WALK THROUGH THE REMOTE AND CULTURALLY RICH PATHS OF THE ITALIAN ALPS

NEW YORK, NY (01/2014) On Foot Holidays, a specialist in self-guided walking tours that stands out for its unique and carefully designed routes through remote areas of Europe, offers a seven-night journey to the Italian Alps’ dramatic rocky mountain chain, the Dolomites. You can take this tour anytime during July, August or September. Once you choose your set off date, On Foot will create a detailed itinerary and arrange your stay in typical inns and boutique hotels. While walking with your partner, friends or solo, On Foot’s staff will transfer your luggage from town to town so you can enjoy a hands-free excursion.

The Dolomites (from remote South Tyrol to sophisticated Cortina) is of medium- hard difficulty to walk with three to six hours of walking per day. Combining the most attractive areas of this World Natural Heritage site, the tour will take you not only to explore the highly distinctive mountain landscapes, but also to experience the rich Tyrolean culture.

The Dolomites, famous for their dramatic vertical and pale-colored peaks, are among the most attractive mountain landscapes in the world. Route designer and ten-year walking expert of the area, On Foot’s Isabelle Basso, ensures the journey is full of unforgettable landscapes and experiences.

Stroll through the dreaming meadows of the South Tyrol, spend a night in an isolated mountain refuge, tour the distinguished Tre Cime Circuit and enjoy the picturesque scenery the Lake at Misurina offers. The tour ends in worldwide known gourmet destination, Cortina, where you’ll be delighted by exceptional dining. Throughout the whole trip you will experience the gastronomic richness of this region; enjoy fresh milk from mountain herds and Italian wine from Veneto. From dumplings to pasta in a week, your palate will be exposed to both German-Alpine and Italian-Alpine cooking.

Rates for seven nights per person sharing are from $1,400 for the early July holidays and include accommodation, breakfast daily, six evening meals, detailed itinerary and supporting material and luggage transfers. 

For more information, and questions regarding customized variations of the trip and low/high season prices, contact On Foot Holidays at +44 1722 322 652 or visit www.onfootholidays.co.uk

STEPPES TRAVEL’S ULTIMATE CENTRAL AMERICAN HOLIDAY: MUKUL BEACH, GOLF & SPA

NEW YORK, N.Y. (01/2014) One of the “must” destinations for 2014 is Central America. For those who like to be first on their block, Steppes Travel, known for identifying and customizing tours of the world’s most remarkable places, is offering bespoke trips to the new Mukul Beach, Golf & Spa, one of the most luxurious resorts on the planet. Located on Nicaragua’s Emerald Coast north of San Juan des Sur, Mukul (the Mayan word for secret) takes luxury to a stratospheric level with a gorgeous private beach, capacious villas, 24-hour butler service, helicopter transfers, cigar and rum rooms, and a Spa that comprises no fewer than six buildings. Rates from $550 per night for a Bohio Mountain view room with double occupancy.

But Steppes’ Central American expert Beth Collins advises, “Mukul is not just for adults – the whole family is welcome here. Accommodations for ‘Kul’ Kids aged 0 to12 are complimentary, if sharing with their parents.  The resort is completely geared up for families, offering professional daycare, adventure programs, beachcombing, monkey viewing, movie nights and much more.”

The resort of Mukul sits along a stunning four-mile stretch of pristine, white sandy beach. There are 37 guest accommodations: Beach Villas range from 955 square feet to 2,620 square feet, with the Bohios rooms perched dramatically on the hillside among the lush canopy of the rain forest. All villas offer inside/outside living with wrap around balconies and private plunge pools of varying sizes.

For the ultimate getaway with family or friends, there is the house of all houses for rent -- Casona Don Carlos, home of Mukul owner Don Carlos Pellas (one of the top 50 most influential people in Latin America). The Pellas’ four-bedroom residence and large private swimming pool comes with 20,000 feet of ocean front and a palapa (traditional Latin American shelter roofed with palm leaves or branches) that soars 80 feet high.

Golfers can play endless rounds on the exquisite oceanfront course designed by celebrated Scottish designer David McLay Kidd.  For those who just want to wind down, the Spa offers healing therapies from Japan, India and Turkey.

