The Amazon announced in the New 7 Wonders of Nature global vote!

Good News!!  The first count of the global vote to elect the New 7 Wonders of Nature has been announced. In alphabetical order, they are: The Amazon, Halong Bay, Iguazu Falls, Jeju Island, Komodo, Puerto Princesa Underground River, Table Mountain.

The results will now be checked, validated and independently verified.  Once the voting validation process is completed, in early 2012, the New 7 Wonders of Nature will be officially announced.

The Amazon River has been an alluring dream for explorers and travelers alike.  Today you may discover Earth’s greatest wilderness on unique expedition voyages designed exclusively by Worldwide Holidays, since 1996.

Find out more about the Amazon River

Peru, Ecuador & Galapagos Islands updates

Hola everyone..

Some updates…

* Peru: Good news for Machu Picchu, the train service will start operations again on the 1st April. Hurray!!

* Ecuador: We have some excellent Galapagos Island cruise offers for this year, which is saving clients up to £750 per person. We only have certain dates available so it really is first come 1st served.

This year & 2011 are going to be big years for the Galapagos Islands as a huge change is due to be implemented from January 2012. The Galapagos National Park has issued a notice to all Galapagos operators informing that, as of January 1st, 2012 all Galapagos vessels must operate with 15-day/14-night itineraries, which can be cut into two 7-night itineraries or as two 6-day/5 night and one 5-day/4-night itinerary. The purpose of this measure is to re-arrange all itineraries in an orderly way, to control the number of persons visiting a determined visitor site at a given time. So basically a boat will only be able to visit a particular visitor site / island once every 2 weeks rather than every week as they currently do.
I urge anyone that is thinking of visiting the Galapagos Islands to do so sooner rather than later. 2011 rates are going to be higher than 2010, by approx 10% & discounts are not likely.

We also have some wonderful specialist Ecuador & Galapagos itineraries for clients interested in Geology & Photography. Here are the PDF details for each programme. Please do let me know if you would like full details.
Ecuador & Galapagos Geology Tour

Ecuador & Galapagos Photography Tour

Nasca Lines in Peru- National Geographic Society article

Nasca Lines, Peru

I am delighted to share with you a recent article on the Mysterious Nasca Lines, in Peru, published by the National Geographic magazine in their March edition:

Below is the link to view the article.
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/03/nasca/hall-text

The Nasca Lines are located in the Ica region, approx 460 km south of Lima. The lines decorate the desert floor & have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994. These lines, which were made by the Nasca Civilization between 500 BC and 500 AD, are one of the world’s greatest enigmas because of their quantity, size and natural preservation.

At Worldwide Holidays we tailor-make all of our clients holidays so that your trip perfectly suits your specific interests, priorities & preferences- within the budget you have in mind.

If you would like to discuss a trip to Peru, I would be delighted to hear from you.

Luxury on Lake Titicaca

Opening of New Hotel on Lake Titicaca – May 2008
I have just received information from our agents that this new hotel Titilaka Inkaterra has opened on the banks of Lake Titicaca. It is the first ultra-luxury hotel which is perched on a private peninsula on the Lake, legendary birthplace of the Incas and an ideal base for exploring the natural, cultural and historical treasures of Peru’s most remote and mystical region.

This all-inclusive luxury lodge is a haven for re-energizing after a day of excursions either by boat, private transfers, mountain bike or trekking. Activities you can include are visits to the Andean communities on the Islands of Taquile or Uros; Tours can be arranged to archeological sites and colonial churches or you can spend a day bird watching around the lake. The day’s climax is at dusk when afternoon tea is followed by cocktails served on the terrace at Titilaka, an ideal spot for viewing sunsets and the night time canopy of stars.

My trip to Peru

I’m back from my first inspection trip in Peru, it was more than wonderful than I imagined it would be. I could write forever on the amazing sights in Peru but then it would end up being a short story. So I think – of course my highlight has to be the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu it was brilliant see this famous place (it has got to be the 8th Wonder of the World – vote online). Our private guide was so good and informative it made it even more worthwhile.

The train back from Machu Picchu was fun with a fashion show and Andean musicians to while away the time. Cusco – what a city so much to see and do and not what I expected, from the Cathedrals to the cult centre of Sacsayhuaman and if you like shopping then Cusco has so much choice you need more than a couple of days.

The train journey from Cusco to Puno was great and you are kept well entertained and well fed. Lake Titicaca was beautiful and the sun was shining such a lovely day.

What can I say about the Colca Canyon and Condors Cross – about ten Condors in the sky an amazing sight to see them soaring up beneath the cliffs but be quick with your camera. My last city was “the White City” of Arequipa, a must to visit is the beautiful Santa Catalina convent it was almost a self-sustained village in its time. What a fantastic two weeks. I hope this has whet your appetite to see Peru – so call me on 01202 606160 and I can get you on your way.

My return to Peru

It has been a few years since my last trip to Peru, in fact it was long over due. It is really important for all our staff to keep up to date with their specialist countries as things do change, as is the case in Peru. This time I travelled with my colleague Alison, who will now also sell Peru.

I was delighted to see that Lima was a much cleaner city & looked a lot more prosperous. I stayed again @ the wonderful Country Club de Lima but the next day did all my hotel inspections & was pleasantly surprised with the Orient Express Hotel, the Miraflores Park, I think this may be my favourite now in Lima, the coastal view was stunning… Not that I recommend spending too much time in the city as outside Lima is where the adventure really starts.

