Louise has recently started at Audley Travel as a Web Content Editor, having previously worked on websites for Steppes Travel and the National Trust. She will be looking after the Polar region sections of the website as well as South and Central America and the Indian Subcontinent. Her favourite travel experiences include scuba diving in the Maldives, sky diving in New Zealand and dog sledding in Alaska, with Nepal and Peru next on her wish list.
'Visions of Mughal India' exhibition
‘Visions of Mughal India’ presents the outstanding private collection of one of the leading artists of our time, Howard Hodgkin.
The exhibition will be showing at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford until 22nd April, and we’re offering a special £2 discount off the ticket price to Audley clients. To claim the discount simply print off the flyer below and present it at the Ashmolean Ticket Desk.
Hodgkin has been a passionate collector of Indian paintings since his school days and his collection has long been considered one of the finest of its kind in the world.
Comprised of over 115 paintings from the Mughal period (c. 1550-1850), there are illustrations of epics, royal portraits, scenes of court life and hunting.
“My collection has been seen before in an incomplete form but it’s since grown considerably. Now I’m struck all over again by its quality…I never bought paintings and drawings on the tempting but distracting basis of their topography, their school of art, their theme, period or style. I just wanted great art.” said Howard Hodgkin.
To find out more about this exhibition and other events visit the Ashmolean Museum website.
Excitement and trepidation were the order of the day at Destinations travel show in Earl’s Court yesterday.
Voted by the readers of Wanderlust, the annual travel awards rate various aspects of travel, from preferred airlines and tour operators to the most popular countries visited in the past year.
This year there were eleven categories and Audley walked away with Gold for Top Tour Operator and Silver for Top Website, quite remarkable considering over 700 tour operators were voted for. Managing Director Craig Burkinshaw was on hand to pick up the awards, along with some of our sales specialists looking after the stand at Destinations that day.
Craig with our Gold award for best tour operator
Here are some of the results…to read the full list of winners visit the Wanderlust website.
Top Country
Top Emerging Destination
Top City
Top Airline
Top World Airport
A new exhibition has opened at the Natural History Museum, marking the centenary of Scott reaching the South Pole and his tragic death.
The exhibition opened on 20th January and will last until September, exploring the captivating story of Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s last expedition to Antarctica in 1910-1913.
The exhibition features rare artefacts used by Scott’s team and scientific specimans, appearing together for the first time, alongside a life-sized representation of Scott’s hut that survives in Antarctica. The exhibition’s focus is on the everyday stories and activities of the people who took part, their scientific work and the unforgettable human endurance.
Discover more about the exhibition on the Natural History Museum’s website where you can view videos and slideshows and find out more about Antarctic heritage and conservation.
To plan your very own Antarctic adventure call our specialists on 01993 838 615 or view our Antarctica travel guide.
Lake Pukaki, South Island, New Zealand
I have been lucky enough to recently return from a three week holiday in New Zealand. Having first visited as a backpacker in 2003 I was overwhelmed by the unspoilt beauty and varied landscapes of this amazing country and vowed to return.
Once again I was not disappointed, this time hiring a Maui motorhome, intent on trying some more of the adventure sports before tipping over into the wrong side of my thirties.
Tiger and her cub
The proposed expansion of India’s National Highway has sparked outrage amongst conservationists, concerned the new highway will destroy the Indian tiger corridor.
Work to expand the highway in the central state of Maharashtra had already begun, but was halted by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) until the appropriate mitigation processes are in place.
Classic car, Cuba
An iconic feature of Cuban roads, the classic cars of Cuba may become a symbol of the past.
Cubans will soon be able to buy and sell cars, ending the ban on trading cars bought after the 1959 revolution. President Raul Castro has decided to relax rules on Cuban car ownership, meaning locals can now buy or sell used vehicles freely for the first time in half a century. The new regulations also mean that Cubans can now own more than one used vehicle and will no longer lose their car if they emigrate.
It is thought that the move, along with new laws permitting home sales, are part of an effort to boost Cuba’s struggling economy, improving the private sector by moving hundreds of thousands of workers off the public payroll.
There are still some tight restrictions in place though, with the right to buy a new car limited to Cubans who earn some foreign currency, such as doctors, artists and musicians.
So will the much-loved, battered Chevrolets and Buicks disappear from the narrow streets and alleyways of Cuba? Probably not for a while, which will please tourists and photographers around the world.
If you would like to visit Cuba and wish to discuss your plans with a specialist you can phone our Cuba team on 01993 838 685 or visit the Cuba section of our website.
A whale breaching, showing its white belly
Two of our clients have just returned from an incredible whale watching trip in Argentina. The trip was taken whilst visiting Peninsula Valdes, where they had some close encounters with southern right whales. Susan Gandar shares her experience with us.
Sunrise over the Himalayas
Nepal has officially opened the Great Himalaya Trail, one of the longest and highest trekking routes in the world.
Dubbed by hikers as the ‘ultimate trek’, the trail stretches 1,700km from Taplejung to Humla at the border with Tibet and will take up to 157 days to complete. Travellers are expected to flock to the area to try the new routes from all over the world.
Sharad Pradham, a spokesman for the Nepal Tourist Board said, “The trails will also help cement Nepal’s reputation as the ultimate destination for adventure seekers. Adventure tourism, as a niche, is new to us but this is definitely an attractive package.”
Robin Boustead, who originally developed the idea for the Great Himalaya Trail said, “It’s great to see the Nepal government officially adopting the route, I hope we’ll see the other Himalayan countries do the same in the near future. The more publicity the Great Himalaya Trial (GHT) receives the greater the chance trekkers and operators will give something back to the communities they pass through.”
From start to finish, the ‘ultimate trek’ is expected to take experienced trekkers around five months to complete. Nepal hosts thousands of trekkers and mountaineers annually. The country has eight of the world’s 14 peaks over 8,000m, including the world’s highest, Mount Everest, at 8,848m.
You can find out more about trekking in Nepal on our website or contact one of our specialists to discuss your plans on 01993 838 315.
Baby dolphin being bottle fed
A beached baby dolphin, found alive with its umbilical cord still attached, is being hand-reared in Uruguay.
The female La Plata dolphin was found on a beach near Montevideo city and was sent to the non-government wildlife rescue organisation S.O.S Rescate Fauna Marina.
Head of S.O.S Rescate Fauna Marina, Richard Tesore, has been bottle-feeding the little dolphin and taking her from her small tank at the rescue centre for swims in the sea.
Only last year a dolphin was rescued by the Rescate Fauna Marina in similar circumstances, with injuries possibly caused by a fishing net. Enlarge the images below by clicking on the photos.
The La Plata dolphin or Franciscana is found in the coastal Atlantic waters of southeastern South America. It is a member of the river dolphin group and the only one that actually lives in the ocean and saltwater estuaries rather than fresh water.
If you’re planning a trip to Uruguay browse the South America section of our website or contact our specialists by phone on 01993 838 650.
A killer whale drags a seal to its death © BBC
How amazing was the first episode of the BBC’s Frozen Planet? It was the talk of the office here at Audley last Thursday morning and everyone had their own favourite bit.
The owl had a lot of fans, the orcas amazed us all (although I was always told by my parents “don’t play with your food!”), and my own favourite moment was when the gentoo penguin managed to escape the jaws of the rather clumsy sea lion. All of it was astounding.
Roll on the next episode this Wednesday, BBC1 at 9pm, and send us your thoughts on the series so far.
Carolyn Foreman, Polar Specialist
To speak to a specialist about a trip to the Polar Regions phone 01993 838 615 or contact us online.
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