Travel Director April 2017 Newsletter

137 Cambridge St, West Leederville WA 6007 • www.traveldirectors.com.au Tel: (08) 9242 4200 or 1300 856 661 (from outside WA) • Fax: (08) 9382 8393April 2017 Edition ...Adventures of a lifetimeWell here we are again, fast approaching don’t hesitate for too long: a number of our IN THIS ISSUE…the middle of the year – and what a year tours book up well in advance and we can’tit has been so far! We’ve released several always get additional departure dates. If Antarctica in 2018new tours which have been snapped up in you want expert advice on any aspect of our Japan & the Cherry Blossomsrecord time, and we have more to come in tours, or you need some pointers planning Brand new Christmas tourour new brochure, scheduled for release your own independent travel, call our South America: The Top Endin July. Bookings are already rolling in for friendly consultants now. We’re just a call or2018, so if you have some ideas in mind a click away!See The LightsImagine waking up in a glass-roofed chalet in a remote forest settingwith lights blazing in a silent night sky.Imagine lying snuggled up in bed as great swaying bands of Summer ‘High Arctic’ tour, but it is a very different experience, as wecolour dance above you. Welcome to the greatest show on make our way through magnificent sweeping snowscapes and fjordsearth and our brand new 22-day tour – ‘Trail of the Northern on the trail of the Northern Lights! Due to unprecedented interest inLights’! Seeing the Northern Lights is high up on the bucket this tour, we have put on three departures, with the first two almost atlist of many travellers, and there’s never been a better time to capacity, and a handful of places on the third. If the Northern Lightstick the box than now, with the release of our very own unique are in your sights for 2018, give us a call without delay! Departs earlyitinerary to Norway, Finland and Russia. The tour features March 2018, priced at $19,950.a seven-day cruise along Norway’s west coast as we headnorth to the Arctic Circle and Europe’s most remote northernpoint, Kirkenes. Crossing the border into Finland we reach theforest of Kakslauttanen, where we spend three nights in ourunique accommodation set amongst snow-laden pine trees. Acomplete lack of pollution and pristine forest environment, makethis remote outpost a wonderful spot to see Aurora Borealis.Crossing the remote Arctic border with Russia we reach the cityof Murmansk where we spend three nights before boarding theArctic Express for the sensationally scenic rail journey south toSt Petersburg. The first part of this remarkable tour mirrors our

Go with the FloeIt is a hundred years since one of the most remarkable polar survival stories, and we are eagerly looking forward toour exciting new tour that follows in the footsteps of the great explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton. Our 16-night Antarcticand South Atlantic cruise aboard the outstanding vessel, Sea Spirit, is the centrepiece of this spectacular new 29-daytour, which sets sail in February 2018. Senior Consultant Karen Miller, recently returned from Antarctica and is stillenthusiastically showing everyone her photographs and re-living every magic moment from her Antarctic cruise. She wassailing aboard the very same ship we use – maximum capacity 114 passengers – and was hugely impressed with thecomfort, facilities and experienced and knowledgeable crew. What makes our trip even more spectacular, is the 9-nightpre-cruise exploration of the Chilean towns of Santiago, Valparaiso and Vina del Mar; the Chilean-Argentinian LakeDistrict; and Bariloche. And to cap it all off, we finish the tour with three nights in Argentina’s vibrant capital, Buenos Aires.Antarctica: In Shackleton’s Footsteps is guaranteed and departs Australia on 27 February 2018, priced from $29,995. Yamdruk Lake, Tibet Mount Fuji in Cherry Blossom season.On Top of the World In the Pink!The Himalayan Express remains one of our most popular For some time now our travellers have been asking for a special Cherrytours, and with good reason. To journey on the world’s highest Blossom tour, TD style. And we’re delighted to announce that this is nowrailway is the thrill of a lifetime, as hundreds of our travellers a reality! We have put together a superb 16-day itinerary that will takehave discovered. The 25-day journey begins in China’s ancient you to the iconic cities, heritage sites, mountains and lakes of Japan’scapital, Xian, home of the legendary Terracotta Warriors. We largest island, Honshu, when the landscape is bathed in the pink hue ofthen board the unique oxygenated train for the historic journey the springtime cherry blossoms. Though undoubtedly a visual feast, thisto Lhasa, the capital city of mysterious Tibet and former home tour is much more than just a ramble through the candy floss canvas ofof the Dalai Lama. We then begin the amazing drive across the central Honshu. We enjoy a three-night stay in the dazzling capital, Tokyo,Himalayan Plateau, passing through extraordinary landscapes before moving on to Takayama, nestled at the foot of the Hida mountainof glacier-fed lakes, high mountain passes and extraordinary range, then continuing south for a three-night stay in the ancient capital‘moon-scapes’, as we head towards Everest Base Camp. of Kyoto home, to Japan’s largest population of geisha. We also visit theLeaving Tibet, we travel into Nepal and its bustling capital sobering city of Hiroshima, before taking a bullet train to Mt Fuji for a two-Kathmandu, before heading to beautiful Bhutan, the little- night stay beside the sparkling lakes lying in the shadow of the iconicvisited mountain kingdom widely regarded as the world’s last mountain. Due to popular demand we have put on a second departure ofShangri-La. The Himalayan Express departs all capital cities on this tour, departing 28 March 2018, and it’s filling fast. Don’t miss out – call7 October 2017 and 6 April 2018, priced at $16,550. us today to reserve your spot!

