CHAPTERS EXPERIENCE HOLIDAYS LAUNCHES NEW BROCHURE FOR AUTUMN 2017/SPRING 2018

*Showcasing 10 new worldwide holidays*

*Short Haul destinations - Portugal, Italy, Austria and Sweden*

*Long Haul destinations - Indonesia, Thailand, India, Ecuador & The Galápagos, Namibia and South Africa*

*More regional airport departures * Excellent value for money*

Chapters Experience Holidays (01707 246 666, www.chaptersholidays.co.uk), the small group, expertly led experience holiday specialists, have launched their new ‘Active Travel Experiences’ brochure for Autumn 2017/Spring 2018. Featuring over 60 holidays to 40 countries around the world, each one has been individually designed to showcase the destination through a range of active and experiential pursuits. Ten new holidays feature in the brochure, including snowshoeing in the Austrian alps, cycling in the Algarve or staying in a traditional Trulli in Apulia, Italy. Further afield groups can cook up a feast in Thailand, explore rural life in India, track Komodo dragons in Indonesia, meet the Himba tribe people in Namibia and spot a huge variety in wildlife in The Galápagos and South Africa.

In addition, the new collection also includes greater flexibility for passengers to join holidays from a larger number of regional airports across the UK.

Commenting on the brochure, Kathy Cook, Joint Managing Director says “Chapters Experience Holidays are the perfect choice for those who want to enjoy an experience-rich holiday. These small group led, active experiences offer a real chance to delve into history, explore nature or live a new culture with this latest season’s selection offering even more truly enriching, once in a lifetime experiences”.

All holidays are made more memorable, and ultimately more fulfilling, through shared adventures. Chapters Experience Holidays are enjoyed in the company of a like-minded group and led by a trusted, experienced leader. Each holiday is also categorised by activity level so that clients can choose the one which best suits them from ‘Leisurely’ to ‘Energetic' to ‘Adventurous'.

Double-sided for the first time, this season’s brochure is backed with sister company brand, Ramblers Walking Holidays, to offer the best of both worlds with an extensive selection of specialised walking itineraries adding to the overall choice of experiences.

Highlights of the new season include:

A South Africa Adventure

Characterised by vast plateaus, open savannahs and steep mountainous escarpments sweeping down to spectacular stretches of coast, South Africa’s dramatic landscape provides an enthralling backdrop to its rich and diverse wildlife. An extensive journey from Johannesburg along the Panorama and Garden Routes to the outskirts of Cape Town, ‘A South Africa Adventure’ showcases some of best wildlife experiences to be had including the ‘big five’ at Kruger National Park and Hluhuwe Game Reserve. Passing through the tiny Kingdom of Swaziland, the journey also takes in a cruise in St Lucia wetlands, walking in Drakensberg Mountains, a visit to Addo Elephant National Park, the Tsitsikamma National Park and the pristine beaches of Plettenberg Bay. Rounding off the adventure with wine tasting in the Paarl wine region.

‘A South Africa Adventure’ 19-day full board holiday starts from £3,275/person including return flights, full board accommodation, local guides, activities and games drives as outlined and local transport.

Namibia

A land of strange otherworldly beauty, Namibia inspires with its vast dunes and desert landscapes supporting an array of spectacular wildlife. Travelling through the raw landscapes of Kalahari Desert and extraordinary Sossusvei salt and clay pans to Dead Vlei with its stark blackened trees, this 18-day holiday also covers the country’s rugged coastline. Breaks in the journey visit the German-styled town of Swakopmund and manicured capital, Windhoek. While in Trefelfontein there’s a walk with local Bushmen to see the famous ‘White Lady Rockpainting’ and a meeting with the local Himba Tribe in Ovahimba plus phenomenal game-viewing opportunities in Etosha National Park.

‘Namibia’ 18-day half board holiday starts from £3,625/person including return flights, half board accommodation, local guides and local transport.

Ecuador & Galápagos Islands

Covering a diverse journey through mountainous volcanic areas, beautifully preserved colonial cities and an assortment of islands, ‘Ecuador & the Galápagos Islands’ offers a Latin American adventure like no other. Starting in the Andes at Quito and heading south to the beautifully crafted 16th century historic city of Cuenca, the itinerary covers an array of activities including walking under the magnificent snow clad Chimorazo - the summit of which is the highest point on earth from its centre - and taking the exhilarating “Devil’s Nose” train down the rocky slopes of the Andes. There’s hiking on high-altitude trails through the evergreen cloud forests of Cajas National Park. Concluding in the Galápagos Islands, where days are spent with an expert naturalist guide island hopping and discovering the fantastic creatures discovered on Darwin’s evolutionary voyage.

‘Ecuador & Galápagos Islands’ 16-days half board holiday starts from £4,999/person including return flights, half board accommodation, local and specialist wildlife guides and local transport.

Experience Thailand

Step into the ‘land of smiles’ for an adventure you’ll never forget. Cycle through lesser known parts of Bangkok, explore the city’s colourful temples and visit an organic farm to pick ingredients for a Thai cooking class before flying up to Chiang Mai, the temple rich second city. From here you can feed and bathe rescued elephants and zip wire through the rainforest before visiting a local hill tribe en route to Chiang Rai and the Golden Triangle where Thailand meets, Burma and Laos at the banks of the Mekong river.