Steppes Travel will handle arrangements to the minute.  Email enquiry@steppestravel.com; Toll-free: 1-855-352-7606

AUSTRALIS OFFERS FREE AIR FROM SANTIAGO FOR CRUISES IN FEBRUARY AND MARCH

SANTIAGO, Chile (01/2014) –Expedition cruise operator Australis announces free air round trip between Santiago, Chile, and the ports of Punta Arenas, Chile and Ushuaia, Argentina. The airline savings of approximately $900 applies to four-, five-, and seven-night cruises booked for February and March.

For the four-night itinerary fly from Santiago to the departure point for the cruise in Punta Arenas, Chile. The cruise ends in Ushuaia, Argentina, where travelers will fly to Santiago via Buenos Aires. Rates for the cruise start at $2,410 per person sharing, depending on the cabin. Choose from the following departures: February 22 and 26 and March 1, 6, 8, 13 and 29.

The five-night itinerary is a new Tierra del Fuego by Land and Sea launch. Begin and end in Punta Arenas.  Rates for the cruise start at $2,815 per person sharing, depending on the cabin. Choose from the following departures: February 5, March 8, March 23, March 24 and April 7.

The seven night itinerary is a round trip cruise.  The trip will begin and end in Punta Arenas. Ushuaia is the halfway point. Rates for the cruise start at $3,958 per person sharing, depending on the cabin. Choose from the following departures: February 3, March 6, March 8 and March 29.

The cruise is an all-inclusive experience and includes accommodation, all meals, an open bar, shore excursions and on board entertainment. The deal is good as long as supplies last. For more information, visit www.australis.com/landing-enero/ticket-aereo-incluido_en.html.

FROM LAKE CONSTANCE TO THE FOOTHILLS OF THE ALPS, EXPLORE AUSTRIA LIKE NEVER BEFORE

New York, NY (1/2014) On Foot Holidays, the tour operator that creates off the beaten path walking tours throughout Europe, offers a seven-night journey to explore Austria. You will be able to choose your set-off date, while On Foot staff takes care of the rest of the planning, arranging your stay in authentic and traditional family-run hotels and transferring your luggage by van from village to village.  From Lake Constance to Damüls, you will enjoy a hands-free walk through magnificent areas of the Bregenzerwald, including Bregenz, Lingenau, Schwarzenberg, Bezau, Schönenbach, and Mellau.

Austria (Lake Constance and the foothills of the Alps) is of medium difficulty to walk, with four to five and a half hours of walking per day.  With your partner, friends, or even solo, adventure your way through the meticulously designed On Foot trails. Put together by a “Route Advisor”, in this case local architect Peter Münch, the route ensures to be rich in design and culture as you pass through landscapes of meadows, woods and charming villages. On Foot staff will also provide you comprehensible maps, walking directions and detailed itineraries.

This tour is described by previous On Foot clients as “a real walking gem”.  Be amazed by magnificent over 6000 ft peaks and enjoy the most spectacular views. Also, if you are lucky enough, you might get a glimpse of white fresh snow on the very top of the mountains, an amazing contrast to the surrounding vibrant green pastures. To enable exploration of remote valleys without arduous climbs, and also to reach the top of Damüls bowl, cable cars are available and included in the tour package.

Rates for seven nights per person sharing are from $1,246 and include accommodation, breakfast daily, six traditional and hearty evening meals made of locally produced food, detailed itinerary and supporting material and luggage transfers.  To ensure good weather conditions for walking, the tour is only available from June to September.

For more information, and questions regarding customized variations of the trip contact On Foot Holidays at +44 1722 322 652 or visit www.onfootholidays.co.uk

NEW TENTED CAMP AT LOISABA

LAIKIPIA, Kenya (12/2013) Loisaba Wilderness  has announced the opening of a new Tented Bush Camp during its process of lodge renovations.  The Kenyan camp, which opened its doors on December 15^th, 2013, goes back to tradition with communal dining and bucket showers – true safari experiences.

In a 60,000-acre conservancy, the bush camp features double and twin tents, as well as one family tent.  Enjoy the en suite bathrooms that include bucket showers and flush toilets. You also have the opportunity to combine your stay at the camp with Loisaba’s legendary Starbeds. The Kiboko  Starbed and  the Koija Starbed are two variations of these handcrafted beds on raised platforms: one overlooks the eastern valley  and ‘Kiboko’ water hole, and one is located right next to the Ewaso N'giro River. From canvas tent to Mukokoteni bed, take in a one-with-nature experience under the twinkling African stars.

