For the last couple of weeks I have been working with the North Africa team to add Lebanon to our website and today I was pleased to be able to finally put it live.

Lebanon will sit next to Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Syria and Tunisia under the North Africa & The Middle East section of the website. The comprehensive information included on the Lebanon section means it’s easy to learn more about travelling to this fascinating destination; a country that we’ve missed having on our site since the new website was launched two months ago.

Find out about some of Lebanon’s highlights, read about some of the places in Lebanon you can visit on a trip with Audley, or discover a number of the experiences and excursions available to travellers.

Alternatively speak to our Lebanon specialists directly, on 01993 838 400.

Male orang-utan at Semenggok Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, Borneo

Tonight at 8.30pm the BBC’s Panorama programme will report on the destruction of  Borneo’s pristine rainforests in order to grow palm oil crops, which in turn, is used in products we buy like biscuits and toiletries.

The bottom line is: the rainforests being destroyed are home to some of the last and greatest wildlife havens in Southeast Asia and species like the orang-utan are now threatened more than ever.

Audley efforts to stem Borneo’s deforestation
Here at Audley our Southeast Asia team will be raising funds through various events and initiatives to help the World Land Trust (WLT) continue with land purchases in the lower Kinabatangan River basin.

The first tract of land identified as a key purchase was recently secured by WLT, having raised £343,000 for its purchase.

Now they plan to continue this programme in this area of Borneo with new land acquisition targets in the pipeline in order to ensure the survival of this unique ecosystem and its threatened inhabitants.

Panorama’s Dying for a Biscuit is on BBC1 at 8:30pm on Mon 22 Feb.

If you would like further information about this WLT project, please speak to one of our Southeast Asia Specialist on 01993 838 100 or visit the WLT website.

Go to our Borneo section of our website, where you can find out more about the country and its orang-utans.

Air New Zealand is now offering beds in economy class

With a flight to New Zealand taking almost a day, the report that Air New Zealand will be implementing beds into their economy class cabins will come as welcome news to the airline’s passengers. 

From April passengers will be able to buy the seats, which work by foot rests rising to the level of three adjacent seats. Passengers will be required to purchase all three seats but the middle seat will be charged at approximately half the price of the standard economy fare. 

As an airline that we use regularly here at Audley I’m sure our clients will be pleased to hear about the new beds which will take up the first 11 rows Air New Zealand’s new Boeing 777-300 planes, as will our specialists, who often use the airline to visit New Zealand on familiarisation trips!

Follow the adventures of the Whittle family in India

I have just read the wonderful and inspiring story of the Whittle family, Geoff and Cherie, James (9) and Olly (11), who rather radically decided to leave their home, family and friends in the UK to live in India to help save the tiger.

After a tough time in the UK, with rising debts and a failing business, they decided to make a radical change to their lives and move to India where they spent a total of seven years, set up two charities and dedicated themselves to helping to save the tiger.

Their book is a wonderful collection of often funny, sometimes moving, anecdotal stories and a fascinating insight into life in India. With their two teenage children, it was not easy as they came up against Indian bureacracy, the climate and the tigers themselves (with a few narrow escapes!) as they learnt to survive in a jungle environment.

Although they have since returned to the UK in 2003, their work continues through the two charities they set up whilst in India and they continue to raise funds for these two worthy causes.

You can download a copy of their book for just £2.85 from their website.

20% of all sales go to their two charities: Patchwork Kids (Education for marginalised children in India and Africa) and Lifeforce (Tiger Conservation).

Visit the “No worry, chicken curry” website »

Brazilian singer and composer Adriana Calcanhotto.

Here, one of those employees, Rebecca Profit, a Brazil country specialist, describes the evening.

The concert was staged as part of a Brazil Week celebration in Oxford, a city which houses not 3,000, as I initially thought, but 4,000 Brazilians!

It was sponsored by TAM airlines, the Brazilian airline we use regularly for our clients visiting this incredible country.

Joining Adriana on stage was the unique combination of Moreno Veloso, son of Caetano Veloso (another Brazil great, a virtuoso songwriter now in his 60s and well known for his experimental style) and Domenico Lancelloti, an accomplished cellist and guitarist.

They were mostly playing MPB, “Musica Popular Brasileira”, a voice and guitar genre which arose in the late 1960s and involves mixing updated versions of traditional Brazilian urban music styles, like samba, with contemporary influences, from folk to rock and pop.

