Welcome to Wildlife Worldwide eNews
April 2008
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Sri Lanka - Wildlife and CultureWhy not consider Sri Lanka for a reasonably priced but all encompassing wildlife trip? If you fancy getting away to somewhere warm between now and the end of June, this 10-day itinerary to Sri Lanka will tick all the boxes. You can expect to soak up some culture in the capital of Colombo followed by excursions to Udawalawe, Bundala and Yala National Parks for top wildlife viewing. Each park offers different opportunities; Udawalawe is home to large elephant herds and many birds, Bundala with many large shallow pools to provide reptile encounters and Yala, also rich in birdlife, has large concentrations of mammals including the chance of Leopard and Sloth Bear sightings. Your visit will also include Sigiriya Rock Palace; an entire palace and garden complex crowning the top of a huge rock rising out of the plains below. All this is on offer for the starting price of only £1,950 per person. At this price you could afford to extend your stay and experience the relaxation of Sri Lankan beaches, or perhaps consider scuba diving in the Maldives. Talk through options with one of our consultants. |
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Nepal is back on the map!Nepal, which has gone through some terrible times in recent years is now firmly back on the map. Sitting at the heart of the Himalaya, Nepal is a superb but sometimes forgotten wildlife location, and one which can offer a number of different holiday experiences; cultural, scenic, spiritual and of course wildlife viewing, with over 850 species of bird and an incredible selection of mammals including Tiger, Leopard, Greater One-horned Rhinoceros and Elephant. We can now offer a new 10 day itinerary in Nepal which consists of sight-seeing in Kathmandu, the city centre which is now a protected UNESCO World Heritage site, walking activities in the beautiful surroundings of Pokhara and wildlife viewing at the Royal Chitwan National Park, where from elephant back you can hope to see the above animals and many more. Price from £2,295 per person. Please talk to our consultants for options on 0845 130 6982 |
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Explorers' Route 15% Early Booking OfferAntarctica is a destination on most travellers' wish list; amazingly dramatic landscapes, total wilderness, vast colonies of penguins and seabirds and all the history of past explorers. Our 19 day Explorers' Route itinerary encompasses not only the Antarctic Peninsular but also the Falkland Islands and South Georgia - a birder's paradise and final resting place of explorer Ernest Shackleton. We are currently able to offer a 15% discount on current published prices for the icebreaker Polar Star departures on the 4th or 22 November 2008, if you book before 15th June. The Polar Star is certified for worldwide international voyages and complies with all SOLAS, ISM, ISPS and MARPOL regulations for safety and the environment. |
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Amazon, Incas and AndesA whirlwind tour of Peru recently provided sales consultant Estelle Somers with total sensory overload. Estelle started her trip in the southern part of the Amazon Basin, taking a long but scenic motorised canoe ride along the Tambopata river to reach the Tambopata Research Centre in the uninhabited National Reserve. The research centre is strategically positioned next to the largest known macaw clay lick in the world but you have to be an early bird to see the parrots at their favourite gathering place! No trip to Peru would be complete without a visit to Machu Picchu, which Estelle did in style aboard the luxurious Orient Express Hiram Bingham train, followed by a visit to the high point of Lake Titicaca with plenty more wildlife, this time seen from the calm of paddling her own canoe. Read Estelle's account of her trip and similar itinerary suggestions for Peru. |
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Wolves in a Winter Wonderland with Nick GarbuttWe very rarely witness the pristine beauty of a snow covered landscape in the UK any longer and we are never far from some kind of man-made structure. Taking a trip into the vast Yellowstone National Park (5588 square km) in the peak of winter can enable an escape from 'civilisation' allowing a complete reunion with Mother Nature. We currently have a unique opportunity of sharing this experience with top wildlife photographer and tour guide Nick Garbutt as he leads a Photography & Wildlife trip into the heart of wolf country. Staying in small lodges and then in a heated Yurt camp (the only camp and accommodation actually in the park during the winter!), you will be able to watch out for Wolves, Bison, Coyotes, not to mention the possibility of up to 311 birds. Apart from all this, you have the opportunity of visiting the Grand Canyon and if afraid of getting too cold, snow shoeing and cross country skiing are also on offer! Please contact Clementine Gent on 0845 130 6982 for further information or click here for other suggested Wolf itineraries. |
