See the Indri Lemurs in Madagascar

A brand new offer from Worldwide Holidays……..Discover the incredible, versatile country of Madagascar from as little as £1350pp. This great offer includes spending some time at Andasibe National Park, home of the Indri Indri lemur before relaxing on the beautiful island of St Marie. For more details on this tour or about visiting Madagascar in general, call Sam on 01202 606160.

Air Mad now flies direct to Nosy Be

Air Madagascar have recently launched a brand new route to enable you to get to the beautiful beaches of Nosy Be even quicker. From May 2009, you can now fly direct from Paris into Nosy Be – omitting the need to have an overnight in the capital Antananarivo.

Worldwide Holidays join LATA

Worldwide Holidays have recently become members of LATA – the Latin American Travel Association, which is a travel trade organisation that was founded to promote travel to Latin America. The association brings together over 200 companies, including tourist boards, tour operators, hotels, wholesalers, media, airlines and overseas members.

Managing Director Helen Baillie said, “We have recently added Argentina to the portfolio of Latin American countries we specialise in and joining LATA seemed a natural progression of our development in South America. Belonging to LATA means we are always informed of new ventures and opportunites within Latin America through training and promotion. We can then, in turn, pass this onto our clients. As specialists in various countries in South America, we try to visit these areas at least once a year. The information and knowledge that LATA provides will ensure we don’t miss anything inbetween visits. All this means that we are able to put together the perfect adventure for our clients”.

Argentina will appear on our website very soon!

Revolutionary Cuba…..

Everybody’s image of Cuba is different, but one thing everyone does seem to agree on is to travel to this wonderful Caribbean island sooner rather than later before it changes beyond all recognition. This year, 2009, marks the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution and the images of Che Guevara, Castro and Jose Marti are in abundance as you travel throughout the country.

New Luxury Eco-Lodge opens in Madagascar

Eden Lodge embodies a new concept for luxury accommodation in Madagascar. The real luxury of Eden Lodge is simply being there, residing in comfort whilst immersed in the diverse and untouched lush natural habitat of Madagascar.

Eden Lodge is equipped with solar power, which provides 90% of its energy needs. Only half an hour from the island of Nosy Be, in the North West of Madagascar, the view as you arrive by boat is breathtaking: a beach of pure white sands, bordered by lush virgin forest and dotted with majestic baobab trees, hundreds of years old.

With no roads, no cars and only a tiny Madagascan village in proximity, you’re immediately plunged into the middle of an Eden of relaxation.

Each Lodge offers spacious accommodation where you can relax in complete privacy. Local materials have been used in the construction of the lodges, and the innovative architecture of these beachfront lodges allows air to circulate freely, thanks to a ravinala roof and a tent canopy that with large openings protected by mosquito nets. A spectacular bathroom opens out onto a terrace where residents can enjoy massage and other beauty treatments (each lodge is equipped with a massage table in the privacy of the garden).

An unexpected part of Jordan….

Whilst visiting Jordan recently I was surprised to learn that there are several areas that are very green and furtile! Not at all what I was expecting in this land of ancient civilisations and desert. The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature look after six protected wilderness reserves and I visited Azraq in the eastern desert region of the country.

The word ‘Azraq’ translates into ‘Blue’ in the Arabic language and even during the last days of summer, when the water levels were at their lowest, we walked the boardwalk trail across the reserve through the reeds and saw native birds taking advantage of the pools. I have been reliably informed that a visit in Spring when water levels are at their peak, you may see over 2000 species of wild flowers – yet a further reason to re-visit Jordan!

For interest, other Reserves protected by RSCN in Jordan include Dana, Ajloun Forest Reserve and Mujib. Some of the Reserves have eco-lodges or small guesthouses where you can enjoy the tranquillity after everyone except the wildlife has left!

Lonesome George of the Galapagos Islands ends his celibacy!

Our recent ‘blog’ reported the excellent news about the Galapagos Islands, Lonesome George – a tortoise thought of for decades of being the last member of a virtually extinct species, possibly becoming a father – further news has been released regarding the finding of yet more eggs!

Park Wardens at Galapagos National Park have now found a second patch of eight eggs. These eggs are undergoing their incubation period at the Charles Darwin Research Station where conservationists explained…… “most eggs are incubated at a slightly warmer temperature to produce a higher rate of female off-spring (tortoises lack the gender gene and temperature determines length of incubation, which determines gender). This is critical to ensure a faster recovery of the population, currently with a single member – George. The females that have shared George’s home for many years now, belong to the closest species to the Pinta Tortoise”.

We wait further news from the Galapagos!

World Famous Tortoise-species lives on…..

Great news from the Galapagos Islands – their oldest living resident, George the Tortoise is about to become a father! We recently received this press release from the Galapagos National Park.

“The world’s most famous tortoise, and the living symbol of the Galapagos National Park, has taken an important step into saving it’s species from imminent extinction.

A last member of its kind, a male tortoise was found alone on his home island Pinta in the early seventies. Soon brought to the safety of the Charles Darwin Research Station, and named Jorge, or George in English, by the park wardens that took care of him. The word soon spread that Lonesome George was a living extinction unless a female was found for him to reproduce.

Scientists have searched the Island Pinta, as well as any zoo or private collection worldwide for a partner for George. Hopes have, over the futile years, focused on the last resource to save his species. George should breed with the most similar tortoise species in Galapagos. For this purpose, George has been sharing his pen with two attractive females from island Isabela’s northernmost volcano Wolf, a race similar to George, both physically and genetically. Strangely, George has shown so far little if any attraction to these females, and hopes to save the species have again dropped systematically.

Until this week: National Park Authorities proudly announced the finding of the first fertile eggs laid in George’s pen. A new hope is standing high to save the rarest tortoise in the world from extinction”.

Watch this space for further news!!

The Dead Sea

The Dead Sea is a land locked sea situated at the lowest point on earth. It is the most peculiar feeling ’sitting’ in this water, totally supported by the high level of salt you can’t help but float. It is completely comfortable to float in this water and read a book!

As you are floating effortlessly in the warm, mineral rich waters, you see people around the shoreline scooping handfuls of mud from the sea bed and smearing it over themselves before wading into the water. It is the most bizarre sight! There are two very lovely, luxury hotels situated on the Dead Sea that both take advantage of the minerals available and offer excellent spa facilities.

However, don’t leave it too long before visiting the Dead Sea – the water level of the Dead Sea is dropping by about a 30cm (1 foot) per year and Scientists predict that the sea may be dried up by the year 2050!

Jordan lives up to all my expectations

Jordan has been, for me, one of the places that was always on my ‘must see’ list and when I got the opportunity to visit in March, it lived up to all my expectations. Petra was the highlight of our trip. We arrived in this small but busy town about 6pm and after quickly donning some comfortable footwear, we walked to the entrance to Petra Site. Lit by hundreds of candles and the light of the moon, the walk through a small gap in an enormous rock, called The Siq, can be quite magical although I would suggest leaving a little while after the crowds have passed through so you can experience what it is like in the quiet.

Petra is an incredible place, so much more than the Treasury – its most famous building, and as you wonder freely through this ancient city you can still imagine what it may have been like in the times of the Nabeatean people two thousand years ago. Climb the 950 or so steps upto the Monastry for incredible views right across the Wadi Musa valley – its exhausting and takes around 45 minutes but so worth it! We only had a whole day here but left feeling that there was so much more to discover.