sundownerFOR THE INSPIRED TRAVELLER • SUMMER 2020 INSIDE EGYPT SWEDEN JAPAN SCOTLAND FOUNDER’S NOTE WELCOME TO OUR SUMMER 2020 ISSUE s passionate travellers, we all share the desire to experience new destinations and different cultures with authenticity, privileged access and creature comforts. I have been fortunate, over the past 12 months, to do just that, discovering some really remote and captivating places, and people, that have long intrigued me. I farewelled A2018 in the icy reaches of Antarctica where a small group of adventurers joined me on an extraordinary expedition to the South Pole that was nothing short of exhilarating. I visited India where regal experiences, vintage cars, tigers and turban tying were all wonderful encounters overlaid with rich local flavour. Kenya, my childhood home, beckoned where I was thrilled to check into the elaborate new luxury suite at Sanctuary Olonana named in my honour – a sophisticated and secluded retreat in one of my favourite safari destinations. In Europe, I visited Seville for the WTTC Global Travel Summit, St Petersburg during the White Nights festival, and admired the extraordinary garden designs and horticultural highlights of the Chelsea Flower Show. Most recently I was joined by 14 guests on an expedition through Ethiopia where we travelled in a fleet of helicopters the length of the country. I was completely humbled by the experiences we had – private Mass in a rock-cut church at Lalibela, sunrise beside sulphur springs in the Danakil Depression, a close-up inspection of the fossilised hominid ‘Lucy’ in Addis Ababa, hiking in the Simien Mountains and encounters with the rare tribes of the Omo Valley. You can read more about Ethiopia (page 68) in our profile of leading A&K guide, Dawit Teferi, who joined me on the journey. I’ve enjoyed each and every one of these diverse experiences, some new and ground-breaking, some eternal favourites seen in a new light. And together with the global A&K team, I’ll continue to seek out unique ways of discovering our world, and the people in it, and sharing it with you, our valued guests. I hope this magazine will motivate your wanderlust as you read accounts from some of our favourite travel writers on their experiences in Japan (page 38), Scotland (page 46) and Egypt (page 24). Or reading our insider’s guide to three captivating cities in Germany (page 18) and expert insight on emerging destination trends in our 2020 Hot List (page 58). May your spirit of adventure be stirred by the imagery and narrative within and may your next journey to somewhere extraordinary be shaped and set in train. Geoffrey Kent Founder & Co-Chairman of the Abercrombie & Kent Group of Companies follow me on Instagram and hear about my latest A&K adventures @geoffrey_kent CONTENTS SUMMER 2020 Follow us on Instagram to stay updated with the latest A&K adventures @aktravel_au FEATURES 24 ETERNAL EGYPT A journey from the Upper Nile to its Delta 32 SPRINGTIME IN STOCKHOLM Pared back beauty and a touch of whimsy 38 THE WONDERS OF JAPAN Hidden ports, islands of art and a rich history 4 8 12 46 HIGHLAND FLING Scotland's lochs, glens and whisky REGULARS 4 LIFE Partnerships & events 6 NEWS Goings-on around the A&K world 16 18 24 8 A&K PHILANTHROPY Raptor release 10 GLOBAL DROP Wines of Spain 16 WISH YOU WERE HERE Remote FNQ ALSO IN THIS ISSUE 32 38 46 12 AROUND THE WORLD Festivals in 2020 18 INSIDER’S GUIDE Prague, Saxony & Berlin 52 RECENT TRAVELS A Tanzania photo essay 58 TOP TEN The A&K Hot List 2020 52 58 64 64 SMALL GROUP JOURNEYS Abercrombie & Kent Shared adventures for the inquisitive traveller Level 3, 290 Coventry Street, aktravel.au abercrombiekent.com.au/youtube South Melbourne, 68 A&K EXPERT Victoria 3205 Dawit Teferi – On the ground in Ethiopia www.abercrombiekent.com.au aktravel_au issuu.com/abercrombiekentau 72 A JOURNEY ILLUSTRATED [email protected] Cape to Cairo All enquiries to +61 3 9536 1800 or 1300 551 541. 74 NOTES FROM THE FIELD Sundowner is published by Abercrombie & Kent Australia. The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of Abercrombie A week in Ecuador & Kent. While Abercrombie & Kent has taken all reasonable precautions and made all reasonable effort to ensure the accuracy of material contained in this publication, Abercrombie & Kent does not assume any responsibility or liability for any loss or damage which may result from 76 NATURAL WONDERS any inaccuracy or omission in the publication, or from the use of the information contained herein. Copyright 2020. The Komodo dragon All prices shown in this publication are shown per person and in Australian Dollars unless otherwise specified. ‘From’ prices are indicative only and usually for travel during low season. Prices are subject to availability and to change, and may vary across date ranges. Contact A&K for the best available prices for your preferred