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Jonny's Travel News - January 2012
My Favourite Trips in 2012!
Happy New Year to you all. For my first email of the year I thought I’d share with you my favourite trips and travel ideas for 2012. I hope you find them inspiring.
January – Egypt Tomb Raiders Tour: Very last minute I know but if the thought of another 12 month’s work is proving too much, our Egypt Tomb Raiders still has a couple of places left on it and could prove the perfect antidote. Bypassing Cairo, and thus avoiding any political issues and travel restrictions, the tour starts in Luxor, before taking to a wonderfuldahabiya to cruise down the Nile to Aswan… winter sun, extraordinary culture and plenty of style.
February – India, Hills of Marwar Horse Safari: With trips to Oman and along the Ganges almost full, for February I am going to go for our unique Hills of Marwar Horse Safari. The trip that launched a thousand others, it was doing this tour in 2005 that the whole of our Village India range developed. Travelling truly off the bean track, through rural Rajasthan – and at a great time of year when the opium poppies are in full bloom – for those with an equine bent, this trip is perfect.
March – Heart of India in Style: There is no doubt in my mind which trip to go for here, and that’s our new and much improved Heart of India in Style tour. Having just returned from Central India, I can honestly say this trip is truly superb. Whether its culture, in stupendous Buddhist caves and World Heritage temples, the urban mayhem of Hyderabad and Bhopal, wonderful wilderness in Satpura National Park, or the beaches of the Indian Ocean that excite you, this trip has it all. What it also has are a couple of nights in what will probably be the most amazing and evocative hotels you’ll have ever experienced, the Taj Falaknuma Palace. As pleasure home to the 6th Nizam of Hyderabad – then the world’s richest man – it is an unforgettable experience that brings the history of the city to life. Watch my little Central India video from my trip there late last year.
April – Wild Walk in Old China: As soon as Ed came into our office touting this trip I knew we must do it, and I am delighted it is now a guaranteed departure. Voted by Wanderlust in their top 50 trips of the year, it is a wonderful walk that takes you off the beaten track, away from modern China, and into a land of fantasy and fairy tales. Here, in this remote corner of Yunnan, you’ll see China how she used to be, a world of remote tribes, and authentic villages where life has remained untouched by the ravages of modern times. Other great trips in April include Wild Walk in Turkey, Pakistan Spring Blossom and our Rajasthan Easter Chill Out at Castle Bijaipur.
May – Cities of the Silk Road: For May I should go for the trip I am running – to my usual haunt in Northern Pakistan – but as that is already full, I will go for the early May departure of Cities of the Silk Road. This unique trip, that takes in the wonders of Uzbekistan – Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva – also visits to the much less travelled, Turkmenistan. Here you will find one of the most bizarre countries in the region, if not the world, but also a place that is home to some truly world class sites, at Merv, Konya Urgench and Goner Tepe. Other great May trips include our Iran: Peacock Throne tour, our Wild Walk in Romania and a newCuba Horse Ride.
June – Wild Walk in Albania & the Albania Horse Trek: I have added these two together as they are almost the same trip, only one done on horseback the other on foot. I took this trip last year and just loved it. Albania is a place that normally evokes negative ruminations, but here (only 2.5 hours from London) I found a place with beautiful mountains, great sites of antiquity, an impressive culture and history, great Mediterranean cuisine, and absolutely no other tourists! On both trips you will visit world heritage sites, dine at ancient monasteries, and travel through stunning landscapes… take a look at the film, made of our horse ride by an Albanian TV crew! Other favourite June trips include the ever popular High Road to Kashmir, Georgia Myths & Mountains, theTajikistan & Afghanistan Wakhan Pamir Adventure the 30-day Wakhan Corrdior Trek and Eastern Borderlands of Turkey.
July – Celestial Mountain Action Adventure: Ok, now things are getting trickier, with some really iconic WF trips running this month. But the reason why I’ve gone for the Celestial Mountain Action Adventure in Kyrgyzstan is because it is truly unique, full of culture but also huge amounts of fun! Taking a helicopter to Khan Tengri base camp, trekking over the Ton Pass, mountain-biking down the Narin Valley, horse riding (or walking) to glacial lake of Son Kul and white-water rafting the Chui River, enables you to see this stunning part of the world from many angles. I set this trip up back in 2005 and it always delivers. Other interesting active alternatives include, a shorter Wild Walk in Georgia or our great new Nubra Valley trek to Ladakh. But if you’d rather things a little more relaxed you might like the Silk Road Odyssey (running through China, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) – or our Karakoram Adventure (running through China, Pakistan to Kashmir) or ourMongolian Naadam Festival Tour.
