Wish you were there?

Toil And Travel: Gloriously Green Holiday Gifts

Well in advance of the upcoming holidays, consider an unusual voluntourism trip. Work and play with equal intensity. This kind of vacation is a non-commercial, high-value, in-depth cultural immersion. Reality not-TV and get back infinitely more than you give. There is not enough mistletoe on earth to bring about the kind of love generated by these profoundly rewarding experiences.

Peru

The Rainforest Voluntourism Program is one of social and environmental initiatives.  Help construct water filters in a bird-watching paradise community called Infierno in southeastern Peru. Infierno? (yes, it is hot as hell.)  Set where the Andes Mountains descend into the lush Amazon Basin, it is a haven of jungle life. Fabulously populated by rare birds and butterflies, this region is also home to the tapir, spider monkey, jaguar, and the cute white-lipped, tusked peccary (wild pig.) Or roll up your sleeves and help repair the elementary school and playground. The five-day, per-person rate is $2,307 and dates are flexible during the holiday season.

Zambia

Whistle before you work. Safari first in three countries – South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe on the lookout for the “Big Five” –the  elephant, rhino, hippo, giraffe and  zebra. Zambia Community & Safari combines an authentic safari together with work on local projects. One “walk with the rhinos” and never be the same.  Gain insight into the culture of the Shangaan people who live between the Kruger National Park and the Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa. Assist in schools, community centers, building projects and/or local sports development. This great 14-day trip takes place Dec 29, 2012 – Jan 11, 2013 at the rate of only $1599. per person.

Cambodia – Laos

“New Hope Cambodia,” a grass roots, hands-on, non-government organization works to restore hope, dignity and promise to the local community called “Mondul 3.” It’s near Tonle Sap Lake, 140 miles north of Phnom Penh.  The name may sound very “Brave New World” but the little community in Siem Reap is not.  About 300 displaced souls live in extreme poverty, without education or skills. The needs are great. Volunteers can help build a new school or library, help teach in classrooms or visit families who require assistance. Greatest way in the world to avoid another New Year’s Eve at home, this 15-day trip is Dec. 30, 2012 – Jan 13, 2013 and costs only $1,799 per person. Click: Explore Cambodia & Laos,

Zanzibar

Volunteer in the beachfront village of Jambiani on the exotic African isle of Zanzibar, helping local school teachers and organizing sports activities. Schools are very appreciative of assistance from English-speakers who help children master the language as well as tutor science and computer training.  Click Project Tanzania & Safari for more on this 13-day adventure.  Dec. 9 – Dec. 21, 2012 at $2,999 per person.

Kenya

Join Project Kenya & Safari and travel by Land Rover to search the great Maasai Mara for lion, cheetah, elephant and rhino while camping in a tent under the big sky –the most exciting and uniquely African experience. Volunteer at the Limuru Children Center, an orphanage near Nairobi where children from many different backgrounds suffer from disability, abuse, poverty, illness. Help is very much needed with teaching and organizing activities.  This 15-day trip takes place Nov. 26 – Dec. 10, 2012.  $2,999 per person.

Each of these tours can be found under the umbrella known as “Greenloons” a carefully curated travel collection, eco-certified and third-party vetted.  All trips have been proven to go “the extra mile” in giving back with a focus on nature and local life.  Small groups tend to attract idealists willing to use their muscles on sustainable vacations.

“We can’t imagine a more meaningful way to give during the holiday season and wish the world “Happy New Year,” says the energetic and ardent Irene Lane, Greenloons founder and president.  We can’t either.  Click http://www.greenloons.com/, or call her in Washington, DC at 703-752-6270.

 

African Tree Houses: A New Angle For Wildlife Viewing

There’s something magical about a tree house –it harks back to childhood, a place that is safe, sort of hidden but with a good view; a place that is dream-inducing, uniquely in-and-outdoors.

In Africa, a wide variety of tree houses has now been built. Some are romantic with candlelight playing in the surrounding branches, others are more adventure-oriented – built just high enough in rough-hewn walls to feel the adrenaline rush from hearing and watching wild animals not far below. Sleep?  Maybe just a wink.

How to choose the right tree house? Take no chances. Instead, take advantage of the wisdom of Chris McIntyre, managing director of Expert Africa, one of the top tour operators in this neck of the woods.  Here are some who get his highest marks:

Tanzania

Moja, Mbili, Tatu, Nne, Tano and Saba, each a separate eco-honest tree house within the Chole Mjini Lodge compound.  Built of indigenous mangrove wood by the skilled local craftsmen, each is set in a huge ancient baobab tree.  Waves lap at the roots of some of them (yes, really, tell your botanist friends), and all are open to the elements on all four sides.  Glorious views and soft breezes easing through.

