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By Admin, August 31, 2010

For quite a few years, cruises on the River Nile have been taking visitors on a magical journey back in time along this outstanding river. A combination of exploring the wonders of ancient Egypt coupled with a mellow journey south from Luxor to Aswan is ever successful with holiday makers.

A typical River Nile cruise lasts 7 nights and run Monday to Monday. Direct flights from United Kingdom bring people to Luxor and then they are transferred to their cruise ship to check in. The following morning, the journey into historical Egypt begins with a take a look at to the East Bank of the Nile at Luxor which includes the Temples of Karnak and Luxor.

The next day, the sightseeing continues on to the West Bank of the Nile including the Valley of the Kings before returning to the cruise boat for lunch. Just after lunch, the cruise ship leaves Luxor heading south for Edfu. After an overnight mooring at Edfu, there are additional tours to temples at both Edfu and Kom Ombo prior to continuing to Aswan.

The next day, its time to experience Aswan and a more advanced structure; the Aswan High Dam. Built in the 1950s, the Aswan High Dam created Lake Nasser, itself a cruise place. After lunch, there is time to sail on a classic Egyptian Felucca along this very beautiful section of the Nile. The Cataract Hotel in Aswan overlooks the river and it is the place where Agatha Christie authored part of her notable book, “Death on the Nile”.

Immediately following an overnight stop in Aswan, there is free time available to explore the town or on the other hand, there is an optional visit to the outstanding Temple of Abu Simbel at the other end of Lake Nasser. It is a long way to Abu Simbel, either nearly an hour by air or 3 hours but it is worthwhile the time and effort.

Aswan signifies the turnaround point for Nile cruises and now the boat heads back north the 80 miles to Luxor. The journey lasts two days with an over night stay at Edfu just before heading back to Luxor. The week cruising the River Nile is over and holiday makers return to the airport and home.

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By Admin, July 27, 2010

Business is growing for Americans who are offering unusual trips to Antarctica. For a growing proportion of travelers, the usual trips south of the border or to Europe are no longer attractive. These people are unsatisfied with luxury cruises with their inevitable shuffleboard and whirlwind island tours. Adventure in a fascinating location, is what draws seasoned vacations these days. For people like this, it’s hard to imagine them excited by almost any usual holiday package, but probably an adventure-filled trip to Antarctica would get their juices flowing and their cameras snapping. You can get the best antarctic tours information by visiting this website.

In this day and age it’s not so hard to travel to the frozen continent. Sailing for three days, you’ll arrive in Antarctica.  You’ll take a twenty-four hour flight from New York to Ushuaia to meet the boat. Because the US Navy has a presence in Antarctica, many tourists feel more safe. The US has had a base in Antarctica since 1957, as have several other countries. There’s no need to worry if the cruise ship gets caught in the ice or an adventurous tourist tumbles down an icy chasm; the U.S. Navy is always prepared to tackle any emergency, despite rumors that  American sailors often groan when they see a tourist boat docking.

What does Antarctica offer visitors? First and foremost, there is the wildlife great and small to observe and photograph — whales, birds, seals and, naturally, penguins. Watch the smoke escaping the 12,000 foot ice cone on an active volcano. Seeing this volcano is far better than seeing any other volcano on the planet.

Who can we expect will select a trip like this, which may include a price tag for air and sea fares, that reaches $5,000? Doctors and scientists  make up the bulk of these extreme travelers. They are accompanied by regular married folks as well. There have even been a few adventurous grandmothers on some trips. According to a spokesperson for a travel agency, there is a large increase in interest in Antarctica. Thank heavens for advancement in travel, according to the spokesman, because now everyone could see Antarctica.  It was no longer reserved for the few hearty explorers who’d made it there in the past. You will gain a deeper understanding about antarctica holiday by checking out that resource.

The spokesperson for the US America’s only restrictions on tourists who wish to visit Antarctica are the same as those for many countries — the tourist needs to be self sufficient and must honor all international conservation and preservation covenants that are in place so that the Antarctic continent is maintained and preserved. Conservationists and scientists alike are particularly concerned about the negative impact tourism may have on this pristine environment. Their fear is that the ships will disgorge legions of tourists and keepsake seekers to stream over the icecap, upset the penguins, litter and possibly vandalize or steal Antarctica’s historic monuments.

