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Fare Joint (One Travel One World), Salinas, CA (2024)

05/08/2016

Kalahari - Botswana

The parched alter ego of the Okavango Delta, the Kalahari is a primeval landscape, recalling in stone, thorns and brush the earliest memories of the human experience. This impression of a land where time began finds voice in the hot winds and snap of thorn bush under a San tracker’s feet in the Kalahari. It is the timeless roar of a Kalahari lion resonating across the still desert air. It is a valley that cuts through the desert’s heart and follows the path left by ancient rivers that long ago disappeared into the dust.

The Tswana call this the Kgalagadi: Land of Thirst. And this is indeed dry, parched country. By some accounts, the Kalahari has the largest volume of sand of any desert on earth. Such statistics can be misleading – this is no desert of rolling sand dunes. But this is undoubtedly a land painted by a sand palette: blood and mud reds and bleached bone yellow; dust that bites you back as you taste it in the morning. But come the nights, this hard end of the colour wheel shifts into its cooler, sometimes white-cold shades: indigo nights that fade to deepest black, and blue stars ice-speckling the impossibly long horizon. Indeed, the local San insist that here you can hear ‘the stars in song’ behind the dark.

The Kalahari’s 1.2-million-sq-km basin stretches across parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa, and in Botswana it also includes places like the Tsodilo Hills and Makgadikgadi Pans. But in this section here we focus on the chain of parks and small towns that cut through the centre and south of the country.

09/29/2015

Singapore most preferred tourist destination for Indian Travelers:

According to report, Singapore ‘the Lion City’ replaces ‘the Desert City’ Dubai taking the top position as the most preferred international destination by Indian travellers in the first half of 2015. The US and UK continue to charm Indian travellers as London (UK) and New York (US) retained their 4th and 5th spot respectively. Destinations such as Paris which ranked the 8th position in the first half of 2014 moved upwards to the 7th position, dropping Hong Kong, Las Vegas to the 8th and 9th position respectively. Kuala Lumpur which spotted the 10th rank in the first half of 2014 was replaced by the new entrant, Bali in the first six months of 2015.

09/23/2015

Tourism Australia, has collaborated with India’s national carrier, Air India, giving flyers a chance to travel to Australia with exciting fares starting from Rs 58,000 onwards. The special offer, being advertised on digital platforms, is on until September 30, 2015 and valid for travel till Octorber 31, 2015, subject to applicable terms and conditions.

In August 2013, Air India launched direct non-stop flights to Sydney and Melbourne providing a boost to aviation capacity between India and Australia by up to 93,400 seats (on an annualised basis). For the year ended December 2014, Air India recorded 11% market share for air traffic from India into Australia.
Nishant Kashikar, Country Manager, India & Gulf, Tourism Australia, said, “Aviation is a critical pillar of Tourism Australia’s India 2020 Strategic Plan. Air India is one of our important airline partner, and has been a key driver for bringing in additional capacity and driving Indian arrivals to Australia. This limited period offer is a fantastic opportunity for travelers to take advantage of and plan their next holiday in Australia.”

08/15/2015

Happy Independence Day to All

08/13/2015

Antarctica : The 7th Continent

No place on Earth compares to this vast white wilderness of elemental forces: snow, ice, water, rock. Antarctica is simply stunning.

Adventure

Antarctica’s surreal remoteness, extreme cold, enormous ice shelves and mountain ranges, and myriad exotic life forms invariably challenge you to embrace life fully. Everyone – scientist, support worker, government official and tourist alike – who comes to this isolated continent, must ‘earn’ it, whether by sea-voyage or flight. Ice and weather, not clocks and calendars, determine the itinerary and the timetable of all travel here. Expect experiences unlike any other, whether whale-watching across the open sea, spying a penguin rookery, or framing that perfect photograph of an awe-inspiring ice-form. Today, it’s even possible for visitors to climb Antarctic peaks, or kayak icy waters. But there is nothing quite like the craggy crevasses of a magnificent glacier or the sheer expanse of the polar ice cap.

History

The names of explorers and their sovereigns and benefactors are written on Antarctica’s shores. Renowned explorers from Cook to Amundsen and Scott all tried to pe*****te this vast, mysterious land: each with varying degrees of success. Visitors can follow in their footsteps and imagine what it was like to forge through the pack ice on a creaking wooden boat or man-hauling sledges across the polar plateau. Some of their huts actually remain, preserved in frozen rime, to tell the story of adventures long past.

