Visit Kuala Lumpur and enjoy free Wi-Fi access

Visitors to Kuala Lumpur are set to enjoy free Wi-Fi access

Malaysia has for some time been one of Audley’s most popular destinations and it’s easy to see why. From its rich culture and recent colonial history, to quiet tea plantations blanketing the cool highland regions as well as stunning national parks, Malaysia packs a lot into a relatively small area.

Kuala Lumpur is often the first sight that greets most visitors to the country. With its amazing food, huge shopping malls and modern, high-rise skyline - dominated by the world-famous Petronas Towers - it’s a spectacular urban web showcasing the very best of modern Asia. Highlights include Chinatown’s busy markets, Little India and the elegant colonial buildings of Merdeka Square. There are also great views from the revolving restaurant at the top of the KL Sky Tower.

If you’re someone who likes to travel with your laptop or other mobile devices you should soon be able to enjoy free Wi-Fi in parts of the city. These places will include tourist attractions, restaurants and eateries, as well as countless other public areas. This isn’t a pipe dream either as the Malaysian government has passed a new law ordering its installation. It might be available to travellers as soon as April this year.

New species of monkey discovered in Burma

The alien-looking snub-nosed monkey is new to science

Burma has been in the news quite a lot lately, mostly with regard to the ongoing political situation, but news of a recent new wildlife discovery has certainly got the world’s primatologists very excited.

Looking like something from a science-fiction movie, photographs of the newly discovered snub-nosed monkey were taken remotely and at night using camera’s which were activated by infra-red sensors – hence them being black and white. These were placed high up in the remote mountains of Burma’s northern Kachin state, which borders China.

Although it’s very unlikely you will ever see the Burmese snub-nosed monkey in person there is still plenty to see and experience in this delightful country, much of which continues largely untouched by mainstream tourism.

Read Audley’s Policy on Burma

To book a tailor-made trip to Burma, call one of our country specialists on 01993 838 105 or contact us online.

Uganda plans to fence off national parks

My first encounter with gorillas was seeing this male silverback and his family eating the corn in this field

With the population of most African countries booming the conflict between people and wildlife is becoming a serious problem. I remember crossing into DRC from Uganda on a gorilla trekking trip and seeing a group of these magnificent animals sitting in a farmers field, nonchalantly eating the corn (see the photo I took above).

This type of conflict not only leads to damaged crops (the farmers in my gorilla encounter were apparently compensated on a regular basis) but more seriously, attacks on locals. In retaliation local communities often kill the wildlife involved.

To try to prevent this, the Ugandan government have announced plans to physically fence off some parks. Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage, Mr Ephraim Kamuntu, explained that Murchison Falls National Park would be the first affected under this scheme. He said:

“In the short term, to mitigate this human-wildlife conflict, we have started digging trenches to prevent the animals from crossing into the gardens of the communities destroying the lives and crops of the people. But in the long run with the funds available we shall fence off all the major national parks starting with Murchison Park where rampant damage has been encountered.”

The scheme is not unique to Uganda as Kenya was the first country to implement fences, with Mt Kenya National Park being the most recent to benefit just last year.

To book a tailor-made trip to Uganda, call one of our country specialists on 01993 838 575 or contact us online.

Safari Vet School on ITV this Friday

Student vets get some hands-on experience in ITV's new wildlife series, Safari Vet School

If you think vets in the UK sometimes have to deal with some demanding situations then meet the trainee UK vets who will be getting hands-on with some of South Africa’s most dangerous wildlife.

Arista, in our Africa Safari team has asked me to let you know about a new ITV1 wildlife series, Safari Vet School.

Presented by Steve Leonard (you might remember him from the hugely successful Vets’ School and Vets In Practice documentaries), it follows the fortunes of 32 UK-based veterinary students in South Africa.

The undergraduates find themselves treating lions, elephants, rhino, in fact all the Big Five, as well as their fair share of domestic animals as well. They’ll be working in locations which are also familiar with many Audley clients who travel to this beautiful country, such as the Amakhala Game Reserve, Shamwari Game Reserve and the Addo National Elephant Park.

