Archive for January, 2011

Fly-In Safari Namibia, Africa: Combine Luxury With Exclusive Property

♫ Thursday, January 27th, 2011

In such a large country and traveling on limited time, a fly-in safari Namibia makes it possible for you to experience all the highlighted points of interest without making any sacrifices along the way.

I mean let’s be honest. The average traveler to Africa has less than two weeks. And between traveling there and home, your trip quickly gets narrowed down to a 10-12 day safari. How is it possible then, to experience Sossusvlei’s monumental sand dunes in the south and Etosha National Park or the Himba Peoples in the north? Or even jump borders into the Okavango Delta in Botswana or Victoria Falls on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe?

It’s impossible…if you were driving. So why a fly-in safari in Namibia?

Imagine if you and your group came to this conclusion:

“We do not want to join a large group and do not want to drive ourselves. Air or train travel, as available, is acceptable. We seek accommodations that are upper mid-range or above.”

Train? Great. There are options for train travel, just not to the places of interest most visitors to Namibia desire.

Escorted tours are fantastic for some, but is it right for you? If not, what’s your next best option?

The only other option is a fly-in Safari throughout Namibia.

-Visit all the “must see” and “must do” in a short space of time
-Possibly the most romantic option for safari
-Ideal for groups not interested in the self-drive or escorted option
-The most convenient, and sometimes only, way to see Namibia’s more remote regions
-Extraordinary views from the air of the unique topography/geology of Namibia

Fly-in safaris in Namibia easily combine luxury, escorting you to exclusive properties throughout the country (Onguma, Mowani, Kulala, to name a few) with flexibility and exclusivity of a private plane.

In as little as six days you can discover Namibia from the Kunene (far north) to the Fish River Canyon in the far south. In between you can schedule stop-overs in Etosha, Twyfelfontein, Damaraland, Skeleton Coast, Swakopmund, as well as the dunes of Sossusvlei.

So if you only have a small amount of time for safari, but desire a BIG experience, fly-in safari and be charted around on your own private plane.

By Jeremiah Allen

♫ Posted in Adventure Travel | No Comments »

Canoeing With Alligators on the Old Santee Canal

♫ Monday, January 17th, 2011

When Hubby announces his intention of sweeping me off my feet and into an unstable craft in lizard laden waters, I put my foot down. I’m up for just about any kind of boating. However, if I am going to be in a gator territory, I’d rather not swim. Not that I have ever over-turned a canoe, but there is always a first time.

Just north of Charleston, South Carolina wander miles of waterways that once made up a vast canal system. Now set apart as a wildlife sanctuary and dubbed Old Santee Canal Park, the area shelters great egrets, little blue herons, water moccasins and lots and lots of alligators. Paths meander around marshy pools and through damp woods and wide walkways provide safe passage over mud flats and soupy green swamps. I crave exploration and will happily go for a walk, but I have no intention of getting up close and personal with a pre-historic green leviathan.

We agree to put boating on the back burner and explore the reserve from the safety of the boardwalk. Cyprus and sycamore trees tower over head and pink rose mallow blooms in the marsh. I take note of my surroundings, mentally cataloging the flora and occasionally stopping to see what fauna I might spy in the tangled undergrowth. A black and yellow garden spider stakes out his territory, his body hanging upside down in a zippered web. A monarch butterfly flits across my path. I peer over the railing to follow her progress and there, in the reeds beneath me, lies a four foot alligator. His eyes are black and his skin is the color of duck weed. I am overcome. Not with fear mind you, with awe. He looks so ancient, like a creature from the land that time forgot. Suddenly I cannot get in that tippy canoe fast enough.

We do a quick march back to the interpretive center and, for five bucks, rent a boat. In minutes, we clamber in and push off into the murky water.

Osprey peer at us from tree tops nests and great blue herons hunt mosquito fish in the shallows. Box turtles and yellow bellied sliders sun themselves on floating logs. We paddle into the far reaches of the canal system where wild rice grows and Spanish moss drips from the trees.

