Paya Ngoto School, Burma – Audley’s Final Term report

Audley Manager, Kate, with the children of Paya Ngoto

I’ve blogged several times about this small, provincial school in Burma (to see previous blogs just type “Paya Ngoto” into the search).

The first time was when the school was virtually destroyed by Cyclone Nargis back in 2008. Since then Audley have set up numerous fund raising events, not just to repair the school, but to continue to support it long term.

I thought I’d share with you what Kate, one of our Southeast Asia Regional Product Managers, found on a recent visit (includes photos). 

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Lady Liuwa – the latest news

In October 2011 two young lionesses are relocated to Luiwa Plain National Park, Zambia

I wrote a blog back in April 2010 called Lady Liuwa – The Last Lioness, which turned out to be our most commented upon blog ever; it even attracted a response by the film maker himself - Herbert Brauer.

Not too much has happened since I wrote that blog but last week I saw the first significant update to this remarkable story.

In October this year two new lionesses were relocated from Kafue National Park to Liuwa Plain National Park, and are set to be released this December to join the now famous, Lady Liuwa.

The original hope was that Lady Liuwa, and the two lions that were introduced a few years ago to end her isolation, would hopefully also produce cubs. However to date this hasn’t happened and sadly the prospects now look bleak. The hope now is that these two new lionesses will breed with the two existing lions to ensure a viable population once more in Liuwa Plain National Park.

Finally, there is also good news for fans of the original documentary. There are plans for a follow-up which will track the progress of these two newcomers and no doubt, Lady Liuwa herself.

End of the road for classic cars in Cuba?

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.

On the road with Audley South Africa specialist, Scott

Scott with a cheetah, bred as part of the Cheetah Preservation Foundation, Cango Wildlife Ranch, South Africa

All of our specialists regularly revisit their chosen countries. These ”FAM” trips as we call them (short for “familiarisation”) are crucial though as they enable us to uncover new areas, hotels and excursions as well as making sure that existing ones are up to scratch.

Although these trips might appear like holidays, they are far from it and our specialists have to work hard. Here, Scott summarises his recent trip.

Whale watching in Hermanus was certainly a highlight of my most recent trip to South Africa, however it was only a small part of a fantastic month long adventure back to the country where I grew up.

A journey from Cape Town to Pretoria on the world famous Rovos Rail was an experience I’ll never forget and one I would highly recommend to any visitor to South Africa.

Early morning game drives at the Kruger National Park were coupled with night drives at the magnificent Sabi Sands Game Reserve, the result was an incredible 10 days exploring the many lodges in the area.

After leaving the northern part of the country I travelled back down to the coast and spent a fantastic few days working my way up the Garden Route. Hermanus, Plettenberg Bay, Knysna and Mossel Bay were just a few of the wonderful little towns I visited along the way, the friendly people and warm weather reminding me why I was in the greatest country in the world.

After an amazing month of guesthouses, hotels, bed and breakfasts and game lodges I returned to Johannesburg, a quick farewell to the family and boarded my flight back to London.

Find out more about Scott by reading his Audley profile. Note, you can see the profiles of all Audley’s specialists here.

Whale watching in Hermanus, South Africa

The video above was taken by Scott, one of our South Africa specialists on a recent Audley fact-finding trip back to his country of birth. It’s a close encounter with a curious southern right whale.

Apparently whales often mistake boats for other whales which is why this one might have been so inquisitive.

Whale & dolphin spotting holidays with Audley

Our whale and dolphin watching guide, details the best places from around the world to go, which whales or dolphins you are likely to see and most importantly, the best time to go.

Close encounters of the whale kind

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.

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Jumbo-sized rescue at Kapani Lodge

The mother and calf are firmly stuck and without human intervention, will surely die.

Kapani Lodge, on the banks of the Luangwa River in Zambia, is one of Audley’s most popular lodges and it was close by that a recent dramatic rescue took place.

An unfortunate elephant and her calf had got themselves well and truly stuck in the thick mud and would have surely perished had it not been for some timely human intervention.

See what happened in pictures…

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The world’s ‘ultimate trek’ officially opens

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 hand-reared in South America

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.

Muscat voted second best city in the world by Lonely Planet

Grand Mosque in Muscat, Oman

I’ve just heard from our North Africa & Middle East Regional Manager, Matt, that Muscat has been voted the second best city in the world by Lonely Planet in their ‘Top 10 Cities for 2012′ poll.

This is exciting news, not least because this area of the world has seen its fair share of trouble over the past year - I really think this can be seen as yet another positive sign that travel to the Middle East remains high on the agenda for many tourists.

A number of other Audley destinations were included in the poll too. Santiago in Chile was named seventh best city in the world, closely followed in eighth by Hong Kong. Darwin in Australia completed the list with a highly respectable tenth position.

With thousands of cities around the world for Lonely Planet to choose from, it’s no small feat that these cities made it into the final 10 and we are pleased that so many of them can be visited on a trip with us!