eNewsWire

High North’s tours will take you to destinations such as the beautiful South Coast of Iceland. Along the South Coast you will be able to see the true beauty of Iceland such as amazing and breathtaking waterfalls as well as glaciers.

You can also take shorter tours such as their Reykjanes Peninsula tour bringing you around the lava fields and hot springs as well as making a stop in the Blue Lagoon. There are many other tours that High North has to offer including Super Jeep off road tours. Read more…

‘Coast to Coast Tours’, www.coast2coastnz.com the all-inclusive ‘true’ Eco-tour & Farm visit of west Auckland, is celebrating 1 year as Tripadvisor’s best Auckland attraction.

The accolade of Tripadvisor’s No1 ‘best thing to do’, is currently rated out of 96 other Auckland attractions, and the small group touring company of ‘Coast to Coast Tours’ has held onto top-spot, (unsurpassed), since May ‘08.

New Zealand and Maori owner/operator’s; Stuart & Donna, say they are very humbled to still be at number one, and heartfully thank their reviewers for submitting their comments. The owner’s also say it has been quite an achievement, considering they are ‘just’ a husband and wife business.
Donna & Stuart applaud Tripadvisor for a very well orchestrated website, and are simply amazed from the number of people who say they regard Tripadvisor as the ‘Traveller’s Bible’ – “you don’t leave home without consulting it”. With the ability for reviewers to place photos and videos along with their comments; (be they favourable or not!), makes for a real candid report of tourism products that are available globally.
“This ‘experience’ of a product is the way a rating system should work”, says ‘Coast to Coast Tours’, “we are simply aghast how the Quality rating and Awards systems in place in New Zealand do not ‘experience’ the actual product when the assessor rates [in our case], the tour. We’d really like to see a move made to change this, so as the assessment is not pre-announced, and carried out by an incognito assessor who rates the product after their experience, ….then the assessor can come back to look at the paper-work after!”.
Operating since 2002, ‘Coast to Coast Tours’ has seen a few changes in Tourism.
“Today, with there being more emphasis on ‘experience’, [which is what our tour has always been about], people are moving away from the large group sightseeing coach tours”, says Stuart. “Our small and personalised tours of west Auckland, (which also includes coming to our sheep farm & Homestead which has been in our family since 1922), is what we present best.” Read more…

Here is good news for all wildlife adventurers, ornithologist and nature lovers. Tour My India, a leading tour operating company in India renewed its wildlife portal – IndiaWildliferesorts.com with new, attractive, more informative and unique presentation.

It has been a great achievement for Tour My India to present the India wildlife resorts with such a unique presentation after a lot of brainstorming, planning and strategy formulation by industry leaders and travel experts.

It needed a lot of research work on India wildlife, national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, bird sanctuaries for accumulating information on wild animals, migratory birds, mammals, reptiles that are rare to be found elsewhere and presenting all the collected information on the wildlife portal.

The site is categorized in 3 main areas – one for wildlife information including national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and bird sanctuaries, other two for wildlife resorts and wildlife tour packages. Read more…

The Iceland motorbike tour company, Blue Mountain has released its 2009 brochure and expects big things as happy customers return and spread the word to others and as Iceland itself becomes more affordable to foreign tourists.

Blue Mountain provides guided motorbike tours of Iceland. Tours are tailored to customers’ desires, budgets and length of stay. Blue Mountain tours always put the main focus on the customer. The company’s standards are set to meet the highest expectations and to guarantee a unique experience in every way possible.

Blue Mountain is a fully licensed travel agency and a premium motorbike tour company in Iceland.

Iceland’s extraordinary nature is what makes the country so appealing to tourists; and the lack of traffic and the challenging terrain are reasons it appeals to motorcyclists as well.

Iceland boasts active volcanoes, raging rivers, large glaciers, magnificent mountains and great waterfalls always in sight. It is the ideal place for the biker to experience the adventure of a lifetime. Travelling around Iceland gives the opportunity to enjoy the warmth of the Icelandic people who are always welcoming towards foreigners and willing to share their heritage and culture while. At the same time, Blue Mountain tours offer an unsurpassed view of the unique surroundings of Icelandic nature.

The BMW motorcycles on offer have a history of being trustworthy and easy to handle motorcycles. Blue Mountain motorbike tours in Iceland feature new BMW F650 GS motorcycles, which are equipped with side luggage cases, heated grips and GPS upon request.

The main purpose of Blue Mountain is to serve the increased demand for motorcycle adventure tours around Iceland. Blue Mountain was established in 2006 by Sverrir Thorsteinsson and his wife, Herdis. The company’s vision is straightforward and clear: Make each day in Iceland a pure adventure experience and make sure that everyone who visits will have a great time and go home safely and with a smile on their face.

For more information, or to book a motorbike tour of Iceland, visit www.bluemountain.is

Under threat from the speedboat, a south Thailand tour company is preserving the colourful heritage of longtail boats in Krabi.

Krabi tour company Andaman Camp and Cruise is passionate about its traditional longtail boats in Krabi, south Thailand.

They point to the years of tradition behind the longtail designs and the danger the boats face from the increasing popularity of speed boats.

The longtail boat is one of the unofficial symbols of Thailand and can be seen decorating the beachfront in any number of Thai photos. The longtail gets its name from the long pole used to connect the propeller to the motor – usually from a car or truck. The simple propeller link up makes the boat easy to steer and gives it its unique appearance.

The sleek look of each longtail boat is unique to the craftsman who made it, but the general design has been around for many centuries longer than the car engines that give the longtail its modern name.

Each boat has colourful ribbons tied to the head – a symbol of the ancient times when animism was the main belief system in the region. The colours are designed to appease the spirits of the seas. If the spirits are appeased, the boat and crew will have safe passage and good luck when fishing.