The exotic Chole Mjini Lodge is set on tropical tiny Chole Island, just off the Tanzanian coast and part of the Mafia Island archipelago. (Mafia Island?  We kid thee not.)  Chole is not as well trod as Zanzibar Island to the north, and virtually unknown.  A definite plus.

Zambia

The Elephant Hide of Kaingo Camp in the South Luangwa is a must for the adventurous traveler. It is tucked inside an enormous national park that supports large populations of giraffe, great herds of elephant and buffalo. Set on a wooden platform nestled between an ebony tree and a sausage tree (getting hungry?) it is high above a centuries-old “elephant highway” through the Luangwa River, one of the major tributaries of the mighty Zambezi.

Zimbabwe

There’s no place like this home –“The Dove’s Nest” – a multi-level tree house near the Zimbabwe Lodge and set in a leadwood tree in the Hwange National Park. Tiered rooms, a middle floor viewing platform, a high bedroom reached by wooden stairs and a trap door.  Love that trap door! Offbeat.  In-out. Cool viewing of any of the 100-plus animal species at home in this enormous park.

Zambia

Recently rebuilt, Tongabezi Lodge’s Tree House has to be one of the most wildly romantic in Southern Africa. Constructed around the branches of a riverine ebony tree on the banks of the Zambezi River, this secluded house spreads over a pine deck, just upstream of Victoria Falls and partly suspended over the water—perfect hyper-real floating sensation.

To zero in on the right tree house for you, contact the London-based Chris McIntyre of Expert Africa with your wishes.  He will produce customized itineraries that will hit one or more of these unique and extraordinarily exciting ways to spend a night. Call toll-free 800-242-2434 or click www.expertafrica.com.

Coming Attraction:

“Bush Night” in Tanzania

Beho Beho, a private camp in the Selous Game Reserve (Africa’s largest), is setting up a moveable feast of the tree house experience.  Chris McIntyre says, “This is a way of camping that will enable guests to overnight in several tree houses during one stay. Without doubt, this will be highly original, luxurious and slightly quirky in the best of ways.”

 

 

Tap Into Your Inner Artist In Italy

Paint, Cook, Draw, Photograph

Under the radar in the heart of Tuscany, Il Chiostro, (“the cloister,” the central square inside a monastery) has been an energy center for creative travelers and magnet for solos since 1995.

Steeped in traditional Tuscan values that reach back to the essentials of living: beauty, taste, community, nature, Il Chiostro offers workshops in painting, photography, fiction writing, cooking, singing, acting, poetry, creativity, yoga – -  to deliver the optimal experience in and of the very location of your workshop – Bologna, Lake Garda, Cortona and others. Small groups.  Passionate instructors.

Owned and created by Linda Mironti and Michael Mele, warm and welcoming Italian Americans who live in NYC and Italy. Both have strong backgrounds in the arts. Linda was a singer and a chef, and Michael, a dancer-choreographer turned fiction writer. “For us Il Chiostro is a metaphor. Take yourself away from your hectic, demanding life and place yourself in a beautiful, seductive environment that will allow your spirit a chance to breathe.”

Hot Shot Highlight: Venice via iPhone

One of the most thrilling cameras in the history of photography—hardly a secret — is neatly parked in the iPhone. No mere snap-shooter, the iPhone is a powerful creative tool that both invites and inspires images without the techno-load. Learn to better capture, as well as process, images in the field in an ultra-special Il Chiostro workshop in Venice  – - and be thrilled by the color, depth, and texture of your results.

Dan Burkholder is the professional photo workshop wiz, an award-winning author and instructor of 15+ years. Ever heard of the Eye-Fi memory card? Dan has!  His one-week workshop will take place from October 14 – 21, 2012. Sleep in a 15th c. former convent, wander the back streets, cross the little humps of bridges, sip a Bellini at Harry’s, float in a gondola, and gather for meals and special events in preparation for an exhibit to be staged at the end of the week.

Check out Il Chiostro’s extraordinary, eye-popping array of exceptional art/culture/culinary programs taking place all summer and fall in many marvelous locations: Click: www.ilchiostro.com.  To know more, call Linda and Michael in NYC at 800-990-3506.