The channel narrows and we carefully navigate under a low green bridge. The air is still and warm and tickles my nose. I scan the shore for tell-tale gator slides. And then we see him-a ten foot beauty sleeping on the bank. I can’t help myself; I want to get closer. We paddle once, hard, pull our blades out of the water, and silently drift in. The reptile opens his eyes and, apparently not happy with our intrusion on his siesta, shifts his massive weight, lurches into the water, and swims right under our canoe. I could easily touch him. My heart races. I am enchanted and terrified. And then, just like that, he is gone.

It isn’t until later I learn that alligators jump. We never should have ventured so close to that old boy’s domain. I was afraid of tipping my canoe and landing in his territory. In retrospect…I’m just glad he didn’t land in mine.

INFORMATION PLEASE

Old Santee Canal Park is located in Moncks Corner, South Carolina just ½ hour north of Charleston. The park includes hiking trails, observation platforms, a boardwalk, canoe rentals, an interpretive center, a picnic shelter, a learning center, and the Berkley Museum. There are also tons of activities. It’s open year round from 9am -5pm (Interpretive Center closes at 4:30). Cost is just $3 per person and kids under 6 are free.

Old Santee Canal Park is not only a great place to see wildlife first-hand, it is also home to the Stony Landing Plantation, a beautiful 18th century house furnished with reproduction period furniture. Open for tours daily.

Have dinner on the canal at Gilligan’s Sea Food Restaurant in Monck’s Corner (just minutes from the Old Santee Canal park) where not only will you find the best hush-puppies on the planet, you can feast on sustainably harvested local shrimp and recycle oyster shells. Yes, they plant the shells back in the oyster beds helping insure cleaner water and happy eating for generations to come. Open 11am-9pm and 11am-10pm Friday’s and Saturdays.

♫ Posted in Adventure Travel | No Comments »

Lovely experience!!!

♫ Sunday, January 2nd, 2011

I need to say it is a lovely experience for my and my husband with a wonderful holiday. We had gone to Cheshire for one week. We had booked brook chimney house hotel. The hotel was very fine, comfortable and decent. I had a friendly staff services in the hotel. The food in bar was also so good. We had a pleasurable time.
We had visited some places where in we enjoyed a lot. Among all places I had visited I liked Dunge valley rhododendrons garden which was very nice with the flower display.
One week was not at all sufficient for us to enjoy our holiday spot. We had also booked the travel agency for another time because of the wonderful facilities provided by its company. This time my parents also came for vacations. We all went for a tour with having lots of fun.
I can never miss such a wonderful company which has made my life so pleasant in travelling with comforts. I also suggested to all my cousins about the company.
Recently few days back when my cousins were going for a tour by choosing this travel company I had also joined them and enjoyed the travel with them. Thanks to travel agency UK.

♫ Posted in general | 1 Comment »

Cool Holiday Packages

♫ Sunday, January 2nd, 2011

My friends suddenly planned for a trip to new place. We availed a holiday package services which was at lower cost, the services were very reliable and clarified many doubts. The services which we hired were Cheap package holiday. The services provided us with a hotel rooms for six people. After reaching Santa Cruz; which is the popular place for European holidays. And this place was very famous for the sunny and warm weather throughout the year. The beaches are one of the best places to hang out whole day. The services organized some sports like water sports, swimming, and dancing competitions. The beaches were with full of stones and rocks. The services provided us with the yummy delicious lunch with Espada fish and bananas. The sightseeing while on the package to this place may us a great way to know about the city. Beautiful churches were with their culture and artistic designs. We were given time to rest for that day, next day we went to attend the morning prayers in the church. The Luminosa fountain was another interesting attraction of this place. Make avail these services as they are very reliable and affordable with lower cost price.

♫ Posted in general | 2 Comments »