Alternative winter holidays
MEDIA RELEASE: MONDAY 8 OCTOBER 2007 Winter breaks with a difference It’s time to embrace the winter weather in all its glory, wrap up warm and take an alternative break this season with www.responsibletravel.com, the world’s leading directory of specialist holidays. Choose from long weekends away, including an adventure in Iceland, whale watching in Norway and snow holing in Scotland, or for something further afield, head to Finland for dogsledding, Everest and Kashmir for extreme skiing or the Arctic Circle for the once in a lifetime chance to live and work with the Saami people. You may also find these tips for a greener ski holiday useful. Visit www.responsibletravel.com for many more winter holiday options. 1. Yoga with skiing in the Swiss Alps, from £650 for eight days Enjoy a relaxing eight day winter holiday at a UNESCO resort high in the mountains, from just £650 including accommodation, breakfast, daily yoga passes and a ski pass for three regions. Part of your payment goes to the protection of this nature reserve. Start the day with a gentle yoga session and a healthy breakfast, then head off for adventure – skiing (ski school lessons available), snowboarding, snow-shoeing, hiking, sledging, ice-skating or even curling. End the day with a gentle yoga class and a pampering massage. Your sunny hotel room balcony will look down on the valley and is just a short walk from the ski-lifts and restaurants of this car-free village. Wengen is a spotlessly clean, safe and environmentally friendly part of the Swiss Alps with high standards of recycling. Departures are weekly in March 2008. 2. Four day adventure holiday in Iceland from £729, including flights This weekend of high adventure, departing 13 December, includes two nights in the capital and one night in a rural guesthouse in the wilds of the 'Land of Ice and Fire'. Discover the awe-inspiring volcanic and glaciated landscape on foot, by snowmobile, and by using crampons and ice axes on a sensational glacier walk. See Gulfoss waterfall, the geysers at Geysir and the Blue Lagoon, Iceland's most famous thermal pool. There's also time to explore Reykjavik and sample its famous nightlife. Family run hotels in small villages are chosen for their access to unspoilt mountain terrain, rather than number of lifts and resort facilities. 3. Snowhole expedition in the Scottish Highlands – from £313 for five days This five day expedition takes you through Britain's highest mountain range - the Cairngorms. Once you've undergone a day of skills training you embark on a two-day expedition deep into the snowy wilderness. The route takes you across the Cairngorm (4085ft) - Ben Macdui (4295ft) plateau where you will help construct a roomy, communal snowhole, in which you will spend a night. This is Britain’s ultimate winter mountain experience. Using local guides and wood-burning stoves in the lodge, this trip advocates responsible tourism practices. Price includes full board accommodation, provision of snowholing and cooking equipment, plus transfers from Inverness airport/Aviemore rail station. Departures are available 26 Jan, 23 Feb, 8 Mar, 15 Mar and 20 Mar 2008. 4. Be a ‘musher’ for eight days - dogsledding holiday in Finland – from £1,169 Stay for five nights at Erakeskus lakeside lodge, in the far east of Finland, taking daily dogsledding trips. Then embark on a three-day expedition, sleeping in simple log cabins with wood-burning stoves and saunas along the way. Price excludes flights but flights can be arranged. Departures 14 Dec, 21 Dec, 29 Dec 2007 with weekly dates in 2008 until the end of March. This trip is operated so as to ensure no disruption to local people and environments. 5. Long weekend watching whales and the Northern Lights in Norway, from £835 Spend four days in Arctic Norway observing killer whales and the mystical Northern Lights from just £835 including flights. From October to January pods of Orcas gather in remote Tysfjord as they follow giant shoals of herring. You will also have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to snorkel with the Orcas. Every evening you will have the opportunity to see the Northern Lights. Accommodation is in an inviting lodge-style hotel on the shores of the Fjord with a cosy bar area, sauna and gym. The research centre closely monitors the behavioural patterns of the large number of killer whales in this area, and is dedicated to preserving and managing their way of life, and minimising the impacts of tourism. Included in the price are return flights from London, transfers, three nights half-board accommodation and one day whale watching. Departure dates in 2007: 25 Oct, 1 Nov, 15 Nov, 29 Nov, 20 Dec, 27 Dec plus 10 Jan 2008. 