PAINTBRUSH IN THE BUSH: KENYA’S ART SAFARI

SAMBURU, Kenya (04/2014) The colors, vistas and landscape of Kenya’s Samburu region bring you to a standstill. Sometimes a camera just can’t capture what the eyes see. Joy’s Camp Art Safari is a chance to create an image that conveys a single moment. A whisper through swaying grass, a reflection in rippling water and sunlight dusting smooth volcanic rock.

A local artist accompanies you during a walking or driving safari to sketch on location. Feet on the ground, you’re in the middle of the African bush – a 360 degree view of untouched land in the Northern Frontier. Choose watercolors or charcoal pencils, grab an easel and let your hand glide over paper. The artist is there for instruction and advice. Popular spots include the winding Ewaso Nyiro, a river lined with Fever Trees and sand, creating an oasis of green; and the top of Penny’s rock for views of an expansive arid landscape – looming mountains on the horizon. Itineraries are flexible in the bush, so choose a departure from early morning to sundown; choose the position of the sun for the light contrasts you desire most.

Joy’s Camp Art Safari is inspired by the site’s previous artist, Joy Adamson. Joy was a part of history when she helped reintroduce a domestic lion, Elsa, to the wild for the first time. It became a best-selling book, Born Free. When she moved on to the area where Joy’s Camp stands today, Joy documented the plants and people of Kenya through her drawings.

There are 10 chic canvas bedrooms at Joy’s Camp overlooking a natural spring. Each tent is uniquely decorated with handmade glass and vibrant fabrics of the local nomadic tribes, and has a private veranda, ideal for game viewing. Joy’s Camp is one of ten properties in Kenya with a Gold eco-rating, the highest level of environmental responsibility.

Book the art safari in advance. Rates start at $350 per person sharing per night, and include meals, game drives, bush walks, bush breakfasts, sundowners, local airstrip transfers and limited laundry. For more information, visit joyscamp.com or email info@chelipeacock.co.ke.

LE TORRI DI BAGNARA, LUXURY CASTLES COLLECTION: “LA DOLCE VILLA” & PALATIAL EVENTS VENUE UNDER THE UMBRIAN SUN

ASSISI, Italy (03/2014) Le Torri di Bagnara (LTDB) is a world-class collection of exquisitely restored medieval castles set within the “Tenuta di Bagnara,” a superb, 1500-acre historic estate and nature reserve in Umbria, offering one of its five castles as a luxury villa and another as an exclusive venue for weddings and special events. The seven-bedroomed Pieve SAN QUIRICO Castle Villa (PCV), is available on a weekly basis to private groups, multi-generational families, groups of friends and those seeking privacy. Il Castello di Bagnara (CDB), the private residence of the Counts Giunta Tremi, is available as a palatial events space, offered without accommodations.

The Pieve Castle Villa (11^TH century historic residence), designed as a luxurious private home, but with the services of a hotel, comprises seven bedrooms (15 beds); nine bathrooms, a professional kitchen, a Renaissance-styled courtyard, and a saltwater pool. On the grounds is a large, 18^th century consecrated church. PCV is available from April through October and over the Christmas-New Year’s holiday – December 20 to January 10. Rates for the Pieve Villa start at Euro 7350 per week and include a maid, breakfast service, full gardening and pool cleaning services (Sunday excluded), with other services obtainable on an ad hoc basis. Groups needing additional accommodations can make use of the Bagnara Tower (11^th century historic residence)-- four apartments sleeping a total of 15.

The Castello di Bagnara (11^th- 15^th century historic residence) is an exquisite venue for weddings and special occasions. The fanciful castle is a complex of buildings: a dwelling space; a crenelated tower adjoined by a small, three-story palazzo with vaulted ceilings between ground and first floors; a stone mill containing an antiques-filled dining room and living room; a small, 17^th century consecrated chapel and an Orangery. The Castello features an immense park with an Italianate garden, a pool, covered dining veranda and an outdoor fireplace.

Since 1901, this exceptional estate, located near Assisi, has been owned by the Counts Giunta Tremi, a noble family descended from Napoleon Bonaparte via his oldest brother, Joseph (King of Naples, Spain and the Indies), and through a younger brother, Lucien (Prince of Canino and Musignano). Today, beautiful Zenaide Giunta, named for her great-great grandmother, owns and operates LTDB.  Commenting on the Pieve Castle Villa, she said, “This is not a simple house rental, but a life experience that speaks to all the senses and that guests take away with them.” She added, “We are pleased to extend our hospitality to those wishing to immerse themselves in the “Tenuta’s” enriching lifestyle – the beauty of this pastoral setting, the pleasures of our food and wine, the privacy of a heritage estate and the age-old culture of Umbria.”