The songs were a unique blend of all their talents. Moreno Veloso used drum boards and added wacky sound effects to some songs, using all manner of different instruments. Adriana’s beautiful voice floated through each song, with its hints of melancholy and maybe distant roots in Portuguese fado. As a tribute to Jaqueline du Pre, the inspiration for the venue and for Domenico’s English cello teacher in Brazil who always raved about her, their final song was accompanied by all three of them on cello. Domenico and Adriana played them traditionally, while Moreno used his cello more like a guitar or drum. The effect was sensational, and resulted in a standing ovation from their adoring Brazilian fans.

Rebecca Profit

Brazil country specialist

Visit the Brazil section of our website.

Kasanka National Park attracts millions of bats annually from October until December.

Did you know the world’s largest mammal migration takes place in Kasanka National Park, in the Bangweulu Wetlands of Zambia, every year from October until December.

An astounding eight million Straw-coloured Fruit Bats arrive from the Congo to feed on the wild musuku fruits.

Audley work closely with The Bushcamp Company, and we can arrange guided trips into the park from 2010 to witness this fascinating spectacle close-up.

In the mean time you can watch this stunning event in the ‘Mammals’ episode the new David Attenborough Life series, which is on BBC1 on the 26th October.

Visit our Zambia section of the website or contact us online.

Image: From the film 'The Story of Pao' which was filmed in Vietnam's Ha Giang region.

Between now and the end of this month there will be a series of events in London’s South Kensington, celebrating the Vietnamese arts and culture. 

You might find the film offerings of particular interest if you have been or are contemplating visiting Vietnam, and in particular The Story of Pao, which was filmed in the remote and fascinating Ha Giang region of the country.

For more information and to book tickets visit the Vietnamese Festival of Culture website.

Appeal on behalf on the Disasters Emergency Committee.

In one week from Saturday 26 September the East Asia region was hit by 3 separate natural disasters; Typhoon Ketsana swept through the Philippines that day and onto Vietnam on the 29th causing extensive damage and flooding; on 30th September in Indonesia an earthquake registering 7.6 on the Richter scale struck western Sumatra followed by an aftershock of 6.6 a day later.

We are now a week on from the devastating disasters that struck East Asia and the full extent of the damage caused is starting to become clear.

Thousands of families across the region have lost everything – an estimated 2.5 million people have been affected by the earthquake in Indonesia alone. Here the worst damage occurred in Sumatra, in an area not often visited by tourists.

In the Philippines, heavy rains have been falling since Friday, making conditions even more miserable for those left homeless. We were relieved to hear that none of our contacts in the Philippines lost their lives, but many of them have been affected in one way or another – either losing homes or relatives. Public transport; flights and ferries across the Philippines were affected in the short term, but currently things have returned to normal. The worst hit area was Metro Manila, where in six hours they received the equivalent of one month’s rainfall. Some residential areas are still flooded, but the popular tourist areas of Makati City, the Manila Bay area and Ortigas are operating normally. The typhoons did not hit the Visayas region, so the islands of Cebu, Bohol and Negros are not affected.

There were three members of Audley staff in Central Vietnam at the time the typhoon hit. There was plenty of warning, so they were quite safe, but they did have to change their plans a little to accommodate cancelled flights and flooded roads. Most of the waters have now receded, but there are a few hotels in Hoi An still recovering from flooding, in particular the Victoria beach Resort and the Life Resort. We are expecting these to reopen in the next week or so. Our thoughts go out to the staff of the hotels and the other people in Hoi An who are only just rebuilding their lives after severe flooding in autumn 2008.

Audley have made a donation to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal to help the victims of these disasters. If you would also like to make a donation, please visit the DEC website.

New to science: a bird-eating fog.

With the world population approaching 7 billion, you’d think us humans would have found by now just about every land-based life-form bigger than say, your average insect – but not so it seems. 

In the Greater Mekong region of Southeast Asia, a new bird-eating frog has been discovered, along with several other interesting species, such as a leopard striped gecko, a tube nosed bat and a bird called the Nonggang babbler.

This news comes on top of a recent BBC expedition - and subsequent TV programme called Lost Land of the Volcano - to Papua New Guinea, which found newly identified species like rats as big as cats and tree-climbing teddy bear-like marsupials.

The world is indeed stranger than we thought!

'Last Chance to See' on BBC2

Have you been watching the BBC’s news series ‘Last Chance to See’ which began on 6th September? Presented by Stephen Fry, the programme is a remake of a radio series from 1985 and book of the same name, released in 1990 as a companion to the radio series.

