Uncategorized

Touring The Central Asian Republics

Posted by Jod on February 27, 2018
Posted in: Asia, Limited offers, Uncategorized. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

_DSC0002_a

Having spent a good portion of the last 18 years as a tour operator working in emerging destinations there is always something ready to stun, amaze and intrigue you. The companies I have worked for were amongst the first to go into China in the early 80’s and Vietnam in the early 90’s, and during the time I was with them were amongst the first doing regular touring into destinations like Myanmar, the  DPRK, Libya, Uganda and many more.

One of those destinations that we were amongst the pioneering travel organisers into were the republics of Central Asian Republics after the break up of the USSR. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and more. As luck would have it, despite organising a number of groups to this region my own travels escorting groups often saw me off to other destinations like Egypt, Libya, Turkey and Myanmar

As a result I have been itching for some time to get up to Central Asia and see the wonders these incredible countries have on offer. From Registan Square, which inspired the tale of Scheherazade and 1001 Arabian nights, to the scenic beauty of places like Altyn Arashan that rival the Rockies for their grandeur.

The Central Asian Republics sat astride the Ancient Silk Road and with influences converging from China and Mongolia to the East, India and Persia to the South and Russia and the European Continent from the West, these states shown an incredibly diverse cultural array reflected in their food, music, history and day to day lives.

Whether you are exploring the tombs of one of the ancient Shieks, eating pilaf in a remote mountain town, or enjoying the soviet-esque splendour of cities like Ashgabat, there is always an experience lurking in this region for people to discover.

Which is why in May 2019, I am finally headed there! Over the course of  twenty days I will be exploring some of the most incredible sights and experiences available in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. All things running to plan I look to fly into Almaty with Asiana Airlines (which allow for a free night in Seoul), and out of Tashkent, taking in the best of what I can between .. From the walled city of Khiva to the ever burning “Hells’ Gate”.

More to the point, as I am doing this programme with people I know and have worked with on the ground for almost twenty years, the rates and inclusions are incredible, and I thought this is the perfect opportunity for me to show this area off to more people, which is why you are seeing this packet of information! I would love for you to join me as I discover the Central Asian Republics on this once in a lifetime experience!

Regards Daniel

Burana
DARVAZA 2 PS
DSC_3056a
Yangy_kala
DSC03451
_DSC0743_a

For more information please contact us on allworld@allworld.com.au

 

Advertisements

World Wide Wildlife Sightseeing .. Part 1: The Middle East

Posted by Jod on November 30, 2015
Posted in: Middle East, South America, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

worldwildlife

There is something about a wildlife encounter that is truly engaging for travellers, whether its birding out in wetlands, watching bears from a hide, swimming with manatees, feeding baby Pandas, having breakfasts with orang-utans or spotting big game while on safari.

When talking about wildlife touring most people automatically think of Africa – and it is a reasonable jump – but there is all sorts of wildlife sightseeing out there available to the traveller looking to enhance their journey. As you can see from the above map there are locales all round the world that offer fantastic and unique wildlife encounters.

Lets just take a look at one region to start with .. the Middle East, one of the few places people think of travelling for Wildlife Sightseeing. From Persia through to Morocco there are some fantastic Wildlife sightseeing and visitations able to be done in this region and here are a few examples..

Continue Reading

Discovering The Best Of Central Asia

Posted by Jod on July 27, 2015
Posted in: Asia, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

tamburlaine

Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. These five countries form the region today knows as Central Asia, states formerly of the USSR they are often referred to as the Central Asian Republics and have a strong mixture of Soviet, Persian, Muslim, Turkic, Mongol and Chinese influences on everything from day to day lives, historical architecture, dance and the culture of the varying peoples of the region.  A cultural melting-pot from the days when the Silk Road was a major thoroughfare the Central Asian Republics are a blend of styles, and histories rarely seen elsewhere, in a landscape that ranges from desert and steppes to pristine lakes and glorious mountainscapes.

While each of the countries that compose the Central Asian Republics is well worth visiting in depth, the truth is that most of us will only get one chance to visit the region, and would like to see as much of its highlights as possible in the usual holiday span – generally two to three weeks. With that in mind we have developed a programme that takes in the Major highlights of the region crossing three of the five Central Asian Republics and covering sights of Cultural, Historic and Natural interest.