The estate’s working livestock farm breeds hare, roe-deer and white Chianina beef cattle, and cultivates honey, herbs and vegetables, tasty provisions for the table. Among the structures on the estate are several to-be-restored medieval castles, including Castello di Pegliola, once the site of a casino or private club frequented by aristocrats. The scenery is a painter’s or a poet’s dream, a serene countryside of hills, plains, sylvan forests, flower-embroidered meadows, formal gardens and green pastures, all interlaced with small lakes, water features and crenelated castles.

A plethora of services and activities is available: in-house cooking (professional Chef); cooking lessons; massage; Wi-Fi; biking; hiking; golf (an 18-hole, Robert Trent Jones, Jr.-designed course is 10 minutes away); yoga, picnics; truffle hunts; wine tours; seasonal festivals (Spoleto in June; Umbria Jazz in July; Euro-chocolate in October) and visits to Assisi, Perugia and Todi or over the border to Tuscany or even to Rome.

For more information or bookings: info@letorridibagnara.it

PRIORAT: PRESTIGIOUS WINES AND RICH HISTORY WITH ON FOOT HOLIDAYS

NEW YORK, NY (03/14) As Christianity spread across Europe, so did monasteries, and with them came vineyards. On Foot Holidays, specialist in self-guided walking and hiking tours in seldom seen areas of Europe, offers a tour through hills and XII century monasteries in the region that is home to Spain’s most elite wines.

Priorat, Spain (Along monastery trails to the holy mountain) – With four and a half to six hours of walking per day, this route is considered of medium-hard difficulty. Through mountains and valleys from the historic center of Montblanc to the heart of Priorat, you will visit two important, beautifully-sited monasteries:  Poblet (a Cistercian monastery founded in 1151) and Escaladei, a Carthusian monastery, where for seven centuries the monks cultivated vineyards. Nights will be spent in charming, sleepy towns and villages at typical inns and houses, where you will get closer to the Catalan culture.

You will arrive at Poblet via the medieval town of Prades, and later climb Monsant– the “Holy Mountain” – from which you will descend to Escaladei. With remote bathing pools and Neolithic rock art along the route, this tour is rich in natural water features and ancient symbols. Wine lovers will be delighted, when reaching the final destination, to stroll through the major vineyards of Priorat.  Recognized among sommeliers, this hidden wine gem is the land of a perfect 100 wine score as rated by Robert Parker, renowned American wine critic. Priorat is also one of the only two regions in Spain to qualify as DOCa, which is the highest qualification level for a wine region.

Rates for seven nights per person sharing are from $1,120 and include accommodation, breakfast daily, five evening meals, two lunches, detailed itinerary and supporting material, and luggage transfers between hotels.

For more information and questions on dates available contact On Foot Holidays at (011)44 1722 322 652 or visit www.onfootholidays.co.uk

ON FOOT’S WALKING TOUR OF GERMANY’S BEGUILING RHINE GORGE: THE RIVER, THE ROMANCE, THE RIESLING

NEW YORK, NY (03/2014) Things are out; experiences are in, and there’s no better way to absorb a place than by hoofing it. On Foot Holidays, specialist in self-guided, designed walking and hiking tours through the hidden scenic byways of Europe, announces a walking tour of Germany’s Rhine Gorge, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The journey from Bingen to Koblenz takes in the legendary Lorelei rock, famed for mythic maidens luring ships to their peril; 20 fanciful castles (some visit-able), as well as peregrinations through quaint, old German villages – Bacharach for its beauty; St. Goar to explore medieval Rheinfels Castle, Boppard, one-time Roman way-station, known for “4-Seen-Blick,” a vista where the Rhine appears to break into a quartet of lakes.

This is a spirited route, too, where each village boasts its own Riesling, and beer is always on tap.

Rates for On Foot Holidays’ Rhine Gorge tour start at US$900 and include eight bed and breakfasts, one evening meal, three picnics, and luggage transfers between hotels. Level: medium with three and a half to six hours of walking per day.