The specific colours on display have no meaning in themselves and are the choice of the boat’s owner. Being colourful and attractive is the rule people generally try to stick to.

Speed boats are increasingly popular in south Thailand, as they are faster and do not need to be painstakingly made from natural materials by local craftsmen. The longtail boat is suffering as a result, and some fear for its long term survival.

Elizabeth and Sun, the co-owners of Andaman Camp and Cruise, do all they can to preserve a future for the beautiful longtail boat, and encouraging tourists to take an interest is an important step.

Andaman Camp and Cruise specialise in offering longtail boat tours in Krabi, as well as personalised tours of the whole Andaman Sea region of southern Thailand.

Visit the Andaman Camp & Cruise website for more information on longtail boats in Krabi.

The personal service offered by Andaman Camp and Cruise and its tours of the Krabi region of South Thailand keeps Scandinavians coming back time and time again.

Andaman Camp and Cruise’s Krabi tours are available to everybody – but since the company’s be ginning (back when it was still called Krabi Island Tours) it has built up a special relationship with its Scandinavian customers.

South Thailand has been a magnet for Scandinavian tourists for over 30 years, and is still gaining popularity. When Sun and his Australian wife, Elizabeth started Andaman Camp and Cruise, two of their first customers were a Swedish couple, Johnny and Monika, from the famous Arvidsjaur district in the tundra of northern Sweden.

During their tour, Andaman Camp and Cruise’s traditional longtail boat took Johnny and Monika to visit every island in the area. When they asked for more, Sun decided to show them Krabi – his home village, including his family and the striking local countryside. And so a new breed of Krabi tours with the personal touch was born.

As a local Adversjaur council officer, Johnny gave Sun a T-shirt featuring his hometown in Sweden. An instant favourite, Sun wore it until it literally fell apart.

“Johnny and Monika kept in contact with us and sent many of their friends and colleagues to us,” Elizabeth recalls. “And Johnny even posted the story of Sun’s favourite T-shirt on the official Arvidsjaur website.” And much to Sun and Elizabeth’s delight, the Swedish pair finally returned to Krabi this year with a fresh supply of T-shirts and an appetite for adventure.

Andaman Camp and Cruise provides Krabi tours as well as longer tours of the Andaman Sea region of southern Thailand.

With a website in both English and Swedish, Andaman Camp and Cruise pays special attention to its Scandinavian guests and has built up a reputation as the local specialists, where Scandinavian tourists are concerned.

Visit the Andaman Camp and Cruise website for more information on Krabi tours.

Andaman Camp and Cruise offers unique tours of Krabi in south Thailand, and puts as much emphasis on the tastes and smells of Thailand as on its sights and sounds.

Thai food is always a highlight of any trip to Thailand. Sun is the owner and chef extraordinaire of the Krabi tours company, Andaman Camp and Cruise, which operates tailor-made tours to suit customers’ budgets and interests.

When on tours of Krabi in south Thailand, visitors often notice the importance of food in the local culture. Sun is particularly passionate about Thai cuisine, and takes great pride in feeding his guests. The concept behind his cooking is to present genuine South Thailand flavours to Western guests, instead of changing Thai food to suit Western tastes.

“Our customers appreciate the chance to eat the type of food we eat, rather than food prepared especially for tourists” Sun explains. “Although we do ask passengers if there are any foods they don’t like or are allergic to, and how spicy they can eat, we encourage them to taste some local ingredients and try out our delicious Thai sweets.”

The eldest of 5 children, Sun did not have a sister until he was well into his teens. By that time his mother had recruited him as her kitchen hand, and taught him how to cook the curries and sauces of the Thai-Muslim tradition.

Not only does Sun cook, but he also closely supervises the local daily market to make sure he only has the freshest ingredients for his dishes. And he is delighted to share his food and his skills with anyone who has an interest – and a keen appetite!

Andaman Camp and Cruise is a boutique tour company providing day trips and longer tours of Krabi and the Andaman Sea in southern Thailand. The company can arrange all aspects of trips, and consults with customers over length, activities, food and standard of accommodation. Flexibility is a byword!

Visit the Andaman Camp & Cruise website for more information on tours in Krabi and south Thailand.

Family-run Thai travel company, Andaman Camp and Cruise, announces its new schedule of personalised tours in and around Krabi, Thailand.

Andaman Camp and Cruise offers unique and tailor-made tours of Krabi in Southern Thailand. The company (formerly called Krabi Island Tours) has been operating for the past 5 years and is this year offering extended trips for those looking for a holiday to remember.

Andaman Camp and Cruise offers the “real” Thailand – making it the ideal choice if your sense of adventure and spontaneity make package tourism unappealing.

The family business welcomes visitors to the beauty of the beaches and islands of the Andaman Sea and directly into the family home of Elizabeth, originally from Australia, her Thai husband, Sun, and baby Noah, who is just 7 months old. There is no better way to experience Thailand than by staying in a real Thai home in a little coastal village.

“I think it helps to have a true English speaking guide (me!) who can explain what it is really, truthfully like to live here” says Elizabeth, who has been in Thailand for over 6 years. “Between us, Sun and I can answer questions not only about the islands and places we visit, but about all aspects of Thailand.”

The white beaches and crystal clear waters of Krabi are already well known to the Scandinavian people, who have holidayed in the area for well over 30 years. Now there is a new way to enter into the life and culture of this spectacular region.

Andaman Camp and Cruise offers a full range of day trips and longer tours of Krabi and the Andaman Sea in southern Thailand. The company can arrange all aspects of trips, and consults with customers over length, activities, food and standard of accommodation.

Visit the Andaman Camp and Cruise website for more information on customised tours of Krabi, Thailand.