News

Summer News

No sooner has it started than it feels as if summer’s already nearly over, with the UK suffering from ‘mixed’ weather at the moment. But the summer has proved to be so busy for us that we’ve barely had time to get outside anyway – many of our new group trips have departed for the first time, and more and more of you are contacting us for some very unique tailor made itineraries.

Belarus has proved to be a popular new addition to our tours, with several of you travelling there this summer – not far away for those of you in Europe, and relatively compact, this fascinating ex-Soviet country has much to offer. Home to primeval forests that shelter some of Europe’s last remaining bison, magnificent fairytale castles and imposing Communist architecture, Belarus has a soul that is hard to define but nonetheless quite magical. There are few places like it; a land where ancient traditions and folklore live incongruously stand side by side with Stalinist monuments, where cautious faces give way to enormous smiles as local people welcome you into their communities, and everywhere imbued with a strong sense of religion that the Soviets failed to eradicate. To travel through Belarus is almost like stepping back in time, on a number of different levels. Rural communities in Belarus’ glorious countryside are a reminder of how much of Europe once lived, while some of its monuments hark back to the days of the Cold War. Belarus isn’t for everyone – it barely features on the tourist map and makes few concessions to those who do visit, but then that’s part of its charm. It offers the chance to see a very different side of Europe, one not yet touched by global markets, brand presence and cultural homogeneity, and its omission from travel programmes and magazines means that every experience you have here will be new, untainted by preconceptions. This truly is an undiscovered corner of Europe; read the full details of our itinerary here.

For those of you looking for late getaways and guaranteed departures in the next couple of months, we have a number of tours to tempt you. Our Historic Ethiopia (2 October) and Omo Valley Explorer (16 October) tours allow you to see two totally different sides of this enchanting country, while our Kingdom of the Black Pharaohs (17 October) tour focuses on the enigmatic monuments of northern Sudan – far less visited but just as fascinating than their Egyptian neighbours. Staying in the region, our Eritrea Discovery tour (27 October) allows an insight into Africa’s newest nation - although will its title soon be usurped by South Sudan after its independence referendum next year?

We have just a few spaces left on our Golden Myanmar tour on 24 October. Surely South East Asia’s most stunning country, Myanmar is packed full of exquisite temples, monasteries and monuments which cannot fail to captivate the visitor. This is the last of our Golden Myanmar tours to feature the Irrawaddy River cruise; if the thought of sailing lazily down one of Asia’s most important waterways appeals, get in touch.

Our Congo River Expedition trip has just departed, with a small group of travellers sailing from Mbandaka all the way to Kisangani – we can’t wait to hear their reports when they emerge from the jungle. We’ve already published the departure date for 2011, and have now broken the trip down into two shorter sections, from Mbandaka to Lisala and from Lisala to Kisangani, for those of you that can’t spare four weeks to do the whole trip.

On the topic of new trips, we’ve also added a short tour in Sudan – Sudan Highlights, the short break with a real difference! Our best value tour in this amazing country, the Sudan Highlights trip takes in the best of the historic monuments and is perfect for those on a budget or short on time. At the moment we have just one departure of this in 2011, so we recommend booking early to secure a place. See the full details here.

And to complement our trips in West Africa, we’ve added an 8 day trip that focuses exclusively on Guinea-Bissau. Our Guinea-Bissau Discovery trip takes in the wonderful Bijagos Archipelago, home to some of the most traditional cultures on the continent as well as unique saltwater hippos, and the March departure spends time at vibrant carnivals both on the islands themselves and in the capital Bissau. Guinea-Bissau is a true jewel of a nation, and one of our personal favourites – once you’ve been there we’re sure you’ll agree.

We’re also getting quite a bit of interest in our competition winner Erik Futtrup’s superb tour to Djibouti and the Danakil. Encompassing salt lakes, live volcanoes, Afar tribespeople and the strangest scenery you’re ever likely to see, this tour epitomises the ‘off the beaten track’ philosophy that Undiscovered Destinations is all about. Again, this is a tour with limited spaces so we recommend booking early.

Finally, in the pipeline we have a wonderful tour encompassing Rwanda and Burundi, and we’re currently working on a very exciting – and very different – itinerary in Cambodia. Keep an eye on our website for forthcoming details.

And don’t forget, you can follow all of our latest goings on with Twitter.

Happy travels to you all!