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The company are into nature and cultural type holidays, we did a trip down the coast to Salalah in April. You need to except that there are no five-star hotels on the trip, only in the big towns, so we camped sometimes. The Omani guide was great, he cooked great meals and was a safe driver. We ate in some local restaurants and visited a true bedu family. The beaches were endless and had to dip our toes in on many an occasion.
When we arrived into Salalah it was a surprise to feel a difference in culture, it had a tropical African feel with some Yemen style thrown in. We liked it because it's still real.
www.holiday-in-oman.com, tel 00 968 24485663
Near to Radisson hotel in Al khwuair
Uncle Tans run a 'jungle camp' with basic facilities and huts on the Kinabatangan river in Sabah. The camp represents a fantastic base from which to see an incredible amount of wildlife. As part of a very reasonably priced 3D/2N tour you also get to visit the Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre in Sepilok.
Other 'tour' options are becoming available. The people working at Uncle Tans are super friendly, informative and great with children. Uncle Tans can be reached easily from Kota Kinabalu or Sandakan.
Sabah is in easy and inexpensive reach from Kuala Lumpur through Air Asia for example (airasia.com).
This has to be one of the highlights of many trips to southeast Asia, a real fantastic, family-friendly opportunity to see crocodiles, wild pigs, gibbons, lizards, proboscis monkeys and if you are lucky, elephants and orang utans.
There are several boats a week that travel along the Rio Paraguay, a long and sultry river which begins in the Pantanal of Brasil and ends at the border with Argentina in the south.
The passenger boat called the Aquidaban seems best avoided because of the crowds but the weekly journey of the Guarani, a freighter is a real treat. I say treat as it is far from comfortable or reliable but if you want an authentic, no frills view of life on the river then this is it.
The majority of the boat is taken up with all kinds of goods for the small towns and villages along the river. Food, furniture, oil, motorcycles and a huge load of gravel we collected en-route were part of the cargo. For a negotiated price of about $20 we secured a rough dark cabin above the engine.
There are no real comforts but food can be taken with the crew and the few locals who take the boat between villages. Sitting up on the tin roof watching the river go by and observing the comings and goings as the boat gets caught on sandbanks, loads and unloads and the crew get on with the tasks of running the boat. Fishing off the back of the boat in their spare time to have the old lady cook up the catch in the evening.
The passage takes roughly 2 to 3 days depending on all of the above. It is a working freighter so as such the passengers are the last concern of the crew but having said that we never felt unwelcome or in the way.
Small towns such as Puerto Pinasco and Puerto Vallemi slowly pass by. There is a huge chest freezer with beers in to help pass the time and a really ancient looking giant tv showing a constant stream of football and Paraguayan soap operas by the kitchen area at the back of the boat. The toilet and the shower are one in the same being just a hole in the floor to stand over and a shower head directly above it. All very basic and in no way designed for tourists expecting comfort or service. Brilliant. Take a good book and let the river slowly pass by.
The weather went from sweltering airless heat to heavy rain and strong wind so be warned. The end of our ride came after three days at Isla Margerita which is at the border with Brazil, we arrived at midnight and with Brasil on the far bank of the river we quickly found some cheap lodging right next to where we had disembarked. The owner of the room also happened to own a boat so for a small fee took us across the river the next day. We had arrived in Brazil.
None of the towns have a real port or dock so the boat just ties up on the riverbank. Concepcion is a major town by Paraguayan standards and can easily be reached by bus from Asunción. Find the river and the Guarani leaves sometime on a Tuesday. Speak with the captain to negotiate your passage. Timings and days vary so prepare to be very patient.
I came across this company during my long travels in south-east Asia. Tao Expeditions is a small eco company that takes travellers (3-5 days) by boat to the hundreds of remote islands of north Palawan. Visiting fishing villages, secluded beaches and beautiful islands.
The whole trip is all about the raw experience of island living, adventure of the wilder kind and balanced with good soul food and massages on board. I am pretty amazed with their project of helping out communities to have a part in their business with employments, accommodations, food and services for the trip.
They are a small quiet company who wants to take the right people to this remote area, having been with them three expeditions already, I can't help but spread this small secret to others- it can only attract the right people, the more they grow the more of their goodwill and campaign spreads and thus helps preserving this development hotspot.
Great alternative trek to Machu Picchu and it takes in it all. Just book when you get there, you can usually go next day. Oh, and please don't take any notice of the Guardian's advertised £3.95 price (do they earn commision from this agent?). It costs around £120 pounds, all meals included with camping.
Any agent in Plaza de Armas
Flexible cycle schedule taking you round the base of Kilimanjaro, across the plains to the Serengeti and through the cooling shadows of the Rift Valley Wall.
Spectacular scenery, unique cultural experiences and a wildlife safari on top! How can you resist?
www.adsportleisure.com or info@adsportleisure.com
Adventure Sports & Leisure are a company based in Arusha, Tanzania. Responsible tourism is their thing, unique life-changing experiences is their talent! Don't be put off by their website - email them!
Me and some friends went to Rio and we used a service down there that was pretty good. We contacted a place called Brazil Expedition and they booked some great tours for us.
We went to the Favelas, Maracana stadium and many other great places they had for us. I really recommend them, because it’s pretty good to have everything planed by such a great staff.
Eduardo
(21) 9998-2907 or (21) 7894-7523
Brazil Expedition is a team that provides guidance and vehicles for many different sorts of tours.
They drive you to Tijuca Forest, a completely reforested area of Rio. There you will get to see all kinds of vegetation, some wildlife, and a waterfall. You can also make a light hike up to the top of Pedra Bonita, one of Rio’s nicest views. There you will enjoy a view of Rio few people have had the privilege to see, and watch the hanggliders and paragliders jumping off the ramp. And last but not least, the Brazil Expedition staff take you to great soccer games in Maracana, the bigger soccer stadium in the world.
They are very professional and language skilled.
www.brazilexpedition.com
tours@brazilexpedition.com
21 9998 2907 (Eduardo)
Extract from my diary... "We all moved outside into the freezing cold, and moved towards the hard ice cliff that we were to traverse, back to the Argentiere Glacier. Split board in ride-mode I followed the silhouettes of our team toward the glacier. The board crashed over ruts of ice, around rocks in what seemed a dangerous delirium as the sun poked his head from behind the crags of rock and powerful ice that was the Mont Blanc Massif.
"We got to the flats of the glacier and stopped to change into walking mode. I looked up the steeps of the Chardonnay Glacier, light twinkling off cravases in blue shards, and I could make out the thin zig-zagged randonnee path we were to follow to the col. I undid my binding, pulled off the steel pin which held my bindings onto the board, tugged at the binding which eventually slid off, split my board into two skis, hooked on the skins, added crampons, levered a binding onto each ski, and then bashed the steel pin back in..."
Check out Boardnlodge on the web who run Haute Route Trips from Chamonix to Zermatt.
All Brits should go do the Vallee Blanche, for sure. Why? Cos it keeps you off the rest of the mountain so people who can actually ski and board properly get to enjoy it.
Otherwise, all you monkeys do is get in people's ways, cut up the powder when it would give so many more people some fresh trax, and generally wipe the snow off faces with your side-slipping! Or at worst, you end up costing my guiding money, cos we've had to abandon in order to come and rope or pull you out of something you're not up to. ...but all mates again in the bar :)
The whole mountain
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