Inspiration

Antarctica possesses an unnamable quality. Call it inspiration, call it grandeur…it is simply the indescribable feeling of being a small speck in a vast, harshly beautiful land. A land where striated ice towers float among geometric pancake ice, literally untouched mountains rear from marine mist, and wildlife lives, year in and year out, to its own rhythms, quite apart from human concerns. To let our minds soar in a place nearly free of humankind’s imprint: this is magic.

Wildlife

This continent, preserved by the Antarctic Treaty, is home to some of the world’s most extraordinary species, adapted to life in their unique home. Some migrate far and wide, like the enormous whales, others remain close to the continent, like the Weddell seal and the emperor penguin. Millions of seabirds skim the Southern ocean the world’s most abundant ocean; species like far-flung albatrosses and petrels circle these waters. Antarctic wildlife is generally unafraid of people. Visitors usually elicit no more than an uninterested yawn from seals and penguins focused on rearing their young and evading predators. The human reaction is, ironically, exactly opposite.

07/12/2015

Deemed by UNESCO as an outstanding example of a Mediterranean landscape, the Amalfi Coast is a beguiling combination of great beauty and gripping drama: coastal mountains plunge into the sea in a stunning vertical scene of precipitous crags, picturesque towns and lush forests.

Among the glittering string of coastal gems, legendary Positano and Amalfi sparkle the brightest, while mountaintop Ravello has the glossy fame of its grandiose villas and Wagnerian connection. Sorrento and Salerno are the two main entry points to the coast. The former, a cliff-top resort, has miraculously survived the onslaught of package tourism while Salerno is a workaday port with an unhurried charm and vibrant historic centre.

Aside from its sheer beauty, the Amalfi Coast is home to some superb restaurants and hotels. It is also one of Italy’s top regions for hiking, with well-marked trails providing a great way of getting away from the clamour on the coast...

06/30/2015

Bagan, Myanmar:

One of Myanmar’s main attractions, this is a temple town. The area known as Bagan (ပုဂ) or, bureaucratically, as the ‘Bagan Archaeological Zone’, occupies an impressive 26-sq-mile area, 118 miles south of Mandalay and 429 miles north of Yangon. The Ayeyarwady River drifts past its northern and western sides.

The area’s most active town and main transport hub is Nyaung U, in the northeast corner. About 2.5 miles west, Old Bagan is the former site of the village that was relocated two miles south to New Bagan in 1990. Between the two is Myinkaba, a village boasting a long-running lacquerware tradition. One thing to keep in mind, particularly for travellers exploring the region, is that Bagan is most definitely not Siem Reap or even Luang Prabang. It's more of an overgrown village and lacks anything resembling a night scene, although it does have basic traveller amenities. Plan your partying somewhere else.

Connecting the towns are paved roads making a 12-mile oval. In between and around these towns is the bulk of the Bagan action: the plain, featuring most of the temples, all connected with a vast network of bumpy dirt roads and trails...

06/28/2015

Papua New Guinea (PNG):

Travelling in PNG can be challenging. With almost no tourism infrastructure and limited information available in books and on websites, it can feel like you’re stepping into the great unknown. But this is exactly why travellers find this country so compelling. Nothing is contrived for tourists and every experience is authentic - even the main island of Bougainville is a largely DIY travel experience. The striking natural beauty and myriad complex cultures offer some riveting and truly life-affirming experiences. The island of New Guinea, of which Papua New Guinea is the eastern part, is only one-ninth as big as Australia, yet it has just as many mammal species, and more kinds of birds and frogs. PNG is Australia’s biological mirror-world. Both places share a common history going back tens of millions of years, but Australia is flat and has dried out, while PNG is wet and has become mountainous. As a result, Australian kangaroos bound across the plains, while in PNG they climb in the rainforest canopy.

For a glimpse into PNG's fascinating tribal cultures, the Highlands is where you should head (the town of Tari is a good place to see traditional Huli wigmen), while the Central, Oro & Milne Bay Provinces are home to gorgeous reefs and historic wartime sites - including the country's foremost attraction, the Kokoda Track. Also part of these eastern provinces, and about as far off the beaten track as you can get, the D’Entrecasteaux Islands are like the land that time forgot, mountainous, jungly and totally undeveloped. The gritty capital Port Moresby, on the other hand, is big and sprawling and even a bit intimidating until you get under its skin and see past the bad press.