This equator location is a cornucopia for activities. This is one of the best destinations for game watching: the camp offers the chance to track lions and the endangered wild dogs living in the area. Also enjoy horseback riding, guided bush walks and game drives, camel trekking, river rafting and fishing, bush meals and sundowners.

A night at the new tented bush camps starts at $395 per person sharing.  This includes the aforementioned activities; all meals; local airstrip transfers; house wine, beer and soft drinks and limited laundry.

Please note: rates for the camp have been posted until March 31, 2014. The progress of lodge renovations will be determined before continuation of the tented camp.

For more information, visit www.chelipeacock.com or email info@chelipeacock.co.ke.

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 TRAVEL NEW TOUR OF EARTH’S WILDEST FRONTIER: PAPUA NEW GUINEA

NEW YORK, NY (12/2013) Steppes Travel, the bespoke tour operator known for its pioneering adventures, is one of the first companies to offer a new, 11-day journey to Papua New Guinea (PNG), exploring with an expert the extraordinary history, exotic wildlife and unique culture of the “Land of the Unexpected.” Tours are limited and there are two departure dates for 2014 -- May 30^th and June 13^th. Rates for the 11-day trip start at US$9752 per person and US$1432 for a single supplement, excluding flights.

Alternatively, Steppes offers a tailor-made PNG adventure which will be handcrafted by the Steppes team.

Occupying the eastern half of New Guinea (the western half belongs to Indonesia) on the remote periphery of both Asia and Australia, PNG lies on a vast tropical island of torturous topography, tree-dwelling kangaroos, 850 separate languages, 1000 different cultures and people addicted to the art of adornment. 

The tour takes in some of the wildest frontiers on Earth -- the coastal fjords of Tufi, the rugged Western Highlands, and New Britain, the main island of the Bismarck Archipelago. It is designed to give a few adventurous travelers access to pristine rainforest, roaring rivers, coral reefs, beaches and crystalline waters teeming with marine life, all making up what is deemed the most culturally diverse country on earth.

·   The very charismatic and knowledgeable Aussie, Ray Andrews, will lead the tour.  A native of tropical North Queensland, Andrews has a vast amount of experience, including roles as Resident Naturalist at a number of bush camps, working with indigenous Australians to create businesses and planting some 100,000 trees in regeneration of the Wet Tropics.  He has also appeared on television with Jeff Corwin and the late crocodile hunter, Steve Irwin.  He has deep knowledge of PNG, having guided extensively throughout the island.  Above all, he is hugely passionate about the natural world.

ADVENTURE: 

• ·   Dive or snorkel the pristine waters of the Coral Triangle and dozens of ocean dive sites in the blue waters of the Solomon Sea, the calm waters of the tropical fjords, and explore wreck and muck dives. 
• ·   Paddle traditional outrigger canoes up tropical fjords
• ·   Climb an active volcano. There is no more dramatic place to do this -- PNG is home to one of the most active volcanic regions on the planet.

WILDLIFE: 

• ·   Go in search of the spectacular Birds of Paradise. Of the 43 known species on earth, 38 are found here, including the Superb, the Twelve-wired, and the Ribbon-tailed Astrapia. The island is also inhabited by the beautiful rainbow bee-eater, the striking palm cockatoo and the prehistoric cassowary. 
• ·   See bizarre Tree Kangaroos, a myriad of other wildlife, and the highly-valued Megapode eggs, incubated by the large chicken-like birds who lay them in the volcano’s heated soils.

CULTURE: 

• ·   The Indigenous people and unique fauna and flora of PNG are found nowhere else on earth.
• ·   See the colorful body adornment of the Huli wigmen, the ceremonial and decorative carvings of the Sepik, meet the Mudmen of New Guinea and the Baining Firedancers.
• ·   Learn about the significance of sorcery and the part it has played – and continues to play – in the original animist religions, and discover ancient rituals, bush medicines, fire-making, mat-making and traditional tattooing.
• ·   Discover modern day PNG and politics Melanesian-style with a visit to Parliament House, one of the most distinctive government buildings anywhere in the world.   

For more information and details please visit www.steppestravel.com