Posts Tagged ‘area’

Great Destinations For Holidays And Tours

November 4th, 2011

Travellers in South Africa will have great adventures. Tours are available for a variety of magnificent natural settings and wildlife. You can reserve tours that include historical visits that give you a look into the past. No matter what part of this country entices you, you can find awesome vacations and trips surrounding it.

Travelling to this country warrants a look at some amazing wildlife. Many offers are available for gorilla tours. Get an up close and personal look at these creatures in their natural habitat. Watching gorillas can indeed be interesting and fascinating due to their human ways and funny antics. Tourists can also visit the grave of Dian Fossey, famed gorilla expert, who spent her life saving these wonderful creatures from poachers.

Many safaris and tours offered start in Cape Town, a bustling town that lends great dining and entertainment. You may prefer a riveting trip up to Table Mountain and Cape Point. You will be amazed at the spectacular views you will see in these areas. Visiting Table Mountain will leave you with the knowledge of why this area is famed throughout the world.

Wine lovers will enjoy visiting Stellenbosch, the vineyard capital of the country. You can taste samples of fine wines and make specific orders for your favourites to be shipped back home. This a great way to have souvenirs waiting on you when you arrive back at your home.

Every visitor might consider spending time in Knysna. This area was named one of the most beautiful places in the world and for good reasons. The tropical temperature remains constant all year round. Many attractions are available for you and your family to enjoy. Animal lovers can view some endangered species that only inhabit this part of the world. The Brenton Blue Butterfly and the dwarf chameleon are a couple of the creatures you may see during your visit.

Whether you want to experience deep sea diving or other water sports, the Madagascar Islands is the place to do so. Made famous through film, this area is exquisite and offers many tours for viewing natural beauty or animals. River canoe tours are available for a thrilling view of wildlife while other tours cover areas like Pangalanes Canal, Amber mountain, and the Tsingy rock formations.

Making your travels plans early by visiting online. You can save money and time by doing so. Nothing compares to the adventures waiting for you in South Africa holidays and tours.

Posted in Vacation Destinations

Getting Around in Southern Patagonia

October 26th, 2011

As you begin to plan a trip to Patagonia you might find that gathering information about the area is one of the most difficult parts! In this article I want to help you learn more about transportation in the southern most part of the continent.

First, if you can find a map of the area it will make this easier for you to visualize. Southern Chile and Argentina are connected to the rest of the continent by plane, vehicle and boat. Obviously plane is the most time efficient, but many of the small towns you will want to visit do not have an airport. The area is extremely interconnected by a network of public transportation. I think that using this system provides for a less stressful and more economic vacation, but first you must know a little about it.

Plane: By plane is the more time efficient method. There are two main airlines in Chile, LanChile and Sky Airlines. Both go to all major cities (Santiago, Puerto Montt, Balmaceda and Punta Arenas), however Sky is the only airline that will fly to a small airport in Puerto Natales. Argentina is controlled by one large airline called Aerolineas Argentinas, they fly to all major cities in Argentine Patagonia (Bariloche, Rio Gallegos, El Calafate and Ushuaia). Another very small airline in Argentina is LADE, they have a limited schedule but are more economical (you must buy a LADE ticket in cash while in Argentina, it is a small airline).

If you plan on flying to multiple cities I recommend checking out Lan’s South America Air Pass, it will help you to get discounted fairs all over the continent.

Santiago (SCL) and Buenos Aires (EZE) are the only international airports in the two countries, so if you want to go from Chile to Argentina by plane you will always have to connect through their international airport and pay the entrance fees (approx. 140 USD in each country).

Boat: Historically the only way to arrive in Southern Chilean Patagonia was by boat. Even today the Southern Ice Field prevents anyone from traveling from Northern Chile to Southern Chile on land, you must either enter Argentina or navigate the fjords. The Chilean government subsidizes a weekly ferry from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales, this boat is very economical and for a long time one of the only ways to arrive so far south. There are many cruise ships that leave from Valapariso and will take you to Punta Arenas.

If you want to go further south to see Cape Horn there are many small cruise ships that will take you from Punta Arenas in Chile all the way around the horn and back to Ushuaia in Argentina. Ushuaia is where most of the cruises leave to go to Antarctica. If you don’t get seasick and enjoy spending some time on a ship, you will love the scenery that is unique to these fjords.

Roadways: Most of the major roads in Chile and Argentina are paved. You can rent a car and travel them independently, but sometimes this can prove to be stressful and complicated. I prefer to take a bus in-between the various cities. The network of buses throughout South America is amazing. The schedules are fairly convenient and extremely economical.

You can travel from Santiago south by bus for two days to reach Punta Arenas, but they have regular daily departures. If you want to travel from Punta Arenas to Ushuaia you can take a 10 hour bus, leaving in the morning and arriving later that night. You can also go from Bariloche to Rio Gallegos by bus and from there to El Calafate. Generally the schedules are convenient and sometimes the buses even pick you up from your accommodation.

Posted in Vacation Guides