Magical castles! Historic towns! Terraced vineyards! The Rhine Gorge, that 40-mile-stretch of the Middle Rhine Valley, is so ridiculously romantic and picturesque, it has long bestirred painters, writers, and composers. UNESCO cited it as “an outstanding organic cultural landscape….that has remained largely untouched. As a result, many of the features and elements that lend the area its authenticity have been preserved.”

Foodies will find tasty fare in pubs, inns, cafes, beer gardens and weinstubes along the way: the famous Weinberg Schlösschen in Oberheimbach, the Hotel Deutsches Haus in Kaub or, if the Braubach option is taken, the fine old coaching inn of Zum Weissen Schwanen. The area boasts amazing vintages, too, especially those of Rüdesheim.

In describing its Rhine ramble,  On Foot Holiday’s Director Simon Scutt says, “It’s busy and exciting, too – the barges negotiating sharp bends and the toy trains (for that’s how they look from the footpaths high above), and the river towns and villages…make a pleasant variation from the rural walking.”

On Foot Holiday’s Rhine Gorge tour was designed by architect Peter Münch and local Beatrix Greiff. This trip can be extended to take advantage of all Koblenz has to offer – museums, castles (Fortress Ehrenbreitstein is now accessible by cable car across the Rhine) gardens and restaurants.

Contact: On Foot Holidays at (011)44 722 322 652 or visit www.onfootholidays.co.uk

KENYA’S NEWEST CONSERVANCY

MAASAI MARA (03/2014) – Kenya Gold Guide Calvin Cottar and his wife Louise Cottar, owners of Cottar’s 1920s Safari Camp, have worked for 10 years to establish Kenya’s newest conservancy: Olderikesi Wildlife Conservancy. They have met with the local Maasai and government to create a model which may be replicated across the country, aiming to unify the Maasai instead of segmenting the land. Their passion for Kenya, its tribes and the country’s living history is reflected in their efforts.

The Olderikesi Wildlife Conservancy is 6,000 acres on the border of the Maasai Mara National Reserve and the Serengeti National Park. “We feel that if visitors want to help wildlife survive in Africa today, they should stay in conservancies on the peripheries of parks and reserves. It’s a far more responsible choice as it helps finance the expansion of the ecosystem versus protecting wildlife within set borders,” says Calvin, explaining how easily this new conservancy model can be adopted. Kenya is changing, with some hoping to help direct that change in a positive way.

Power to the People:

The situation is ongoing local human-wildlife conflict and destruction of environment by domestic livestock. The conservancy’s solution is to lease the land from the Maasai with areas designated for wildlife only, and areas where domestic stock may be taken to graze. Instead of division by fences, there is division by shares within a community trust – and an added clause that the shares can never be sold to outsiders. Maasai land stays truly Maasai.

Calvin and Louise recognize that their property is built on Maasai land, and pay annual fees to the Maasai. Their recently opened Private House is their commitment to the Maasai that they are there to stay, to help them and the land. The Cottar’s are part of a five-generation family business, reminiscent of the colonial era when Charles Cottar moved from Iowa to Kenya with his family (seen in the white canvas tents with family antiques from the 1920s). There are ten en suite tents and a private house, which can accommodate up to 10 guests in five large en suite bedrooms.

For more information, visit www.cottars.com or email info@cottarsafaris.com.

WALK YOUR WAY TO HEALTH WITH ON FOOT HOLIDAYS

New York, NY (03/14) - We have good news about the bad news! The bad news is that obesity is expected to overtake tobacco as the leading preventable cause of death in America, where one third of the adults are considered obese. The good news is that one of the best ways to get your heart pumping and body toned is walking.

Self-guided walking tours specialist, On Foot Holidays, offers over 20 different tours that unveil little-known and charming areas of Europe. With routes ranging from easy to hard, it is now possible to get fit while on vacation without having to miss out on any of the culinary specialties of each village.

Each tour is created by a ‘route designer’, a local of the area with a strong interest in its landscape and culture. It usually takes a lot of time to get a handle on a place and get to know its hidden gems; this is why On Foot Holidays arranges your stay in small inns, farms or pensions, which allows you to get closer to the hospitality and the traditions of each region.

