Is Romania set to become the new Morocco?

Walks Worldwide, the UK’s leading walking holiday company, claims that Romania is set to become the next hot destination. Located in southeast Europe, bordering the Black Sea between Bulgaria, Hungary, Serbia and Ukraine, Romania is just over 3 hours flying time from the UK yet in the Carpathians it is like travelling back in time to the Europe that was. Steeped in history, folklore and culture with medieval Saxon cities, stunning mountainous scenery, timeless villages, and some of the most hospitable people in Europe, add up to make Romania a first class destination.

Walks Worldwide has introduced 5 brand new trips to Romania, virtually unique to the UK market for 2009; based on their own personal adventures in this fascinating country.

Transylvania – Walks in the enchanted land of Dracula (8 days from £945 pp) [click for details].

Apuseni – Land of the Sunset (8 days from £1095) [click for details].

Fagaras - The Haute Route of Transylvania (5 days from £750 pp) [click for details].

Mountains and Monasteries of Bucovina (9 days from £1195 pp) [click for details].

Mythical Maramures – Where Earth meets Heaven (8 days from £1095 pp) [click for details].

Holidays include all ground transportation, accommodation, most meals and the dedicated services of an English speaking guide. Walks Worldwide can also book flights and arrange varied extensions to these holidays on request.

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.

NEW - CONDOR PASS AND LOS LLANOS

Trek in the northern tip of the Andes, explore the wild plains and swamps of Los Llanos and experience the world's highest free-falling waterfall, Angel Falls. Walks Worldwide’s NEW guided, 13-day The Condor Pass and Los Llanos tour departs London daily throughout 2008 and 2009 – available NOW!

After an initial night in Caracas, transfer to the city of Merida, located on a high plateau surrounded by 'Las Cinco Aguilas Blancas' - Venezuela's five highest peaks including Pico Bolivar (5,007m). After time soaking up the atmosphere and sampling the local delicacy - Andean trout, head south to Sierra Nevada National Park, encompassing an area of 130,000 acres, part of the Andean ranges and offering fine examples of high mountain pine forests, páramo, Frailejones (endemic shrub), glacial lagoons and a wide variety of animals. Here to is Mucubaji Lagoon - the largest lagoon in the park, and behind it the suitably majestic Mucunuque Peak (4,672m). Running parallel to the Sierra Nevada is a slightly lower chain of mountains – La Culata, home to one of the world’s largest flying birds - Andean Condor, with wingspans of up to 3.5m. Here, the park offers vast, windswept vistas across a treeless terrain, dotted with wildflowers and spectacular waterfalls. Follow the aptly named ‘Condor Pass’, ascend Pan de Azucar (4,747m) for breathtaking panoramic views of Lake Maracaibo and the Sierra Nevada, then descend to the valley floor through one of the most beautiful valleys in the Venezuelan Andes, passing villages and cultivated fields en route - in time for a well-earned soak in conveniently located hot springs! The journey continues into the Llanos (grasslands) of Venezuela where a 53,000 square hectare cattle ranch provides an incredible wildlife habitat. Enjoy a 4x4 'safari' in specially converted vehicles for further opportunities to observe wildlife, including caimans and Anacondas! Finally, spend 2-days exploring the landscape surrounding the world's highest single drop waterfall, Angel Falls. Soak up the atmosphere of raging spray during a cruise close to the falls, walk behind the watery curtain of Sapito Falls, trek through lush primary rainforest to the base of Angel Falls, and finally take a dip in the water, relaxing on the sun-heated boulders, before returning to Caracas for homeward flights.

The tour costs from £2,395 including international and internal flights, pre-paid taxes, transfers, hotel, lodge and camp accommodation, most meals, camping equipment (not sleeping bags) and an expert guide.

Click here to see more walking holidaysin the America's .

PATAGONIA ADVENTURE

Walks Worldwide’s 19-day Patagonian Adventure guided trek through a wild corner of the Andes, where ice and time have shaped an unbelievable landscape of breathtaking spires, dramatic glaciers, azure lakes and sub-Antarctic forests, should top lots of travellers’ wish lists for 2009! Even more so when you add in seductive Buenos Aires and isolated Tierra del Fuego, the ultimate end of the world experience for true adventure-seekers! Tours depart Buenos Aires every Friday and Sunday from now until March 09. (Fridays only Feb & March).