 

 

 

Penguin Lookouts: Five Top Stops

Small expedition ship cruises make penguin viewing a breeze. To see masses of these sturdy, remarkably tough guys, fully decked out in tuxedoes 24/7, is a thrilling sight.  Low-impact small ships are designed for comfort and carry only 49 to 149 guests max. Their ice-strengthened hulls can navigate in and around the ice and deep into protected coves and bays. Onboard, expedition leaders present penguin life and lore in fascinating programs and during shore excursions. And depending on the cruise, guests can often ski, camp, snowshoe and kayak among these friendly creatures.

There are 17 species of penguin, most of which live in the Southern Hemisphere, home base to six stellar species: the Adelie, Chinstrap, Emperor, Gentoo, King and Macaroni.  “The dream of encountering penguins, most marvelous creatures, in their natural wild habitat is the holy grail of wildlife adventures,” says Todd Smith, pioneer, founder and director AdventureSmith Explorations.  His is an active travel company that matches up adventure-seeking travelers with the right expedition ship and itinerary –intimate, boutique ships that may be under the radar of most travel searches. Think of AdventureSmith as a Match.com for penguin lovers.

Smith’s hit parade of five top stops are:

  1. Patagonia: The 128-guest Via Australis operates September through April to view the Megallanic Penguins live in Chile’s Tierra del Fuego region.
  2. Antarctica – Expedition cruises in the Ross Sea from Australia to New Zealand’s Sub Antarctic Islands, reveal huge congregations of a variety of penguin species in some of the most remote regions of the planet. Know any of these islands: the Snares, Stewart, Antipodes, Campbell and/or Macquarie?  NO?  Good.  Sign up fast for the 5-star, 106 passenger MV Orion.
  3. Antarctic Peninsula – Weddell Sea: A wide variety of small ships departing from Ushuaia, Argentina (affectionately known as “fin del mundo”) carry 49-149 guests, and offer many programs from easy cruising to extremely active expeditions that include hiking, kayaking, skiing and even camping. For penguin purists, there is a specialty cruise where helicopters fly guests from the ship (100-passenger M/V Ortelius)  to see Emperor Penguins at home.
  4. Galapagos Islands: The Galapagos Penguin is the only species to live north of the equator in the wild. A small population of less than 1,000 couples inhabits mostly the Fernandina and Isabela Islands.
  5. South Georgia and Falkland Islands: The remote archipelagos here are home to a variety of species in vast colonies numbering in the millions.  Entire hillsides and beaches may be covered with nesting penguins rearing their young. Spectacular 20 and 24-day expeditions are available with experienced Antarctic teams.

Multi-award winning (including National Geo’s 50 Trips of a Lifetime), California-based AdventureSmith Explorations is the global leader in adventure cruise vacations. For a dazzling array of trips click: www.adventuresmithexplorations.com. Or phone: 800-728-2875

 

 

Cruise With The Stars Of The New York Times

The Times, they are a-changin’.

Avid readers and lifelong learners can sail away together with New York Times star columnists and reporters on the first cruise of its kind:  twelve nights in the eastern Mediterranean aboard the Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam, October 5-17, 2012.

Beef up that brain! Escalate that IQ! Times journalists will engage participants in conversation, discussions and thought-provoking analysis of current events, film, science, music and technology.  This innovative cruise provides an intimate setting where guests can absorb and explore various perspectives on relevant issues, events and pursuits in the buoyant atmosphere of ideas at sea.

Visit some of the most enchanting and culturally rich destinations in that part of the world: Venice, Montenegro, Greece, Turkey and Croatia.

Anchors Away!   Sample Seminars:

  • JOE NOCERA: The State of the Economy – Can the Euro Survive? – How to Fix College Sports – Throw Things at Joe Nocera
  • WILLIAM PAYNE: Creating a New Play – Global Change – Critiquing Election Drama – Ancient Greek Theater
  • WILLIAM C. RHODEN:  Gender and Sports – Intercollegiate Athletics - The $40 Million Slave: Race and Power in Sports
  • DAN SCHNUR: The West Wing Comes To Life – Dissecting The Electorate by Demography – Advances in Communications Technology Both Empower and Polarize
  • A. O. SCOTT: Why Criticism (Still) Matters – Red, White and Blue Carpet Night - World Cinema in the 21st Century – Pedro Almodovar’s Melodramatic Imagination
  • BARBARA STRAUCH: Talents of the Middle-Aged Brain – Reporting Science in a Changing World

Even more interesting, the October cruise has two price components: the cruise cost and the conference fee. Cruise costs range from $1,799 to $6,099 pp (plus taxes). For “Good-Time-Charlies” and the mentally exhausted, or those who do not want to cruise and shmooze, save the conference fee of $1,575, which includes about 30 hours of programming and two cocktail receptions, and lollygag ashore in the seductive ports of the eastern Med.

