SEPTEMBER 2023 ISSUE
INTREPID TRAVEL has unveiled a holiday adventure that promises to redefine Christmas.
Guests can journey to Antarctica on an 11-day expedition and experience the festive season among ice-capped mountain ranges, wildlife, icebergs and glaciers.
Travellers will set foot on the Antarctic Peninsula, spot seals resting on ice floes and witness seabirds nesting in impressive landscapes. Highlights include visiting penguin rookeries and spotting minke and humpback whales while enjoying regular Zodiac excursions for up-close wildlife encounters.
From now until September 30, international return flights and a Buenos Aires stopover for the entire family are included, starting from $52,649. It’s available for two adults and two children.
Intrepid Travel’s 11-day ‘Best of Antarctica: A White Christmas (Ocean Endeavour)’ departs on December 18.
ALL ABOARD THE WORLD’S BEST FLIGHT
NOVEMBER WILL see the return of what’s being described as the world’s most unforgettable sightseeing flight.
Antarctica Flights take guests across the Southern Ocean to see the vast white wilderness, all within a day and with no passport required.
Approximately three hours south of Australia, passengers will see their first glimpses of scattered ice followed by icebergs and ice floes.
The aircraft will then fly over the South Magnetic Pole, with sweeping views of the rugged mountainous topography of mainland Antarctica.
An ultra-modern Qantas 787 Dreamliner has been privately chartered by Antarctica Flights and will do a total of seven flights to the white continent from November through to February 2024, departing from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.
With 19 planned routes to match the day’s weather conditions, no two flights are ever the same, each with a duration of 12 to 14 hours.
Flights will be from Sydney on November 26 and February 4, 2024; Melbourne on November 19 and December 31; Brisbane on December 31 and February 11, 2024; Perth on January 26, 2024.
Each flight will accommodate around 220 passengers, with a choice of seating options from business through to explorer economy.
“Aboard a cruise ship you only touch the edge of the coast; aboard a privately chartered plane, you soar over a continent,” said Bas Bosschieter, CEO Antarctica Flights.
Prices start at $1,199 for an explorer economy seat and range up to $7,999 for a business class deluxe.
WENDY’S ONBOARD FOR SPECIAL CRUISE
TO MARK the silver anniversary of business, Wendy Wu Tours has announced a special VIP version of its Classic Mekong tour.
The tour will include a personal appearance by the legendary company founder herself.
This VIP trip starts with a visit to Angkor Wat and includes a sunset ‘boat’ ride along Angkor’s moat to capture the sun sinking behind the temples on the horizon.
Travellers will then experience a three-night cruise aboard the four-star Victoria Mekong. Built in 2019 and acquired by Wendy Wu Tours two years ago, this is the only vessel to cruise this section of the Mekong Delta.
Additional features travellers can expect to enjoy on this departure include:
- Special ‘Farmer & Fisherman’ experience in Cam Thanh
- 20-minute seaplane flight over Halong Bay
- Complimentary cocktail at Bitexo Tower’s 49th–floor sky bar
- Dinner experience with a local Vietnamese family in Saigon
- A ‘Mekong’ mindfulness session onboard the cruise.
Onboard ship is an infinity pool and pool bar, the Horizon lounge bar, a library, Green Lotus Spa, Claypot Restaurant, gym, movie room, games room, boutique and mini golf.
The ‘VIP Classic Mekong Tour’ is an 18-day fully inclusive holiday (including return flights from Australia). It is priced from $8,880 per person twin share and departs October 10.
CELEBRATING A MAJESTIC BIRTHDAY
MAJESTIC WHALE Encounters is celebrating its 10th anniversary by introducing a range of new and improved tours.
With small group tours in destinations such as Tonga and Tahiti, travellers will have the opportunity to swim with whales while exploring some of the most memorable destinations on the planet.
‘Women, Whales & Wellness’ is a new female-only tour where guests stay in a secluded eco resort complete with daily yoga sessions.
During five days, guests will spend time aboard a boat with the opportunity to swim with humpback whales and kayak, paddleboard and snorkel to Tongan waters. It takes place in July, August and September 2024.
A new 14-day expedition to Antarctica will see guests aboard the eco-friendly ship Sylvia Earle where they will take part in a photographic workshop with award-winning nature photographer, Scott Portelli.
Departing in February 2023, the small ‘Antarctica Expedition’ group tour will give guests the opportunity to get up close with the wildlife while snorkelling beneath the ice.
Other highlight tours include the luxury ‘Gorillas in Rwanda’ and ‘Orcas & Light Expedition’, which promises a viewing of the Northern Lights in Norway. A range of other tours are also on offer including destinations like Moorea and Rurutu.
“It is truly special to see how much we’ve grown from operating as a small provider to now being able to extend our tours to new destinations and offering unique experiences to more travellers,” said Carmen Ellis, founder of Majestic Whale Encounters.
“At the heart of all we do is to provide an unforgettable travel experience that not only educates but inspires while leaving minimal environmental impact, and to think we have achieved this, is very rewarding.”
