Sipping tea in highland plantations, seeing a huge 14 metre high reclining Buddha and climbing to a fortress for fantastic views are all part of what made Mike Robertson feel like the king-of-the-castle on his Circle Sri Lanka trip…
“Sri Lanka is a country of enormous diversity of history, weather, geography and people. Our first two weeks were on an Intrepid trip and if you have never been on one, a great experience awaits you. Our tour group consisted of 3 English, 3 Australians, an American working in Paris, ourselves from New Zealand and a great local named Bruno, who was our tour leader.
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John Kirk was determined to enjoy top travel experiences in Italy – but could his legs carry him up all those stairs?…
“I found Intrepid’s Best of Italy trip through the north of the country to be absolutely inspiring – literally. Every city we visited had church spires and towers punctuating the skyline, offering great views of towns and nearby countryside. For me Italy provided a challenge – to climb hundreds of steep steps up narrow spiral passages to see and photograph spectacular views from the tops of the towers.
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When Dara Leonard swapped her group leader role for group traveller she was expecting to be wowed by the creatures of Africa, but it turned out that her fondest memories were not from seeing giraffes and gorillas, but from meeting the people…
“Mzungu is one of the first words I learned in Swahili! This means ‘white person’ and everywhere in eastern Africa I went I heard the word. After leading trips in South East Asia for the past year, I decided it was time to take my own holiday and visit eastern Africa for the first time and to do it on an Overland truck with Intrepid. It took me a few days to get out of ‘leader mode’ and back into the adventurer that I am, but once I did, I had no problem playing the role of traveller once again.
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Ever wondered how companies actually embed sustainability principles into their day-to-day operations?
Well, here’s your chance to read case studies of how some well-known Australian and New Zealand businesses, such as Woolworths, Blackmores, NIWA, World Vision and of course our humble selves, are working toward sustainable development.
The Report was published and released last month by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia. To read the report – simply click here.
Eating is a national pastime in Singapore. The local passion for culture and cuisine make it a food-lover’s paradise and Nova Oldfield savoured every mouthful of her Singapore adventure…
“Singaporeans take their food very seriously and there are so many fantastic places to eat; from crowded markets to five-star hotel luxury. However, one day I stumbled across a local wet market that had a food market attached. Even at 7am it was crowded and I was the only out-of-towner in sight. I must have spent half an hour circling all the stalls, fascinated by the sights and smells, guessing at unfamiliar ingredients and watching the high-speed cooking.
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There is something about breaking bread with locals and dining in their favourite places that often form your fondest memories of a country. When Christine Ireland visited Nepal, it was lunch with a group of grubby-nosed kids that made her journey that much more remarkable…
“In a narrow rundown restaurant in Pokhara, away from the main tourist thoroughfare, I not only found tempting food but more importantly laughter and friendship. The very essence of Nepal.
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Asia is exotic, quirky, bizarre, beautiful and above all completely captivating. In fact Ange Takats was so betwitched by Thailand during an Intrepid trip that it led her to many more amazing adventures throughout the region and eventually the writing of her very own book…
“It’s not every day that an Australian girl finds herself attending a funeral for a water buffalo in Thailand… but that’s exactly what happened when I took up a job as a foreign correspondent in Southeast Asia.
The buffalo’s name was Boonlert and his big dead body was hanging inside a shed in a remote Thai village, with fairy lights wrapped around his horns and flowers stuffed into his ears. There were Buddhist monks, draped in orange robes, praying in front of him when I arrived with my cameraman and the spectacle of that story proved to be so memorable that it inspired the title of my memoir: The Buffalo Funeral: Soundbites from a Songbird in Siam.
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Three million people in and around the Cambodian city of Siem Reap will benefit from a new eye hospital, built with the support of The Fred Hollows Foundation (FHF) and the Australian Government. The Intrepid Foundation is a longtime contributor to the success and development of FHF’s Cambodia Program.
The recently opened Siem Reap Regional Hospital is a three-story facility that will quadruple patient intake and provide treatment for cataract, glaucoma, refraction (the need for glasses) and other eye conditions. The hospital will also be an important training centre for surgeons and eye health workers, teaching them the skills they need to restore sight.
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Western Australia’s magnificent Kimberley is an ancient world of indigenous culture, unique flora and fauna and spectacular landscapes virtually unchanged since prehistoric times, yet this region is currently under threat. Intrepid’s Eliza Anderson explains why we need to act now…
“It’s said of the Kimberley, that once the red dirt has coloured the soles of your feet you are forever connected to this precious part of Australia. Having just spent four days exploring the Kimberley with Don Henry, Australian Conservation Foundation’s CEO, and traditional owners, Dillon Andrews and Anne Poelina, I can appreciate the truth in this saying.
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