Tell us about your travel stories

The McCurdie family celebrate Christmas Day in the Masai Mara, Kenya

“Our visit to Malacca was an intriguing end to our visit to Malaysia, a country where numerous traditions, religions, cultures and cuisines meet and blend harmoniously.”
Nigel Wright, Malaysia

“Our heads and hearts are full of the images, sights, sounds, and smells, but perhaps the most lingering image of all is the one of the Cambodian people.”
Valerie and Raymond Gatward, Cambodia

“To have spent the time with the wonderfully friendly people of the Governor’s Camp among the enchanting wildlife of the Masai Mara made it an experience we shall treasure forever.”
Dr Ian McCurdie, Masai Mara in Kenya

These are just some of the comments we have received and which you can read in full in our Client Stories section of the Audley Magazine.

How to send us your Audley travel stories
It’s easy, if you’ve been on a trip with us simply click on this link and upload your text and photos. If you do you’ll also have a chance to win a £50 Bobbooks’ photobook voucher.

Cape Town – shaken but not stirred

Cape Town's famous Table Mountain. The city is the setting for the new James Bond novel

Cape Town is one of the world’s great cities. It has excellent accommodation, is easy to explore and is the gateway to the famous Wine Regions and Garden Route. It’s no wonder is has been voted Africa’s Leading Destination by World Travel Awards and is again a nominee in 2011.

Now, Jeffery Deaver, has chosen it as the setting for part of his latest Bond novel, Carte Blanche. He said:

“I’ve been coming to Cape Town for ten years. I love the country. And true to James Bond novels, Cape Town is exotic and beautiful.”

If you’d like to experience Cape Town, why not take a look at our South Africa itinerary ideas, many of which include this famous city as part of a trip.

In the footsteps of Darwin

The route of the second voyage of HMS Beagle (1831-1836)

On this day 175 years ago HMS Beagle anchored in Simons Bay, Cape of Good Hope, South Africa. It was on a momentous five year voyage and on board was a man who would become the world’s most famous naturalist – Charles Darwin.

Following in Darwin’s footsteps (or perhaps wake might be more appropriate) nowadays is a little tricky unless you have lots of money and around five years to spare, but with Audley you can visit many of the places he visited. To this end I have listed some of these and accompanied each with a quote from his journal in which he describes what he finds in these places.

Continue reading »

Rebook your Selsdon Travel / Dreamticket.com holiday with Audley

We were sorry to hear today that Selsdon Travel / Dreamticket.com has ceased trading, affecting their clients who have booked  a holiday to the Indian Ocean (Seychelles, Mauritius), Middle East, Far East, Africa and the Caribbean.

We have already received a few calls from their customers looking to re-arrange their trips with Audley. Whilst we are unable to help with the Caribbean (it’s not a destination that Audley offers), we are often able to re-arrange the same or a similar itinerary to most of their destinations.

If you are affected and would like to speak with us for advice, with a view to re-booking your trip, then please do give us a call on 01993 838 500 or contact us online and we will see what we can do to help.

For more details on our range of tailor-made holidays visit our website.

Baby gorilla naming ceremony (“Kwita Izina”) in Rwanda

Baby mountain gorilla, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda

Rwanda has more than twice the number of habituated mountain gorilla groups than Uganda, and each year newborns are given new names in a local ceremony called “Kwita Izina”.  Usually, the president, politicians as well as all of the park rangers, attend. The ceremony takes place in Ruhengeri on June 18th this year - and as tourists are also welcome - it’s a spectacle not to miss.

To find out more about seeing mountain gorillas in the wild, visit the Rwanda section of our website.

Is it the Seychelles for William and Kate?

A beach on the North Island of the Seychelles

There is intense speculation in the media today that the Seychelles could be the final destination for William and Kate’s honeymoon. It’s not difficult to see why!

This jewel in the Indian Ocean is ideal for any couple seeking barefoot luxury on its picture-postcard white sand beaches. The 30 inhabited islands are lapped by warm, turquoise waters and will offer the couple both privacy and the requisite security. 

If they do visit then there’s little doubt they will enjoy their island idyll.

Being off the coast of East Africa, a few days on these paradise islands are often added on as part of a longer itinerary which includes a safari. Take a look at our itinerary ideas which include the Seychelles.

Sausage Tree Camp in Zambia

We often get videos of the accommodation we offer although thankfully not for each one as we currently have a staggering  2,454 properties on our website!

Sausage Tree Camp is situated in the heart of Zambia’s Lower Zambezi National Park, so not only is the location magnificent but it also has an abundance of wildlife to see - you can even see some of it from your bathroom!

Take a look at the video above and in particular some of the activities on offer at the camp such as canoeing (2.38 mins), game walks (3.00 mins) and night drives (3.37 mins).

Find out more about Audley tailor made holidays to Zambia

Presentation on Madagascar at our New Mill offices

Sifika, Anjajavy Private Nature Reserve, Madagascar.

I would like to bring your attention to a presentation by our specialists on Madagascar, which will take place on April 8th at our scenic New Mill offices.

These presentations – which are free to attend – have proved very successful in the past as they provide an overview of the practicalities of travel, the best times to go, the types of accommodation available plus our advice and tips on how to make the most of your trip. If you attend you will also have the opportunity to chat informally to our experienced country specialists as well as other guests.

There are currently 24 places available, which will be allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis.

Find out more about the Discover Madagascar Travel Briefing

‘The Truth About Lions’ on BBC2

Lions in the Masai Mara, Kenya.

Ever wondered why lions are the only big cats to live in family groups? No, I hadn’t either but a new two-part BBC2 nature documentary is about to tell us why.

To find the answer wildlife filmmaker, Jonathan Scott (you might remember him from the BBC’s Big Cat Diary series), spent time with the famous Marsh Pride in the Musiara area of the Masai Mara in Kenya.

Once again, Governors’ Camp (a favourite amongst Audley clients), hosted Jonathan and the rest of the BBC film crew. Here is a quote from Warren Samuels, one of the cameramen:

“We could have gone anywhere in Africa to find a pride of lions and film them to match the behavioural science that we have gathered from leading lion experts, but the Musiara Marsh stood out as being one of the prettiest locations to film lions and the Marsh Pride were the obvious choice as the films main characters as they are so well known by audiences worldwide.”

You can see ‘The Truth About Lions’ on the following dates:

• March 23rd on BBC 2 at 9pm
• March 30th on BBC 2 at 9pm

For a tailor-made trip to the Masai Mara, see our example itinerary ideas or speak to one of our Kenya specialists.

Oxfordshire couple mark 10 years of running Zambian wildlife centre

Steve and Ann Tolan with their pet warthog. © Oxford Mail

Most of us have at some point harboured a dream of a complete career change so I thought you might be interested in this story from our local press which featured one Oxfordshire couple who did just that.

A decade ago they were both serving police officers in the Thames Valley before they decided to sell-up and follow their dream of living and working in one of Africa’s premier safari destinations. Now they’ve just celebrated 10 years of running their own nature reserve in Zambia.

Continue reading »