The aim of this programme is for Stephen Fry and zoologist Mark Carwardine to re-investigate a number of the species that appeared in the original series to see what has happened to both the animal and conservation efforts. 

Always a fan of anything presented by Stephen Fry, I was keen to watch this week’s episode in which Stephen and Mark visited New Zealand in search of the kakapo, a fat, flightless parrot on the verge of extinction (although I have to say my favourite part was one very amusing scene where a kiwi ’played dead’ as part of its defence!).

As always with Stephen Fry, this programme is informative and entertaining, and certainly worth adding to your series link, especially if you are keen to travel to Brazil, Kenya, Madagascar, Indonesia, Malaysia and New Zealand in the future – all of these countries are covered in the series and are also destinations that we cover here at Audley.

Alternatively catch up on this series through the BBC iPlayer.

Charley leaving Sydney with a huge biker escort on the first leg of his trip to Tokyo.

Just a reminder that Charley Boorman has embarked on his second series of By Any Means, this time starting his adventure in Sydney and travelling to Tokyo.

This latest series, if you’ve never seen it, features Charley Boorman (son of famous film director John Boorman) travelling on any type of transport he can he can get his hands on, through several countries within the Asia Pacific Rim.

So, if you’re thinking of travelling with Audley to Australia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Philippines or Japan, then you’ll get just a small flavour of what to expect by following his progress.

You can see Charley’s next adventure, through Indonesia, on BBC 2 at 9pm on Sunday 18th October.

PS. Don’t forget that you can watch previous episodes online for a limited period via the BBC iPlayer.

Lost Land of the Volcano on BBC1

Last night, many of us at Audley watched this new series on BBC 1. In Lost Land of the Volcano, an international team of scientists, cavers and wildlife filmmakers travel into the heart of Papua New Guinea to explore Mount Bosavi – a giant extinct volcano.

Some of the species they filmed include a giant rat the size of a cat and the world’s smallest parrot.

It was a great start to an interesting series with new species of wildlife being discovered literally at every turn. If you missed the first episode, it’s available on iPlayer (UK only). The rest of the series continues next week.

If this series has whetted your appetite for a (slightly less adventurous) trip to Papua New Guinea, then find out more on our tailor-made Papua New Guinea tours.

The Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Burma

We were pleased to see reports this week that Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma opposition leader, has changed her views on tourism to her country.

Aung San Suu Kyi

Last week she was reported to have said that she now believes tourism should be welcomed and encouraged as long as it is run through private operations and not through the government.

We will be watching this story with interest as we have always had a very close affinity to the Burmese people. We believe that our clients themselves should be the ones to make an informed decision as to whether or not to travel there.

If this recent change of heart has encouraged you to find out more about Burma and the arguments for and against travel there, try the “Visit Burma” section of our website.

Red-eyed tree frog, Monteverde Cloudforest

This morning I went along to another of our weekly client seminars, which this week was on ‘Discovering Costa Rica’. Although we are currently very busy in the e-Commerce department working on a new version of the website, I am really interested in Costa Rica having recently built a feature on Wildlife of Costa Rica, so went along to find out more!

In the seminar we discovered where Costa Rica is in Central America, why you should travel there, what you can see and do, how to travel around the country once you’re there, when are the best times of the year to visit and what other countries are good to combine with a trip to Costa Rica. There was a lot to cover!

Ziplining in Monteverde

Nick and Paula, two of our Costa Rica specialists, introduced us to some of the highlights of the country, including of course the amazing and diverse wildlife you can see (over 850 varieties of birds and over 450 mammals!); plus the stunning scenery, with cloudforests, rainforests, beaches and volcanoes; activities such as ziplining, rafting, trekking, horse riding and birdwatching; great responsible travel policies; wonderful lodges and hotels, as well as friendly people and delicious food.

Judging by the number of people at the seminar Costa Rica is a popular choice for a trip, with the current added incentive of a special offer, saving 20%, which I will be adding to the website shortly.

If you would like to find out more about a tailor-made trip to Costa Rica please contact one of our dedicated Costa Rica specialists on 01993 838 665  or online.

Rick Stein in the Far East

Tonight at 8pm on BBC2 is the first in a series of programmes which sees the chef Rick Stein undertake an epic culinary journey by river, sea and overland to discover the diverse food cultures of the Far East.

“I’m here to discover not just the food,” Stein promises, “but what makes places like Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam tick. What’s so special about Bali, Sri Lanka, Malaysia or Bangladesh? Well – the food of course. But beyond that it’s the people. People talking about food…”.

