Spirit of Adventure

We are very excited to introduce a selection of new self guided walking and cycling adventures in Europe! These holidays are perfect for those seeking a flexible and independent experience travelling with just their partner, family or friends. An itinerary, detailed route notes and maps are provided by us, and your accommodation in comfortable hotels and lodgings, as well as luggage transfers, are booked for you, allowing you to walk or cycle from one place to the next at your own pace! Plus self guided does not mean unsupported, as our local offices are always only a call away, 24-hours a day.

Whatever your choice of destination, our self guided adventures will take you into the heart and soul of Europe’s most spectacular regions. Just one of these journeys is our new 7 day Jewels of Liguria; Cinque Terre & Portovenere, a region recently explored by our very own Paddy Scott.

“Strolling through Portovenere at the end of our Ligurian adventure it was clear that this was a special place to be. The beautiful Italian fishing port, dominated at one end by a fairytale church perched high up on a cliff, is made up of brightly coloured Fishermans’ houses, so painted to aid the view from the sea for the returning fisherman. These days the fishing is still in evidence, but the harbour has now been overtaken by enormous multi-million dollar yachts, and the rocky cliffs are now home to sunbathing Italians, to whom posing is a full time job. This is the Italian Riviera at its very best!

Ducking up through a gate in the castle walls you reach the ‘main street’, dotted with ‘trattorias’ and delicatessens that send your taste buds crazy. Finally you burst out to a ‘plaze’ and take some steps that lead up to the church, proudly overlooking the Byron’s Grotto, where Lord Byron is said to have cooled off in the sea on hot days. The view from the church stretches along the entire coastline that houses the Cinque Terre’s beautiful villages.

At night, the port comes alive with the clinking of glasses and laughter of friends enjoying dinner at one of the post side restaurants. Our weary legs, from days of spectacular walking, gladly sank into the inviting chairs. The food was as exceptional as it was simple – grilled fish, caught that morning by the local fishermen, washed down with a cold glass of the local white wine. We were right – this really was a special place to be!”

Joining us onboard the 20-night Antarctica, the Falkland Islands & South Georgia voyage (departing 20 January 2010) are award-winning wildlife photographer and author Nick Garbutt, and Mandy Shepherd – an accomplished artist and daughter of renowned UK artist and conservationist David Shepherd.  The Antarctica, the Falkland Islands & South Georgia voyage is our most complete and varied Antarctic adventure. Wildlife abounds as we will be on the lookout for huge Macaroni and King Penguin rookeries, colonies of various species of seals, whale species including Blues and Humpbacks, and numerous seabirds such as the albatross, petrels, shearwaters and skuas.

Nick joined us earlier this year on one of our voyages in the Scandinavian High Arctic, and you can view some of his stunning images from the voyage on our website. In the Antarctic, Nick will run a series of presentations during the voyage to help you with your photography, as well as share his own ‘best of’ images from a lifetime of travel.

Mandy is a Trustee for both the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) and for Falklands Conservation. With a deep passion for wildlife and conservation, her early work and exhibitions were dominated by wildlife subjects and she held her first exhibition in Harare, Zimbabwe in 1980. In 1996, it was the wildlife that took her 15,000 kilometres from home in England to the Falkland Islands to write and illustrate her first book “The Falkland Islands an artist’s portfolio”.  Mandy has kindly offered to donate two of her sketches to auction off on the ship to raise funds for our Albatross conservation project.

We hope that you can join Mandy and Nick on this voyage, as it certainly will be a trip of a lifetime!

People will say that travelling to Africa is a ‘once in a lifetime’ trip; but for me (and many others) that first step onto African soil was just the beginning of a life-long fascination with the world’s most exciting, challenging and life-affirming continent.

I’ve often wondered on my many trips to Africa – which animal lives the most carefree life?

Certainly the lion, king of the beasts, does OK with his average of 20 hours of sleep a day and his harem of ladies to ‘cook’ for him. The elephant, travelling along in intimate family groups, leads an enviable existence, but also carries the loss of loved ones in that incredible lifelong memory. Giraffe? Only 2 hours of nervous sleep a night… Cheetah? Has to run like Usain Bolt each time it wants to eat dinner…

No, after much thought I’ve surmised that the most carefree of all of nature’s beasts in Africa is the warthog. Travelling along in small family groups, with his little piglets trailing behind, the warthog leads a happy life. He’s tough, nuggetty and doesn’t show fear, making him an exhausting catch for any lurking cats.