Continue Reading

Four Reasons To Visit Egypt

Posted by Jod on August 21, 2014
Posted in: Africa, Middle East, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

The Sphinx and Great Pyramid at Giza

One of the places we tend to send a lot of travellers is Egypt, and apart from the questions on security, weather, what to wear, the general question that we get is what is there really to see in Egypt Outside of the Pyramid and the Sphinx? The truth is there is a hell of a lot to see in Egypt, and seeing it all would take well over a month .. which is a little beyond most peoples travel allowance, time wise and often in cash. So what to do in a shorter period say ten days to two weeks? Well, even on a budgeted time allowance there is plenty to capture the imagination …

Continue Reading

Aztecs, Incas, Mayans and Olmecs

Posted by Jod on August 17, 2014
Posted in: Central America, South America, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

Tikal was a major centre of the Mayan Empire

When one considers ancient civilizations most think of the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Carthagians .. those based around the Mediterranean. Far across the ocean from those who held sway in Europe though a number of Ancient Civilizations not only flourished but thrived well past the date when the Roma Empire (as an example) had collapsed.

As one journeys South in the Americas from Mexico, throuhg Guatemala and onwards into Ecuador and Peru you can discover thetraces and remains of some of the worlds grandest civilizations – that of the Olmecs, the Aztecs, The Mayans and the Incas.

While it is (as you would assume) my recommendation to visit a lot of South America and Central America as individual countries on small manageable trips rather than just one long trip as many seem to want to do, if you are after a trip to take in Ancient Civilizations then this is a possibility to do within three weeks (inclusive of flights) and cover the Olmecs, Aztecs, Mayans and Incas.

A three week trip would cover the basics .. one that wanted to cover the four civilizations in depth would take considerably longer, but the shorter one is suitable for most working people on holiday or those seeking an introduction to South and Central America.

For a tour that fits within a three week period we would suggest something along the lines of the following ..

Continue Reading

Touring, Group vs Individual

Posted by Jod on June 27, 2014
Posted in: Special Departures, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

khiva-uzbekistan

We have been packaging up our destinations now as Allworld since 2007, and between our main staff we have been organising these destinations even longer. One question that keeps coming up is “Do I have to travel with a Group?”which is normally followed pretty soon afterwards by the query “Isn’t it more expensive to travel on your own?”

To me it feels in some ways like a running battle to keep people informed, but the truth is that almost anywhere that you travel on group tours you can do individual tours with your own private guide and drivers, so the answer is always NO, you do not have to travel with a Group. See? Nice and simple! The next answer though is not, because the price will vary widly dependant on where in the world you are travelling. For example if you travel in Egypt or Vietnam the cost of independant travel is usully within a few dollars per day of what you would pay on a group tour on a daily basis, so no it isn’t really more expensive to travel individually. In Europe though a private tour is incredibly more expensive then a group tour, so yes in some cases it is more expensive to travel individually.

It is for these reasons that we work differently in each of our destinations. For most of our destinations we work on individual tours, because the price is similar to group travel, or in some cases (like Yemen for example) trying to run scheduled group departures just are not feasable. In some destinations we offer a combination, like in Peru where we can orgainse a trip suited for you, but put you on regularly scheduled day tours with other travellers in the main cities and towns to keep costs down. Then we have destinations like Turkey, where the majority of our tours are group departures, simply because doing things individually with a private guide and driver for small groups (2 – 6 people) can be incredibly expensive.

So as you can see, the whole “Group vs Individual”travel is not something that is always straightforward, at least as far as cost reward goes. In general though for the majority of our destinations we don’t hesitate to tell people that Individual Travel Options are much better than group travel, and we can tell you why!

Continue Reading

Egypt – Cruise the Nile Aboard ANKH I

Posted by Jod on May 13, 2011
Posted in: Africa, Middle East, Uncategorized. Leave a comment

With things calming down in Egypt we thought we would take a chance to let you get a glimpse of one of our flashest new products. The Ankh I. Halfway between a Nile cruise boat and a felucca this marvelous vessel ply’s the Nile giving up to twenty passengers at a time the experience of a laid back cruise compared to the bustle of most cruise vessels.

So to help encourage you to return to Egypt we have a limited time special combining the highlights of Egypt with the luxuries of the ANKH I.

Continue Reading