Tonight’s programme is set in Cambodia where Rick discovers the delights of the country with its sugar palms, paddy fields and small villages, as well as its more difficult past blighted by the Khmer Rouge.

He samples delicious fresh swimmer crabs cooked with peppercorns and learns to cook Cambodia’s most famous dish, fish amok, with lemongrass and coconut, as well as presenting recipes that you can try at home. He also visits the magnificent temple of Angkor Wat before travelling on a rice barge down the mighty Mekong River to Vietnam, where next week’s programme will be set.

Last night Rick appeared on the The One Show on BBC1 talking about his new series.

If you miss any of the episodes of Rick Stein’s Far Eastern Odyssey, they will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer (for UK viewers only).

If you would like to travel in Rick’s footsteps and discover some of the delicious foods of the Far East for yourself please call one of our dedicated country specialists on 01993 838  000 or contact us online.

The remote Tristan da Cunha in the middle of the South Atlantic

Here at Audley we pride ourselves on having a far flung client base but even we were surprised to hear we have a client on an island a whopping 1,743 miles (2,805km) from the nearest mainland.

The place in question is the very remote Tristan da Cunha, and the client in question is the UK Government Administrator on the island.

Because Tristan da Cunha is so remote, and because there is no airstrip, it takes a boat journey of several days from Cape Town (the nearest land) to reach it. And should you miss your boat you’ll have another month to wait for the next one!

Tristan da Cunha has no landing strip and can only be reached by boat.

Irrespective of physical distances the ubiquitous Internet clearly enables at least one of our clients to book with Audley from one of the remotest settlements on Earth, although how many of the other 263 inhabitants are online is anyone’s guess?

Visit the Tristan da Cunha website.

Tiger's Nest Monastery in Bhutan.

On friday afternoon I popped along to another of our client seminars, ‘Himalayan Treasures’, which was presented by Chris Moore from our North and Central Asia department, and Camilla Brent-Smith and Iona Laing from our Indian Subcontinent team.

The seminar focused on the type of trips available throughout Tibet, Bhutan and Nepal and it was really interesting to see the diffent options available in each country. I am not particularly familiar with any of these countries and the seminar was a great introduction to the Himalayan region.

From a journey towards Everest Base Camp in Nepal to the spectacular sights of Tiger’s Nest Monastery in Bhutan or a trip along the Friendship Highway in Tibet, there’s definitely a lot to be gained from a trip to any one of these three countries.

I think the most interesting thing I learnt from this seminar is just how different these countries are and a trip here would be well and truly off the beaten track – perfect if you’re looking for a bit of adventure on your next holiday!

If you’re interested in finding out more about a trip to Tibet please contact our North and Central Asia department on 01993 838 200. If you would like to speak to someone about Bhutan or Nepal please contact our Indian Subcontinent Team on 01993 838 300. Alternatively fill in the quote request form online.

If you fancy popping along to one of our client seminars and finding out a bit more about the destinations that we cover, take a look at the seminar programme on the website.

Walking safari in Zambia's South Luangwa National Park

This morning I grabbed a spare chair at the back of the Safari for Beginners seminar, and along with some Audley clients, listened intently to our Africa specialists go through the basics of safaris.

I sit in on these presentations from time-to-time to ensure that the content I am creating and maintaining for the Audley website is consistent with what we are actually offering clients. Secretly, I have to confess on this occasion I had an additional motive for being there.

You see, during my travelling days and long before I joined Audley, I had been lucky enough to safari in the Masai Mara Nature Reserve (Kenya), the Serengeti National Park (Tanzania), South Luangwa National Park (Zambia) and Etosha National Park (Namibia).

So, this hour long presentation - explaining where to go, when to travel and other useful information - was the perfect way for me to reacquaint myself with some of the animal kingdom’s most awe-inspiring sights.

Judging by the way the guests chatted away with our specialists afterwards I think it definitely fired some people’s interest.

In case you are interested I’ve included a link here to some of our forthcoming Travel Seminars. They’re free and include tea and biscuits!

Peter with his Chinook (King salmon) weighing just over 20lbs

This is a Chinook or King salmon weighing just over 20lbs. These are the biggest of the several types of Pacific salmon and are an absolute joy to catch.

I caught it while staying on the west coast of Canada’s Vancouver Island, several miles offshore from Tofino, while fishing at depth with a lure while in the company of a guide from one of the lodges. We ate it later back at the lodge.