This time I did something new (for me) & headed north to Chicalyo, visiting pre-Inca sites. This was a really long day as we then drove the 4 hours south to spend the night in Trujillo. I would not recommend that our clients do it this way as it is too tiring. A night @ the Grand Hotel in Chiclayo would be best & then drive down the next day, making stops en route. From Trujillo we visited Chan Chan, which was fascinating. As we were still @ sea level it seemed only right that we partook in some of our duty free gin, but in Trujillo tonic water seems to be a scarce commodity. It ended up us going in a taxi with the hotel’s concierge in search of tonic water. We had all but given up hope when in the 6th place we saw a lonely bottle in the window. That was a strange evening!

We then flew back to Lima for a night before heading off on the flight to Cusco. Cusco is the most amazing city in Peru & I love it. As we had a morning flight, we did not stay in Cusco but was met by Harvey, our guide, & we went straight out to the lower altitude of the Sacred Valley, stopping @ Pisaq market, had a fabulous buffet lunch en route before getting to the Sonesta Yucay Hotel for our 2 night stay. The next day we did our hotel inspections & my favourite is still the Sol y Luna, but it was full, which is the norm unfortunately!

I really think that 2 nights in the Sacred Valley is a great idea. This gives enough time to visit the tourist market, a local market, Ollantaytambo ruins as well as the Maras Saltpans & Moray. Then another advantage is that you can take the train for Machu Picchu from the Sacred Valley either having a later start or you can take the earlier Vallee train to get you there before the Cusco train.

The big advantage of having a private guide is that you can take the tour at your own pace but also the guide can change the order of the visits to avoid the groups.. This is what we did at Machu Picchu, rather than going straight to the top we started @ the bottom & worked our way to the top – going in the opposite direction to the groups. We spent the night @ the really lovely Machu Picchu Pueblo, which was wonderful. But I do think that staying at the Sanctuary Lodge, located right by the ruins, is such a logistically good place to stay. It is however extremely expensive but if your budget will stretch to include a stay here you can get out of bed & walk right into the ruins with no need to queue for the bus from Aguas Calientas etc. We did do the hotel inspections for all the different standard hotels available in Aguas Calientas so we can recommend the best option to suit your budget.

Aguas Calientas has vastly improved & to be honest it needed to! There are also new buses up to the ruins which are 100 times more comfortable than the ones I travelled on last time..

The train back to Cusco was long but we had a hoot when the fashion show started! We got off the train @ Poroy, before Cusco, as this saved more than 1 hour & by then we were keen to get off the train! It is also possible to get off @ Ollantaytambo & have a private transfer from there to Cusco, which is much quicker but a more expensive option. There is also the luxury Hiram Bingham train option, which is very comfortable & includes a 3 course meal.

So we are now in Cusco & it is as wonderful as it had been the first time I visited. The history & story of Cusco is fascinating & I was as impressed & awestruck by Sacsayhuaman as I was before.. the size of the perfectly fitted stones is mind blowing.

Before heading back to the UK I did all the Cusco hotel inspections & met up with our Inka Trail people. I would never have the time to walk the Inka Trail myself (phew!) so it is important for me to keep up to date with the operational guys etc. As time is always an issue on these trips I flew from Cusco to Lima the same day as my International departure. It does save having the final night in Lima but unless you are flying Business Class (which I unfortunately was not!) it can be a tiring journey back to the UK.

Alison stayed on @ went to Lake Titicaca, Colca Canyon & Arequipa. I went there last time & someone had to get back to work!!

Peru Familiarisation Trip

I’m off to Peru for two weeks on 18 May – my first trip and I am really excited about the fantastic places I am going to visit. Flying into Lima and after a couple of days acclimatisation flying to Chiclayo overnight visiting Tucume the Valley of the Pyramids, back to Lima for one night and then flying to Cusco, the Sacred Valley of the Incas which I hear is totally amazing and so much to see, I can’t wait to go to Macchu Picchu a place I’ve always wanted to visit and at the top of everyone’s list. From Cusco by train to Puno staying by Lake Titicaca. By Hydrofoil to the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca visiting Sun and Moon Islands – what a day its going to be. The following day Colca Canyon to see the giant condors – how great is this going to be. My last night is in Arequipa and then unfortunately back to Lima and a flight home.

When I get back I’ll update you on all the highs of my trip and the amazing things I got up to!

Fiona in Peru

A Mystical Culture

I can only describe my first visit to Peru as amazing and I would not hesitate to classify it as one of the world’s ‘must see’ destinations. Initially I had no idea what to expect from Peru but I’m happy to say it surpassed all of my expectations; I absolutely loved it and found the rich cultural history fascinating.

My favourite Peruvian city is Cusco, in fact I loved it so much I wish I could have spent longer there. The history behind this city is fascinating, the city itself being laid out in the shape of a Puma with the zigzag configuration of the outer walls being the Puma’s teeth. My visit to Machu Picchu certainly lived up to it’s mystical reputation and is one of the most amazing places I have ever visited, any trip to Peru would not be complete without visiting this abandoned city. In addition to trips to Colca Canyon, the world’s deepest canyon and the floating Uros Islands in Lake Titicaca are a must.

Peru has charming coastal deserts, majestic Andean Mountains and the tropical Amazon Rainforest for visitors to explore. In my opinion the real Peru is best experienced on a tailor-made itinerary rather than compromising by being part of a large group and after visiting this wonderful country I would encourage anyone thinking of visiting Peru to take the opportunity.