New 2009 Brochure - Out Now!

The new 2009 brochure from Walks Worldwide, the walking holiday specialists, offers a superb portfolio of private guided treks, guided and self-guided, open-dated departures and ‘In Style’ walking tours (the connoisseur’s choice). For 2009, Walks Worldwide has added 54 new tours, including a greatly expanded programme in Eastern Europe and South America, plus a whole new section dedicated to their increasingly popular ‘In Style’ tours – great for trekkers who prefer a bit of luxury at the end of a day! Many guided tours are now open-dated, offering greater flexibility and, unlike many ‘rival’ operators, available for a minimum of two travelling together. Perfect for those who want independence with the benefit of their very own local guide.

The dedicated team at Walks Worldwide combines years of firsthand experience and is genuinely enthusiastic about each of the countries they visit - all keen walkers too! Want to know the best Inca route to Machu Picchu, be one of the first to try Husky Trekking in Finland – walkies here takes on a whole new meaning, unravel the secrets of Romania’s mythical Maramures – an ancient land of wooden churches, or visit the only town in the US where the mail is still carried by mule? Ask Walks Worldwide, they’ve been there, done that…

Headliner trips for 2009 include:

FINLAND - Husky Trekking: 8-day guided tour with scheduled departures in June & Aug 09 - £895 p/p (land only).
A brand new tour exclusive to Walks Worldwide - dog-assisted walking with your very own Husky in Finland’s wild forests. Arctic dogs have traditionally been used for many purposes, and when there is no snow, they’re used for carrying packs and also to help humans walk faster by utilising a special leash tied to a harness. It’s not a walk in the park, and to fully enjoy this incredible experience, you need to be strong and a dog lover – Nordic Hiking is sooo last year!
ROMANIA – Mythical Maramures: 8-day guided tour departing May-Oct 09 (min 2 persons) - £1,095 p/p (land only).
A new walking holiday in the remote Maramures region of Romania, offers a journey back in time into a rural medieval life that will enchant even the most jaded world traveller. Visit the ‘Merry Cemetery’ as seen on Michael Palin’s BBC TV series New Europe, and the ancient hand-built wooden churches, many of which are now World Heritage sites.

USA – Canyons of the South West: 14-day self-drive tour with guided walking departing 09 daily - £2,895 p/p (land only).
This itinerary combines the independence of a self-drive tour with guided off-trail trekking in some of the country’s best national parks. Explore the Grand Canyon, Escalante River and famous ‘Grand Staircase’, Navajo and Havasupai Indian Reservations, Bryce and Zion NPs. Later, visit the only town in the US where mail is still carried by mule and stay in ‘The Most Beautiful Place in America’ – Sedona.

PERU – Salkantay Luxury Lodge Trek: 17-day guided group tour departing March-Dec 09 – from £2,995 p/p (land only).
Why follow in the footsteps of the Inca Trail hordes when you can trek to Machu Picchu along the magnificent Salkantay Trail? With breathtaking views around every corner this tough trail is hugely rewarding, even better when trekking ‘In Style’, from one luxurious eco-lodge to another. Take a dip in the stunning glacial lagoon at the foot of mystical Salkantay (6,271m), the second most important Inca peak, or enjoy the scenery amidst the bubbles of an outdoor Jacuzzi, just one of the little luxuries available on a superb new tour.

Click here to go to new digital brochure.

CHRISTMAS WALKING - MOROCCO’S JEBEL SAHRO

As the pre-Christmas frenzy cranks up, there’s still time to book a festive escape. Walks Worldwide has late availability on its 10-day guided winter walking holiday in Morocco’s Jebel Sahro, departing Marrakech 19th December, just before the ‘big fella’ puts in an appearance!

Visit the relatively low and gentle Jebel Sahro region of the Atlas mountains on the fringe of the Sahara, walking through semi-desert, passing stunning wind-eroded rock formations of Tadout n’ Tablah and Bab N’ Ali, green oases and gently trickling streams. During the winter months when snow turns the High Atlas into a skier's domain, the Jebel Sahro provides a delightfully contrasting walking area with warm daytime temperatures usual in December (no red noses here!). Sparsely populated by the gentle Ait Atta Berbers and infrequently visited, the region offers mostly easy walking terrain with the optional ascent of a couple of peaks, including Jebel Sahro’s highest summit, Amalou n’ Mansour (2,712 metres). Spend a final day in fascinating Marrakech, and as dusk falls, watch the drama unfold when storytellers, acrobats, snake charmers and cooks with their steaming stalls, throng the city’s famous square of Djemaa El-Fna.

