Contents ne of themost sought-after experiences for safari enthusiasts, the GreatMigration is the ever-moving circularmigration of over threemillion animals across theSerengeti-Mara ecosystem that straddles the border betweenKenya and Tanzania inEastAfrica. The constantmovementof columnsofwildebeest, joinedby ahostof companions like zebraalongwith topi,elandand othergazelle, followanage-old route in searchofgrazing andwater.Thismunchingmultitude sharea common appetite for thewide-opengrassesof the savannahbut curiouslyZebra tend toeat the longgrasswhilstWildebeest feaston the thenexposed young shoots. It’sallabout teamwork -1.5millionwildebeestand400,000 zebra in peaceful coexistence.Due to the sheer sizeof theherd, the animalshave tomove tobeable to survive.Theherds generally follow the rain,aswhere there is rain, there is freshgrass.Oncegrass isdepleted inonearea, theywill moveon to thenextgrassyarea. After springtime calving in the southernpartofTanzania's Serengetinear theNgorongoroConservationArea (when nearly500,000 calvesareborn), theanimals journey through theSerengetiupandaround ina clockwisedirection towards theMasaiMara inKenya,before returningonceagainnear theendof the year.Along theway,highdrama isalways present,as thousandsofanimalsare takenbypredators (lions, leopards, cheetahs,Africanwilddogs and spottedhyenas)and thousandsmoreareborn, replenishing thenumbersand sustaining the circle of life.The columnsofwildebeestare so largeand long that they canbe viewed from space. At key crossingsalong theMaraandGrumeti rivers themigrationbecomesadesparate frenzyas the multitudes cascade intoNileCrocodile-infestedwaters. It isabattle for survivalwith theweak, woundedor isolatedanimalspreyeduponbywaiting flotillasof these large reptileswhich canweigh up to750kgs.Theyneed toget their fair shareas they surviveononeor two feedingsa year so the toll is impressiveafterwhich the crocsgoing into semi-hibernation.Meanwhile,on the subjectof predatorialappetite,a fullygrownmale lion caneatup to40kgofwildebeest inone sitting rerpesentingonequarterofhisownbodyweight. BothKenyaandTanzaniaoffer superlativeandoften veryexclusiveaccommodationswithinand around this immense cross-borderarea.What’smore,as themigration isa year-roundaffair your choiceof specific locationwillbedeterminedby the timeof the year.Butbewarned,mostof themost exclusive, luxury tented campsanddesigner lodges tend tobookout, so itpays toplanwell in advance toguarantee your ring-side seat for thegreatest showonEarth. O The Great Migration The grand spectacle of the Serengeti & Masai Mara heGalápagos Islands, located roughly 600miles off the coast of Ecuador, remained a closely-guarded natural secret formillions of years.Over that time, the archipelago evolved into a home for an all-star cast of plants and animals,manywith unusual traits to their moreworldly cousins.Sometime in the 1800s, some adventurous navigators and intrepid explorers started arriving in theGalápagos Islands. Themost famous early visitorwasCharlesDarwin, a young naturalistwho spent 19 days studying the islands' flora and fauna in 1835. In 1859, Darwin published ‘On theOrigin ofSpecies’,which introduced his theory of evolution - and theGalápagos Islands - to theworld. Since then,wordof these islandsand theirmagnificentbeautyhas steadilygrown. In1959, the GalápagosbecameEcuador's firstnationalpark,and in1978, itwasnamedaUNESCOWorld Heritage site.Today,more than275,000people visit theGalápagosevery year to see those incredible animalsand landscapes for themselves.Asamazingas you think theGalápagos Islandswillbe, they routinelyexceedexpectations. It'saplacewhere lizards swim,birdswalk,andhumans, foronce,do not take take centre stage. The firstdecision youhave tomakeabout visiting theGalápagos Islands isalso themostdifficult. Do youwant to stay inahotelononeof the three inhabited islands,exploringother islandsandareas viaday-tripboat rides?Or,do youwant tobebasedona live-aboardboat,whichprovides accommodationsand transportation from island to island?With theever increasing choices for waterborneexperiences, it ismost likely the case that youreyewillbedrawn to the various luxuryboatsnow circuiting the islands.Theirultimateadvantage is the luxuryof travellingovernight fromone island to thenext, so that youare on-site fora fulldayofexplorations. Most live-aboardboatsoffer5-8day itineraries,with setdeparturedates and routesand timed to coincidewithair connections from themainland. RoutesaredictatedbyGalápagosNationalParkofficials tomitigate crowdingandenvironmental stress.Yourboatwillprovideanorthernor southern itinerary (sometimes calledeasternandwestern itineraries), alternatingweekly.Both includewonderful landexcursions,plentyof time in thewater,andampleopportunities to see the famous floraand faunaof theGalápagos. In itselfa visit to theGalapagos isaworthy ‘once ina lifetime’ experience,but combinedwitha visit to the Inca sitesofPeru it wouldassumeamagnificence todraw thebucket twice inonego! T Galápagos Galápagos hu heGalápagos Islands, located roughly 600miles off the coast ofEcuador, remained a closely-guarded natural secret formillions of years.Over that time, the archipelago evolved into a home for an all-star cast of plants and animals,manywith unusual traits to theirmore worldly cousins.Sometime in the 1800s, some adventurous navigators and intrepid explorers started arriving in theGalápagos