Seeing your country battle it out on football’s world stage is one thrill, but when Micah Demmert got so close to an elephant he could smell its bad breath, he thought all his birthdays had come at once on Intrepid’s Southern Explorer…
“The trip started on a kind of night that was to become increasingly common – around a camp fire with a drink in hand, telling stories and laughing. We met our tour leader, Johan, and our driver Sedrick, and were briefed about all of the amazing things that we were to see and do. After 8 days of World Cup shenanigans, what I was hoping for was a nice relaxing sleep in, a leisurely drive, the odd elephant or lion or two, and a chance to become a participant in southern African culture. Well, 3 out of 4 aint bad!
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Travel is one of those gifts when our senses can instantly lift into overdrive. Sights and sounds. Cultures and food. Oh the food! Pad Thai in Thailand, Nasi Lemak in Malaysia, Chilli Crab, Vietnamese Pho…the list is endless. But where does it all come from? Intrepid’s Kat Cayley goes fishing for the facts…
“When at home we scrutinise where and what we eat. Cage eggs versus free range eggs. Farmers markets versus supermarkets. So there’s no reason to let things slip through the net when we are overseas.
Sustainability of food resources has been an ongoing issue and we can no longer ignore one strained resource that has received recent publicity. The subject of our worldwide fish stocks and depletion in our oceans is of vital concern for the stability of the marine environment and so important for our future.
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For three days around the March full moon you can experience the welcoming of spring in northern India and Nepal. This exuberant and rowdy festival is awash with all colours of the rainbow and Intrepid Express reader Mellita Ilich found herself covered in the celebrations…
“My husband and I arrived in Nepal for a four week holiday. We were rather naive travellers back then and had read up on customs, food and drink, dangers, highlights etc, but had not thought about special events or festivals.
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There are few festivals in Italy that don’t feature delicious local cuisine in their celebrations, and where there is food alongside fun, you can expect to find Intrepid’s Tamara Palinkas…
“I was really lucky, when in the small town of Maiori on the Amalfi Coast I got to celebrate Ferragosto with an Italian family. This is one of the most important Italian holidays, when on 15 August the country shuts down for a mid-summer feast celebrated with music and fireworks.
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At Intrepid our aim is to support and respect the protection of what are internationally proclaimed as human rights issues, and we want to make sure that we are not complicit in human rights abuses, within our sphere of influence. An Intrepid traveller recently questioned our decision to visit a Masai village in Kenya, where they still perform the abhorrent practice of female genital cutting or mutilation (FGM). This raises a very important issue that we want to share with you all.
We know that the practice still occurs all too frequently in several popular tourist destinations – parts of Africa, the Middle East and some communities in Asia and Latin America. Rather than boycotts, which can add to poverty and isolation, we hope that we may better help through education, awareness raising and supporting organisations that are working effectively to campaign against this barbaric practice.
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The wildebeest of East Africa, have begun their amazing mass migration early this year. Knowing that they are very intelligent animals, we wonder if they have sensed the current threat to their future?
The Government of Tanzania has approved a major commercial highway that will cut across part of the Serengeti National Park, in the direct path of the ancient wildlife migration routes. Such a highway has the potential to destroy the integrity of a priceless world heritage that has been protected by the people of Tanzania since the birth of their country.
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Have you ever been caught in such an amazing travel moment that you had to pinch yourself to make sure you were awake? Some nights Intrepid traveller Cynthia Kampschaefer still dreams of her Botswana adventure…
“I had one of the most treasured experiences of my life on an overland trip in Africa. At a camp in Botswana, a 96 year old gentleman, the ‘bone man’ of the nearby village, threw out his carved bones onto the ground to study them and do a reading for us. He told us where to find zebras, to watch out for the lions, and that we would have good hunting nearby (with cameras, mind you). Some of the shy, curious, friendly children who came with him hugged us goodbye. He left us with a little sorghum beer sitting at a warm fire marveling at the beauty of an astounding African sunset.
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One of the great things about overland adventures is leaving big cities behind to get off the beaten track. On her Rio to Buenos Aires Overland trip, Intrepid’s Erin Farmer did just that and the result was a dream-come-true wildlife experience…
“After 5 hours on a bumpy road through the Brazilian forest, we finally made it to the Estancia. Truly in the middle of nowhere and called 24th de May (ingeniously named after the date the ranch was started), this ranch was to be our home for the next two nights. The ranch is a fully working operation with gauchos, cows and caiman crocodiles. With the luxury of our own truck transport we could reach this remote spot and over the next two days would have an amazing time piranha fishing, jungle walking, cow milking, horse trekking, cow herding and snake hunting.
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