The next day was even more satisfying because I caught two Coho salmon while fly-fishing within the sheltered waters of Clayoquot Sound.

Peter Stanley-Jones
Regional Manager for Canada

Grapes in the Hawkes Bay area of New Zealand.

The summer season of client seminars kicked off on Friday 12th June with a presentation by some of Audley’s Australasia specialists. ‘Wildlife, Walking and Wines’ covered both Australia and New Zealand and was attended by 18 Audley clients.

The seminar began with Lucy Harrison who talked about a number of the walking and wildlife options available in New Zealand. From the Coromandel Peninsula on the North Island where you can enjoy a walk with Kiwi Dundee, New Zealand’s answer to Crocodile Dundee, to Kaikoura on the east coast of the South Island, famous for its marine life such as dolphins, seals and sperm whales, there are endless walking options for walkers of all levels.

Next up was Jenny Bouquet who talked about the walking and wildlife options in Australia. As a fan of Tasmania, Jenny started her talk here, picking out Cradle Mountain and the Bay of Fires as two of the options for keen walking and wildlife enthusiasts as well as focusing on the lesser known Maria Island Walk, cited by some as the most diverse of Tasmania’s walks. Other options included a walk along the Great Ocean Road on either 3, 4 or 6 day walks with the opportunity of seeing wallabies, kangaroos, seals, whales and numerous bird life, Kakadu National Park walks which are great for flora and fauna, and the Bibulum Track in Western Australia where walkers can expect to see quolls, wombats, cockatoos and southern right whales.

To conclude the seminar, Chris Wilson discussed the famous wine regions in both Australia and New Zealand. With Hawkes Bay, Martinborough, Marlborough and Central Otago regions offering excellent vineyards in New Zealand, and with the likes of the famous Hunter, Yarra, Barossa and Clare valleys easily accessible in Australia, there are plenty of ways in which you can incorporate wine into your trip to Australia or New Zealand – getting to enjoy a glass or two of the local tipple isn’t a bad thing either!

To find out more about a tailor-made trip to Australia or New Zealand and incorporating walking, wildlife or wine into your itinerary, call our Australasia department on 01993 838 800, or fill in a quote request form online.

Jon and Phil, two of our Polar Specialists, with the National Geographic Explorer

Over the last few weeks some of our Polar specialists have been travelling around the UK to inspect the boats that we use on Antarctic and Arctic cruises. As Carolyn, our Latin America Programme Manager, reports …

Jon, Phil and I have spent the last 4 weeks travelling the length and breadth of Great Britain, from Aberdeen to Falmouth, in order to inspect some boats for Audley.

At this time of year the expedition vessels that ply Antarctic waters in our winter relocate themselves to begin their Arctic cruises, and this means they come past these shores. We decided to take advantage of their proximity (sadly I cannot get away with 5 separate journeys to Antarctica to get first hand knowledge of each boat, as much as I would like to!) to conduct some inspections on behalf of Audley. 

Things we discovered en route are that boat schedules are somewhat flexible so always leave a 24 hour window of time and Aberdeen is warmer than Witney.

Akademik Ioffe cruising the icy waters of the Antarctic

Ultimately our time and investment over the last few weeks now means that our Polar specialists here have seen every single expedition vessel that cruises the icy waters. We know which boats have the best deck space, which have the biggest bathrooms, which cabins have the best views and which dining areas will allow you to see wildlife while you eat.

We are quite proud of ourselves for knowing all this (and we also got to see a lot more of our own country which otherwise we may never have got to – Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Ipswich, Portsmouth and Falmouth!).

Call one of our Polar specialists on 01993 838 950 to find out more about an Antarctic or Arctic cruise or send an enquiry online.

The Great Barrier Reef, Australia.

We’ve just received a note from our friends at Voyages Heron Island on the Barrier Reef about their first sighting of humpback whales this season…

Making their first appearance this season, humpback whales have been spotted recently passing within just a few hundred metres off Voyages Heron Island, as they make their journey further north to warmer waters.

A pod of approximately 12 migrating whales has been sighted in the Wistari Channel treating guests and staff to a spectacular show from the beach and the island jetty.

The whale migration season is the ultimate time for families and nature lovers to visit Heron Island and get close to nature.

Heron is also one of the few places where you can take a guided reef walk to learn more about the unique ecology of the Great Barrier Reef. The island’s activities follow a strong ecological theme and feature a range of wildlife presentations and workshops.

