Dear Friends,

Welcome to the first edition of the Naturetrek e-news for 2005

The Naturetrek team would like to wish all the recipients of our e-newsletter a very happy New Year. We would also like to take this opportunity to convey that our thoughts and prayers are with those who have lost family and friends in the South East Asia disaster that shocked the world on 26th December. Naturetrek did have trips running at the time in both Sri Lanka and India, but fortunately have returned safe and well.

This Month's Newsletter Features

OUR AUSTRALIA COLLECTION

Our fantastic portfolio of tours to Australia has recently been extended to include a Bargain Birdwatching tour to Western Australia. Whether your interest is in botany, birds, cetaceans or general natural history we are sure to have a trip to suit you!

Queensland’s Rainforests & Great Barrier Reef
This itinerary has been compiled to focus on the feast of tropical birdlife, unique mammals and unrivalled marine life to be found on the Great Barrier Reef, the Atherton Tablelands, and in the Daintree and Lamington National Parks; indeed, the very best of Australia! For further details click here.

New! West Australia – A Birdwatching Tour
This is the newest addition to our collection of tours to Australia. This trip has been formulated using the same concept as our other Bargain birding trips: action-packed and led by a local expert offering excellent value for money and outstanding birding. This 12-day tour has a varied itinerary that enables the keen birdwatcher to see many of Western Australia’s endemic species, visiting some stunning locations including Two People’s Bay to search for the Noisy Scrub-bird, Western Whip Bird and Western Bristle Bird, the south-west coastal corner to locate Red-Tailed Tropic Bird and the Jarrah, Marri and Karri forests to look for the variety of honeyeaters, colourful parrots and noisy cockatoos! For further details click here.

Whales & Dolphins of Western Australia
This short (8-day) but fantastic trip provides participants with the unique opportunity to enjoy close encounters with Humpback Whales, Bottlenose Dolphins, Common Dolphins, Southern Right Whales and, in November, increasing sightings of inshore Blue Whales. Furthermore, there is also the possibility of tracking pods of Sperm Whales by light aircraft. For further details click here.

Ocean Giants of Western Australia
The focus of this 16-day tour are the marine giants that inhabit Western Australia’s pristine waters including Humpback, Southern Right and Sperm Whales, Orcas, Bottlenose and Indo-Pacific Dolphins, Dugongs, giant Manta and Eagle Rays, Whale Sharks, other sharks and turtles. An absolute must for any marine enthusiast! For further details click here.

Wild Flowers of Western Australia
Western Australia is a remote and relatively un-developed corner of Australia, and is regarded as one of the world's botanical 'hotspots'. Here, during each southern spring, it bursts into magnificent bloom as carpets of wild flowers and hillsides of colourful shrubs flower after winter rains. For further details click here.

The Kimberley
The remote and unspoiled region of The Kimberley situated in north-western Australia is the setting for our outstanding 21-day camping safari. The focus of this tour is a combination of the rich birdlife, mammals, flora and natural history found in this immense corner of Oz. For further details click here.

For further details on any of our tours to Australia, please contact tour manager Maryanne Mills on 01962 733051 or email maryanne@naturetrek.co.uk

Images courtesy of Tourism Western Australia and Tourism Queensland.

EUROPEAN BIRDING WEEKENDS

We have spaces on two short breaks in early March; join us to banish those late winter blues!

Belgium in Winter (4th – 7th March)
This tour did not run in 2004, somewhat surprising given the interesting mix of birds and culture enjoyed by our inaugural group in 2003. The 4 varied days include travel by Eurostar, delicious Belgian cuisine, a city tour of Bruges and avian highlights such as Hawfinch, Crested Tit, Middle-spotted Woodpecker, Eagle Owl plus of course flocks of geese and masses of wildfowl. This tour currently has 4 bookings and will definitely go ahead with expert local guide Gerald Broddelez.

Click here for further details and a previous tour report.

France – Cranes & Woodpeckers (4th – 8th March)
Join us for travel by Eurostar to Paris and then onwards for a short break in the Champagne region of northern France. This 5-day tour is definitely going ahead and will be escorted by Tony Williams. Trip highlights are likely to be Common Crane (in numbers!), White-tailed Eagle plus a variety of interesting woodland species including most of the northern European woodpeckers…not forgetting of course excellent local hospitality with delicious food and picnics!

Click here for further details and to read the trip report from March 2004.

TOUR REPORTS

Chile
The topography of Chile is one of the most varied of any country in South America extending from hot desert in the north to a sub-Antarctic south, and from Pacific Ocean in the west to the high peaks of the Andes to the east. With such a great diversity of habitats it is little wonder that this beautiful country is becoming ever more popular as a wildlife destination and the rewards soon become apparent by reading tour leader Will Wagstaff’s account of his recent visit in November 2004 with a Naturetrek tour group.

For details of our next tour amongst the stunning Chilean scenery departing on 12th November 2005, and to read Will’s report, click here.

The Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands represent one of the most unusual holiday destinations in Naturetrek's long and varied programme of tours. The islands are quintessentially British in character and yet the avifauna, with the humble exception of introduced House Sparrows, is an exciting blend of Neotropical and sub-Antarctic species. Although one of our most expensive tours, the potential bird list is paradoxically one of the smallest but this is very much a holiday where the emphasis is on quality rather than quantity. The sights and sounds of great penguin rookeries, Black-browed Albatross colonies stretching along cliff tops, Elephant Seals snorting contentedly on sandy beaches and menacing Orcas cruising through offshore kelp fields, are all typical Falkland memories that clients take away from these wonderful islands.

Tour leader Paul Dukes’s report of this unforgettable trip provides a taste of what future participants might expect. To read this, and for further details on our next tour to The Falklands which departs on the 8th November 2005, click here.

India– Just Tigers!
In late November tour leader Dushyant Singh escorted a group of 10 Naturetrek clients to Kanha, one of India’s best Tiger reserves located in Northern India. During the 13-day tour the participants enjoyed many vehicle-based game drives as well as the incredible opportunity to observe Tigers from elephant back. It was a thrill for everyone to be up on the elephants and watch the Tigers from such a close proximity. During one memorable elephant safari the group observed a beautiful female stalking a swamp deer in the meadows.

Apart from the fantastic Tiger sightings (that totalled 13 over a period of 6 days), 160 species of birds were spotted in Kanha itself. A rare sighting was that of Siberian Rubythroat.

To read Dushyant’s full report of this memorable tour and for our forthcoming Just Tigers departure dates click here.

ESCAPE FOR EASTER

If you are tempted to jet away for the Easter break this year, we are running a variety of trips to various destinations, including:

LATE AVAILABILITY

To view a list of the late availability for Naturetrek tours departing over the next few months, as of 18/01/2005, please click here. However, as things are constantly changing, we advise you call our Cheriton Mill office on 01962 733051 to check for any amendments

Finally, we hope you have enjoyed reading this edition of the Naturetrek e-news. If you have any comments regarding our e-newsletter or experience any technical problems please email victoria@naturetrek.co.uk.

We look forward to being able to assist you with your future travel plans.

Best wishes for the New Year from us all,

If you would prefer not to hear from us in this way, please email remove@naturetrek.co.uk

For more information on any of our holidays please call us on 01962 733051