and reptile life. Clients will stay in
ultimate luxury at a handful of top
jungle lodges including Bagh Van in
Pench, Mahua Kothi in Bandhavgardh
and the newly opened Taj and Beyond
property Banjaar Tola in Kanha. All
meals and excursions at the lodges are
included, plus there are a couple of
nights in Mumbai and Delhi to allow
some sightseeing.
Sample package: Cox and Kings’
10-night Safari in Style itinerary starts
at £4,845 for departures between May 1
and June 16 2009 including fl ights,
some meals, excursions and transfers.
(020 7873 5000 8 coxandkings.co.uk
GORILLAS IN UGANDA
If scarcity increases cachet, then
mountain gorillas must be some of the
most prestigious creatures on the
planet. There are hardly more than
600 of them around, so to see them in
the wild is a real privilege.
Their habitat is dense, tropical
forest, and the population is split into
two areas. One group lives in the
mountainous Virunga region, which
spans Rwanda, Uganda and the DRC.
The other, which Abercrombie and
Kent visits in its Sanctuary of Primates
journey, dwells in the Bwindi National
Park in Uganda. After days spent
tracking two family groups, clients can
relax in a bubble bath in the private
bathroom of their luxury tent at Gorilla
Forest Camp. The trip also brings
travellers into contact with chimps and
red colobus monkeys in Kibale Forest
National Park, where they’ll stay in a
Visitors to Gorilla Forest Camp in Uganda
can dine overlooking the rainforest
12 | TWLuxury | March 2009
lodge perched on the rim of an extinct
volcano, and there’s time for a game
drive in Queen Elizabeth II Park to see
elephant, lion and buffalo.
Sample package: Abercrombie and
Kent’s 11-night Sanctuary of Primates
trip starts at £4,295 including fl ights,
transfers, meals and complimentary
gorilla permits, departing by June 30.
(0845 618 2212 8 abercrombiekent.
co.uk
SEA LIONS AND TURTLES
IN THE GALAPAGOS
The Galapagos islands are in the
spotlight this year, as the world
celebrates Charles Darwin’s
bicentenary and the 150th
anniversary of the publication of
The Origin of Species.
Swathes of operators are gearing up
to take more tourists than ever out to
the islands, and Black Tomato is
offering wealthy wildlife-nuts a closeup
view of the fauna that inspired the
theory of evolution. Staying on a
luxury 82ft yacht, clients will be able to
explore the islands by kayak (and
there’s one for every guest, so there’s
no fi ghting over paddling times).
Gliding through solitary bays, they’ll
be able to get up close and personal
with turtles, sea lions, fl amingos and
iguanas. Kayaking trips are
interspersed with walks through the
dramatic interior of the islands and
opportunities to snorkel with fur seals
or dive with penguins.
Sample package: Black Tomato
offers a 12-night Kayaking in the
Galapagos programme from £3,899
twin-share in a cabin with private
bathroom, including fl ights, transfers,
food, equipment and guiding.
( 020 7610 9008 8 blacktomato.co.uk
JUNGLE FAUNA IN
COSTA RICA
Central America’s rainforests are home
to more exotic species than you could
shake a stick at, and its national parks
are well organised with guides of a
high standard, so top-end travellers
are unlikely to come home
disappointed.
The jaguar is particularly elusive,
but even if they don’t catch a sighting
of this big cat there are ocelot, tapir,
sloth, howler monkeys, butterfl ies and
more than 850 species of birds,
including the spectacular and
colourful keel-billed toucan.
Audley Travel’s tailor-made
itineraries can take your customers to
hot-spots such as the Tortuguero
National Park and cloud-forest
shrouded Arenal Volcano, and to
lesser-known corners such as the area
around Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui, all
in stunning, eco-friendly lodges.
Audley recommends ending the stay
on the pristine beaches at Guanacaste,
in the chic Punta Islita hotel.
Sample package: Audley Travel
offers a 16-night itinerary including
fl ights, transfers and excursions
visiting Arenal, Tortuguero, the Osa
Peninsula and ending on the beach at
Punta Islita from £4,500.
(01993 838638 8 audleytravel.com
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