Discover more about Heron Island in the Great Barrier Reef or contact our Australia Specialists to find out more about a tailor-made holiday to the Great Barrier Reef.

Kate and Dan, two of the Indian Subcontinent team, at the barbecue!

Yesterday the Indian Subcontinent team continued their fund-raising efforts, this time concentrating on their second chosen charity, the World Land Trust.

As Becki, one of the Indian Subcontinent specialists reports …

After a week (and a bit!) of car washing, the India team turned their charitable attention to something rather more fun – a Hot Dog sale! Thursday lunchtime found us barbecuing 150 fine sausages to sell to the rest of our Audley colleagues – and it certainly went down well!

£210 was raised in aid of our second charity, the World Land Trust which is working with the Wildlife Trust of India to create a vital network of corridors for the movement of the elephant population which is at threat due to the loss of its natural habitat.

This £210 will allow them to secure 4 acres of land – not bad for a couple of hours work!

Contact one of our Indian Subcontinent specialists on 01993 838 300 to discuss planning a trip to India to see elephants or contact us online.

To find out more about our tailor made wildlife holidays to India.

North & Central Asia's Henrietta and Jo have been collecting toiletries for The Christina Noble Children's Charity in Mongolia.

Doing your bit for charity doesn’t always have to involve raising money and this week the North and Central Asia department here at Audley have come up with an ingenious way of supporting a children’s charity in Mongolia.

Items such as toiletries, general medical supplies and bathroom related items are pretty hard to come by for The Christina Noble Children’s Charity, so rather than asking for monetary donations the guys over in NCA are asking everyone to have a clear out of their cupboards. Henrietta and Jo, who are organising the collection, had this to say:

We know that hotel toiletries lurk in the back of cupboards unused and unloved and we are asking our colleagues to bring them in, hand them over and we will send them off to Mongolia.

In addition, lots of us have unopened (or a teeny bit tried) bars of soap, shower gels, creams etc that we have never used and we would love these too.

This is a great way for everyone to clear out their cupboards, treat themselves to some new smellies or even feel good about themselves by buying some vitamins for the kids out there – there is often a lot of scurvy in Mongolia and vitamins are vital to beat this!

Items on the most wanted list include toothpaste, soap, vitamins, toothbrushes, shampoo, conditioner, lip balm, sun cream, moisturiser, shower gel, plasters and antiseptic cream.

The collection is taking place this week and is just one of the many charity events that are happening at the Audley offices at the moment. We also have a hotdog sale to look forward to this Thursday and this is being run by the Indian Subcontinent team in aid of The World Land Trust.

Frankie and Joe, two of our Indian Subcontinent specialists, busy washing cars!

There have been lots of fund raising efforts going in the office recently from quizes to barbecues and cake baking to raise money for the different charities that Audley supports as part of the ‘Audley Charity Portfolio’. Each department supports a chosen charity applicable to the countries that they cover. Find out more about Audley’s Responsible Travel policy.

Last week the Indian Subcontinent team organized a car wash in aid of their chosen charity CINI (Child in Need Institute) which works to break down the cycle of poverty, malnutrition and ill health. It focuses on the most fundamental issues facing poor women and children in India, bringing about sustainable improvements in nutrition, health, education and protection from exploitation.

Camilla, one of our Indian Subcontinent specialists involved in the car wash told me the following:

We’ve still not got completely final figures for the car wash but I think we can safely say that we’ve raised over £350, which is amazing!

We’re raising for CINI but specifically the money has been going to the Emergency Ward and Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre in Calcutta. The effects of the financial crisis have been severe in West Bengal, pushing up the price of basic food staples such as rice and wheat by as much as 40%, which has increased the risk of malnutrition. The charity has also lost a major donor this year, to the tune of £25,000, so is in even greater need of every penny raised.

575 children, some of whom were admitted at life threatening low weights, have been nursed back to health during the year. This isn’t the only aspect of the charity’s work, they have also been working with the children’s mothers to teach them how to ensure that their children get a balanced diet on the tightest budgets, preventative healthcare measures that they can take home to treat some minor illnesses and ailments. This helps to prevent the reoccurrence of malnutrition in vulnerable families and reduces their expenditure on healthcare, so allowing more money to be spent on food.

For more information visit the CINI website.

Camilla, Audley Indian Subcontinent specialist

Contact one of our Indian Subcontinent specialists on 01993 838 300 to discuss planning a Responsible Travel trip to India or contact us online.

To find out more about our Responsible Travel tailor made holidays to India.