travel arrangements and travel dates. And see the website for complete booking terms and conditions. Abercrombie & Kent Australia, ABN 55005422999. Editor: Serena Mitchell; Art Direction: David Kneale; Head of Marketing: Anthony O’Shea Sundowner | 1300 551 541 | www.abercrombiekent.com.au 1 CONTRIBUTORS Photo: Photo: To Nikki Pat Nourse Kelly Allen Sue Wallace Page 24 Page 46 Page 38 Pat Nourse is the creative director Kelly Allen is the Health and A passion for travel saw Sue Wallace of the Melbourne Food and Wine Wellness editor for Luxury Travel switch from finance reporting at The Festival. A travel writer and restaurant Magazine and is based in Sydney, Australian to travel writing, years ago. critic with some 20 years’ experience, Australia. Born in America, but raised Japan has always held a fascination Pat was an editor at Gourmet Traveller all over, she comes from a family of and she fell in love with the gardens, for 14 years, and his work has been wanderers and has moved 26 times. art, history and the food on her recent published internationally in the likes She has found her paradise in Manly A&K 'Wonders of Japan' cruise. An of Saveur, Travel + Leisure, Afar, Lucky Beach, NSW and hopes to stay there award-winning freelance writer for Peach, Gourmet and the in-flight for a very long time. luxury magazines, newspapers and magazines of Qantas, Virgin, Cathay websites, Sue believes the journey and Etihad airlines. is often just as fascinating as the destination. Cruising is her favourite way to travel – she says “Sea-gazing across the boundless blue waters by day and watching dappled moonlight dance across the waves at night – is magical.” On the Cover: Karnak Temple, sundownerFOR THE INSPIRED TRAVELLER • SUMMER 2019-20 INSIDE Check us EGYPT SWEDEN JAPAN SCOTLAND Luxor, Egypt (page 24). Our appreciation for imagery to: Melbourne Theatre Company, Sanctuary Retreats, A&K Philanthropy, Shutterstock, Getty Images, and all our partner airlines, hotels, vessels and properties. OUTFollow A&K online for recent happenings, news and travel inspiration. Illustrations: Joy Gosney. Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube Linkedin abercrombiekent.com.au/ Abercrombie & Kent youtube Australia Like our Facebook page for Join us on our travels around Followers on Twitter get daily Discover more about A&K Follow our page and keep daily updates on all the latest the world, as we share our A&K updates from around Philanthropy projects. up-to-date with company and news, special offers and online favourite photos from the field. the world. industry news, job openings competitions! Tag your A&K travels with and more! #GoBeyondtheOrdinary. 2 Sundowner www.abercrombiekent.com.au TRUE LUXURY ADVENTURES IN EUROPE “I will take you by a dear dirty back way, Miss Honeychurch, and if you bring me luck, we shall have an adventure.” – E.M. Forster, A Room with a View Experience the continent at its most authentic and most refined – from the dazzling cities of the Grand Tour to more emerging destinations and hidden gems. Enjoy A&K privileges including outside-hours access to palaces, museums and basilica, fine dining in splendid villas, tastings in ancient cellars, private audiences and command performances, all far from the madding crowds. Explore a Europe less travelled aboard a luxury canal barge through rural France, Italy or Britain, or enjoy fascinating new journeys in the Caucasus, behind the old Iron Curtain, to the Baltic capitals, in northern Scandinavia, or in other less-visited yet emblematic cities like Krakow or Seville. Every A&K journey is designed to allow you to relax into a local pace and enjoy an authentic European experience, where your encounters are more likely to be with local residents than with other travellers, and where – if you’re lucky – you shall have an adventure. Because at Abercrombie & Kent, we understand great travellers are driven by curiosity, by a spirit of adventure, and how you travel and why you travel is as important as where you travel. Talk to your travel agent or call Abercrombie & Kent on 1300 551 541. www.abercrombiekent.com.au Sundowner | 1300 551 541 | www.abercrombiekent.com.au 3 LIFE Partnerships & Events MTC: Shakespeare In Love As a Major Partner of the Melbourne Theatre Company, A&K hosted the Opening Night of Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard’s Shakespeare in Love, adapted for the stage by Lee Hall and directed by Simon Phillips. VIP guests were treated to a special pre-performance cocktail party in The Amcor Lounge, Arts Centre Melbourne where Simon Phillips shared insights on the play and a fortune teller read the cards to predict guests’ forthcoming travel adventures. Gidget Goes On Safari The Gidget Foundation Australia is a not-for-profit, registered charity established to raise awareness of perinatal depression and anxiety (PNDA).