CELEBRATE DARWIN’S 200th - ECUADOR & GALAPAGOS

To celebrate the anniversary of Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday on the 12th February 2009, Wildlife Worldwide offers an action-packed 18-day tailor-made holiday combining the Ecuadorian Amazon jungle and Cotopaxi Volcano, with a 7-night Galápagos Island voyage. Tours depart Heathrow daily.

After an initial 2 nights in Quito, a domestic flight takes travellers to the town of Coca where guests transfer to their jungle lodge, situated deep in the Amazon jungle, by motorised canoe and Indian dugout. Here, 3 nights are spent exploring this remarkable region, host to one of the highest densities of plant and mammal species on Earth. 15% of all bird species are represented, including Blue-and-yellow Macaw, Cobalt-winged Parakeet and Harpy Eagle. Over 100 species of mammal are also present including Three-toed Sloth, Black-mantled Tamarin and Jaguar. The Amazon’s rivers, streams and lakes are home to two species of freshwater dolphin, four species of caiman and over 300 species of fish. Head back to Quito for a couple more nights’ exploration in this high altitude capital. The colonial centre is rich with churches, baroque monasteries and museums. Just 75kms outside of the city lies the permanently snow-covered peak of Cotopaxi, the world's highest active volcano (5,897m). Here, guests are accommodated overnight at one of Ecuador’s most stunning haciendas, San Agustin de Callo. At 3,000m, this magnificent hacienda, built on top of a former Inca temple, has superb views of Cotopaxi. The final focus of the holiday is a 7-night Galápagos Island voyage. Experience fascinating wildlife under the guidance of an experienced naturalist leader, whilst sailing around the 13 major islands, six minor islands and 42 islets that make up the Galápagos archipelago. Observe giant Galápagos Tortoise, colourful Land Iguana and large groups of sea faring Marine Iguana. However, it is the bird colonies that are most conspicuous, with Red and Blue-footed Booby, Galápagos Hawk, Flightless Cormorant and Galápagos Penguins, all present. The holiday concludes in Guayaquil where guests have a final 2 nights to explore the area - visit a banana or cocoa plantation or go birdwatching in a mangrove forest before catching the return flight home.

The holiday costs from £3,625 p/p including scheduled flights, transfers, boat, hotel and jungle lodge accommodation, most meals, services of an expert naturalist guide. Galapagos Park fee of US$100 is payable locally.

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GREY WHALE MIGRATION - MEXICO’S MAGDALENA BAY

Having made their annual migratory journey of almost 6,000 miles from summer feeding grounds off the coast of Alaska, up to 500 Grey Whales arrive in the lagoons of Mexico’s Magdalena Bay - providing the perfect winter home to court, breed, give birth and simply frolic in the warm, calm waters. Wildlife Worldwide offer 9-day holidays coinciding with this spectacle, next departing London 2nd, 3rd and 7th February 09.

The Grey Whale has the longest migration of any mammal, between their summer Arctic feeding grounds in the Bering and Chukchi Seas and their nurseries in the peaceful lagoons of Magdalena Bay, Baja California. Daily zodiac excursions allow for prime viewing of both courting couples and females with calves and newborns - a staggering 15 feet long. Whales often display peculiar curiosity towards the boats, providing excellent photographic opportunities - along with Spy-Hopping (raising their huge heads vertically out of the water) and occasionally breaching out of the calm Magdalena waters for that extra splash! Travellers are based at the ecvironmentally sympathetic Whalewatch Camp, similar in style to a tented safari lodge. Twin walk-in tents with solar showers combine with excellent camp cuisine to provide comfortable waterfront accommodation. Other activities on offer include hiking amongst sand dunes and desert flora, birdwatching, and sea-kayaking through the mangroves and peaceful waters of the bay.

The holiday costs from £1,975 p/p including scheduled flights, pre-paid taxes, hotel and tented Whalewatch Camp accommodation, most meals and expertly guided activities.

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NEW - BORNEO’S WILDLIFE SPECTACULAR

Tailor-made natural history specialists Wildlife Worldwide offer a NEW 14-day holiday in the Malaysian provinces of Sarawak and Sabah on the island of Borneo, focusing on flora and fauna of the world’s oldest rainforests. Explore Bako National Park, Mount Kinabalu, Kinabatangan River and Danum Valley, then get hands-on at Sepilok Orang-utan Sanctuary and Turtle Islands Marine Park - Sabah Wildlife Special departs London daily – available NOW!