August – K2 Concordia Charity Trek: Once again there are some stunning trips running in August but I have to go for the K2 Charity Trek, departing 31st August, partly because I found it one of the most amazing travel experiences I have ever had (when I did this for the first time in 2010), and also because the children of Baleygon school need your help! Yes, besides walking to ‘the Throne Room of the Gods’ where you will experience what is arguably the greatest mountain view anywhere on earth, we are also asking that all clients raise a minimum of £500 for our foundation which is helping build and develop a school in the region. A challenge with huge rewards – you will visit the school and meet those you are helping – this is the perfect trip for those wanting to travel, but also give something back. Other classic trips running in August includeWild Walk in Kashmir and Kashmir, Garden of the Moghul Kings,Darwin’s Ecuador (those that were disappointed the Feb trip sold out take note), Pakistan Hindu Kush Adventure, and the new Wild Walk in the Hindu Kush, plus the gargantuan Lhasa to Kashgar Wild Expedition.
September – High Road to Kashmir and Garden of the Moghul Kings: With things in the vale proving very calm last year, encouraging travellers to return (according to official figures more than 26,000 westerners visited Srinagar in 2011), I think this year Kashmir will be very busy, and either of these trips are wonderful ways to see it. On the first you get the advantage of travelling up to Leh to visit the monasteries and mountains of Ladakh, before driving one of the most iconic road journeys in the Himalayas as you come down to Srinagar, while the second is a Kashmir only trip that focuses on the beauty of this legendary part of the world. First enjoyed as a tourist destination by the Moghuls in the 16thcentury its status as one of the world’s finest holiday locations is second to none – and definitely one of my favourites! Others to look out for in Sept include our new Wild & Active trip to Montenegro, a Wild Walk in the Georgian mountains of Svaneti, and a Journey around the Caspian Sea, taking in Turkmenistan, Iran and Azerbaijan.
October – Kenyan Highlands Horse Safari: A no brainer here, firstly because I am taking it and secondly (if you can ride) this is the best way to view game! The Laikipia Plateau stretches west from the slopes of Mount Kenya and is home to some of Africa’s most plentiful and iconic game. The trip, that will see you riding beautiful horses, will see us ride for eight days across this magical land, both camping in some style and staying in two wonderful lodges. Although certainly not the least expensive holiday you’re ever likely to have, it will be right up there among the most special. Other great trips in October – which is one of our busiest months – are the new Wild & Active Himalayan Adventure,The Kingdoms of the Himalayas (Nepal, Bhutan & Sikkim), and an exciting new tour, Colombia Explorer.
November – Burma, Road to Mandalay and Elephant Bill River Expedition: After my recent trip to this most beautiful of Southeast Asia countries, and the continued inching towards political freedoms the country seems to be enjoying, there is no doubt in my mind that this is the year to visit Burma, AKA Myanmar. Our Road to Mandalay Tour takes in all the iconic sites of the country – plus a few off beat locations – while in the Elephant Bill trip we are doing what we love to do, still visit the great sites of Mandalay and Bagan, but also take you totally off the beaten track, on an expedition into the interior. Elephant Bill was a British officer who lived high up the Chindwin River between the wars, training elephants for the logging trade. On this trip you’ll live on a gorgeous boat as you travel up the Chindwin, visiting a world most travellers rarely see, before finally getting to Elephant Bills camp. A trip different to any other, this will stay with you forever. Other new trips in November include theNagaland Hornbill Festival tour into the far Northeast of India and a newWild & Active in Rajasthan (which I am angling to lead). And then there are a few other classic WF tours such as Ethiopia Northern Explorer,India in Slow Motion Camel Fair tour and Bhutan, Land of the Thunder Dragon.
December – Gaucho Christmas in Argentina: Although with the return of our epic Pakistan Pagan Moon Snow Leopard tour – where we take a small group to not only witness the extraordinary Kalash winter festival, but to also find the snow leopards of the Hindu Kush – for anyone that likes riding and the outdoor life, I strongly recommend you get your names down for the Gaucho Christmas in Argentina… I have! I travelled to Corrientes, in the northern wetlands in Dec 2010, to visit Estancia La Rosita and loved it. The estancia is spacious and comfortable, set in a lovely grove of poplars, and offers wonderful cuisine. The horses are magical and riding out each day to help on the farm with their 1200 head of cattle takes you so far from your normal life, you’ll start to believe you are a cowboy (or cowgirl!). Added to that we’ll have polo and tango lessons, be able to fish or just relax by the pool – and that’s without even a mention of Buenos Aires! Asides from that there will be our usual classics, like Alternative Christmas in India,Ethiopia Christmas and Bhutan Christmas in the Land of the Thunder Dragon.