PNG is one of earth’s megadiverse regions, and it owes much of its diversity to its topography. The mountainous terrain has spawned diversity in two ways: isolated mountain ranges are often home to unique fauna and flora found nowhere else, while within any one mountain range you will find different species as you go higher. In the lowlands are jungles whose trees are not that different from those of Southeast Asia. Yet the animals are often startlingly different – cassowaries instead of tapirs, and marsupial cuscus instead of monkeys.

The greatest diversity of animal life occurs at around 1500m above sea level. The ancestors of many of the marsupials found in these forests were derived from Australia some five million years ago. As Australia dried out they vanished from that continent, but they continued to thrive and evolve in New Guinea, producing a highly distinctive fauna. Birds of paradise and bowerbirds also abound there, and the forest has many trees typical of the forests of ancient Gondwana. As you go higher the forests get mossier and the air colder. By the time you have reached 3000m above sea level the forests are stunted and wreathed in epiphytes. It’s a formation known as elfin woodland, and in it one finds many bright honeyeaters, native rodents and some unique relics of prehistory, such as the giant long-beaked echidna. Above the elfin woodland the trees drop out, and a wonderland of alpine grassland and herbfield dominates, where wallabies and tiny birds, like the alpine robin, can often be seen. It is a place where snow can fall and where early morning ice coats the puddles...

06/25/2015

Peru :

Peru is as complex as its most intricate weavings. Festivals mix ancient pageantry with stomping brass bands. The urban vanguard beams with artistry and innovation. Trails mark the way from dense jungle to glacial peaks.

Oh, Adventure

Giant sand dunes, chiseled peaks and Pacific breaks a few heartbeats away from the capital’s rush-hour traffic: from downtown Lima to smack-dab nowhere, this vast country translates to paradise for the active traveler. All the usual suspects – rafting, paragliding, zip lines and bike trails – are present. But that doesn’t mean your adventure has to be an Olympic event. It could be spotting scarlet macaws and following big cat tracks in the Amazon, watching the sun set over the dusty remnants of an ancient civilization, or joining a holy pilgrimage to an Andean peak believed to be a god. Our advice? Don’t rush. Set out to do less than you think you should. Delays pop up. Festivals can swallow you whole for days. And that’s when you realize: the adventure is getting there.

All Things Ancient

A visit to South America isn’t complete without a pilgrimage to the glorious Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, but, the truth is, this feted site is just a flash in a 5000-year history of peoples. Walk through the dusted remnants of a vast ancient city at Chan Chan, the largest pre-Columbian ruins in all the Americas. Fly over the puzzling geoglyphs etched into the arid earth at Nazca. Or venture into the rugged wilds that hem the stalwart fortress of Kuelap. Lima’s great museums, with priceless ceramics, gold and some of the finest textiles in the world, reveal in full detail the sophistication, skill and passion of these lost civilizations. Visit remote communities and see how old ways live on. Immerse yourself, and you will leave Peru a little closer to the past.

Pleasure & the Palate

Some cultures are haunted by the existential. For many Peruvians, the question that gnaws at them daily would seem simple: what to eat? Ceviche with slivers of fiery chili and corn, stews simmered for hours in beer and cilantro, velvety Amazonian chocolate. In the capital of Latin cooking, so many choices can be perplexing. Great geographic and cultural diversity has brought ingredients – ranging from highland tubers to tropical jungle fruits – to a cuisine created with the complex history of Spanish, indigenous, African and Asian influence. The truth is, fusion existed here long before it came with airs. Treat your taste buds with missions to the chaotic markets. Sample grilled anticuchos (beef skewers) on the street corners and splurge a little on exquisite novoandina (Peruvian nouvelle) cuisine. Because going hungry was never an option...

06/24/2015

Ecuador:

Picturesque colonial centers, Kichwa villages, Amazonian rainforest and the breathtaking heights of the Andes – Ecuador may be small, but it has a dazzling array of wonders.

