Adventure Holiday Specials

War has been the backdrop for many famous movies filmed in Vietnam, but when you explore this extraordinary country you quickly discover its peaceful beauty and traditional charm. Intrepid Express reader Debbie Richardson experienced her own crowning movie moment…

“The highlight of my amazing adventure in Vietnam was definitely our two-night boat trip on Halong Bay. Surprisingly for February, the sun even came out and the mist cleared, what a beautiful place. It’s not hard to imagine why the Oscar-winning movie Indochine was shot here (also in Thailand). We kayaked around the lagoon where the movie was filmed! It was fantastic and my camera never stopped clicking as the sun set over Halong Bay that afternoon!”

If you need travel insurance over 80 to Vietnam then check out travel insurance finders.

Put yourself in the picture for 10 action-packed days on Spirit of Vietnam and if you act fact, you could SAVE 20% on trips departing 22 January or 23 February 2010!

Exodus have some great late deals going on at the moment for lovers of winter sports.

PYRENEES WINTER WALK AND SNOWSHOE

8 days from GBP819 to GBP899 including flights
Tripcode: CEW

*  5-days of stunning snowshoe walks
* Based near charming spa town of Luchon
* Delicious meals prepared by chalet hosts

Snowshoer in deep snow\r\n

This is where our snowshoeing programme was born. Over twelve years ago we started to entice our summer walkers back to enjoy this area’s stunning winter scenery on snowshoes. The valleys and ridges around the French spa town of Luchon are perfect for winter exploration, and our series of tried and tested daywalks take in the best views of the area as we climb to a ridge or small peak each day. Even with limited snow conditions when snowshoes are not necessary, we will still be able to explore and experience spectacular winter walking. Our base is La Feniere, a cosy mountain lodge, ten minutes drive from Luchon, and with superb views of the highest peaks in the area.

SNOWSHOEING IN THE DOLOMITES

8 days from GBP999 to GBP1,319 including flights
Tripcode: CIS
Map

Countries Visited: Austria, Italy

* Spectacular mountain scenery on varied snowshoe walks
* Family run luxury 4 star hotel
* All departures guaranteed

Tre Cime di Lavaredo from Monte Piano

From our superb hotel in the charming village of Villabassa, just north of Cortina d’Ampezzo, we enjoy Michelin recommended cuisine and a relaxing wellness centre, as well as incredibly inspiring walks into the beautiful Dolomites. Situated on the northern edge of Italy’s most stunning mountain range, in the Alta Pusteria Valley, we have access to many excellent areas for snowshoe exploration. Wonderful routes take us into the Fanes-Sennes Natural Park, along the shoreline of Lago di Braies and beneath the impressive Tre Cime di Lavaredo, surely the most famous image of the entire Dolomites. Walking along forest trails and old military tracks, we reach the magnificent viewpoints of Durrakopf (2275m) and Strudelkopf (2307m) and we absorb fascinating history from World War 1 during lunch stops from picturesque refuges.

Visit Exodus for more details

09 Oct 09 – 18 Oct 09      £1,449
16 Oct 09 – 25 Oct 09      £1,449
Sweeping views | Challenging Trek | Diversity of scenery

Stunning camping trek to Kilimanjaro’s summit … more
Kilimanjaro

* Max group 16
* Walking & Trekking

* View full details
* Prices & availability

Annapurna Sanctuary

17 days

* inc. flights

Nepal Tour ref: AB

From £1,349 per person

09 Oct 09 – 25 Oct 09      £1,349
Annapurna Basecamp | Stunning mountain views | Shortened Annapurna trek

An inspiring Himalayan trek into the heart of the Annapurna range, for those who have a little less time (or energy!) than the … more
Trekking on snow

* Max group 16
* Walking & Trekking

* View full details
* Prices & availability

Serengeti Explorer

10 days

* inc. flights

Tanzania Tour ref: RV

From £1,429 per person

09 Oct 09 – 18 Oct 09      £1,429
Serengeti National Park | Ngorongoro Crater | Rift Valley wildlife

Unforgettable safari in world-famous game reserves … more
Game drives

* Easy
* Max group 16
* Safari / Wildlife

* View full details
* Prices & availability

Kilimanjaro – Rongai Route

11 days

* inc. flights

Tanzania Tour ref: KR

From £1,369 per person

09 Oct 09 – 18 Oct 09      £1,369
Gradual ascent | Porter assisted camping | Wildlife viewing

A less demanding route to Kilimanjaro’s summit … more
On the trek

* Max group 16
* Walking & Trekking

* View full details
* Prices & availability

Adventure Nepal

19 days

* inc. flights

Nepal Tour ref: NP

From £1,669 per person

Head to Ghana with Intrepid!

Greater love hath no man than for his football in Ghana. World Cup Fever is sweeping the country and this week’s top trip scores a goal every time!

Ghana has become the first African country to qualify for the 2010 Football World Cup, joining England and Australia in qualification. Ghanaian Captain Michael Essien summed up the country’s passion for the beautiful game, “The people of Ghana wanted us to win and we did not let them down. What a fantastic feeling to be the first African country to qualify for the first World Cup to be staged in Africa.”

