Travel agents ramp up thrills

Travel agents ramp up thrills

Can't decide where to go? Here are some ideas.

Hunting with the Bushmen

What's next after seeing the Big 5 at an African safari? Perhaps a hunting expedition.

This eight-day exotic holiday begins with a two-day initiation into the San Bushmen community in Botswana.

Day three marks the start of the hunt for an eland with the Bushmen. In the event that the hunt for the eland is unsuccessful, the Bushmen will switch to gemsbuck, wildebeest or kudu. It is a physically demanding hunt, so you have to be fit.

While the location is remote, you will still be able to dine on excellent food and stay in luxurious mobile tents. There are no rain showers though, what you get are bucket baths - the only concession to the reality of being in the remote bushes of Botswana.

Priced at US$11,440, excluding flights. Urbane Nomads, www.urbanenomads.com

South American Journey

The continent continues to be a hot destination next year, especially with Brazil hosting the World Cup in June.

It is impossible to visit all the South American countries in one holiday, but going on a 16-day tour gives you a fairly good picture of the continent. The tour starts and ends in Sao Paulo, so if you are heading to Brazil to catch the World Cup, you could join the tour either before or after catching the matches.

The journey will take you to popular sites such as Christ the Redeemer statue and Iguazu Falls in Brazil. Then move onto Buenos Aires in Argentina, where you will be part of a Gaucho party at the famed Pampas grasslands. The tour then goes to Santiago, Chile, with a stop at a Maipo Valley and a visit to the Statue of the Virgin Mary. Besides Santiago, you also stop at Valparaiso town which was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2003.

Of course, no trip to South America would be complete without a visit to Machu Picchu in Peru.

Priced from S$12,288. Chan Brothers, tours.chanbrothers.com

The Balkans and Venice

Most people have visited Western Europe, but the Balkans in Eastern Europe offer just as much charm and cultural heritage as well.

Trafalgar's 13-day tour will take you to cities including Zagreb, Sarajevo, Dubrovnik and Split. There is also an insider tour of the Sarajevo war tunnels.

Other highlights include a visit to the mediaeval city of Dubrovnik as well as a stop at the waterfalls in Plitvice National Park, which link the park's 16 crystal-clear lakes.

After a round trip in the Balkans, the tour ends with two nights in Venice.

Priced from US$3,135, excluding flights. Trafalgar, www.trafalgar.com

Long Live Okinawa

If you like Japan but have been to Tokyo countless times, perhaps a trip to Okinawa is next. The island has a more laid-back atmosphere, but still has that efficient and polite service that the country is famed for.

Some of the stops on this five-day tour include Churaumi Aquarium, one of the world's largest aquariums, and Shuri Castle, a palace of the Ryukyu Kingdom.

Okinawa is also renowned as the island of longevity. You will get to visit a longevity village, home to several youthful looking centenarians. Food plays a big part in keeping these centenarians healthy, so you will be able to sample a meal, such as the famed Okinawan dish, goya champuru, or stir-fried bittergourd and egg.

Priced from S$1,298 CTC Travel, www.ctc.com.sg

Desert Holiday in Oman

A holiday to the Middle East usually means either Jordan, Egypt or to the United Arab Emirates. But then there is also Oman.

An Oman holiday begins in Muscat, specifically to the Muttrah quarters to check out a traditional souk, before heading out to the desert in four wheel drive vehicles.

Some of the stops in the desert include the craggy peaks of the Jebel Akhdar, Wahiba Sands and Wadi Shab, an oasis of freshwater pools.

There is no need to rough it out as the accommodation is luxurious, such as at Desert Nights Camp which has 26 bedouin-style tents with air-conditioned interiors, and king-size canopy beds.

Priced from US$ 1,781 excluding flights. Lightfoot Travel, www.lightfoottravel.com

Self-Drive in Spain

Most Singaporeans have driven through South-east Asia, Australia and Japan so if you've been there and done that, check out Spain nest.

This nine-day self-drive tour kicks off in Madrid - home of the Plaza Mayor and the Prado Museum.

From Madrid, drive to Valencia to see the Valencia Cathedral where the Chapel of the Holy Grail is. A drive along the Mediterranean coastline leads you to Barcelona, where you can hang out for a few days, checking out sights such as the Picasso Museum, Casa Mila and Spanish Village - an open-air museum of architecture.

The last stop on the tour before heading back to Madrid is Saragossa, where the Basilica de Nuestra Senora del Pilar, an Argentine chapel built all the way back in the 1700s, is located.

Priced from S$1,020, excluding flights. Prime Touch & Feel, www.primetouchandfeel.com

Alaska and Canadian Rockies Cruise

If you are looking to get really far away from Singapore, Alaska is about as far as you can get. The state offers plenty to see, and you can also go on a 15-day cruise and tour of Alaska and the Canadian Rockies.

You will start in Vancouver, with a stop at Kelowna for some ice-wine tasting, before heading to Lake Okanagan where monster-watchers claimed sightings of Ogopogo, a Loch Ness-type monster.

The highlight of the trip is an eight-day cruise to soak in the sights of Alaska including a trip to Glacier Bay National Park.

Popular add-on activities include dog-sledding on the Mendenhall Glacier, or bear and whale-spotting.

Priced from S$6,088 per person. Dynasty Travel, www.dynastytravel.com.sg


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