I once watched one of these funny little creatures being stalked by a lion in the Serengeti. For a while he grazed and foraged, oblivious to the pending danger… then, catching the lion’s scent on the breeze, he took off at what could only really be described as a fast trot, tail tapping the air furiously. Comically, warthogs are unable to look backwards, so in order to track the lion’s approach, he had to turn his squat body around a full 180 degrees, look around, then pirouette back and proceed onwards. Even more comical is the warthog’s ridiculously short attention span. Twice I observed as he momentarily forgot that he was being chased by a lion and stopped to forage among some particularly tasty-looking shrubs! Luckily for this guy, he still managed to get away…

Yes, I think any creature that sprints at a trot, never misses the opportunity to eat and can momentarily forget that he is being chased by a lion leads a carefree existence indeed!

Zimbabwe and Mozambique have been two of Africa’s premier destinations in the past, and after a turbulent few years out of the travel spotlight it’s time to discover them all over again. Our new 8 day Mozambique Explorer takes you to the remote wilderness of Limpopo National Park where two days are spent in an exclusive luxury tented camp discovering this incredible region on foot. There is also time to relax on the deserted white beaches of the Barra Peninsula, also renowned for its superb diving opportunities.

Our 8-day Zimbabwe Revealed adventure offers all the highlights – from Victoria Falls, to Hwange and Matobo National Parks, as well as Antelope Park. This journey will take you on game walks in search of the elusive white rhino and on a dedicated ‘walk with the lions’, all whilst staying in excellent lodges.

Our one-off West Africa Expedition proved so popular amongst our travellers that we’ve now made it a permanent fixture in our program. This expedition takes us deep into the mysterious heart of West Africa – a region that has captured the imagination of travellers for centuries. We explore historic kingdoms such as the influential Malian and Ashanti Empires, and the great Dahomey Kingdom. On this 26-day trip we will also visit the fabled frontier town of Timbuktu and trek in Mali’s unique Dogon Country. If this exciting part of the African continent is on your list, we suggest you book your place really soon, as they are filling fast!

If you haven’t quite got that much time, why not consider our new two-week Mali & Burkina Faso or West African Kingdoms trips!

Plus music buffs can also add on one of our new five-day extensions to Mali’s renowned music festivals – the Festival in the Desert or the Festival on the Niger. The magical Festival au Désert is a world music festival that takes place in Essakane, in the Sahara Desert, some 70 kilometres outside of Timbuktu.  The Festival of the Niger is celebrated in the ancient Bambara capital of Ségou, and pays homage to Africa’s third longest river. It is a kaleidoscope of the rich cultural tapestry that this region has to offer.

We are proud to announce that Australia’s Travel Weekly Green Issue has given Peregrine a perfect Five Green Leaves rating for our Responsible Tourism initiatives; and we are one of only two travel companies to be given this rating.

We are thrilled to have received the Five Green Leaves rating as it reflects our whole company approach to Corporate Social Responsibility and Responsible Tourism. The key to our success is the PereGreen team, consisting of a volunteer from each area of the business who acts as the eco-warrior for their team. They provide constant support and enthusiasm, ensuring that initiatives such as sourcing 100% renewable power and fundraising for the Community Trust don’t get forgotten as we go about our day-to-day tasks. We are also very proud of our compulsory carbon offsetting for tours and staff travel, a move that will see us offsetting approximately 7000 tonnes of carbon dioxide in the first twelve months of the program. The offset payments support renewable energy programs in the developing world.

Charity: Humane Society International
Dates: 12-23 March 2010
Fundraising target: A$7,500
Duration: 12 days
Cycle through Rajasthan - the Land of Kings, a quintessential Indian state, with its walled cities, forts and palaces onto our final destination Agra. Throughout the tour, stay at battle forts like Ras Fort and Tordi Garh; palaces like Phool Mahal Palace; and farm houses like Rawla Bagh, where our hosts personally help us explore their villages. In Agra, visit the incomparable Taj Mahal and have a full day at the Agra Bear Rescue Sanctuary.

Contact our Private Groups team for more information on this great charity challenge!

Perhaps the most significant and certainly most endearing feature of walking through the Walls of Jerusalem National Park is the fact that it is less well known than the neighbouring Cradle Mountain- Lake St Clair National Park. This allows visitors to enjoy the splendour and contrasts of this ancient, glacially carved, region without having to share it with hordes of tourists. Often you may even find yourself wandering through the pencil pine forests, gazing up at spectacular cliff faces, or marvelling at reflections on the picturesque lakes without ever encountering other humans for hours at a time, if at all!

