o you want to island hop around the Pacific, visit Africa's incredible cities, and cruise through Asia and around the Americas without ever switching hotels, boarding a flight, or repacking your bags? An aroundthe-world cruise provides the ultimate itinerary, packed with exciting international ‘Bucket List’ destinations (some even visit hardto-reach destinations like Easter Island and Antarctica), and the world’s most accomplished luxury cruise lines will give you a super privileged day to day onboard lifestyle with sumptuous accommodations, a splendid variety of specialty restaurants, and a constant programme of things to do on and off the ship. D around the world cruise mekong he Galápagos Islands, located roughly 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador, remained a closely-guarded natural secret for millions of years. Over that time, the archipelago evolved into a home for an all-star cast of plants and animals, many with unusual traits to their more worldly cousins. Sometime in the 1800s, some adventurous navigators and intrepid explorers started arriving in the Galápagos Islands. The most famous early visitor was Charles Darwin, a young naturalist who spent 19 days studying the islands' flora and fauna in 1835. In 1859, Darwin published ‘On the Origin of Species’, which introduced his theory of evolution - and the Galápagos Islands - to the world. Since then, word of these islands and their magnificent beauty has steadily grown. In 1959, the Galápagos became Ecuador's first national park, and in 1978, it was named a UNESCO World Heritage site. Today, more than 275,000 people visit the Galápagos every year to see those incredible animals and landscapes for themselves. As amazing as you think the Galápagos Islands will be, they routinely exceed expectations. It's a place where lizards swim, birds walk, and humans, for once, do not take take centre stage. The first decision you have to make about visiting the Galápagos Islands is also the most difficult. Do you want to stay in a hotel on one of the three inhabited islands, exploring other islands and areas via day-trip boat rides? Or, do you want to be based on a live-aboard boat, which provides accommodations and transportation from island to island? With the ever increasing choices for waterborne experiences, it is most likely the case that your eye will be drawn to the various luxury boats now circuiting the islands. Their ultimate advantage is the luxury of travelling overnight from one island to the next, so that you are on-site for a full day of explorations. T the mighty m Cloaked in glacial ice and surrounded by blue seas bursting with life, Antarctica is the last truly wild place on Earth. family measures taken by organisations like the World Wildlife Trust and the African Wildlife Association have managed to reverse the dwindling numbers. In fact, numbers have doubled over the last decade to over 1,000. Since human encroachment is the biggest threat initiatives like the acquisition of extra land in 2018 directly adjacent to Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda by the AWF has expanded the great ape habitat. Engaging with the local communities and teaching them the value of animal tourism has also been central to the resurgence, so for once we can really say that specialist tourism has been a lifesaver! In 2016, Volcanoes National Park generated $16.4 million from park entry fees. It’s efforts like these that will continue to help develop livelihood strategies that complement conservation. Of course, the story began with a moving film ‘Gorillas in the Mist’, based on the true story of anthropologist Dian Fossey, whose travels to the African wilderness began as a study of the rare mountain gorillas and became a single-minded devotion to protect the animals from poachers and those who would capture the great apes to ship them off to zoos. Her interaction with the gorillas, observing their social behaviour, gaining their attention and trust, recognising their own inquisitiveness in their human cousins are fundamental ingredients that make gorilla trekking the unique, ‘bucket list’ experience that it is. 79 meet the Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda n a world full of shocking stories about climate change and animal extinction the recovery in numbers of the mountain gorillas of East Africa is a promising story of the fight to reverse the plight of endangered species. The Virunga Mountains, a chain of volcanoes in East Africa that run along the northern border of Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Uganda, are home of the critically endangered mountain gorilla, listed on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of Endangered Species due to habitat loss, poaching, disease, and war. Many believed that by the turn of the millenium that they would be extinct, but extraordinary I hen it comes to a true definition of ‘bucket list’ luxury travel experiences, probably one of the best definitions is absolute exclusivity, where you travel to a remote and beautiful corner of the world, and you have this world to yourself. In Zambia these dreams will come as it offers some of the finest, small camp safaris in all Africa in wildlife rich national parks like North and South Luangwa, the Lower Zambezi and Kafue. This is a country