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FEMALE FRIENDLY As the #MeToo
movement makes inroads through society,
it’s also influencing the way some women
want to travel. According to adventure tour specialists
Intrepid Travel, increasingly there’s a demand for
curated itineraries that offer women the opportunity
to step outside their comfort zones and experience
the day-to-day lives of women in developing
countries. In 2019, Intrepid’s female-led, female-only
12-day excursions through Iran provide an
extraordinary opportunity to discover the culture and
challenges in the lives of Iranian women without the
limitations of a mixed-gender group. Guests will visit
a local beauty parlour, learn how to tie various
styles of headscarves, eat in a private home in Tehran
and experience hijab-free home life. Beyond the city,
guests will experience a remote homestay with
the nomadic Qashqai people and visit Shiraz and the
ancient city of Persepolis. They had us at ‘beauty
salon’. intrepidtravel.com1
VENTURING DOWN SOUTH We’re excited by an amazing new
adventure from Australian-owned, ultra-luxury private tour operator Captain’s
Choice — Antarctic Frontiers with Eric Philips, an acclaimed guide
and veteran of more than 20 polar voyages, including a recent charity initiative
with Prince Harry. Guests on the 13-day journey will travel from Cape
Town by private jet to Antarctica, where they’ll sleep on top of the ice in
luxury domes, viewing seldom-seen Emperor penguin colonies in the magical
landscape and then travelling to the South Pole, a region where only the likes
of Bear Grylls and
Buzz Aldrin have
ventured. The journey
— which departs
26 November 2019 —
is reserved for only
12 guests and starts
from $162,800 per
person twin-share.
captainschoice.com.au5
AN AUTHENTIC INSIGHT Jamshyd Sethna of New Delhi-based
Banyan Tours is something of a legend expert travellers in the know
trust with creating sensational itineraries in the remote reaches of
India’s Kumaon, Ladakh and Sikkim. In 2004, he founded his passion project
Shakti, a luxury holiday tour provider specialising in village walks in the
Himalayas through some of the most picturesque and hard-to-reach places on
the planet. Guests take guided walks between beautifully renovated houses in
three villages — a genuine, life-affirming experience with a strong sense of
community. There’s so much more to this transcendent journey, but the good
news is there will be a new house in Ladakh slated to be completed in 2019,
giving walkers the option of an extended stay. shaktihimalaya.com6
GET OFF THE GRID Mongolia
is one destination that certainly provides for
a TRANSFORMATIONAL journey. According to
Nathan Wedding, founder of Seven Skies, an Australian
luxury travel company focused on EXPERIENTIAL and
ACTIVE travel, Mongolia is so much more than just the
famous Gobi Desert, with its pristine rivers and mountains
on the northern Russian border, the Ikh Nart Nature
Reserve, the vast steppes, and the amazing wildlife and
nature experiences. Seven Skies can take guests completely
OFF THE GRID, chartering light aircraft to travel across
the different landscapes, with guests staying in luxury
yurts. HANDCRAFTED TOURS allow travellers to select
their own departure dates. VL sevenskies.comChoose your own
WHAT’S NEW IN TOURS
Discover six thrilling new journeys on offer from trusted tour designers. By Lee Tulloch
ADVENTURE
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INSIDE SECRET
The Classic Safari Company
has put together the Secret
Women’s Series, a tailored collection
of personalised escorted journeys
EXCLUSIVELY for FEMALE travellers
to inspirational, ADVENTUROUS
and EXOTIC destinations, including
a trip to the Kingdom of Bhutan
in 2020, a journey that incorporates
the stimulating Mountain Echoes
literary festival in Thimphu.
classicsafaricompany.com.au2
GO SLOW Slow-travel
specialists Butterfield &
Robinson have been creating
EXHILARATING walking and cycling
itineraries for 50 years. In 2019, the
company is adding an eight-day LUXURY
walking tour through the beautiful natural
landscapes of Rwanda, taking in the best
of this emerging destination, exploring
lakes and WILDERNESS, tea and coffee
plantations, and the mountain forests
— home to silverback gorillas. There
are off-the-rack small group tours, or
the ADVENTURE can be tailored for
individuals. butterfield.com