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Festival Auction ItemsReaders of last months eNews will have seen our new Festival Auction web page full of exciting items to bid for and help raise much needed funds for thirsty conservation projects in Madagascar and around the world - we have since added many new items to our list so take another look - time is running out for remote bids! This month we head off to Madagascar for the 5th Annual Festival of Wildlife. The ethos of the Festival is conservation based and this event has become a mechanism for raising much needed funds for conservation organisations. Last year we raised in excess of £19,000. This years beneficiaries of the fundraising will be Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Wildlife Conservation Society and Association Mitsinjo; all with local Madagascan projects and The David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation. This year we have decided to offer the chance to bid for auction items to non-Festival participants. If you would like to support the above organisations whilst gaining a unique item of artwork, photography or other special 'wildlife/travel focused' item then read further... |
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Spy from ShergarhWho wouldn't be interested in viewing the most beautiful and most majestic of big cats - the Tiger? If you needed any further persuasion perhaps you caught the first programme of the marvellous BBC 'Tiger - Spy in the Jungle' three part series which is showing on Sunday at 8pm on BBC One. Programmes will show new footage of tiger behaviour following four cubs and their parents in Pench National Park in India. Don't miss next week! One of our camps on the edge of nearby Kanha reserve, Shergarh Tented Camp has recently undergone a major rebuild and now consists of huge, airy tents decorated in true jungle style with private shaded 'sit-out' verandas. They are wonderfully comfortable but retain a rustic simplicity that is totally in keeping with their location and environment. Most of the materials used are natural and local and the camp upholds a strong 'eco' sense. Combine visits to both Pench and Kanha National Parks by taking our 'Tiger Tiger' suggested itinerary where tiger viewing can be from jeep and elephant back. You may even see the grown up cubs! |
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Stop press - Shoebills in SpringMay will be your last chance this year to get up to the Bangweulu Swamps in Zambia in order to see the host of birds here after the prolific rains - many of which are not seen here during the dry season.. The Bangweulu wetlands, just north of Kasanka, are one of Africa's most spectacular wildlife secrets with over 100,000 Black Lechwe and the world's most visible Shoebill Storks. Why not take our special tailor-made Shoebills, Lechwe and Luangwa itinerary which offers the very best chances to see these beautiful birds along with elephants, lions, giraffes and a host of other species? The South Luangwa and Zambezi River add to the wildlife experience with the chance to see wild dog and explore the lush, colourful landscape at this time of year. |
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We care - Climate CareWe are all conscious of our impact on the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere. At Wildlife Worldwide we endeavour to behave as responsibly as we can in the world of increasing travel. Using a carbon offsetting company for our flights is just one of the areas in which we strive to help with this problem. We have been using Climate Care as our offsetting company for many years now. Climate Care uses the money our customers voluntarily pay for offsetting (we do not dictate that our customers offsetting should be spent here) in a number of different worldwide projects. One of the projects which Climate Care supports is the Prakratik Society in Ranthambore, India. This is a project which Wildlife Worldwide has also supported for an extended period of time and visited at the 2006 Festival of Wildlife. Here biogas digesters (which convert cow dung into clean cooking gas) have been bought for the local villagers, so reducing the demand for fuel wood and hence the levels of deforestation in this important Tiger conservation park. For other project information see http://www.climatecare.org/projects/technologies 'Which', the consumer magazine, has just completed an investigation into carbon offsetting companies. Climate care came out as one of the top rated offsetting companies - 'Climate Care in particular gives extensive details of its activities in its annual report, including the proportion of your donation that reaches the carbon offset project they're supporting.' (Which report, March 2008) We are proud at Wildlife Worldwide to have helped offset 491.09 tonnes of CO2 between August and December 2007. |