HOLIDAYS WITH 100% FINANCIAL PROTECTION The natural choice for wildlife holidays Welcome After spending considerable time and effort reflecting, questioning what we do and how we do it, and scrutinising the processes within our office and the systems we use for support, I am delighted to say that we are imbued with a new vigour, undiminished enthusiasm, and greater optimism than ever. My own determination to continue building on the solid foundation of twenty years of experience in wildlife tourism, since we started from very humble beginnings – to offer what is simply the finest selection of high quality, good value, tailor-made wildlife holidays – remains undaunted, and is very much at the core of all we do. A physical move to high-tech office premises in the attractive city of Winchester leaves us much better connected to, and more closely integrated with, the outside world, and thus better able to receive visitors. Our team is leaner, tighter, more widely travelled and more knowledgeable than ever before, allowing us to focus on terrestrial, marine and – along with Dive Worldwide – submarine life without distraction. In planning this brochure we deliberately set out to whet the appetite, and make no mention of either dates or prices. As the vast majority of trips are tailored to our clients’ exact requirements – whether in terms of itinerary, duration, standard of accommodation or price – the itineraries herein serve merely as indications of what is possible. Thereafter, you can refine these suggestions in discussion with one of our experienced consultants to pin down your precise needs and wants, so we can together create the wildlife holiday of your dreams. However this is only a beginning. As the travel industry – let alone the world! – changes, and new channels of communication come on stream, we plan to make increasing use of our website and of course social media to develop and present new ideas and opportunities. We sincerely hope you enjoy looking through this brochure, and trust that it will inspire you to travel to see some of the world’s remarkable wildlife. Truly exciting times lie ahead…! Chris Breen Founder, Wildlife Worldwide Contents Introduction 4-7 Europe 8-9 Africa 10-55 Asia 56-71 The Americas 72-113 Expedition Voyages 114-125 Your Financial Security We are an ATOL-bonded tour operator, authorised by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Every holiday we sell that includes a flight element is protected under our Air Tour Organisers Licence. In the unlikely event of our insolvency, the CAA will ensure that you are not stranded abroad, and will arrange to refund any money you have paid to us for an advance booking We are a member of the Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust (ABTOT), an approved body authorised by the UK Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR). Membership signifies that we provide financial protection through a bond for the monies we take in advance bookings. The bond covers the reimbursement of prepayments, the cost of repatriation to the UK from abroad, any refunds due which are agreed but not paid before failure, and any reasonable additional costs of returning to the UK which may be incurred as a result of our failure during the holiday. I have travelled with “ Wildlife Worldwide, Contact Us been to great places, met great people and Wildlife Worldwide seen great beasts – and Capitol House, 12-13 Bridge Street, Winchester, Hampshire SO23 0HL always, I know it’s going to be done right. That’s 0845 130 6982 because they do ethics as [email protected] ” www.wildlifeworldwide.com Simon Barnes. Conservationist & author Tailor-made wildlife holidays A unique journey of wildlife and discovery designed just for you... At Wildlife Worldwide we specialise in tailor-making holidays. This is what we How it works started doing in 1992, and it is what we do now – it has been our philosophy right from the start, when the very first Wildlife Worldwide brochure was produced. A 1. Read through our brochure and decide where it is you wish tailor-made holiday gives you the freedom and flexibility to travel how, when and to travel to – the chances are that you already have a pretty where you want to. You are unconstrained by the wishes of a group, and we will good idea! design your holiday together so that you are doing what you want, when you want. 2. If you like the look of one of suggested itineraries then you To make this process a little easier, our brochure shows a whole series of trips, each can book it ‘straight from the page’ either by telephoning with names, and each with a specified length. These are all ‘tailor-made’ and they one of our consultants or by visiting our website operate without minimum numbers. They are our ideas for your holidays. We have ‘been (www.wildlifeworldwide.com). Of course, you’re also very there and done it’ and we know what works on a trip and what doesn’t. As a result, welcome to come and visit us at our offices in Winchester. many of our travellers choose to ‘book their holidays off the page’. 3. If an itinerary doesn’t quite fit the bill (perhaps you want Guide prices for our suggested itineraries can be found on our website. However, all to stay in different lodges, or extend your stay, or even of the trips that we show can be adapted to suit your requirements. We can make visit completely different locations) then contact one of our highly experienced consultants who will discuss your them longer or shorter. We can chop bits out of one itinerary and into another. We can ideas, and design a holiday for you. combine countries. And in all the countries that we operate, we can design completely different itineraries from scratch. 4. Once you have made your booking we will confirm your holiday and send you your ‘Personal Travel Plan’ with advice In a few select locations we offer small group departures. These are clearly marked on climate, clothing, the best field guides and thoughts on either on the following pages or on our website. photographic equipment. All you need to do is look forward to going away on holiday! What is a tailor-made holiday? 5. Once away you will be exceptionally well looked after. Local The joy of a tailor-made itinerary is that your holiday is designed around your guides will accompany you on any pre-arranged requirements and you are not restricted to the set itinerary of a group departure. sightseeing and game-viewing to ensure you get the most out of your holiday. Do you like the look of one of our suggested itineraries but would like to stay at alternative accommodation or include a few extra days and extend your holiday? Are you going on holiday to relax rather than spend your time packing and unpacking, moving from one place to the next? Are you celebrating a special occasion – perhaps your honeymoon, a special birthday or an anniversary? Why not enjoy each others company in privacy without being part of a larger group? Are you travelling abroad to stay with friends or family and wishing to add-on a safari, a cruise, or even some self-drive exploration? Maybe you only want to be away for a long weekend, or perhaps you have an extended amount of time to enjoy travelling and would like us to help with part of it? If you have a limited amount of time, group departure dates often don’t fit. You may well want a private vehicle, or the very best naturalist the region has to offer. If the answer is YES to any of the above, a tailor-made holiday is the perfect solution! 4 South American Experience The world is Following a visit to the Amazon and the Pantanal in Brazil, your oyster... enjoy the Iguazu Falls from the Argentinian side before continuing to the Valdes Peninsula, home to elephant Our knowledge of worldwide seals, penguins and whales. Revel in the magnificent destinations enables us to not only glacial scenery of Torres del Paine in Chile before experiencing a total contrast in the Atacama Desert. combine areas within a country and Round off your holiday with a cruise around the countries within a continent, but also Galápagos Islands. to put together trans-continental and round-the-world itineraries. Tailor- Eastern Promise making holidays is what we specialise in View Tigers in India before travelling to Nepal to and the options are only limited by your spot the elusive and endangered Indian rhinoceros imagination and of course your budget! in Chitwan National Park. Continue to Borneo to see orang-utans and fabulous rainforest birdlife Here are a few ideas to whet your appetite. These before flying to Australia to enjoy a visit to the combinations do work, we have organised them Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest. before… Worldwide airline schedules and flight routings now make these combinations easier and A Round-the-World as trans-continental flight costs continue to fall, they Wildlife Dream become more and more attractive! Enjoy an African safari before flying to Australia and driving Classic Southern Africa along the Great Ocean Road to Combine Cape Town with a visit to the magnificent Melbourne. Continue to New sand dunes of Sossusvlei in Namibia. Continue to Zealand to go whale-watching the Okavango Delta in Botswana for some fantastic before embarking on an expedition game-viewing, before relaxing for a few days voyage to Antarctica. Disembark in Livingstone, Zambia where you also have the in Argentina and explore the opportunity to view the splendid Victoria Falls.