‘Experience Thailand’ 14-day half board holiday starts from £2,749/person including return flights, half board accommodation, 3 lunches, entrance fees, and local transport.

Villages of Rajasthan

Exploring relatively unknown areas of Rajasthan on heritage and village walks, rural Indian is a feast for the senses with natural landscapes dotted with ancient monuments giving way to colourful villages rich in traditional life. Meeting local craftsmen and villagers throughout, highlights include the sleepy yet spectacular Aravalli Hill villages of Narlai and Jojawar. Staying in heritage hotels, excursions to Elephant Hill lookout and Kumbhalgarh Fort end with a dramatic train journey to the highest hill station followed by high tea in a Forest Rest House. Udaipur with its ‘floating’ Lake Palace and ‘must sees’ Jaipur’s Pink City and Amer Fort also feature.

‘Villages of Rajasthan’ half board 12-day holiday starts from £2,475/person including flights, local travel, transfers, half board accommodation, local guide and entrance fees.

Incredible Indonesia

Covering the tropical islands of Java, Bali and Flores with a side trip to Komodo to see the world’s largest lizard, ‘Incredible Indonesia’ blends excursions to exotic temples and palaces with a range of ‘off the beaten track’ activities. Numerous highlights range from visiting artisan workshops and the Keraton Sultan Palace in Java’s Yogyakarta, cycling through the Bali’s cool mountainous region of Ubud, taking in the Manggarai people’s enthralling ritual whip fight on Flores, and a visit to see the formidable Komodo Dragons with a local ranger.

‘Incredible Indonesia’ 13-day half board holiday starts from £3,525/person including return flights, half board accommodation, seven lunches, entrance fees, and local transport.

Algarve on Two Wheels

With warming sunshine and gentle coastal breezes to whisk you along, autumn and spring are perfect seasons for exploring Portugal’s lesser known eastern Algarve by bike. Offering the tranquillity of Portuguese life with rides through centuries old white-washed villages and cultivated valleys of olive and orange groves. The holiday combines the exhilaration of cycling along coastal paths to secluded stretches of beach with ventures inland to hillside towns, and covers a day’s cycle ride across the border to Spain for a tapas lunch and a day away from the saddle on a boat trip in the Ria Formosa Natural Park.

‘Algarve on Two Wheels’ week long half board holiday starts from £1,199/person including flights, B&B accommodation with dinners at restaurants, cycle hire, helmet, boat trip, tapas lunch and local transport.

Matera & Alberobello, Italy

The spectacular stone architecture of Matera and Alberobello is home to some of the most distinctive dwellings in Italy. On the high plains of Basilicata, the elegant town of Matera houses Italy’s oldest continually inhabited accommodation – the Sassi caves. The holiday explores the 9000-year-old labyrinth of underground grottos which are completely carved out of calcareous rock, and includes walks in the Gravina Valley to the south of Matera. Transferring to Alberobello, with its unmistakeable skyline of conical white tipped Trulli, the experience concludes with a stay in one of these unique stone built lodges, as well as excursions to Bari, the beautiful hilltop village of Locorotondo and the baroque enclave of Martina Franca.

‘Matera & Alberobello’ week long half board holiday starts from £1,099/person including return flights, half board accommodation, local guides and local transport.

Kufsteinerland Winter Experience

With the New Year bringing the promise of new challenges, get the year off on the right foot with an exhilarating winter adventure snowshoeing through pristine Austrian wilderness close to the Tyrolean Alps. Making the most of crisp, clear days, ‘Kufsteinerland Winter Experience’ combines trekking in the snow and snowshoeing in the beautiful Kaisertal Valley with woodland trails to Alpine villages. Taking in the famous spa town of Bad Häring and the historic border town of Kufstein, with its landmark fortress, each day’s activity in the fresh alpine air is well-rewarded with tasty lunches of regional specialties at local Alms (farms) and Glühwein in the evening to warm chilly bones.

‘Kufsteinerland Winter Experience’ week long half board holiday starts from £955/person including return flights, half board accommodation, snowshoe hire, admission fees and local transport.

Adventure into the Arctic Circle

Taking in one of nature’s finest performances - the Northern Lights, our six-day ‘Adventure into the Arctic Circle’ brings together the opportunity to experience the magnificent Aurora Borealis with an adventurous programme of Nordic skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing and dog sledding through Sweden’s magical Arctic wilderness. Venturing north to Abisko Mountain in Sweden, days are spent dashing through the snow which are complemented with dusky twilight chairlift rides to the Aurora Sky Station for panoramic views and hopefully an unforgettable light show. Travelling south to the world-famous Ice Hotel – sculpted each year completely out of ice – the rest of the holiday is spent exploring the tracks and habitats of Arctic wildlife with the chance to spot reindeer, wolverine and lynx.

‘Adventure into the Arctic Circle’ six-day full board holiday starts from £2,999/person including return flights, full board accommodation, all activities, local guides and instructors and local transport.

To request a new brochure, contact Chapters Experience Holidays: ( 01707 246 666), www.chaptersholidays.co.uk or click here for an online version.

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