Holidays suggetions
Sunday 19th July 2009 | 05:01 pm
Music: Kramer - The Guilt Trip
Iraq After a six-year hiatus Hinterland Travel (01484 719549, hinterlandtravel.com) resumed tours of Iraq in March — complete with visits to Saddam Hussein’s former residences. For £2,260, plus flights, you can be among the first Western tourists to explore Iraq since the war.
Afghanistan The Lonely Planet guide to Afghanistan recommends a trip to the “glittering lakes of Band-e-Amir,” combined with a tour of Herat, which “speaks of the country’s position at the heart of the Silk Road”. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, whose advice Times Travel follows, urges visitors to “consider permanent armed protection, [but] . . . be aware that even these precautions cannot guarantee your safety”. Wild Frontiers (020-7736 3968, wildfrontiers.co.uk) has a 23-day trip leaving on July 26, 11 days of which will be a challenging trek across the Wakhan Corridor in Afghanistan, the rest in Tajikistan.The price is from £3,500 (full board, but not including flights ).
North Korea The demilitarised zone is the last Cold War frontier. A 4km strip of barbed wire, military hardware and political posturing, it also has a thriving population of bears and red-crowned cranes. Environmentalists hope that the area will become a nature reserve if North and South Korea are ever reunited — and, with a million landmines laid in the zone, they may well get their wish. Regent Holidays (0845 2773317, regent-holidays.co.uk) has a nine-day Classic North Korea tour from £1,299pp (full board and sightseeing, but no flights).
Source: Times Online
Afghanistan The Lonely Planet guide to Afghanistan recommends a trip to the “glittering lakes of Band-e-Amir,” combined with a tour of Herat, which “speaks of the country’s position at the heart of the Silk Road”. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, whose advice Times Travel follows, urges visitors to “consider permanent armed protection, [but] . . . be aware that even these precautions cannot guarantee your safety”. Wild Frontiers (020-7736 3968, wildfrontiers.co.uk) has a 23-day trip leaving on July 26, 11 days of which will be a challenging trek across the Wakhan Corridor in Afghanistan, the rest in Tajikistan.The price is from £3,500 (full board, but not including flights ).
North Korea The demilitarised zone is the last Cold War frontier. A 4km strip of barbed wire, military hardware and political posturing, it also has a thriving population of bears and red-crowned cranes. Environmentalists hope that the area will become a nature reserve if North and South Korea are ever reunited — and, with a million landmines laid in the zone, they may well get their wish. Regent Holidays (0845 2773317, regent-holidays.co.uk) has a nine-day Classic North Korea tour from £1,299pp (full board and sightseeing, but no flights).
Source: Times Online