The first of the 12 30-minute episodes can be seen this Friday at 8pm on ITV1.

Watch a short video preview of the series here

To book a tailor-made trip to South Africa, call one of our country specialists on 01993 838 550 or contact us online.

New Zealand: Land of the long white cloud

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.

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Four-lane highway threat to tiger population

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. 

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Air New Zealand reveals its new all black aircraft

Air New Zealand reveals its new all black aircraft

To celebrate their love of rugby and long-time sponsorship of the ‘All Blacks’ rugby team, Air New Zealand have produced the world’s largest commercial aircraft to be painted completely black.

The Boeing 777-300ER, which also incorporates the ‘All Blacks’ silver fern insignia, was revealed on the 16th December and was led out of its hanger by New Zealand World Champion rugby players, Kieran Read and Andy Ellis.

The paintwork took just over a week to complete (two days longer than it normally takes to paint a 777), with 14 painters working in shifts 24 hours a day, and 700 litres of chrome free paint were used.

View a time lapse video of the aircraft being painted on YouTube.

Remember to watch the skies in 2012, when this incredible looking plane will be flying into Heathrow, London.

To book a tailor-made trip to New Zealand, call one of our New Zealand specialists on 01993 838 820 or contact us online.

Ashmolean Museum opens new Ancient Egypt galleries

Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford recently opened the doors to its new galleries of Ancient Egypt and Nubia. Its old Egyptian galleries have been redesigned and extended with state of the art facilities. This means that more than double the number of mummies and coffins are now on display, along with many of its other artifacts that have been in storage for decades.

The galleries have been designed to take visitors on a chronological tour covering more than 5000 years of human life on the Nile valley, from prehistory to the 7th century AD.

As well as the mummies and coffins on display, you will also be able to see the museums other iconic objects, such as  the wall painting depicting Akhenaten and Nefertiti’s daughters, the Shrine of Taharqa from the temple at Kawa; and the enormous limestone statues of the fertility god Min which date to 3300 BC.

Visit the Ashmolean Museum website to find out more about its new galleries and when to visit.

To book a tailor-made trip to Egypt, call one of our Egypt specialists on 01993 838 410 or contact us online.

Combine an African safari with seeing a total solar eclipse

The path of totality (the bit in shadow) is 36 km wide as it passes over Uganda and Kenya

On November 3rd, 2013, a total solar eclipse will cross the northern part of both Uganda and Kenya. I’ve produced a map below showing its path as it travels across sub-Saharan Africa.

Why not combine a safari trip to one of these countries (or both) with a once in a lifetime chance to see one of nature’s most awe-inspiring sights?

Even though it’s nearly two years away still, accommodation in both countries near the eclipse path is likely to be in short supply so booking early is probably advisable to avoid disappointment.

Contact one of our Uganda or Kenya specialists on 01993 838 500 or contact us online to book your tailor-made safari and eclipse trip.

New trekking route in New Zealand

The starting point for the new trekking route in New Zealand, Cape Reinga

If you’re looking for inspiration to pull on your hiking boots and head out into the wide open spaces, this may be of interest to you. This month, New Zealand will be opening a new trail, Te Araroa – meaning ‘long pathway’ in the Maori language, which will run the full length of the country.

With the help of hundreds of volunteers, linking up existing routes and building new ones the new trail has taken over a decade to complete, and winds its way through New Zealand’s incredibly diverse landscape of mountains, volcanoes, lakes, valleys, and cities.

Running 3,000km from Cape Reinga in the north, to Bluff in the south, it will be one of the longest walking trails in the world. There are 300 stages along the route to choose from, varying in length from several days to a few hours. The full trek is estimated to take around four months to complete.

Visit the Te Araroa website to find out more about this new walking route in New Zealand.

To book a tailor-made trip to New Zealand, call one of our New Zealand specialists on 01993 838 820 or contact us online.