South America: The Top End A Christmas Cracker! Our tour mastermind, Tony Evans, has recently returned from the final recce of our brand new ‘top end’ tour, and he’s hugely excited about what he’s seen. ‘The contrast of scenery and cultures within the six destinations we visit in the northern part of South America are quite extraordinary and make for a truly diverse travel experience,’ Tony said. There is no doubt that this is an ambitious itinerary – possibly one of Tony’s most creative programmes to date – and that’s saying something! The 33-day journey visits French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela and Colombia, with an overnight in Paris in each direction – perfect if you want to add on at the beginning or end of the tour. The tour is jam-packed with highlights, including a visit to the Ariane Space Centre, a two-night stay in the Iwokrama Forest, Kaieteur Falls and Turtle Mountain, a visit to the magnificent Angel Falls, and multiple-night stays in Colombia’s colourful colonial cities of Medellin and Cartagena. And, of course, in true Travel Directors’ style, there will be many surprises and unique experiences along the way. The first departure is full, but we’re delighted to advise that our tour leader extraordinaire – Jim Gill – is escorting the second tour which departs on 10 November 2017. Visit the website for full details.If you fancy Christmas with a difference this year – we have just the tour for you! There’s Diversity with a Capital ‘D’nothing better than a northern hemisphere Christmas, and one of the best places toexperience it is Germany. Our 28-day festive extravaganza travels by train from London There can’t be many tours that begin with a Sundayto Milan visiting the magical Christmas markets and soaking up the festive atmosphere roast on a canal boat in the north of England, andthat makes Europe such an exciting destination at this time of year. We begin with three finish with a spicy tagine in a riad in Morocco. Butnights in London, before crossing into Europe via the Channel Tunnel, and continuing our ‘Manchester to Marrakech’ tour does just that! Ifon to Strasbourg, the idiosyncratic French city on the border with Germany. Crossing you’re looking for diversity, this tour has it in spades.into Germany we visit the delightful towns of Heidelberg and Mainz before moving on From the rolling hills of England and Wales, we travelto Cologne, Hamburg, Berlin and Munich. Christmas Day is an extra special one – through the volcanic Massif Central of France, andcelebrated in traditional style in the wonderful medieval jewel of Wernigerode, nestled at on to the scenic landscapes of Spain, before headingthe foot of the Harz Mountains. Along the way we’ll visit some amazing Christmas Markets to the north of Africa and the cultural melting pot thatselling handicrafts, decorations, gifts, and festive footstuffs, including sizzling sausages is Morocco. And the entire journey is by train – alland warming gluhwein. After welcoming in the New Year in true Bavarian style in the day-time travel – to fully appreciate the changingfabulous city of Munich, we head to the Swiss town of Chur where we board the Bernina landscapes as we cover the 5,000+ kilometresExpress for the breathtakingly scenic journey through the snow-laden Alps to the Italian from Manchester to Marrakech. Along the way wecities of Tirano and Milan. ‘A Christmas Cracker’ is a sensational 28-day journey by rail to visit the Welsh village of Portmeirion, Snowdoniathe very heart of the Christmas festivities in central Europe, departing 10 December 2017. National Park, Clermont-Ferrand, Perpignan, Nimes, Zaragoza, Valencia and Ronda, the bustling Moroccan cities of Fez and Marrakech, and the amazing Roman ruins at Volubilis. It’s a remarkable 30-day tour departing 8 September.

Namibia: Book Early for 2018Few countries in Africa can match Namibia’s BeyondtheBlackastounding natural beauty. It is home to the Sea Guaranteedmighty Namib Desert, the rugged SkeletonCoast, the stark rocky landscapes of We’re delighted to say that our newlyDamaraland, and the massive Etosha salt re-introduced tour to Western Ukraine,pan – home to a vast population of wildlife. Moldova, Romania and Bulgaria (notIt’s a big country with a small population, to mention ‘Transnistria’!) is nowand a huge amount to offer the adventurous a guaranteed departure, leavingtraveller. The Himba people live in scattered Australia on 26 August 2017. Oursettlements in the north, and a visit to one delightful tour leader Anna – a nativeof their villages is a highlight of our 25-day of Kiev – will be leading the tour alltour to the country. Namibia is also home the way from Kiev to Sofia, and she’sto one third of the world’s entire cheetah looking forward to welcoming anotherpopulation, and we have the opportunity to TD group to her city and beyond.get up close to these graceful cats at the Beyond the Black Sea is a remarkableAfricat Foundation’s conservation project journey to the amazing Ukrainian citiesin Okonjima. Then there are the rock of Kiev, Lviv and Kamyanets Podilsky,engravings at Twyfelfontein, the dead- the Moldovan capital Chisinau, and ontree clay and salt pan at Sossusvlei, and to deepest Transylvania – the heart ofthe massive red star-shaped dunes that Romania – where history and legendsurround it. If you’re looking for a bit of are inter-twined. From the birthplaceeverything Africa has to offer, Namibia ticks of Vlad Dracul in the medieval townall the boxes. If it’s on your radar for 2018, of Sighisoara, to Dracula’s castle atget in early and secure your spot: this tour Brasov, we then head into Bulgariaalways fills up well ahead of departure, and and the ancient towns of Velikois strictly limited to 16 people max. Departs Tarnovo and Plovdiv, before the tour30 March 2018. concludes in the Bulgarian capital Sofia. Always one of our enduring favourites, we are thrilled to have it back in our programme for 2017. If you fancy being a part of this guaranteed tour, give us a call asap. Full details on the website.