Cultural Splendor

The historic centers of Quito and Cuenca are lined with photogenic plazas, 17th-century churches and monasteries, and beautifully restored mansions. Wandering the cobblestone streets amid architectural treasures from Spanish colonial days is a fine way to delve into the past. Beyond the cities, the Ecuadorian landscape unfolds in all its startling variety. There are Andean villages renowned for their colorful textiles and sprawling markets, Afro-Ecuadorian towns where days end with meals of fresh seafood and memorable sunsets, and remote settlements in the Amazon where shamans still harvest the traditional rainforest medicines of their ancestors.

Andean Adventure

Setting off on a trek into the Andes can seem like stepping into a fairy tale: there’s the patchwork of small villages, gurgling brooks and rolling fields, with a condor slowly wheeling overhead. Although the view from the top is sublime, you don’t have to scale a mountain to enjoy the Andes. These verdant landscapes make a fine backdrop for mountain-biking, horseback-riding or hiking from village to village, overnighting at local guesthouses along the way. Ecuador’s other landscapes offer equally alluring adventures, from surfing tight breaks off the Pacific coast to white-water-rafting Class V rivers along the jungle-clad banks of the Oriente.

Sublime Scenery

After days of Ecuadorian adventures, there are many appealing places where you can go to relax amid awe-inspiring scenery. Head to the mountainous highlands to recharge at a historic hacienda, or find Zenlike beauty amid a cloud-forest lodge near Mindo. There are peaceful, timeless mountain villages like Vilcabamba and picturesque former gold-mining towns like Zaruma that offer a perfect antidote to the vertiginous rush of modern-day life. And for a coastal getaway, you'll have plenty of options, from tiny end-of-the-road settlements like Ayampe and Olón to charming towns on the Galapagos, with great beaches and magnificent sunsets right outside your door.

Wildlife-Watching

The famed Galápagos Islands, with their volcanic, otherworldly landscapes, are a magnet for wildlife lovers. Here, you can get up close and personal with massive lumbering tortoises, scurrying marine iguanas (the world’s only seagoing lizard), doe-eyed sea lions, prancing blue-footed bo***es and a host of other unusual species both on land and sea. The Amazon rainforest offers a vastly different wildlife-watching experience. Set out on the rivers and forested trails in search of monkeys, sloths, toucans and river dolphins. Some lodges also have canopy towers offering magnificent views (and a better chance to see birdlife)...

06/23/2015

Madagascar

Lemurs, baobabs, rainforest, beaches, desert, trekking and diving: Madagascar is a dream destination for nature and outdoor lovers – and half the fun is getting to all these incredible attractions.

What a Wonderful World :

Madagascar is unique: 5% of all known animal and plant species can be found here, and here alone. The remarkable fauna and flora is matched by epic landscapes of an incredible diversity: you can go from rainforest to desert in just 300km. Few places on earth offer such an intense kaleidoscope of nature. Making the best of it, however, can be challenging (and expensive): Madagascar is the world’s fourth-largest island and its roads are dismal. But those who relish an adventure will come into their own: the off-road driving is one of a kind, and there are national parks that only see 100 visitors a year, regions that live in autarchy during the rainy season and resorts so remote you’ll need a private plane or boat to get there.

Turn to the Sea :

With 5000km of coastline, 450km of barrier reef and 250 islands, no stay in Madagascar would be complete without a few days on the island’s shores. Divers will revel in the choice of sites, from underwater ‘cathedrals’ to shipwrecks, and will relish the chance to see rays, whale sharks, reef sharks and many other kinds of sharks. Snorkellers will be awed by the sheer grace of turtles and marvel at the rainbow of colours displayed by corals and fish. For those keen to keep their heads above water, the idyllic beaches will prove hard to resist. And once you’ve swayed in your hammock to your heart’s content, you can join a local fisher for a pirogue (dugout canoe) trip, go sailing to explore nearby islands or board a whale-watching boat to admire humpbacks breaching – one of nature’s most majestic spectacles.

Of Life & Death:

Madagascar has been populated by successive waves of migrants from various corners of the Indian Ocean, each bringing their own customs and beliefs. This cultural melting pot has evolved into an intricate set of beliefs and rituals that revere ancestors’ spirits. For travellers, getting accustomed to the central role that death plays in everyday life is often an opportunity to reassess their own beliefs, and attending a famadihana (traditional exhumation and reburial) or a traditional circumcision ceremony can be the highlight of a trip. There is much history to discover, too, from the 12 sacred hills of Antananarivo to the pirate cemetery of Ile Sainte Marie and the vestige of Madagascar’s industrial revolution in Mantasoa.