From Kuala Lumpur an initial night is spent in Kuching before transferring to Bako National Park. Explore the park’s spectacular coastal scenery and teeming rainforests - host to abundant wildlife including Proboscis Monkey, Long-tailed Macaques and Silver Langurs. Continue to Kinabalu National Park and spectacular Mount Kinabalu - Borneo’s highest point (4,101m). Staying in the moist evergreen forests on its high slopes, guests have a unique opportunity to search for numerous plant, bird and mammal species. Up to 6,000 plant species occur on the mountain including over 1,000 orchid species, along with over 600 species of butterfly and some 320 bird species. At higher altitudes, look out for endemic Kinabalu Friendly Warbler and Mountain Blackbird, as well as Blue Earthworms or Giant Kinabalu Red Leech - and after dark, keep watch for endemic Kinabalu Forest Gecko. Next, enjoy close encounters with orphaned Orang-utans during twice-daily feeding sessions at Sepilok Orang-utan Sanctuary, internationally renowned for its rehabilitation work in Sepilok Forest. As well as charismatic apes, the reserve’s 43km² of primary lowland rainforest also offers excellent forest boardwalks – great for birdwatching and keeping an eye out for various snakes and frogs. From the coast, a short boat ride to Selingan Island allows an opportunity to swim and snorkel by day and to watch egg-laying Green turtles on the beach by night – also the chance to assist the release of baby turtles into the sea. At Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, situated on the Kinabatangan River, explore the mosaic of riparian forest, oxbow lakes, nipah swamp and mangroves by boat and on foot. The area is home to a diverse concentration of wildlife including Orang-utan, Proboscis Monkey and Bornean Pygmy Elephant, a vast array of bird species including hornbills, along with numerous reptiles and amphibians. Later, search for Sabah's ten species of primate (including Orang-utan), Asian Elephant, Sumatran Rhinoceros, Clouded Leopard and Malay Sun Bear during guided walks amongst some of Danum Valley’s 438km² lowland rainforest, before returning to Kuala Lumpur for homeward flights.

The tour costs from £3,095 p/p including scheduled international and domestic flights (MH), transfers, hotel, chalet and jungle lodge accommodation, most meals and guided activities.

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MEXICAN WAVES! - WHALES IN THE SEA OF CORTEZ

In the first episode of the BBC's latest wildlife series, Oceans, the team explored the depths of the Sea of Cortez – home to the world’s greatest variety of whales and dolphins. To see Mexico’s whales join Wildlife Worldwide on its epic 10-day ‘Simply Whales!’ tour incorporating a 5-night live-aboard whale watching voyage through the Sea of Cortez in search of Fin, Minke, Humpback and hundreds of courting Grey Whales. The tour next departs London 1st and 22nd February 2009.

After arriving into La Paz, guests embark on a 5-night voyage aboard the 24m Don Jose. Along with above-deck air-conditioned cabins, dining and lounge area, the vessel offers a library, video system and an onboard naturalist. Beginning in the Sea of Cortez, search for Fin and Minke Whale, before heading towards the tip of the Baja Peninsula - a Humpback Whale hotspot. Sightings of Common, and Bottle-nosed Dolphins, Green Turtles, Thresher Sharks, Blue Marlin and even Whale Sharks are all possible. Later, a major highlight of the trip is the passage through the northern portion of Magdelena Bay, on the west coast of the Baja Peninsula. Here, the waters are sheltered by low barrier islands, providing a perfect winter home to hundreds of migratory Grey Whales, who travel 5,000 miles from their Arctic feeding grounds to overwinter in these waters. Opportunities to observe, at close range, Grey Whales courting, rolling, breaching and tending to their young, are an exhilarating and humbling experience. Other activities on offer include snorkelling, hiking, beach combing and birdwatching. The voyage concludes at Magdelena Bay where passengers disembark and return by road to La Paz for a final night before homeward flights next day.

The tour costs from £2,295 p/p including scheduled flights, hotel and expedition vessel (standard cabin) accommodation, most meals and expertly guided activities.

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NEW WILDLIFE WORLDWIDE 2009 BROCHURE

It’s been a busy year at Wildlife Worldwide’s headquarters in Hampshire because in addition to arranging inspiring tailor-made wildlife holidays, staff have been researching new destinations and designing more, imaginative suggested itineraries in some of their favourite wildlife hotspots. With the finishing touches now complete, Wildlife Worldwide’s most comprehensive brochure to date is OUT NOW!

Notable highlights for 2009 include a huge new section on Madagascar, the rising star of the Indian Ocean, and thanks to an exciting collaboration with the Whale & Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS), a new portfolio of Out of the Blue whale-watching holidays. Elsewhere in the brochure, Chile lovers will relish the inclusion of the wild and remote Lauca National Park in the country’s far north, where Chungara Lake, one of the world’s highest, creates a remarkable habitat, plus Robinson Crusoe Island off the coast of Valparaiso, sure to intrigue birders, botanists and Daniel Defoe devotees alike!

Leafing through the brochure, travellers will benefit from more in-depth information about the parks and wilderness areas visited. Of course, back at base camp, Wildlife Worldwide’s dedicated team, who have between them travelled the world, is on hand to discuss ideas and concepts to help clients realise their perfect wildlife holiday.

New for 2009

Madagascar:
Wildlife in Comfort & Style: 19 days departing London daily, year-round – from £5,695 p/p.
An ideal itinerary for those wishing to combine superb wildlife viewing in a selection of stunning locations, with stays in beautifully appointed accommodation, including Mandare River Camp, offering African-style safari camping - a new innovation in Madagascar.