Sultry, seductive Buenos Aires, kick starts Walks Worldwide’s itinerary, where footwork here is more about seeking out the juiciest steak, and hottest tango venue! Trekking proper begins from El Chalten, gateway to Los Glaciares National Park. From a stunning lagoon campsite, trek through the dense forest to impressive Chorillo Falls and Fitz Roy Base Camp for panoramic views of Cerro Poincenot and Mount Fitz Roy (3,441 metres). Visit magnificent Perito Moreno Glacier and watch giant icebergs crash into aquamarine waters below. Cross into Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park, for the next leg of the journey. Trek beneath the majestic Paine massif, a colossus of granite with its hanging glaciers and views of ancient forests and distant Andean ranges. Ascend to Las Torres base camp, an amazing natural amphitheatre beneath vertical granite towers soaring 2,800 metres skyward, and picnic overlooking Grey Glacier, the largest and most spectacular glacier inside the park. On the final part of the journey travellers follow in the wake of early explorers, sailing across the Straits of Magellan to the ends of the earth, Tierra del Fuego.

The tour costs £2,395 p/p (land only) or from £3,195 p/p (with flights) including hotel, hosterias, refuge and camping accommodation, most meals, transfers, camping equipment and expert guiding.

Click here to see more South American holidays.

NEW SRI LANKA - DISCOVER PARADISE ISLAND

Along with sun-drenched, palm-fringed sandy beaches and the azure waters of the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka offers an incredible variety of landscapes and cultures, an abundance of plant and wildlife as well as a wealth of historical and archaeological treasures. Watch the sunrise from sacred Adam’s Peak, trek to World’s End and visit the ‘Fortress in the Sky’ during Walks Worldwide’s NEW 10-day, guided Island Paradise Hiking, with daily seasonal departures from London – best time to go - NOW till May 09.

On arrival in Colombo, transfer to Negombo beach resort for an initial night. From here, discover local village life along the coast before climbing to the rock fortress of Sigiriya, ‘The Fortress in the Sky’, and it’s a magnificent complex of geometrically laid gardens, pools and fountains. Next, explore Knuckles Mountain Range (so named since it resembles the knuckles of clenched fist), offering numerous trails amongst 155km² of spectacular mountain scenery - cross crystal clear rivers, walk through dense forest and encounter spectacular waterfalls together with lush tea and cardamom plantations. Next, enjoy the tranquility at Kandy’s Udawattakele Forest Reserve, only 'disturbed' by the sound of tropical birds and the cries of small Macaque monkeys! Later, a pre-dawn ascent of Sri Pada ('sacred footprint') rock formation, and the summit of Adam's Peak (2,225m) - Sri Lanka’s highest mountain, sacred to four of the world's major religions - Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam, offers breathtaking sunrise panoramas - and perhaps some enlightenment! Explore the upper montane forest and wet patana grassland of Horton Plains National Park, situated on Sri Lanka 's highest plateau (over 2,000m), keeping watch for elusive Leopard, Sambar Deer and Bear Monkey, before crossing the desolate plains to World’s End, a spectacular, aptly named precipice plummeting over 1,000m.

The holiday costs £760 p/p (land only) including transfers, beach resort and lodge accommodation, all meals and the expertise of a local guide.

Click here to see more Asian holidays.

NEW TOUR - RORAIMA TEPUI & ANGEL FALLS

Walks Worldwide’s exhilarating new 16-day fully guided walking holiday in Venezuela’s Gran Sabana treks to the most famous tepui of all – Roraima, inspiration for Conan Doyle’s The Lost World, and visits the world’s highest single drop waterfall – Angel Falls. Departures from London are available daily, year-round (wet season is May-November, but don’t be put off, wildlife is more active during this time).

The journey begins in tropical Caracas, a city of soaring skyscrapers, old colonial buildings and some of the hottest and steamiest salsa venues anywhere. Depending on arrival time, explore the city before transferring to Puerto Ordaz on the mighty Orinoco River. From here, head south along the Pan American Highway to the savannah lands of La Gran Sabana. This green plateau situated 1,000 metres above sea level, is scattered with dramatic mist-shrouded table mountains known as tepuis. These near vertical formations dominating the surrounding plateau, were the inspiration for Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic The Lost World. Biologically unique, these mesas are some of the oldest rock formations on earth, boasting distinctive animal and plant life. Four days of trekking through an impressive landscape of savannah and virgin rainforest ensue, before tackling the most infamous of all tepuis, Roraima. Often described as an ‘island in the sky’ due to the frequently mist-enveloped savannah below making Roraima appear to float in the clouds. It’s a five-day round trip to the summit of Roraima and back, and although no mountaineering skills are necessary, it’s nevertheless a challenging trek. The holiday culminates with a visit to the incredible Angel Falls, where a dip beneath the falls surely offers the ultimate in refreshment!

The tour costs from £2,595 p/p including scheduled flights, transfers, accommodation, some meals and expert guiding.

Click here to see more Venezuelan walking holidays.

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.