Islands.Themost famous early visitorwasCharlesDarwin, a young naturalist who spent 19 days studying the islands' flora and fauna in 1835. In 1859,Darwin published ‘On the Origin ofSpecies’,which introduced his theory of evolution - and theGalápagos Islands - to the world. Since then,wordof these islandsand theirmagnificent beautyhas steadilygrown. In1959, theGalápagos becameEcuador's firstnationalpark,and in1978, it wasnamedaUNESCOWorldHeritage site.Today, more than275,000people visit theGalápagos every year to see those incredibleanimalsand landscapes for themselves.Asamazingas you think theGalápagos Islandswillbe, they routinelyexceedexpectations. It'saplacewhere lizards swim, birdswalk,andhumans, for once,donot take take centre stage. T Machu Picc Machu Picchu & the Wonders of Peru ontinent time capsules, their contents showing remarkable levelsofpreservation thanks to thedryand cold climate. From the towering icebergs,massiveglaciers andabundantwildlife–bothmarineand terrestrial–of theAntarcticPeninsula to the rocky inletsand rugged cragsof theSouth Orkney Islands some600 kilometresaway. The vastpenguin coloniesofSouthGeorgia, last restingplaceof legendarypolarexplorer SirErnestShackleton,and theFalkland Islands,aquaintoutpostofBritainpopulated by sheep farmersandabundantbirdlife. During the courseof thisunforgettable ‘expedition’cruise youwillnavigate ice floes wherewhalesplayand seabirds soarand learnabout thepristineenvironment youare exploring throughenriching lecturesand commentary fromaward-winningexpedition teamofnaturalists,marinebiologistsand polarexperts. Falklands Islands Ushuaia ANTARCTIC PENINSULA South Georgia SouthOrkney Islands BuenosAires The white c Abucket listtravel experience ormost of the year the ‘WhiteContinent’of Antarctica is too cold and inhospitable to visit, but for a few shortmonths, at the height of the polar summer it softens its icy grip enabling a variety of expedition-grade ships of varying luxury tomake theirway across theDrakePassage, leaving the southern port ofUshuaia in Tierra delFuego,Argentina to explore theAntarcticPeninsula in a round trip thatmight also include visits to some of the remote islands of theSouthAtlantic like SouthGeorgia,SouthOrkney and of course,TheFalklands. TheNorth-Westportionof theAntarctic Peninsula is themost frequently visitedby expedition cruisesand ishome tomanyof the mostpopular landing sites.TheGerlacheStrait is renowned for the stunning scenerywith the snow coveredmountains,as if covered in icing sugar,withnumerousglaciers tumblingdown to the sea. Being themostnortherlypartof thewhole continent, thePeninsulaenjoys themildest Antarctic conditions,with temperatures inwinter averagingabalmy -20degreesC (-4degrees F)! In the summer, thingswarmup toan averageof justabove freezing.Largeareasof thispartof thepeninsulaare ice-free in the early season,being importantbreedingand feedinggrounds formany iconicAntarctic species. It'shere thatmanyof thehistoricAntarctic expeditionsbegan,andwhereearlymilitaryand scientificbaseswere firstestablished, someof which youwillbeable to visit if conditionsallow. These remarkableartefactshavebeen leftas F Cloaked inglacial iceand surroundedbyblue seasburstingwith life, Antarctica is the last trulywildplaceonEarth. The White Continent of Antarctica 4 18 26 32 A series of features focusing on ‘Journeys of a Lifetime’ (6-8 page format) . Click on page image to fast-track to specific article. Some articles have alternative pages. OF THE NILE Abucket listtravel experience ith its unparallelled cultural and archaeological heritage,Egypt has been attracting visitors for centuries and from the days of Napoleon a series of spectacular discoveries havewhetted the appetite ofmodern visitors. Whether it’sGiza’smonumental pyramids, Luxor’s colossalValley of theKings, or the incomparable riverNile, this country is generous with its riches TheNile is the jugulaofNorthEasternAfrica.From its sources in Ethiopia (WhiteNile)andUganda (BlueNile), the river flows for 6.650km througheleven countries, itsmain tributaries joining togetheratKhartoum in theSudan.Aspectaculardamprojectat Aswan completed in1970 saw the creationof the vast reservoirof LakeNasserand theendingof theannual floodingof theNile Plain.However, itwas thisphenomenon that shaped theancient EgyptianandNubian civilisations.The silt-richbanksof the river supportedall theagricultureand the river itselfwas thehighway for commerce.Great citiesand fabulous temples lined the shores whilst theencroachingdesertwasheldatbay.Today, it is the ultimatearchaeologicalwater ride supporting flotillasof floating hotelson journeysbetweenCairoall thewayup river to theAswan Dam. The stretchof theNilebetween theancient cityofLuxorand Aswanhasaparticularlyhigh concentrationofancient sights so youwill find thatmost river cruises tend to focuson thisarea, Guestsgenerally start theiradventurewitha fewnights inCairo so that they can tune in toancientEgyptwitha visit to thePyramids ofGizaand the soon tobeopened (Autumn2022)GrandEgyptian Museumwhichwillhouseover50,000antiquities includingall the belongingsofKingTutankhamun,all inoneplace for the first time inhistory.FromCairoanonward1hour flightbrings you toLuxur, yourembarkationpoint for the cruiseofa lifetime. W TREASURES Treasures of the Nile Luxury river cruising along the waterways of ancient Egypt 38
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