6. A 22-day skiing and snowboarding holiday in Everest, Nepal, from £1,212 This trip allows you to ski at the top of the world, with guaranteed snow! Nepal has no skiing resorts and hence any skiing or snowboarding has to be backcountry and exploratory and is best suited to thrill-seeking adventurers. This trip also includes treks in the Sagamatha National Park - the highest wildlife reserve in the world and a trip to Everest Base Camp. Porters and staff are all oriented towards responsible travel. A zero litter policy is in place so that wastage in the region is minimised. Price includes domestic flights only, all meals, accommodation, ski instructor, guide, porters, transport, permit, airport transfers and one day heritage sightseeing in Kathmandu valley. Excludes equipment. Departs anytime throughout January. 7. Rare privilege to partake in a 10-day Saami reindeer migration – Arctic Circle Here is an exclusive chance for just fourteen people to undertake the winter adventure of a lifetime, assisting the Saami people of Finnmark on their annual reindeer migration. The journey begins in Kirkenes, northern Norway. You will be fully trained in the working methods of the Saami people and will then escort the reindeer from their winter grounds to the summer grazing area. You will be living close to the reindeer, assisting when necessary in herding them by skidoo, and moving and sleeping as and when they do. This means long hours and little sleep for up to five days. The two leaders for this adventure are Nigel Gifford OBE, who made the journey in 2005 with legendary Arctic adventurer Kare Tannvik, and one of Norway's top outdoorsmen. This rare privilege has been granted by a Saami “siida”(a family group of herders). For years the Saami shunned interaction with outsiders - many attempts have been made in the past to eradicate them and their 4000 year old culture. This adventure is certainly not for the faint-hearted: requiring determination, physical stamina, resilience to Arctic winter conditions and a good sense of humour. Price from £2,435 for ten days, including accommodation, all transportation, all activities, snowmobile hire, Arctic proof clothing, meals and airport transfers. Departs 5 April 2008. 8. A 14 day snow leopard trek in Ladakh, Kashmir from £2,395, including flights Meet the amazingly hardy mountain people, visit some of their great Buddhist monasteries and villages and undertake a trek in search of the snow leopard with skilled local trackers. You will see a diverse range of fauna including blue sheep (the staple of snow leopard diet), ibex, wild ass, long-tailed and Himalayan marmots, Tibetan hare, mouse hare, wolf, wild dog and fox. The skies are also patrolled by golden eagle, bearded vultures, hobbys and kestrels. Rinchen Wangchuk oversees the Snow Leopard Conservancy projects. Brought up in Ladakhi village, he is a skilled mountaineer and has served as a naturalist on several documentaries including the recent BBC Wildlife on One programme. This trip aims to reduce depredation, increase local incomes and strengthen community stewardship of alpine ecosystems. Price includes return scheduled international flights, meals, domestic flights, transportation, accommodation and tentage, a US $250 contribution to Snow Leopard Conservancy of India, expert tour leader, local guides and porterage. Departs 17 Nov 2007 or 1 Mar, 15 Nov 2008. 9. Eleven day skiing holiday in Kashmir from £1,935, including flights Surrounded by some of the most stunning mountains in the world, the highest gondola lift anywhere on earth, under crowded resorts and some of the best powder skiing ever, Kashmir is perfect for the alternative skiing holiday. This trip starts and ends in Delhi. The Highland Park Hotel, where you’ll stay, has bungalow accommodation, fires in each room and a fine bar and restaurant. On the way home you’ll spend a day and a night in the charming houseboats on the lake at Srinagar. Trips are on a full board basis and international flights, transport, mineral water plus entrance fees are included. When you book this trip, a contribution to Climate Care is made. The “Ladakh Project” has also brought solar lighting to families in the remote Nubra Valley; enabling them to grow and harvest crops and stockpile supplies for the harsh winters. Trip departs 24 January 2008. For further information or to make a booking, visit www.responsibletravel.com or call 01273 600030. Notes to editors responsibletravel.com is an online travel directory - based in Brighton, Contact: Krissy Pentland press@responsibletravel.com 01273 648 519 or 07717 348368 |