Out of the Blue:
Wildlife Worldwide in conjunction with the WDCS, offer the most comprehensive collection of expertly-led whale and dolphin watching tours available, including…

Short Breaks to the Moray Firth in Scotland: 4 days departing Inverness - selected dates in May, Jun, Jul & Aug – from £450 p/p.
Enjoy boat and shore-based dolphin watching, visit the WDCS centre at Spey Bay and stay in a delightfully converted 18th century brewery in the historic coastal town of Cromarty.

Ligurian Sea, Italy: 7-days departing London 30th June 09 – from £1,050 p/p.
Join the whale and dolphin experts onboard Pelagos, a specially chartered motor vessel, in Italy’s beautiful Ligurian Sea. See Fin, Sperm and Cuvier’s Beaked Whales, plus Bottlenose, Risso’s and Striped Dolphins.

Chile:
The Atacama Desert & Northern Chile: 13 days departing London daily, year-round – from £5,050 p/p.
Visit the desert town of San Pedro de Atacama, the coastal oasis of Arica - Chile’s northernmost city and Lauca NP in the heart of the Altiplano, renowned for its volcanoes, clear blue lakes and unique variety of wildlife, including Vicuna, Puma, Vizcachas and Armadillo.

Robinson Crusoe Island Extensions: 4 days departing Santiago daily, year-round - £850 p/p.
In 1704, Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk, became the real-life Robinson Crusoe when he was castaway on the uninhabited island of Más a Tierra (now known as Robinson Crusoe Island), part of the Juan Fernández archipelago situated off the coast of Valparaiso. His adventures were later fictionalised by Daniel Defoe in his now famous novel, Robinson Crusoe. The island has around 120 endemic plants and some rare species of bird, including several endemics and Pterodroma petrels.

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NEW TOUR - SPOT WHALES, RHINOS & LIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA’S EASTERN CAPE

Forget their ferocious fangs, sabretooth ‘tigers’ weren’t skulking but social animals who lived in family prides like lions today, according to recent research by UK and US experts. Heading to South Africa, Wildlife Worldwide’s new ‘bitesize’ 7-day holiday seeks out the lion families of Shamwari Game Reserve, but not before hitting the coast for whale watching and rhino-viewing at Oceana Beach and Wildlife Reserve. Daily departures are available from London between now and April 09.

On arrival in Port Elizabeth, transfer to Oceana Beach and Wildlife Reserve for the next two nights. Located on a long stretch of private beach, this exclusive sanctuary offers the unique opportunity to spot whales at the same time as rhino! Bush or beach, the reserve offers both, and plenty of game to go with it! Next, award-winning Shamwari Game Reserve, where classic ‘Big Five’ safaris are the order of the day. Here. Wildlife Worldwide’s guests stay for two nights at either Eagles Crag or Lobengula Lodge, both luxurious, tranquil and exclusive.

The holiday costs from £2,125 p/p including scheduled flights, transfers, luxury resort and safari lodge accommodation, some meals, complimentary spa treatment at Ocean Beach and Wildlife Reserve and expertly guided game viewing activities at Shamwari Game Reserve.

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CHOBE’S WATERWAYS & BIG GAME

The first officially sanctioned auction of ivory last week, has sparked a major controversy, worldwide. Although the proceeds of the auction will be ploughed back into elephant conservation schemes, many fear that it will ultimately encourage ivory poaching. Chobe National Park in Botswana has the biggest concentration of elephant in Africa, largely escaping the massive illegal poaching that decimated other African elephant populations in the 1970s and 80s. Chobe is one of the main highlights of Wildlife Worldwide’s small, but adventurous 11-day circuit through Zambia and Botswana. Tours depart London daily from December 2008 to 31st March 2009.

Experience a huge variety of animals and habitats, from the lush waterways to the fabulous big game experience of Chobe National Park, and unmissable Victoria Falls. The holiday commences with a stay at Tongabezi Lodge, an award-winning hideaway on the banks of the Zambezi River, just upstream from Victoria Falls. From the lodge, guests can take a short boat ride to Livingstone Island, the place where David Livingstone first glimpsed the falls or Mosi-oa-Tunya (the smoke that thunders). Next, Impalila Lodge, a small luxury lodge sitting on its own island at the confluence of the Chobe and Zambezi rivers where four countries meet. The area is unique, comprising an amazing mosaic of waterways, floodplains and woodland, with exceptional birdlife and game viewing. Secluded and remote, the lodge offers guests game viewing by boat and mokoro, along the quiet backwaters. Transfer by boat and road to Muchenje Safari Lodge, situated on the western side of Chobe National Park, for a final three nights. Chobe is home to the largest concentration of elephant in Africa, together with huge herds of buffalo. This is thrilling big game country and during the dry season the enormous herds congregate along the fertile flood plains of the Chobe River, stalked by waiting predators. Other major species include Lion, Wild Dog, Puku, Red Lechwe, Sable and Roan Antelope and a multitude of Hippopotamus. Game viewing is by 4-wheel drive vehicles inside the park and boat rides along the Chobe River.

The safari costs from £2,995 p/p including scheduled flights (SAA), transfers, hotel and safari lodge accommodation, most meals and expertly guided game viewing activities.

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