The biblical naming of the parks’ natural features gives you an inkling of what lies ahead… Solomons Jewels, the Temple, Mount Jerusalem, the Pool of Bethesda – each invoking images of epic proportions, and as you journey through, you will understand why.
By climbing Mount Jerusalem you will be rewarded with sweeping views of Tasmania’s central plateau, aptly named the Land of Three Thousand Lakes. While off to the west you will see the famous peaks of the Overland Track.

The Walls of Jerusalem is a unique, and wonderfully unspoilt, piece of Tasmania – it is truly a walkers’ delight! Yet what really separates it from other walks is the peaceful solitude in which you are able to enjoy it.

The best time to see the region is from October to January, and our 25 October and 3 January departures of our 6-day Walls of Jerusalem are filling up quickly, with others also available.

I know it is clichéd, but Cuba really is like being in a time warp, which I experienced first-hand on my 10-day A Touch of Cuba adventure! After a wander around La Habana Vieja (the old town) to take in the grand colonial architecture, the crumbling 1950-style buildings and a stroll along the Malecon - a sweeping road that runs along the beach, we headed to Plaza de La Catedral – one of four main squares in the old town, where we met our travelling companions for the first of many mojitos to be had on our journey.

Having had a few days to hang out in Havana’s historic haunts, we were on our way to Trinidad – a five or so hour bus ride from the capital. The juxtaposition of the relatively modern bus we travelled in compared with the 1950s Chevrolets and Cadillacs we passed along the way, again reminded me of having travelled back in time. The other thing that stood out was the complete lack of any road signage – just as well our driver knew where he was going!

On arrival in Trinidad, the first thing that struck me is that it seems that in this communist country, commercialism is alive and thriving. The locals were actively jostling and promoting their casa particulares (local home stays). Fortunately, we had our Peregrine accommodation sorted and Clem, our wonderful local tour leader, guided us through the crowd as we headed for the heart of Trinidad. Declared a World Heritage site in 1988, the beautifully restored homes along the cobble stone streets felt like something out of a movie set. Our days in Trinidad included plenty of time to chill out on the stunning beach and during the evenings we watched some amazing salsa dancing before letting loose on the dance floor ourselves! One evening we learned that Clem had been a national salsa champion, and I discovered I had two left feet when it comes to salsa dancing!

We left the coast and headed for Che territory – namely Santa Clara – right in the centre of Cuba. In 1958, Santa Clara was the scene of the fall of the Batista dictatorship where Che and his followers masterminded the derailment of an armoured train carrying Batista and a huge contingent of government officials and weapons. It was the dawn of the Cuban revolution and Santa Clara has some fascinating historical sites, especially Che’s final resting place – Monumento Ernesto Che Guevara.

On Christmas day we spend our time in the most amazing area of Valle de Vinales. It is a striking region, characterised by towering limestone cliffs and rocky outcrops, mixed in with vast tobacco plantations. We stayed just out of the town of Vinales, but managed to find our way to the action in the main square on Christmas Eve to salsa-away the night.

Our trip finished with a couple more days spent relaxing on the beach at Cayo Leviso on the north-west coast of the Cuban island – amazing to think we were only a short 80 or so kilometres from Florida, but in many ways a world away. I know that we only scratched the surface of this fascinating country, but Clem provided a wonderful insight into what life is really like for the locals here by stopping along the way for us to pop in and meet his mum!

Cuba is very much a country of contradictions. On the one hand it’s a country with excellent education and health facilities yet coupon-rationing for basic commodities and severe housing shortages dominate everyday living. Experiencing the Cuban culture and history first-hand has given me an amazing insight into this mysterious country, full of life and music – it truly was an unforgettable adventure.

Our Touch of Cuba trip has departures all year round; visit our website for more details.

Peregrine are proud to bring you some unique, exploratory adventures aboard our world-class icebreaker vessels, 50 Years of Victory and Kapitan Khlebnikov. Travelling to both poles, the icebreaker’s immense power takes us places ice-strengthened vessels simply cannot access. Their ability to push past the boundaries imposed by the polar ice combined with the use of onboard helicopters has allowed us to create spectacular itineraries incorporating the most remote destinations and awe-inspiring experiences.

To find out more about these unique adventures we invite you to join us for one of our Icebreaker information evenings to be held in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide during October. You will be joined by “Icebreaker Queen” Kirsten Le Mar who has travelled to the North Pole, Northwest Passage and numerous times to Antarctica.
Reservations are essential and places are limited so please call the Peregrine Travel Centre in your state.