eNewsWire

A group of showbiz favourites including Cheryl Cole, Gary Barlow, Alesha Dixon and Fearne Cotton have abandoned their usual sun-soaked and stylish holiday destinations and are currently tramping their way up Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Of course, it’s all in a good cause, with the nine climbers raising money for Comic Relief.

Tour operator The Adventure Company (www.adventurecompany.co.uk) is supporting the cause too, by donating £10 to the BT Red Nose Climb Fund for every passenger booking one of its Kilimanjaro expeditions before 15th March 2009. Customers should quote ‘Red Nose’ when booking.

The Adventure Company offers three routes up Mount Kilimanjaro. The Marangu Route is generally considered the least strenuous and offers the relative comfort of huts at night. The Rongai Route is less busy and offers the best chance of seeing wildlife on the Masai lands. The Machame Route is the most challenging of the three routes and walkers will be rewarded for their efforts with magnificent views. The Adventure Company will also donate money for passengers booking onto Peaks of Tanzania, a longer trip which combines the Machame Route with an ascent of extinct volcano Mount Meru (4,667m). Read more…

The Adventure Company has reduced prices on many of its Family and Worldwide Adventures for the Easter holidays. Highlighted below are some of the best deals.

Price reductions are calculated using published brochure prices (September 2008) and prices now available online at www.adventurecompany.co.uk.

FAMILY ADVENTURES

Tiger Trails and Taj Mahal – save up to £300 per person

This 11-day family adventure travels around India’s Golden Triangle, including the city bazaars of Delhi, the magnificent Taj Mahal at Agra and the ‘pink city’ of Jaipur. The pace slows as families journey to the deserted city of Fatehpur Sikri, then spend two nights in Ranthambore National Park taking game drives in search of crocodile, deer, leopard and tiger.

The Adventure Company has reduced prices for the Easter departure of Tiger Trails and Taj Mahal, 6th – 16th April 2009. This trip is now available from £1,149 per adult (was £1,449) and from £1,069 per child (was £1,299). Prices include flights. Read more…

With his well-documented travels around the globe to look at different species – decades before the term ‘safari’ entered the English language – Charles Darwin could be considered one of the world’s first wildlife tourists.

Nowadays, as Darwin’s bicentennial approaches, exotic wildlife is considered a key motivator to travel. Here, The Adventure Company lists its top trips for wildlife encounters this year, including two new trips.

• MONKEYS IN SRI LANKA – NEW FOR 2009

Spend two days at the Polonnaruwa Primate Camp and help with research into the local populations of torque macaques and purple faced and grey langurs. Well over 1,000 monkeys live here among the ruins of an ancient city. This trip also includes an elephant back safari, dolphin watching (in season) and a nature walk along Habarana Lake where over 130 bird species have been recorded.

The trips: Read more…

Looking for a change of scene in the next few weeks? The Adventure Company still has availability on the following trips, including some family holidays for the February half term.

FAMILY TRIP – Snow activities in Bulgaria

Bulgarian Winter Experience will no leave no room for boredom over the half-term holiday. This snow-filled week of adventure includes downhill and cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and optional snowmobile rides or dog-sledding. Families will also visit a local observatory for a tour of the night sky, join a local family for lunch, visit the impressive Devil’s Throat Cave and have time to relax in Sofia.

Bulgarian Winter Experience runs from 14th – 21st February 2009. Prices start from £639 per child / £899 per adult including flights; or from £499 per child / £719 per adult on a land-only basis. Read more…

Tour operator The Adventure Company has slashed hundreds of pounds off the price of selected trips to help travellers beat the doom and gloom of the credit crunch in 2009.

The Adventure Company has been working hard with its ground handlers and preferred airlines to reduce the cost of selected trips across its brochure portfolio and the lower cost worldwide adventures can now be viewed on its website: www.adventurecompany.co.uk .

Below are just a few of the trips available now at a reduced cost. Price reductions are calculated using 2009 brochure rates (published September 2008) and rates available now online.

SAVE £460 on SALSA CUBANA

16th – 31st May 2009 / Was £1,959, now £1,499 per person including flights Read more…

French ski-accommodation specialist PV-Holidays is welcoming the early start to this year’s ski season by announcing special early-bird deals of up to 50% off ski breaks throughout December. The company now has over a quarter of its ski-properties open for business in the French Alps to accommodate skiers keen to take advantage of the early snowfall.

At the time of writing, snow forecasts predicted excellent skiing conditions into the New Year with up to 115cm of snow in Val Thorens, 80cm in Les Deux Alpes, 140cm in La Plagne and 60cm in Meribel.