For the full scoop on the itinerary, the ship, pre- and post- tours and programs, please click here.

 

Island Hopping In The Philippines By Bike

One of the most biodiverse countries in the world, the Philippines is one great big archipelago made up of over 7000 islands.  Bangkok-based SpiceRoads Cycle Tours has pin-pointed five of the Visaya Islands to explore over 13 adventurous days by bicycle in small groups.

For a solo adventurist, this is an incredible opportunity to connect with kindred spirits and experience an exotic locale in an intimate manner. Although each of the five islands (close neighbors) has a distinct identity, they share two strong features: fine beaches and clear blue seas. Riders will spend seven nights at beachside resorts, collapsing and snoring, or diving into the fun of sea and sand after a day in the saddle.

Cyclists will cover 315 miles over a total of nine cycling days threading first through the long and narrow island of Cebu. Then on to the famous Chocolate Hills of Bohol to visit the Tarsier Sanctuary, wheeling past acres and acres of terraced rice paddies. Visit volcanic Camiguin Island, then Siquijor, home to many mystic healers and then on to the premier sugar-producing island of Negros.  Whew. 90 percent of the cycling is on tarmac for moderate-to-challenging rides.

Cost: $3,150 plus an additional $225 for bike rental but no additional charges for the six boat rides tossed in.  And to entice you, they are offering a $250 discount off the first departure, Oct. 14. In 2013, departures are scheduled for Feb. 17, April 14 and Oct. 13.

Click http://www.spiceroads.com.

Easter Island Idyll

In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a mere five-hour flight from Santiago, Chile, Rapa Nui (aka Easter Island) is Explora’s newest lodge, Posada de Mike Rapu.  Really far out, but not quite off the charts, this unique lodge was awarded a perfect score in the “2012 World’s Best Service Awards” by Travel + Leisure Magazine, its third award in two years.

Considered the world’s most remote inhabited island and one shrouded in mystery since its re-discovery by Europeans in the early 18th century. [Skilled Polynesian mariners, however, got to Rapa Nui centuries earlier.]

Posada de Mike Rapu is perched above the pounding Pacific near the ancient Rano Raraku Volcano on 23.7 acres. Green-designed to have minimal impact on the environment,  all 30 rooms have ocean views.

OK, once there, what to do?  Explora Rapa Nui offers a great menu of explorations via foot or bike, plus snorkeling and fishing. The island’s star attractions are, of course, the 800+ moai, the enigmatic huge human heads carved from rock, perhaps 1000 years old, that guard the island perimeter.

Bilingual guides meet with guests each afternoon to plan the next day’s adventures. Helicopter at the ready. Top guide, Joanna Faulkner, plans unique experiences such as private picnics in a volcano cave within earshot of the surf, or a trek past moai sculptures along the volcano’s edge, and visits to natural rock pools.

The island’s remoteness, stunning geography and rich culture led UNESCO to declare Rapa Nui a World Heritage Site in 1995. Rates for three nights at explora start at $2,385 per person.

Click www.explora.com and in U.S. call toll-free 866-750-6699.

 

Sail on the Top of the World to the Finnish Line

Award-winning Hurtigruten has operated voyages along the craggy Norwegian coast since 1893. This year guests will be crossing the 71st parallel during their top-ranking “North Cape” cruise.  The 71st is the northernmost point on the European continent — way north of Iceland – and very valuable for bragging rights as a claim few people can make.

Plying these nippy sub-Arctic waters in the part of the world known as “Finnmark” offers a rich tapestry of Sami, Russian and Finnish cultures.  Summer visitors see grazing reindeer and Sami camps, and in winter a special bus follows a snow plow up the final eight miles to reach the 1,000-foot high plateau where, bracing against the winds, you get to stand beside the iconic North Cape globe for photographic proof positive that you have literally stood at the top of the world.