06/22/2015

Top ten wildlife ideas:

Canada

The wildlife in Canada is abundant in all regions, and visitors may encounter moose, wolves, black and grizzly bears, beavers and herds of caribou. Wildlife lovers are particularly drawn to Churchill, where tundra, taiga, and boreal forest meet on the shores of Hudson Bay, and in the summer months beluga whales and migratory birds gather in their thousands. Polar bears converge here in the autumn as the seas freeze over.

Galapagos Islands

The Galapagos Islands will always be famed for the inspiration for Charles Darwin’s "On The Origin Of The Species," and this isolated volcanic archipelago can rightly be regarded as one of the world’s great wildlife experiences. Visit today and you will still see marine iguanas, giant tortoises, fearless birds and other staggering marine life - and you are sure to be as entranced as Darwin.

Amazon

The Amazon rainforest covers many countries in which we operate including Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil. Audley can offer the following wildlife-related highlights:

Embark on a journey to the Manu Biosphere Reserve in southern Peru, the ultimate destination for wildlife watching anywhere in the Amazon.
Explore lesser visited and remote parts of the Amazon in Colombia and Bolivia.
Visit the most accessible parts of pristine rainforest and wildlife in Guyana.
Stay at award-winning eco lodges in the Yasuni National Park in Ecuador.
Cruise the northern Peruvian Amazon to the Pacaya Samiria Reserve in comfort from Iquitos.
Enjoy a comfortable rainforest experience in the most accessible Amazon area, the Tambopata Reserve in southern Peru.

Rwanda

Mountain gorillas are Rwanda’s most famous creatures and a trip here wouldn’t be complete without spending some time with them, but there is a great deal more wildlife to be seen. In the Volcanoes National Park the bamboo slopes make an ideal habitat for golden monkeys, who live alongside the gorillas. Elephant and buffalo are frequently seen grazing on lower ground. Nyungwe Forest National Park in the south of the country is a great place to track chimpanzees and also has a further 12 types of primate, while Akagera has plenty of antelope, hippo, crocodiles and a few big cats.

South Africa

South Africa has a huge network of expertly managed national parks and conservation areas, including the most famous: Kruger National Park. One of the advantages South Africa has over other African countries is that many of its reserves and parks are malaria free, meaning it's ideal if you plan to take children. There is more to the country than just the archetypal safari-type game however, with the coast offering some of the best whale-watching and shark cage diving in the world.

India

India’s diverse landscapes and varied climate are reflected in the many national parks that support a range of indigenous and migratory species. The elusive tiger is top of most people’s spotting list but there are many other mammals, reptiles and vivid birds for the wildlife enthusiast. You can view game from a coracle, watch crocodiles, take a night drive, view prey and predator from elephant back, or watch birds from a cycle rickshaw.

Kenya

In comparison with many other African countries, Kenya ranks high in the numbers game with staggering concentrations of wildlife. There are millions of wildebeest, Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelle and thousands of buffalo, eland, topi, giraffe, gerenuk and kudu. Kenya has large elephant populations and both black and white rhino. Its big cats are renowned, with many made famous through Big Cat Diary, a series produced by the BBC.

Borneo

Borneo is arguably southeast Asia’s most diverse wildlife destination. It is one of the few places left in which you can see wild Asian elephants, clouded leopards, proboscis monkeys, rhinoceros hornbills, green and hawksbill turtles and most famously, orang-utans.

Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef, although made up of over 2,000 individual reefs, can be regarded as the largest living organism in the world - and one which can clearly be seen from space. With over 1,500 species of fish and 460 varieties of coral, the Great Barrier Reef offers a huge variety of marine life. Diving or snorkelling are the best ways to appreciate the reef and will reveal tame reef sharks, giant wrasse, huge cod, inquisitive moray eels and giant clam gardens.

Antarctica

Viewing the abundant wildlife of Antarctica, often in close proximity, is one of the highlights of a trip to this spectacular area and is truly unforgettable. Birds such as the albatross, fulmar, petrel and shearwater are frequently seen, but perhaps the most spectacular wildlife that all visitors get excited about are the penguins, seals and whales.