The tour costs £575 p/p (land only) including scheduled flights, transfers, gite d’etape, camping and hotel accommodation, most meals and expert guiding. Flights are not included.

Click here to see more Moroccan walking holidays.

Winter Walking - Loving Libya

Don’t know if we can mention the ‘c’ word at this stage, but for walkers hoping to spend the festive season (still can’t say it!) in warmer climes, Walks Worldwide emphasises the need to book early. Their 12-day Libyan Explorer guided walking holiday offers the exotic and unusual, plus with guaranteed winter sunshine and inspirational desert scenery, it will more than fill the bill. Tour departs London 19th December 08. (If you’re quick there are limited places on the 15th October departure too).

Towering sand dunes, shimmering palm-fringed lakes, volcanic mountains, prehistoric rock art, remarkable Roman remains and a long and fertile Mediterranean coastline are just fragments of what makes Libya such an inspiring destination. In Tripoli the welcome is warm, with smiling faces all around and streets lined with images of a triumphant (and sometimes smiling) Colonel Gaddaffi. Explore the city’s ancient medina, as charming as the one in Marrakech but without the usual hassles, allowing travellers to browse in peace. One of the highlights of Walks Worldwide’s tour is the remarkable UNESCO World Heritage Site of Jebel Acacus, in the south-west of the country. Comparable to Jordan’s stunning Wadi Rum, its Saharan landscapes, inhabited by the nomadic Tuareg, reveal sand and rock towers, many examples of rarely-seen rock carvings and paintings, and desert wildlife. Walks Worldwide spend five nights here trekking amongst the dramatic Acacus rock formations and sand dunes, stopping to camp in a different location each night. Other highlights include visits to the Roman cities of Sabaratha, boasting one of the finest theatres in antiquity, and magnificent Leptis Magna, without doubt the best Roman ruins outside of Italy. Here, explore the well-preserved colonnaded streets, baths, arches and amphitheatre of Africa’s greatest Roman cities.

The tour costs £1,515 p/p (December departure) and £1,395 p/p (October departure) including scheduled flights, transfers, hotel and camping accommodation, most meals and expert guiding.

Click here to see more African holidays

Ethiopia - Simien Mountains & Lalibela Trek

Walks Worldwide’s fully guided 18-day Simien Mountains and Lalibela trek in Ethiopia, combines the UNESCO World Heritage Simien Mountains National Park, including an ascent of Mt Ras Dashen (14,872 ft) the region’s highest peak, with explorations in Axum, home of the Ark of the Covenant, and the ‘eighth wonder of the world’, Lalibela, reputedly built by angels… Next departure from London 7th November 2008.

From Ethiopia’s cosmopolitan capital, Addis Ababa, fly north to explore the old imperial capital of Gondar, famous for its many churches, castles and magnificent mountain scenery. From Debark, enter the Simien Mountains National Park, and the beginning of the trek, following small tracks along the top of the escarpment to the campsite at Sankaber. The next four days are spent approaching Ras Dashen (4,620 metres), the region's highest peak. Follow rugged trails across rock tower-studded lowlands, with views of characteristic flat-topped 'amba', mountains, through green pastures of Giant Lobelias, crossing streams and waterfalls along the way, before a final climb to the summit for a spectacular road and town-free panorama. As well as stunning landscapes there will be opportunities to spot rare, endemic Gelada Baboons, Ibex and overhead, Lammergeyer vultures. Continue out of the National Park via a little used, yet stunningly beautiful, route to the north, traversing rich, cultivated farmland. Next, descend 1,000 metres to the Ansiya River where warmer temperatures provide great swimming opportunities. Ascend again, to the village of Hawaza, past towering monoliths to the final campsite at Mulit. Here, enjoy a memorable final evening of the trek with dinner, followed by singing and dancing around the campfire, and that’s just the trekkers… Transfer by road to Axum, for exploration of its renowned 'stellae' (elaborate, enormous and mysterious standing stones) and well-guarded and never seen 'Tabot' (Ark of the Covenant), before flying on to Lalibela for a guided tour of the rock-hewn churches. Return to Addis Ababa for a final night and a farewell dinner with traditional dance, before homeward flights next day.

The tour costs £2,295 p/p and includes scheduled international flights, accommodation, all transfers, most meals, local mountain guide, porters, camping equipment and entrance fees.

Click here to see more African walking holidays.