Top stop, Tromsø, Norway’s biggest city north of the Arctic Circle, was named top cruise destination for 2012 by Frommer’s. “The Midnight Concert in the Arctic Cathedral” in the candlelit Tromsdalen Church is always a high note. Another highlight: the Polaria Centre, an aquarium and theater featuring educational programs about the Northern Lights (greatest show not on earth), and local polar bears and seals.  Opportunity to ride a dog sled or just meet and greet the huskies without sledding.

As a world leader in expedition cruising to the most remote of destinations – including Antarctica, Greenland and the Arctic’s Spitsbergen, Hurtigruten’s fleet of 14 intimate ships (100 -646 guests each) offers a vast menu of thrilling excursions in the 34 ports between Bergen and Kirkenes …  anyone for a Viking feast in Stamsund-Svolvaer or a scooter expedition in Lapland?

Chill out!  Check out:  www.hurtigruten.us.  Or call (877) 301-3117.

 

Higher Than A Kite In Peru

“Realm of the Incas” is an excellent new 7-day exploration of the former Incan kingdom, rich in natural beauty, culture, history and archeology.  On an Exertion Scale of 1 to 5, this trip falls on 2.5: easy hikes at medium elevations and overnights in top hotels.  The operator is award-winning Mountain Travel Sobek, an adventure pioneer since 1969, keen on offering unique experiences , trips that are inspirational and enriching, sometimes transformative.

Start off high and cool in the city of Cuzco (UNESCO World Heritage Site), former capital of the ancient Inca Empire and today the undisputed archaeological king of the Americas.  Just outside of the city, explore the Inca ruins and the spectacular mountain fortress of Sacsayhuaman.  See the terraced ancient aqueducts, canals and waterfalls in Tambomachay.  Visit Pisac, ancient hilltop ruins and vibrant market.  Hike into Chinchero, an adobe village overlooking the Sacred Valley of the Incas and believed to be the mythical birthplace of the rainbow. (Love this.)  Visit the village of Huilloc where weavers still speak the language of their Incan ancestors and still grow crops on tiny terraced plots 12,000 feet above sea level.  Whew.

Then two days in Machu Picchu, world-class grand slam travel finale and voted one of the “new Seven Wonders of the World.”  This iconic, mysterious and marvelous city was hidden in dense jungle-covered mountains for almost 500 years until discovered in 1911 by intrepid Yalie, Hiram Bingham.

Four departures in 2012: July 28, Sept. 1, Oct. 6 and Dec. 22 just in time to celebrate Christmas.  Pricing starts at $3,595 per person, double basis.

For the full scoop on “Realm of the Incas,” click: www.mtsobek.com or call 888-831-7526.

 

Istanbul Immersion

Sprawling across the two continents of Europe and Asia, Istanbul is a unique, gorgeous and vibrant city bursting with arts, great food, and fabulous architecture all overlaid on millennia of history.

Two expat Americans have devised a clever way to deepen the Istanbul experience by helping visitors to experience the artistic energy that fuels the city by way of their own clever, creativity workshops. Seductively entitled “Playing Around Istanbul,” their program is designed to engage the mind, recharge the spirit, release creativity and expand cultural horizons.

Melissa Dinwiddie, artist, “inspirationist” and “blogiste” and Kelly Hevel, a long-time Istanbul-resident who has made it her business to poke into the “back doors” of her adopted home will guide you into the hidden nooks and crannies to meet local artists and a variety of lively characters – people and places tourists could never discover on their own.

One date only: September 30 – October 7, 2012.  Wind through the back streets of old Istanbul to visit exotic crafts-in-progress such as an ebru studio (Turkish paper marbling), glassmaking, a painter of miniatures, a fine calligrapher, a textile expert, and a karagoz, a pro who makes Turkish shadow puppets.  Afternoons are devoted to the city must-see’s – the 1500-year old Underground Cistern (mysterious and fascinating) the monumental Haghia Sophia, the 17th century Blue Mosque, Cagaloglu Hamam (a 300 year-old Turkish bath and open for business!), the Topkapi Palace (home to the Ottoman sultans for 400 years) and the ever-wild Grand Bazaar.

Priced well at approximately $2075 for a shared double (with various enticing discounts)  the play-around fee covers eight nights in a fine traditional hotel in the heart of the historic Sultanahmet district, generous buffet breakfasts, creativity workshops and afternoon tours.

Melissa and Kelly are offering a clever, fun and under-the-radar way to explore one of the most fabulous cities on earth. For all details, please click: http://playingaroundworkshops.com