Sample Walks:

Slovenia (The Karst- culture and landscape)-  Ideal for the casual walker, this eight-night tour explores the Slovenian Karst, one of Europe’s most diverse landscapes that ranges from sharp edges of limestone caves surrounded by the greenest pine trees to disappearing lakes and rivers. Explore the woodlands and meadows from Ljubljana to Trieste, and indulge in the villages’ wild beauty and culture. After all the walking you will be rewarded; staying at local farmhouses that produce their own wine, hams and honey, makes this tour a great fit for foodies. You will have the opportunity to taste the unique and local Teran wine, famous for its rich and robust character, that pairs perfectly with the local prosciutto (Prsut). Rates per person sharing start at $1,160 and include accommodation, breakfast daily, five evening meals, six picnics, luggage transfers between hotels and detailed “walkers’ pack”. Level: Easy (three to five hours of walking per day).

Sabine Hills (Italy) – This seven-night self-guided walk through  old woods, paths and tracks in the Sabine Hills is more challenging, but you will have lifts available to get over the steep sections. Starting in the historic medieval village of Contigliano, the route will pass through several delightful Italian villages where cuisine will be exceptional, and with all that walking you will not feel guilty about having a taste of everything. In Casperia you will even have the chance to sign up for cooking lessons and learn how to make fresh pasta from scratch. Accommodation is among the highlights of this route– from charming B&Bs and a small palace, to the house of a local artist and an organic working farm, you will experience Sabina at its fullest. The tour ends in the Eternal City, Rome, where you will stay at a wonderful B&B with an excellent location, close to Campo di Fiori and Vatican City. Rates per person sharing start at $1,136 and include accommodation, breakfast daily, four evening meals, two picnics, luggage transfers between hotels and detailed itinerary and supporting material for walkers to follow the routes. Level: Medium (three and a half to six hours of walking per day).

For more information contact On Foot Holidays at (011)44 1722 322 652 or visit www.onfootholidays.co.uk

STEPPES ANNOUNCES ONE-TIME-ONLY TOUR WITH HILARY BRADT TO PERU’S PRE-INCA RUINS AND THE WORLD’S MOST BEAUTIFUL MOUNTAIN

NEW YORK, NY (03/14) Steppes Travel, the bespoke tour operator known for its pioneering adventures, has linked with Hilary Bradt, the travel authority (with her husband) behind the renowned Bradt Travel Guides, for a one-time-only tour entitled Peru Revisited, Bradt’s final return to the country she fell in love with 45 years ago, and which, she declares, changed her life. 

Steppes’ Peru Revisited tour encompasses the republic’s premier archaeological sites and the spectacular Cordillera Blanca mountain range. Not only is Peru’s highest mountain, Huáscarán (22,204 feet), located in this range, but so is Alpamayo (19,511 feet), proclaimed the "World's Most Beautiful Mountain" by an international survey led by the late, award-winning climber Toni Hiebeler.

The 14-day Peru Revisited tour, personally guided by Hilary Bradt, takes place July 8 to 21, 2014.  Rates start at US$4195 per person sharing (excluding international airfare) and include interior flights, accommodations, daily guided excursions and most meals.

Hilary Bradt was so smitten by Peru when she first visited South America in 1969, that she found the experience transformative. On the next trip, after walking the full length of the Inca Trail, Hilary and her husband wrote their first guide book. Hilary says, “Eight editions of that book followed, fuelled by my annual trips to South America as a trekking and tour leader.  I want to return one last time.  Not to Cusco and Machu Picchu, but to my favorite mountain range, the Cordillera Blanca, and to make my first visit to the ‘Machu Picchu of the north’ – Kuelap in the Chachapoyas region.”

Travelers will have the benefit of Steppes’ seamless travel arrangements as well as Hilary Bradt’s superlative insider knowledge of the fascinating culture of ancient Pre-Inca and Inca-dominated Peru. They will explore the Pre-Inca ruins around Chiclayo in Northern Peru; wander through the largest ancient stone structure in South America; take a lodge-based trek in the Cordillera Blanca and Negra mountains in Central Peru; and listen to Hilary Bradt’s anecdotes of her many explorations through territory that once was home to the Norte Chico civilization, one of the world’s oldest. Along the way, there will be visits to many historical and religious sites, the Royal Tombs Museum to see Moche artefacts, as well as the ruins of Tucume, the pre-Hispanic city of adobe pyramids.

For detailed itinerary and more information: Email enquiry@steppestravel.com or call Toll-free: 1-855-352-7606