All of the deals below are valid for stays between now and 31st December 2008. All prices are per apartment, per week and are based on an exchange rate of £1 = €1.121 (as of 12th December 2008). All apartments come fully furnished and include a fully equipped kitchen area and living room. Read more…

Part one of Steven Soderbergh’s biopic of revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara is in cinemas now. Che: The Argentine documents Che’s role in the Cuban Revolution, with part two (to be released on 20th February) following his later activities and eventual demise in Bolivia.

Born in Argentina, Che’s legacy is still widely visible across Latin America. Travellers keen on following the ‘Che trail’ can do so in 2009 with the following trips from The Adventure Company.

Viva la Revolución – Salsa Cubana

50 years on from the Cuban Revolution of January 1959, visit the park where Fidel Castro gave his first speech as leader of Cuba; see Castro’s original command post in the mountains; and Che Guevara’s mausoleum and museum in Santa Clara, where items including his iconic beret and leather jacket are on display. This 16-day trip recalls Cuba’s historic past, stopping at the Bay of Pigs and spending time in colonial Havana, with its classic American cars and rhythmic Salsa beats. The Adventure Company’s Salsa Cubana trip travels the length of the island, exploring its changing scenery including its tobacco fields, lush forests and tropical beaches. Travellers will use bank notes featuring Che’s image to buy souvenirs along the route. Read more…

Key trekking destinations are more popular than ever, according to specialist operators, The Adventure Company.

Bookings to both Nepal and Morocco are almost 10 per cent ahead of the same time last year, showing that active travellers are the most determined to stride on with their holiday plans says the company.

Trekking trips to the Mera Peak Trek in Nepal and Winter Toubkal in Morocco are currently the best sellers.

‘More people than ever are travelling to Nepal and nearly 500 have already booked trips for 2009, proving that unique long haul destinations are not being ruled out despite the economic situation at the moment.’ says Nicky MacFarlane, product director from The Adventure Company

‘We have found from customer feedback that our trekking holidays are exceptional value for money, due to their relatively low costs and all inclusive nature.’ Read more…

French holiday specialist PV-Holidays has announced a number of savings for those wanting to spend Christmas on the slopes this year, with up to 20% off accommodation at a number of ski properties throughout France from 20th – 27th December 2008.

The special offers are valid for a number of properties based all over France and include prominent resorts in the Alps such as Chamonix, Val d’Isère and Courchevel. The deals are available to suit any range of budgets, with a weeks stay starting from just £16 per person per night. All deals can be found on PV-Holiday’s website at:

http://www.pv-holidays.com/ski_accommodation_france.php

Below we have listed our top choices for spending Christmas in the snow, whatever your budget. Unless otherwise stated, prices are based per apartment for seven nights on an accommodation only basis: Read more…

Hotel Hafnarfjordur is an apartment hotel in the picturesque town of Hafnarfjordur, just a short distance from Reykjavik in the middle of a stunning lava field. Elves, golf, horses, the Blue Lagoon and the airport are all in easy reach.

Hotel Hafnarfjordur apartment hotel in Iceland is an increasingly popular choice for those who want to enjoy the freedom of staying in holiday apartments, but also want to have the convenience of hotel service. Hotel Hafnarfjordur offers unique and personal service to make guests feel comfortable, all in the name of giving them “a home away from home”.

Guests can choose from three swimming pools in Hafnarfjordur town, go golfing by the sea, and just generally relax for one or more days, horse riding and visiting the popular Viking Village.

And for those who have too much to see and too little time to do it, Hotel Hafnarfjordur proves the perfect base for a last minute sightseeing spree before going home. With its free parking, tourist information and proximity to the airport, the hotel is ideally suited to making the most of precious time.

Hotel Hafnarfjordur apartment hotel is ideal for the independent traveller as well as business travellers/companies and their staff. Family holidays to Iceland are also very well catered for. Public transport runs regularly and is close by, parking is ample and free, and there is easy access to Reykjavík city. The Fly Bus airport service also stops right outside, and the hotel is conveniently close to shopping malls, tourist attractions and the main road to Keflavik airport.

Hotel Hafnarfjordur is a newly-build 71 room apartment hotel, at Reykjavikurvegur 72, in Hafnarfjordur, Iceland. The hotel offers single, double and studio-apartments, for up to four persons, and family apartments for up to six persons with comfortable beds and a small kitchenette.

For more information on Hotel Hafnarfjordur, to see current special offers, or to book an apartment, visit www.hhotel.is