Intrepid’s Best of Ghana and Mali is a unique overland trip and the highlight for many is a game of football. It was a close match this month against the locals of Mole Nation Park. It was 5-5 at the end of normal time, but Mole Park FC won the penalty in the shoot-out with Dragoman trip leader Michael missing the decisive penalty – allowing Ghana the bragging rights to have won two important football matches in the last week!

Explore has a number of price reductions and special offers available currently. Passing on price reductions from local operations through to their customers means there are some great savings available now -

Save £200 off jungle tribe expedition! With only one departure left this year, this 16 day journey into the heart of Venezuela allows you to to spend time with the Shirian tribe and explore this magnificent country.
The Shirian Tribal Lands trip is now £1,959 – departs 21 November 2009.

Big Galapagos savings! Visiting the Galapagos is notoriously expensive, so this is an excellent opportunity to take advantage of savings up to £420 on tours sailing to the islands on the Monserrat Yacht. These savings are available on departures from the UK on Tuesdays, compared with equivalent Wednesday departures.

There are also savings on trips to Abu Simbel, along with Peru, and the Explore Greek Caique Cruise. For more information, visit the website here.

Now is a fantastic time to take in some of what Southern Africa has to offer, as you can take advantage of Intrepid’s great travel offers on trips through South Africa -

Kruger Short Stays – 30% off!

Book one of three 4 day trips around world-renowned Kruger National Park before Oct 31 for 2009 departures and receive 30 per cent off brochured prices.
Quote promo code: 3224

Southern Explorer/Southern Magic -20% off!

Explore the magic of Southern Africa by taking in Kruger National Park, Victoria Falls, the Okavango Delta and Khama Rhino Sanctuary! Book your place on one of these 13/14 day trips before Oct 31 for 2009 departures and get 20 per cent off the standard trip price.
and quote promo code: 3223

Overlanding, an excellent way to travel across, literally – land, can be an ideal way to see a lot of countries without the travel hassles of doing it yourself, whilst having an incredible time with your new-found friends. Riding a famous route – Cairo to Cape – Andes and Amazon – is an adventure in itself  and there is a real sense of camaraderie as everyone gets stuck in cooking together or digging the truck out of sand.

Classic routes run across Africa and South America, ranging from anything from 5 days, to a 36-week circumnavigation of each continent! However, the range of routes is constantly expanding, with newer routes travelling through the Middle East, or Central Asia, along the Silk Route. Specialist companies, such as UK to Oz Overlanding and Odyssey Overland, even offer London to Australia overland trips, crossing Europe, Central and South-East Asia.

A few of the big players are offering some incredible deals on trips at the moment . Now might be the time to take that trip of a lifetime – if you can pick between these great offers, that is!

Absolute Africa is offering 20% off safaris booked by 31 Aug 09 for select trips departing October to December. (Including, ‘The Absolute Safari’, ‘Wildlife Journey’, ‘Rivers of Africa’, ‘Gorillas and Gameparks’ and ‘African Drums’.) Quote ASP20 when booking.
They also have a 2 for 1 offer on ‘The Big Six’, ‘Tusker Trails’ and the ‘Gorilla Trek’ trips for departures October to November. Book now quoting A241.

Dragoman has a range of late deals and specials for trips to South America and Asia departing soon, including:
25% off Andes and Argentinian gauchos – ZZS79
10% off Machu Picchu, Inca Trails and Lake Titicaca – SCZ139
20% off India Adventure – FIN19

Oasis has some great deals on some of their shorter trips to Egypt and the Middle East:
Egypt Encompassed (10 Days) Cairo to Cairo, taking in Luxor and Aswan, has been slashed from £345 to just £295.
You could save yourself £100 on the 18 day Ottoman Odyssey from Damascus to Istanbul -  was £375 now £275.

Whilst Tucan similarly has late deals going, they also run a number of year-round special discounts.
Any of the following conditions will get you 5% off a trip: early booking, booking 2+ trips, repeat clients, booking with 2 mates, students/under 26s, over 55s.
And you can combine up to 3 of these discounts together to get 15% off your trip!

Intrepid has some great offers on some of the Indochina adventure travel trips, allowing you to explore Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia for bargain prices!

With their ‘Mates Rates’ offers, going traveling with your friends can cut your travel costs by up to a quarter -

Book one person get 10% OFF
Book two people get 15% OFF
Book three people get 20% OFF
Book four people get 25% OFF
(off each trip)

The promotion is valid for travel between 01/08/2009 and 31/12/2009, and trips must be booked before 32 August, quoting promo code 3171.

Western Sun

7 days, ex Los Angeles
from £470 plus trip kitty

Hike around the rim of the Grand Canyon, Witness a dramatic sunset over the Colorado River, Road trip along iconic Route 66, Ride a cable car through the steep streets of San Fran

California Dreamin’

14 days, ex. Los Angeles
from £780 plus trip kitty

Hit the road on meandering Hwy 1, Discover a slice of the Mediterranean in Santa Barbara, Dance with Lady Luck in glitzy Las Vegas, Be awestruck by the wild beauty of Yosemite

Norway Arctic Whale Safari

• Long weekend of whale watching inside the Arctic Circle
• Enjoy the great variety of sea & bird life on the Lofoten Islands
• Experience summer in the ‘land of the midnight sun’

4 days, from £895 inc flights (£495 without flight