traditional skills, hold a knowledge of indigenous wildlife, valuable resources for naturalists.   Amphibians are very sensitive to environmental change and are often the first to indicate an ecological issue.  And some venoms and toxins of snakes are very useful in human medicine.      

You will go in search of King Cobras but also learn about vipers, Wolf Snakes and India’s other intriguing reptiles such as Caecilians, crocodiles, caimans, turtles, Monitor Lizards, and Flying Lizards, and amphibians such as tree frogs, burrowing frogs and gliding frogs.  You’ll have the opportunity to gain insight into how local people in rural India live side by side with their often vilified neighbors.

The group tour is from June 14 to 24, 2014 for a maximum of 10 people and a minimum of eight.  By joining this tour, you can be assured you will be traveling sustainably and responsibly.  If these dates don’t work for you, Steppes will customize the tour on other dates.  The rate is $3,511 per person, double occupancy.  For more information, visit www.steppesdiscovery.com or call 1-855-352-7606.

STEPPES DISCOVERY ANNOUNCES THE BONOBO GREAT APE EXPEDITION RARE WILD ADVENTURE TO HELP SAVE MAN’S CLOSEST RELATIVE

NEW YORK, New York (12/2013) Steppes Discovery, a division of Steppes Travel devoted to ethical wildlife travel, announces The Bonobo Great Ape Expedition, a two-week journey beginning August 17, 2014, into the heart of the Congo in search of our closest living, rarely seen relative. Sharing 98.4 – 98.6% of human genes, the Bonobo is even closer to us than the Chimpanzee.

Leading the tour will be renowned primatologists Sally Coxe and Michael Huxley, known locally as Mama and Papa Bonobo for co-founding the Bonobo Conservation Initiative charity (BCI). Rates start at $13,762 per person, excluding international flights, based on a group of 6, and a portion will directly benefit their efforts.  A Steppes specialist will accompany the group to ensure the trip runs as smoothly as possible as travelers are taken by bush plane and by pirogue along the Congo, the world’s deepest river.

This is not a journey for the faint of heart.  Travelers must be fit and unfussy – the Congo Basin which the endangered Bonobos inhabit, is the second largest rainforest (after the Amazon) on the planet and a somewhat demanding terrain. “We are very proud that  Steppes is the only tour operator in the world to offer this amazing experience, one that took our company 15 years to put together to ensure unrivaled adventure and the extraordinary pleasure of not only encountering our Ape ancestors but helping in their survival,” said Steppes’ Managing Director, Justin Wateridge.

The Bonobo is known as the Peacenik of the Animal Kingdom or the Make Love Not War primate: it lives in large communities (up to 120) and resolves conflicts through sex. It is believed that when the Congo River formed two million years ago, it split what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo into two parts. The Chimps went north of the river and became increasingly aggressive because food was scarce. The Bonobos stayed south of the river, where food was always plentiful, so they became harmonious. They are frugivores (fruit-eaters), but they also eat shoots and leaves, and, on occasion, small monkeys.

What distinguishes Bonobos from other primates is their social behavior. They are swingers:  highly acrobatic, they have more frequent sex (age and gender don’t matter though mother/adult son sex is taboo) than other primates and, like humans, they don’t have sex just to procreate but for pleasure, bonding and tension-release. It’s a matriarchal society, compassionate and egalitarian.

For bookings, more information or a detailed itinerary contact:  enquiry@steppesdiscovery.com

STEPPES DISCOVERY TAKES ADVENTURERS INTO THE WILDS OF LADAKH, INDIA IN QUEST OF THE ELUSIVE, ENDANGERED SNOW LEOPARD

NEW YORK, NY (10/13) Steppes Discovery, trailblazers in conservation and wildlife tourism, offers IN SEARCH OF THE SNOW LEOPARD, a two-week small group tour (maximum: 8 people) to seek out the rare, well-camouflaged big cat, one of the planet’s most beautiful creatures, one of its most elusive and one of its most endangered. The tour, which won a Responsible Travel Award, takes place in Ladakh, a region of far north India, bounded by two of the world’s greatest mountain ranges, the Himalaya and the Karakoram.

Tours are led by experts from the Snow Leopard Conservancy India Trust, the wildlife charity which this trip supports. These are the same trackers used by the BBC, National Geographic and other wildlife film-makers.

“We pride ourselves on the characters that we work with,” says Steppes Managing Director Justin Wateridge. “Yes, they are guides; yes, they have expertise, but we work with them for their passionate and charismatic personalities that ensure an exceptional, lasting impression.”

Rates for the scheduled two-week tour (November 19 – December 2, 2013) start at $3664 (USD) per person excluding international flights. Rates for the November 8 – November 21, 2014 tour start at $3,970 (USD) per person excluding international flights. All include a donation to the Snow Leopard Conservancy India Trust. Private group tours can also be arranged.

If ever there was a soul-enhancing experience for seasoned travelers, it’s catching sight of the magnificent Snow Leopard, a creature so rarely seen it’s known as the “ghost of the Himalayas.” But on Steppes Discovery tour the odds of a sighting are in the traveler’s favor:  Not just one, but two Snow Leopards were seen on Steppes’ most recent tour.  Not surprising since the experts behind this pioneering tour company were among the first to access the area, and boast a proven track record of sightings over the past 14 years.  Wildlife lovers may also encounter blue sheep (bharal), ibex, wolves, wild yaks, brown bears, golden eagles, bearded vultures and Himalayan Griffons.