There is a hut at Cape Royds which housed a famous expedition.  It appears exactly as they left it in 1907, complete with canned food on the shelves and clothes in the closet. Still open on the table lays a copy of a big city European newspaper.

Tourists climb a small hill to take better photos of the Antarctic Mountains, the keepers of the South Pole.  They are 900 miles away, but can be clearly seen. Pioneers and explorers were first met with additional miles of crusty ice when they first reached the pole. Today an eight-foot tall, blue and orange striped pole will greet you.  There’s a large silver reflective ball on the top of it.

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By Admin, July 20, 2010

Drake’s Passage lies in all its frightening glory between the continent of Antarctica and the southern tip of South America. That 400 mile stretch of water has some of the worst reported sea weather in the world, ad is a place where no speck of land big or small could cause the currents a moment’s pause in their collision course toward one another. I honestly only thought that I would see penguins and icebergs. I honestly had no idea what else I might see in regards to geography, people or the awesome beauty that it could hold. As a person looking for antarctic cruise you should visit that site.

We were well warned about the horrors that Drake’s Passage could hold, but the vengeful old sea gods were merciful to us on our way down. On our back, however, the squalls were in full force. The sea gods who’d seen fit to show us mercy decided to show us what they were capable of on our way back. The sea was grey and calm our first morning in Antarctica.

In the distance we could see gray tinted mountains shrouded in snow, and it was not long before we saw our first sea ice. Little ice chunks bobbed like crystallized marshmallows near the boat. I snatched up my camera and zipped it securely into the brilliant red expedition parka which all passengers are provided upon their arrival and hurried into the frigid Antarctic morning.

In addition to rushing outside every time someone spotted a dolphin, whale or penguin, we listed to slide presentations offered by the ship’s naturalist. We were in a great mood as we took off in our small raft from the mother ship, and began floating free amongst the icebergs. We approached a small rocky island covered in ice and saw penguins standing about on the shore, debating about getting wet. Visit this site for further information on great antarctic cruise.

We were totally encircled by penguins. This little outpost of land in Paradise Harbor is home to both gentoo penguins and a small group of researchers. We watched as they waddled all over, appearing very determined in their behavior. Some of them stood on rocks and observed us smiling and pointing at the, occasionally snapping a photo or two. The majority of these were adolescent chicks, as the majority of the parents had already moved on. And many of those kids were still trying to figure out what they were supposed to be doing. The birds eat krill from the ocean, and have had it regurgitated directly into their mouths by their parents until recently.

The penguins had also started molting. Most of the babies had cleaned up their coats, and were sporting the smooth, patterned feathers of their parents, but some still had a few clumps of fluffy gray down stuck to random parts of their body – like the tops of their heads, making them look like they were wearing fluffy hats. As we returned to our ship, we navigated around ice drifting in the bay. A seal was gorgeously posing atop a small berg. As we passed by he gave a long, pink-tongued yawn as if to say that he didn’t care what we were up to and that our business was probably unimportant anyhow. was the perfect ending to a really wonderful day. |He gave us a giant tongue-filled yawn; maybe he was telling us how boring we were to see. |Maybe he was commenting on how boring we were when he gave us a giant yawn. |Evidently we bored him because he gave returned our stares with a huge yawn. |He yawned, exposing his enormous pink tongue. His lack of concern for our presence belied the unspoiled characteristic of this beautiful land where we’d spend a perfect day. |He presented us with a large, pink-tongued yawn, by which he could have been indicating just how impressed he was that we were there, but which certainly was an ideal manner of concluding our day. ]

Penguins are always so very charming. The waddle brought smiles to all of our faces. Their appearance of wearing formal tuxedos is a funny paradox with their clown-like webbed, orange feet. These penguins are quite neat and clean. This is probably due to the fact that the island is more rock than dirt. And to make them even more fashionable, they had a thin black line under their chins, giving them the impression of round cheeks.