that pioneered the walking safari, an experience which ranks high in our ‘once in our lifetime’ holiday experiences. To start your journey in suitable style a chauffeur will whisk you to London’s St Pancras Station, where you'll board a Eurostar train for the cross-channel hop to Lille, from where you'll be met for a transfer to Calais where you’ll lay eyes on those signature blue-and-gold carriages. Climb aboard and as you are guided to your oak-panelled cabin or suite note how you’re stepping back in time to a more elegant and Spend your evening mingling with other passengers in the Bar Car, listening to an accomplished pianist while you sip perfectly prepared pre-dinner signature cocktails. Alternatively toast your exceedingly good taste with a vintage champagne from the train’s extensive selection. As dusk begins to settle, sink into your seat in one of the three beautifully restored restaurant cars, prepare to feast on lobsters from Brittany or salt marsh lamb from Mont St Michel as the train pauses in Paris, before seeing out the evening with a night cap and discovering that your cabin has been discretely converted into a sleeping bottom W Lower Zambezi NP Lake Kariba Victoria Falls South Luangwa NP North Luangwa NP Kafue NP Liuwa Plain NP Sioma Ngwezi NP LUSAKA LIVINGSTONE MFUWE Q Q Q ANGOLA MOZAMBIQUE ZIMBABWE ZNAMIBIA MALAWI TANZANIA DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO A walk on the wild side Cloaked in glacial ice and surrounded by blue seas bursting Around the World Cruise with recommendations for 2024, 2025 & 2026 The Mighty Mekong Cambodia, Laos & Vietnam Meet the Family Encounter with the Gorillas 52 58 66 72 A Walk on the Wild Side A walking safari in Zambia he mystique and romance that follows the carriages of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express across Europe is a very memorable way to begin a truly unforgettable holiday around Italy. This is the world’s finest train and its stately passage from Calais to Venice recalls the glory days of refined, luxury travel. Share the experience with like-minded travellers, dining in style in the beautifully renovated restaurant carriages before heading to the saloon for cocktails and perhaps a bit of musical entertainment. Retire to your private cabin, which will have been discretely converted into a sleeping compartment. Climb the upholstered ladder to your upper berth or snuggle down under luxury linen on the bottom bunk to be lulled by the movement of the train as you roll east, overnight, towards the Alps. Unless you’re travelling in a Grand Suite of course, and have the indulgent luxury of a double bed. Rise the next morning as the train delivers you to the perfect gateway to a grand tour of Italy, the floating city of Venice Owing to its fabulous climate, enviable gastronomy, fantastic wines, beautiful scenery, magnificent architecture and rich heritage, Italy has long been a favoured haunt for British travellers even stretching back several centuries when the privileged few embarked on expansive “Grand” tours lasting many months. These days the luxury grand tourer is more likely to be somewhat “time” poor, so will want to squeeze a lot into a small period of time. For those in search of the superlative Italian experience there can be no doubt that two or three weeks spent in the company of Belmond staying at their impressive collection of iconic hotelsacross the Italian mainland and Sicily offers a worthy 21st century reworking of the classic Grand Tour. T tHE gRAND tOUR of italy 47 VENICE FLORENCE Portofino Ravello Taormina ROME NAPLES Casole D’Elsa The Grand Tour of Italy including the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express 46 Las Vegas Los Angeles Chicago St. Louis Tulsa Oklahoma City Santa Fe Albuquerque Springfield Gallup Amarillo Bloomington route 66 Get your kicks on.... n the 24 July 1911, a Yale University history lecturer named Hiram Bingham III climbed to the top of a mountain ridge in Peru and encountered one of the most extraordinary sets of ruins on Earth. He thought he had discovered the the ‘lost city’ of Vilcabamba, the last refuge of the Inca Manco Capac II, who fought against the Spanish conquerors in the 1530s. He believed that to the end of his life, mistakenly as it turned out, and he was fascinated by the mystery and magic of the place, with the great snowy peaks looming above it. In truth, The Spanish conquistadors never saw the city and consequently never wrote about it. Its mysteries continue to baffle researchers although it is now thought by some that Machu Picchu may have been the mountain retreat of the great Inca emperor Pachacutec (‘He who Shakes the Earth’), abandoned at some point after his death in 1472. The iconic sight of the mountain top city is the jewel in the crown of any visit to Peru, but this South American country has so much more to offer from its glistening Pacific coastline, historic cities, sacred valleys, the Altiplano and the world’s highest lake (high plateau region) and the tropical forests and riverways of the upper Amazon. It is one of those very special world destinations with an extraordinary diversity of geography and culture all contained in one colourful country. O 78 Route 66 Get your kicks on... Main Street USA
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