Réunion makes a great active addition to a beach holiday in Mauritius where you can spend a few action-packed days.  It’s also a great holiday destination in its own right with a huge amount  to see and do.  Its vast volcanic amphitheatres (called cirques) are like a living geography lesson and make for some fantastic hiking.   There is snorkelling in the coastal lagoons, deep sea fishing, sea kayaking, sumitting active volcanoes vsiting vanilla and rum plantations and flying over the island to see the imprint of the island’s volcanic history.  Here are some of our favourites sights and walks. 

Self driving along dusty roads here is straightforward – until you have to stop to let a herd of llamas cross the road that is – and there is more than enough to see and do to fill a week here if you like the outdoors.  See below for my favourite things to see and do in the Atacama.  Shearwater Travel can help you put together your dream trip to the Atacama, perhaps in combination with Patagonia or north west Argentina or as part of a big tour around Chile. 

Click here to read more about Chile

In a recent interview with Wanderlust Magazine (IMHO the best travel magazine around), Simon made the point that these places need “wealthy western travellers turning up and putting money into the local economy.”  Providing other sources of income through responsible tourism can help local communities to preserve their wild environments. The important thing is to travel responsibly and to do so in a way that supports local communities.   As the wise Native American Chief Seattle once said, “Take only memories, leave only footprints”.  

So I have put together a trip which mirrors, in a less rugged fashion (I mean, who wants to be host to a flea laying their eggs or have insects crawling up inside their clothing while on holiday!) the four wonderful episodes of Simon Reeve’s Wilderness.  Each trip is with a reputable UK based tour operator who will have representatives on the ground to support you throughout your trip and help with any difficulties.  The trips aren’t cheap, but in travelling to these areas you will support local communities and wildlife whilst having the trip of a lifetime.  

Please get in touch if you are interested in any of these trips or would like me to help you put together any other form of adventure or holiday.  

In this bulletin I am focussing on the tiny twin island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe.  Truly off the beaten track, these islands are on the equator, just over two hundred km west of mainland Africa.  If you travel here, your friends and family will probably need to look them up on Google Maps.  But these are really special islands, as yet relatively undiscovered, with stunning beaches, wildlife, luxury hotels, delicious food and an interesting (albeit troubled) history.  

Shearwater Travel  works with a couple of suppliers to create tailor made trips to São Tomé and Príncipe.  You need at least 10 days to do the islands justice but can easily spend two weeks here with a stopover in Lisbon if you wish.  Flights are with TAP Air Portugal changing in Lisbon (approx 8 hours).  Some flights touchdown in Ghana on the way back so adventurous travellers might want to spend a couple of days in the vibrant city of Accra before returning to Europe.  From São Tomé it is a short hop to sister island Príncipe.  Being tropical, the islands have wet and dry seasons.  The wet season is really wet, with very heavy downpours which will limit the activities you can do.  So you are best travelling in the long dry season called the Gravina from June to September or the short Gravinita season in January and February.  There is no time difference. 

Below are a few reasons too make the journey to these intriguing islands.  The photos are from a trip I made in 2022, in the rainy season, we still had plenty of sun between the downpours. 

But perhaps you want to wait until schools are back and get your dose of vitamin D later in the year.  In that case, read on for my top 5 recommendations for sun in autumn and early winter.  All my recommendations are less than 7 hours’ direct flying time from the UK, offer reliably warm weather, little chance of rain, gorgeous landscapes and more to do than lie on a beach. 

Please get in touch if you would like help booking these destinations.  In most cases it costs no more to book through me than booking direct with a tour operator but you will have the advantage of a friendly personal travel agent, available outside office hours, full of creative ideas who can help you find the best tour operator for your trip or help you build the trip yourself.  No job too big or small!

I love Oman because of all the amazing things to do and sights to see.  It’s a great destination for honeymooners, with some seriously romantic hotels, or families with teenagers or young adults, or active travellers.  It equally suits watersports and diving enthusiasts, culture vultures, and those who simply like to lounge by the pool in a luxury hotel or on one of Oman’s many stunning beaches.  Whether you want to hire a car and remain fully independent or prefer a fully guided itinerary, Oman is the perfect destination. Hotels vary from stunning de-luxe hotels, to simple, more authentic accommodation.  We can book whichever you want and of course work to your budget.  

Read on for some ideas for activities and sights in Oman or click here to visit our website for some ideas for a holiday in Oman. 

To have the best weather, trekking conditions and chances of glimpsing those spectacular mountain peaks, Patagonia is best visited during its summer (December to February).  You won’t avoid cloud and rain completely, but your chances of blue sky are higher (as are the temperatures). As this is a popular time of year to visit, you should start planning now if you are thinking of travelling there in 2024.  We were there in the peak season at the end of January and focused on the slightly less crowded but utterly spectacular Los Glaciares National Park in Argentina.  While  we met other travellers, it rarely felt busy.    

Although Patagonia has a reputation for being a great place for active travellers, the development of more comfortable, even luxury, hotels in recent years means that those beautiful glaciers, mountains and lakes are also accessible to travellers who like their creature comforts. If you’re an active traveller, you can spend weeks in Patagonia and never run out of things to do. But  if you just want to spend a few days in Patagonia, as part of a wider trip to the region, then it works really well with a trip to Iguaçu Falls, the Iberian wetlands, Buenos Aires, the Atacama desert and many other incredible Argentinian or Chilean destinations.  I will cover some of these in future bulletins.  

To give you some inspiration for a trip to Patagonia, I have included below some of the highlights of our trip – and yes, these are my photos, taken with an iPhone, not by a professional photographer with snazzy gear, which just goes to show how spectacular the landscapes really are!  

If you are interested in travelling to Patagonia (or anywhere else for that matter) and would like some help booking your trip, please get in touch. I am a small, personal travel agency booking anything from full tours to accommodation only.  And booking through me usually costs the same as booking with a tour operator or online booking platform (and occasionally less). But you’ll have my bespoke, friendly, flexible service as well. In the few years since I started my business I’ve had 100% positive feedback!

For a few years now, British holidaymakers have been taking the six-hour direct flight to Cape Verde for some reliable winter sunshine, azure seas and white sand beaches. But there is so much more to these fascinating islands.

When I went to Cape Verde in February, I ventured to some of the less visited islands and saw a whole other side to Cape Verde – lunar landscapes, fertile valleys growing every fruit and vegetable you can imagine (and some you can’t – breadfruit anyone?), incredibly friendly people, fascinating marine life, fabulous street art and beautiful villages. We hiked for hours on footpaths in the valleys, followed by delicious meals cooked using the very plants we had seen growing. We went out on a catamaran and saw whales, dolphins, turtles and flying fish. The sea is teeming with marine life although we did feel a little guilty about tucking into tuna carpaccio fresh from the sea when we were back on land.  Even on the two main islands, there is plenty of activity on the water from boat trips and wreck diving to kite surfing.

Please read on for some inspiration on how to visit these islands which are now very much at the top of my travel list.  Please click here to see more photos from my trip.