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By Admin, July 12, 2010

Its unlike anything you’ve experienced before.  It is so unlike those standard beach destinations or even world cities such as Paris, Rome or London. More and more tourists have come to the frigid continent in the past few years. Though we seem to have forgotten about Antarctica, most school children have studied it. Go to this site for further information on affordable travel to antarctica.

Tourists coming from New York can choose to fly into Buenos Aires.  They can also opt to fly directly into the world’s most southern city, Ushuaia, which is in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. Travelers then head for the Drake Passage, after spending two days touring and receiving training about the adventure ahead. Drake Passage, which is an amazing feat on it’s own, is considered to be the roughest 600 miles of sea in the world that separates Antarctica from South America’s most southern tip.

A seaman, back in the days of sailing’s youth, who managed to cross these waters and tell about it, was granted authority, following passage of port at dinner, to step one foot on the table top. And, if he actually was brave enough to travel into the Antarctic Circle itself, he was even allowed to place both feet on the table during the festivities. You can see still see this tradition today.

If you are brave enough to sail to Antarctica can now do more than carve their initials into an iceberg or feed penguins. Tours will also make interesting stops at several U.S. and Argentine science stations.  You’ll see ongoing studies, including some that concern ocean and glacial biology, earth movements and meteorology. Anyone who has visited will tell you about the amazing hospitality and knowledge these scientists display. Visit this site for further information on antarctic travel.

While on the tour, you will take part in a comprehensive course of scientific research, encompassing everything from geology to marine life. Tourists can see that Antarctic water holds more living matter than water from anywhere else in the world. Tour members sleep on ship, and then travel to daily excursions. Wintertime in the US it is actually Summer in the southern hemisphere and visa versa. Even with relatively balmy summer temperatures of thirty degrees, the Antarctic summer is brisk due to the frigid winds. Winters in Antarctica are unbelievably cold, but tour members are given everything that they need to brave the cold, including pants, parkas, and mittens.

You will have the chance to mingle with the sea leopards, penguins, and elephant seals, with these seals being quite a daunting creature, each one weighing in at as much as two and a half tons. You can see a whale graveyard, too. Tour guides strongly urge tourists not to bring the whale vertebrae back as trip memorabilia because of stiff overweight charges on return flights.

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By Admin, June 14, 2010

After her latest trip, a visit to Antarctica, this ninety-one year old has now seen almost all there is to see on our planet. She saw it with her very own eyes, not in a magazine or on television. This was the third time she’d visited the region, but the first time she’d actually seen Antarctica. She may not have touched the actual land, but she did fly over it. As a person looking for antarctica tours you should visit that site.

Flying over fjords, glaciers and through mountain passes, the lucky traveler savored Antarctica for four hours. Barely 300 feet above the ground was the lowest the plane went. Fog inundated one mountain peak. Because the weather was so good, they could see well. Very cold air temps accompanied them, though the Antarctic summer was just coming to an end. One scientist, a naturalist who researched on the continent was the tour guide and lecturer on board.

A view of the penguins was one of this lady?s goals. Her daughter, also a passenger on the flight, spied some penguins far in the distance, though she was unable to see any. Near the coast of Argentina lies the Falkland Islands.  They traveled via cruise ship to this point. She got her chance to see them up close when she traveled to the East Island of the Falklands by boat.  There were hundreds of Magellan penguins there. Magellans are the tallest of all penguins.

After flying for sixteen hours from the United States, their cruise started in a South American city. A dip in the pool was the crew?s invitation after visiting many South American ports of call. Ignoring the air temperatures of 35 degrees, the ninety-one year old took to the water.  She got a certificate for having done so. Visit this site for further information on antarctica vacations.

After reaching Rio, she flew out.  She had toured Santiago after being driven there when the cruise ship reached Chile. They experienced excellent weather during their three week cruise. The clearness of the night air allowed all the passengers to see the Southern Cross, the smallest of all constellations.

When she’d visited South America before, the tourist had cruised the major river and seen one other major city. Branching out from that major river, she’d witnessed the rain forest destruction and loss of bird habitat. Going on Safari during a trip to Africa is another of her experiences. She?d been to, too, so Antarctica was the last of the continents she needed to visit. This recent travel to Antarctica fulfilled the dream of visiting all the continents.