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Our tours are about being active and walking on
our beautiful planet – a mode of transport as natural as
breathing. Exploring wild places, marvelling at human ingenuity,
understanding new cultures, sharing delicious food and the company
of like-minded travelling companions are all essential elements
in our tours.
While walking is the main mode of exploration, we
also use buses, trains, boats, planes, chairlifts and cable cars
to transport us around countries and to the trailheads. Although
we focus on national parks, World Heritage-listed sites and wilderness
areas, we also like to contrast the hiking trails with cities
and towns that have special significance.
When we visit a walking area there are hiking options
most days. If we have more than one guide on the tour, we usually
offer both easy and more challenging options. Quite often you
can also extend or shorten the main group day walk. Depending
on the tour, walks vary from two to three hours on graded tracks
to full day hikes in high mountain country. On day walks, you
carry just a daypack and return to a hotel or camp in the afternoon.
On through-walks, your main luggage is transported to the next
location while you walk with a daypack.
Nothing pleases us more than to welcome a guest
touring with us again. Many people have travelled the world with
us regularly and extensively in the last 30 years and we often
hear that a tour more than exceeded a guest’s expectations.
An essential element in the enjoyment of a group
holiday is that each person is able to get out and walk. Ability
will always vary within a group and under most circumstances we
are able to accommodate these differences – our walks aren’t
a contest of speed! However, it is important for your well-being
and that of your tour companions that you are sufficiently fit
for the region you are entering and for most of the walks on offer.
We will give you the information that you need to
match your walking fitness with an appropriate tour. Make sure
you carefully read the descriptions of the walks in the detailed
itinerary. Tour guides are more than happy to discuss their tour
and the walks with you.
Accommodation varies from a romantic spa hotel in
Budapest to a rustic pub in Tasmania to restored plantation cottages
in Hawaii and a remote hikers’ lodge in the Canadian Rockies.
Where possible, we choose places to stay based on
their unique character or history, location and atmosphere. In
national parks, we prefer to be close to the walking tracks, rather
than 20km down the road. In urban centres, we stay in central
locations that allow us to experience the character of the town
or city. In most locations, we stay two to four nights and sometimes
longer. This allows us to slow down, unpack our bags and adjust
to the local pace.
The cost of our tours is on a twin share basis;
however, most tours offer a sole-use price if you want to have
a single room. If you are travelling alone but would like to share
a room, we can usually match you up with another guest –
though, if we cannot, you will need to pay for sole use of a room.
Further information about accommodation is provided in the detailed
itinerary.
Walking and a hearty appetite go hand in hand, so
we tend to make food a highlight of any tour. Whether it’s
a picnic breakfast in the rainforest of North Queensland or a
four-course dinner of local specialities in an Italian trattoria,
meals will be a memorable part of your holiday. Be prepared to
explore regional cuisines and experience the culture through flavour
and the delights of a shared table.
Depending on the destination, up to three-quarters
of the meals are included in the tour price. On camping and more
remote tours, our guides prepare a wonderful array of special
meals in some of the most glorious locations.
The group size of our tours is generally between
10 and 20 guests. Some of our European tours can accommodate slightly
larger groups. If a tour reaches its minimum group size, our aim
is to provide two tour guides wherever possible. This gives you
more flexibility with walks (for example, guided half- or full-day
walks) and options for daily activities. We also use local guides
where additional specialised expertise will enhance the tour.
The many comments we receive confirm the belief that our guides
are special people, dedicated to ensuring you have genuine, relaxed
and memorable experiences of each place. They are from many nations
and all walks of life, with a common love of exploring and enjoying
the outdoors. Their task is to look after all the details of travel,
leaving you free to walk, relax and enjoy. See Guiding Lights for biographies.
Walking tours seem to attract like-minded
people and we find that groups bond very quickly. Although our
guests come from all walks of life, everyone has a common interest
in the outdoors. Since much of our time is spent on the walking
trails, this gives us space to relax and enjoy both company and
times of solitude.
While walking is always an integral part of the
interNATIONAL PARKtours experience, in 2006 we are responding
to your requests for some special interest journeys. In Australia
and New Zealand, we have designed new birding and wildlife-focused
tours. In Europe, we have new self-discovery and community-centred
journeys.
We have also categorised our general walking-based
tours if they have an extra focus. For instance, culture and history
are often a central focus and provide an intense and vivid exploration
of a country. Examples include the rich tapestry of Cuba’s
people in a culture holding rich connections to African and Europe.
On the Japanese journey, we take the roads less travelled (through
rural Japan) sharing activites and exploring arts and crafts with
local residents. In Europe, history and culture form the backdrop
for walks in nearly every country.
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