Tours

BHUTAN - THE MOUNTAIN KINGDOM

US$3144
8th - 23rd September, 2009

Our first tour this year, by special request, is to Bhutan which is a truly magical kingdom that deserves its tag of “The Last Shangri-La”. Due to its remote location and enforced restricted-number tourism policies (visitors pay a minimum of $US210 per day), Bhutan is self-sufficient, relatively prosperous and mercifully non-commercialised compared with many countries in Asia. For centuries Bhutan was protected from outside insurgencies by the impenetrable Himalaya and this, in combination with the people’s traditional reverence for nature, has left the kingdom blissfully untouched. Bhutan is said to have one foot in the past and one in the future – the people have retained their culture and traditions, but have adapted to modern technology when the need arises. You will see monks in their saffron robes transcribing ancient Buddhist texts onto computers and traditionally dressed archers using the latest high-tech bows and arrows.

KATE TURKINGTON'S PRIVATE TOUR

FULL
26th September – 11th October, 2009

My second trip is a private tour for Kate Turkington and friends, which brings together a trip of great contrasts between Nepal and Tibet. We will visit a medieval city that is a World Heritage Site, a canyon where we cross to our hotel by suspension bridge, and there is an optional extra to bungi jump. We fly into Tibet with Mount Everest on our left, and for this part of the tour we will visit Lhasa, for so long the forbidden capital of Tibet, absorbing the culture, history and spirituality of the Tibetans. In order to see the magnificent countryside we drive across the Tibetan plateau and right through the Himalayas. We also plan to visit Everest Base Camp if tourists are still allowed. (This is still being debated – we will go as close as we are able to).

ADVENTURE TOUR OF NEPAL with Mary-Jane

US$1990
10th – 25th October, 2009

Mary-Jane will be taking an adventure group to Nepal to river raft, and do a safari, as well as explore the country of Nepal and experience this special land.  There will be time to check out the history and culture of these amazing people and also have the possibility of bungi jumping into a huge canyon close to the Tibetan border.

TIBETAN 2 WEEK TOUR with Everest Base Camp

US$2500
10th - 25th October, 2009

Our fourth tour is a special trip to Nepal and Tibet. We fly into Tibet with Mount Everest on our left, we will have time to explore Lhasa and visit its many sites of interest, the magnificent monasteries, the famous Potala Palace, and the Tibetan Medical centre of healing, before crossing the Himalayan Plateau. Our drive out includes driving over high passes, travelling alongside turquoise lakes and seeing glaciers as we cross the Tibetan High Plateau. It also includes a visit to the base at the North Face of Mount Everest, walking in the footsteps of great adventurers. In Nepal we will have time to explore Kathmandu and also to visit the medieval city of Bhaktaphur which is totally fascinating and a World Heritage Site. We also cross a high suspension bridge to overnight in a canyon as we return from Tibet to Nepal.

BIRDING NEPAL with Clive Hopcroft

US$3480
16th November - 4th December, 2009

We finish off the year with a birding tour with Clive our bird expert, highly experienced and well loved, where we will seek out the abundance of birds in Nepal. Our earlier bird trip of 2006 netted well over 240 new bird species, and our 2007 tour was highly successful and great fun, while 2008 included a wonderful reserve, new to us,  which will be the four day highlight of this year's tour and give us a good chance to see the winter migrants. We will also include visiting another highly rated reserve, where we can ride elephants in the jungle as we seek out the elusive tiger and the Asian rhino.  One of the reserves is home to the ganganetic dolphin, all a bonus to the incredible variety of bird species.

TIBET FESTIVAL TOUR 2010

US$ TBA
21st May - 5th June, 2010

For the first time we are able to offer the spiritual festival of Saga Dawa where we can see the huge thankas (spiritual pictures approx. 9 stories high) hung outside the monastery, see the famous sand mandalas inside the monastery, and experience the fun of a Tibetan Horse Show all in one tour.

SACRED MOUNT KAILASH TOUR 2011 with Total Lunar Eclipse

US$ TBA
1st - 26th June, 2011

Far into the West of Tibet, in a high, isolated area, rises a sublime snow-clad pyramid-shaped mountain, Mount Kailash. For thousands of years pilgrims have gravitated to this sacred site of immense natural power. The four major rivers of Asia have their source here, in what is referred to as the navel of the world. Here the temporal and the eternal unite and the divine takes physical form.