Travelers will explore Hemis National Park in a high-altitude area famous for Snow Leopard research, photography and filming. They will visit picturesque Buddhist villages and monasteries during winter festival, when communities celebrate with traditional costumes, music and masked dancers. They will meet the region’s hardy mountain people and learn about the Buddhism they practice by spending time in traditional homesteads and experiencing first-hand the warmth and hospitality of the people who call this wilderness home.

For more information or a detailed itinerary,contact:

enquiry@steppesdiscovery.com Or visit: www.steppesdiscovery.com

TRAVEL BACK IN TIME ALONG THE FABLED SILK ROAD: WITH IAIN SHEARER AND STEPPES DISCOVERY

ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan (09 / 13) Just hearing the phrase Silk Road conjures up images of mystical sights, intrigue, and romance. For centuries the Silk Road held great global economic significance, and today travelers can go with Steppes Discovery and famed archaeologist Iain Shearer along part of this fabled route in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

The trip’s superb 16-day itinerary includes several UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and begins in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. While in Turkmenistan travelers can step back in time and see spectacular ruins in places like Nisa, which is believed to have been one of the first capitals of the Parthian empire, and Merv, one of the most well-preserved cities from the early days of the Silk Route. Iain will also take adventurers to see Kunya-Ugrench, another UNESCO site, and the former capital of Khorezmshah Empire.

After spending the first half of the trip soaking in these beautiful ancient sites in Turkmenistan, travelers will cross the border and enter Uzbekistan. The first few days will be spent basking in the splendor of Khiva’s many grand palaces and mosques, and even relaxing in a traditional hammam. Next Iain will lead the group to Bukhara, the former capital that boasts more than 300 mosques, with superb features like the Kalon Minaret. From there the group travels to Samarkand where they will explore the region’s highlights like the remains of the ‘White Palace,’ the ancient city of Afrosiab, Registan Square, and the Mausoleum of the Prophet Daniel. The trip concludes in the 2,000 year old city of Tashkent, which is also the nation’s capital. The city boasts stunning historical quarters from the 16^th century and an excellent art museum.

The Silk Road’s name was initially derived from the lucrative silk trade that was the genesis for this ‘Road’ during the Han Dynasty. However other goods as well as ideas, religions, and even diseases, like the Black Plague, traveled along this fabled route. This trail also was responsible for economic and cultural development throughout China, the Indian subcontinent, Persia, Europe, and Arabia.

Shearer’s critically acclaimed work focuses on development and conflict archaeology, and he has overseen excavations in Nishapur, Iran and in the Ferghana Valley in Uzbekistan. He currently holds a Research Affiliate Position at the Centre for Applied Archaeology at University College London and is the British Museum’s Sackler Scholar for Iran and Afghanistan. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society.

The trip is from May 1-16, 2014 and September 11-26, 2014 and costs $5,592 including international flights, and $4,072 excluding international flights.

For more information please contact http://www.steppesdiscovery.co.uk/ or call 1 855 2527606 (toll free)

SHUTTERBUGS CAN GO WILD WITH STEVE BLOOM ON STEPPES' MIGRATION AND GORILLA TREKKING CIRCUIT IN AFRICA

ARUSHA, Tanzania (9/13) The African continent is a veritable cornucopia of nature, and Steppes Discovery can take you on the tour of a lifetime to discover two of the continent’s most spectacular sights with the inimitable Steve Bloom: The Great Migration and Gorilla Trekking in Uganda. The trip consists of eight exhilarating days beginning in the northern Serengeti and ends with a trip to see gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.

Visitors will obviously want to document this once in a lifetime experiences, and attempting to capture the teeming masses of wildlife as they race through the Serengeti can seem daunting. Capturing the elusive gorillas on film is no easy feat either. Luckily legendary photographer Steve Bloom will be on hand to teach the group some of his best tricks and techniques. Bloom has had a storied career as a wildlife photographer. He has published several compilations of his images and has even produced eleven critically acclaimed outdoor exhibitions, entitled Spirit of the Wild, all aimed at raising awareness about environmental issues.

The adventure starts at the Serengeti Wilderness Camp, located in the epicenter of the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. The camp is mobile, and only exists during the Great Migration so it can follow the animals’ migratory patterns, ensuring that travelers are constantly in a prime gameviewing area. Serengeti Wilderness Camp is comprised of ten tents, all outfitted with ensuite bathrooms and luxurious verandahs that are highly conducive to appreciating the stellar views. The camp offers a variety of activities like balloon safaris, bird watching, game drives, and walking safaris.

Thanks to new flights between the Serengeti and Entebbe, travelers can easily jet off to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest for the ultimate day trip. Bloom will travel with the group as they track and photograph the elusive gorillas.

The trip costs $7,392.60 excluding international flights, and $8,532.20 including international flights. The trip is from June 12-19, 2014 and available for a maximum of ten people.

For more information please contact http://www.steppesdiscovery.co.uk/ or call 1 855 2527606 (toll free)