Virtuoso Life — the adventure issue

 

There are many different kinds of luxury, and adventure travel is one of them. We in the 21st century have the capacity to discover the wilds of nature, all in perfect comfort. While you will experience some trade-offs — even the most well equipped tent will never duplicate the elegance perfected by world-class hotels like the George V or Ritz Paris — you can enjoy privileged encounters of a different kind. While there are too many possibilities to list here, but you might start by thinking about...

• an all-inclusive excursion cruise to Antartica or to Iceland & Greenland
• a tented camp in Tofino (BC), Chiang Rai (Thailand), or Rajasthan (India)
• a luxurious safari resort in Africa, a base for discovering the Big Five

It costs nothing to indulge the dream. Click here to browse the May/June issue of Virtuoso Life. Dubbed "the adventure issue," you'll read about possibilities like those mentioned in the bullet points above. Finally, contact your Virtuoso travel advisor to orchestrate your travel dreams and bring them to life.

copyright (c) 2021 by Ourisman Travel LLC.  All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member.

an amazing video of a safari encounter

No words are necessary, this video tells the story so beautifully in just three minutes. Alice Mantaine, a guide at Angama, came upon a herd of elephants during an afternoon game drive with guests. Watch to see what happens next.

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copyright (c) 2021 by Ourisman Travel LLC.  All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member.

if you've ever wanted to go on safari...

Whether you've already been on safari, or a safari is high on your bucket-list, you'll enjoy this 17+ minute virtual safari. Produced by Singita Grumeti, this is typical of the game drives offered by the top luxury safari camps in the Serengeti.

During the present shutdown of world travel, many of our Virtuoso travel partners are creating virtual travel experiences for past and future guests. This video shows the sights and sounds of an early morning game drive in the Serengeti. Other providers have done the same thing, creating videos, sharing talks from local tour guides on Zoom, offering recipes of favorite dishes, curating playlists of local music.

While this video can whet your appetite, imagine actually being there — the physical sensations of being out in the wilderness, the vistas, the breeze, the sounds, the animals ...

So, for now, stay home and keep healthy ... but stay busy dreaming about your next travel adventure!

copyright (c) 2020 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

wild bush luxury in northern Australia

sunset silhouette at Bamurru Plains (c) 2019 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

Bamurru Plains is a safari camp in the far north of Australia, east of Darwin. Separated from the ocean by 100 square miles of flood plains, airboat excursions to view wildlife are the most popular activity. Because our visit came at the end of the dry season, we did not have the chance to enjoy this particular activity as the floodplains were dry — but we did take advantage of sunrise and sunset excursions by 4x4 and boat. The best times to visit are May through August.

Birdwatching was the passion of an English couple we met at Bamurru Plains. Equipped with extremely long telephoto lenses, they were rewarded with photographic opportunities of a vast variety of local birds. It was fun hearing them excitedly calling out the names of birds they spotted and checking that species off their list. Wallabies hopped all around our camp, and we saw crocodiles in abundance when going for a nature cruise down the Mary River.

Our cabin was plain but comfortable. Screened walls brought in the sights and sounds of the surroundings. No need for alarm clocks, as the birds will reliably wake you at dawn. The camp is completely off the grid, electricity being provided by generators and hot water from the solar collector on your roof (keep your showers short!). Being off the grid, your stay at Bamurru Plains will be a vacation from emails, phone calls, and news. Food was good, with guests dining "family style" around a long table.

   

copyright (c) 2019 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

Virtuoso Week | Reconsider South Africa

Here's #7 on my top ten list from Virtuoso Travel Week.

Reconsider South Africa is a video about the destination that has gone viral (over 800,000 views) … South Africa. Take a look, and if you're inspired to consider a stay in Cape Town, or to dream about a wildlife safari, get in touch! Jessica has been a number of times and can help you plan the trip of a lifetime.

NatGeo's Ten Things to See and Do in South Africa

1. Kruger National Park
2. Robben Island
3. Wine tourism
4. Big Five (lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino, elephant)
5. viewing sea life
6. Table Mountain
7. ancient Bushman paintings
8. Zulu culture
9. the Big Hole in Kimberly
10. the Blue Train

copyright (c) 2014 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

Serengeti: The Eternal Beginning

Serengeti: The Eternal Beginning is a photo essay documenting the fragile beauty of the vast Serengeti, a World Heritage Site which is now endangered due to climate change. Author and photographer Boyd Norton has been visiting the Serengeti since he was a schoolboy in the late 1940's, and this 250-page book conveys his intimacy with and passion for this area. This book is not for the casual reader looking for an easy read that describes what to do and what to see on safari. Norton conveys an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the Serengeti, its history, and its wildlife — and a prophetic passion for the ecological preservation of this irreplaceable wilderness.

One of the world's 40 most influential nature photographers (see a gallery of some of his favorites here), Brad Norton uses his own images to illustrate this book. There must be hundreds of full-color photographs, some covering an entire 9" x 20" two-page spread. The book is also an invitation to join Serengeti Watch and to stop the Serengeti Highway, a proposed commercial highway across the park that would cut off migration routes.

See video of the Serengeti in the clip below.


Serengeti: the Eternal Beginning from Boyd Norton on Vimeo.

The book is available on amazon.com.


copyright (c) 2011 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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Botswana safari | 2 for 1 luxury safari

Among the incredible luxury travel values to come across my desk in recent weeks, none will save you more money than this once-in-a-lifetime safari in Botswana. Buy one land safari, and the second guest's land safari is FREE!

Botswana is located in Southern Africa, bordering South Africa to the southeast, Namibia to the northwest, and touching Zambia at a single point. During your vacation, you will stay at renowned Orient-Express properties. In Johannesburg, your home will be the historic Westcliff Hotel for two nights. In Botswana, you will experience a total of six nights at three Orient-Express luxury safari lodges — Khwai River Lodge, Eagle Island Lodge, and Savute Elephant Camp — which feature luxurious air conditioned tents with en-suite facilities. Your safari includes all meals and drinks as well as daily breakfasts in Johannesburg and private airport transfers.

Of course, the reason to go on safari is the experience of seeing African wildlife in their natural habitat. Most travelers to Africa enjoy experiences that surpass their expectations. This exclusive offer of a 2-for-1 luxury safari is not likely to be seen again, and it's valid only through 2009.

Buy one, and the second guest stays for free. Land price from August - October is $8,675. In November and December, the land price decreases to $6,595. Not included is international air from the USA and roundtrip air between Johannesburg and Botswana.

luxury safari (search here on Google)


copyright (c) 2009 by David J. Ourisman. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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