Surreal. That's the first and undoubtedly the most accurate word I used to describe the experience of being in the South African bush. Of the 1300 photos we captured while staying at Singita, we narrowed it down to these 147 and I'm sure there are many more worthy of sharing but didn't quite make the cut. I assure you, this will be the longest photo album of the mini-series.

As you can observe from the first blog post (Arrival), the Boulders Lodge property is set out in the wilderness. There are dirt roads, paths, and crossings as well as an airstrip 10 minutes from the Lodge, but other than that, it’s in isolation. This fact became clearly evident when only after an hour of checking in to our #7, two mammoth Kudu moseyed down the embankment shaping the outdoor shower, grazing on the tall African grasses in their paths. Alright, this is the real deal. Confirmed. To clarify the title of this post for the uninitiated, "The Big Five" refers to the five most dangerous animals to hunt in the African bush. They are: Lion, Leopard, Buffalo, Rhino, and Elephant. Of course, most safaris these days aren't about hunting, rather just tourism, recreation, and photography. And as all safari-goers hope, we were lucky enough to see each of the big five, live!

Quite often, the first animals you'll observe on a South African safari are Impala, a smaller breed of Antelope featuring a gorgeous amber coat.

They survive in numbers, and they are visible everywhere, morning and night. Only 15 minutes into our first game drive, we encountered a small crash of White Rhinos but we weren’t lucky enough to spot any of the more rare Black Rhinos through the course of the trip. The same crash popped up a few times throughout our drives.

We also came upon a sizable herd of Buffalo creeping toward a pond for a sundowner; maybe 50 or so. Although they are a member of the “big five,” they appear comically harmless, rolling in the mud and accidentally grabbing giant wads of sloppy earth on their horns.

Moving on from the Buffalo watering hole, a tower of Giraffes intersected our road, slowly yet swiftly making their way through the bush with steady, massive strides. Giraffe turned out to be Candice's favorite animal on the trip...you'll have to ask her why.

On our first AM game drive the vehicle crept through the misty, foggy Sand River and observed a small bloat of Hippopotamuses. The river is quite shallow during the winter months, whereas during the summer (rainy season), it can be quite roaring.

The first big "wow" moment occurred shortly thereafter. JD informed us a pride of lions remained on the property after killing a buffalo the day before, so we pursued them hoping to catch a view of the kill. After a short venture into the bush, the vehicle slowed and we approached the entire pride, most of them sleeping, but a few up and about. To our amazement (and a bit of nausea), we found a young male, flanked by his whole pride, gnawing, crunching, and licking on the desolate formation of a buffalo carcass. Pretty much all that remained were the bones, ribs, a leg, lungs, and teeth.

The vehicle and guests paused sitting stationary for a while, observing these giant cats take turns gnawing on the carcass. As the sun slowly rose, the lions shifted positions to avoid baking in the emerging heat. Before we knew it, the vehicle was completely surrounded by the eight members of the pride and momentarily, we were literally stuck. After perhaps 30 minutes, the young male decided to relocate the buffalo carcass, out of the sun and out of the view of the lingering, opportunistic vultures. The sheer power required of the cat to move that thing by himself was awesome.

Once the pride rearranged and provided an exit path, we moved on to the rarest and most fortunate sighting of the entire safari: an entire den of African Wild Dogs. For several weeks, the area guides tracked the pack from a distance, all hoping the dogs would den on their property. As fortune would have it, the pack denned on the Singita property, giving the Singita guests first viewing rights. As the dogs selected a fantastically safe den location, reaching the den required JD to veer well off the vehicle path and into some intensely thick bush on the edge of a steep ravine. High with excitement, JD inched the vehicle as close as possible to the den, nearly tipping the whole deal over and down to into the ravine. "This is terrible," Phanuel warned before JD chuckled and calmly reversed us out of danger. When we arrived, we were treated to a mini-jackpot of African wildlife, viewing a pack of 10-13 critically endangered dogs. Scientific estimates place the total population at about 2000 in the world.

Upon our arrival, JD immediately pointed the alpha female was feeding the pups with regurgitated food from a recent kill; a kill likely made within the last few hours. Another adult female, the beta female, and her pups accompanied the alphas in the den. JD explained it was somewhat rare for an alpha female to allow a beta female to mate and raise pups in the same pack and den. Typically she, and she alone runs the show. But given the gravitas of their survival, you have to wonder if they know the longevity of their species is on the line. A truly amazing sight for us to witness first hand.

Retreating from the den of African Wild Dogs, we cruised past a dazzle of Zebras co-mingling with an implausibility of Wildebeest. I'm using only the scientifically correct terms (per JD) for each group of animals, you should know. Zebra and Wildebeest often roam together as their diets are are similar. The most widely accepted scientific theory explaining a zebra's stripes is that the stripes create a dizzying, kaleidoscopic effect when the dazzle is fleeing from a predator on the hunt. The predator is more likely to become disoriented and unable to zero in on an individual Zebra. That said, nobody knows for sure, and we will likely never know.

After returning from the action packed AM game drive, we decided to do some souvenir shopping at the Singita shop situated half way between the Boulders Lodge (ours) and the Singita Ebony lodge. The shop is more accurately described as a boutique selling with safari gear (vests, hats, blankets), jewelry, beautifully crafted high end furniture, and more.

Kobus placed a request on the radio and a porter arrived to drive us the 2 minutes. We didn’t end up buying anything, but on the way back, sitting at the base of a tree on the side of the road was a gorgeous female adult leopard. What an incredible looking cat; coat shining in the unimpeded afternoon sunlight. The porter/driver stopped the truck for us to observe. The only problem was: I DIDN’T BRING THE CAMERA! Why would I ever think I need the camera on what is literally a ninety second drive to the store??!! Total safari fail, but I assured myself we would have other opportunities to view Leopard so I brushed it off and put myself at ease. We'd only taken two drives so we had much to look forward to.

Turns out, the leopards creeping around the property during our three night stay felt the need to be in stealth mode. JD (the Guide) indicated he hadn’t seen a Leopard for 10 straight days and nights which is quite a rare dry spell. After we told JD about the mid-day sighting on the way to the store, he was hell bent on tracking down a leopard for our group; more specifically, the elusive female leopard who slyly appeared for us while I was unprepared.

I relayed this story to JD, and on the following PM game drive, he and Phanuel went to work. The video clip from the previous blog post is our immediate departure from the lodge to track and spot her. The guides and trackers use a number of factors in order to locate various animals on the vast property. As I mentioned, the guides from several lodges communicate via radio and provide updates. General intuition is at play when thinking about each animal’s typical movements each day. The trackers are able to identify each native animal’s tracks in the sand and approximate a general direction and time of movement. And of course, if you’re tracking a predator, you observe the behavior of its prey.

Phanuel and JD collectively put us right in her general proximity. This was obvious because the Impalas in the area were barking their alarm calls, communicating to each other the imminent presence of danger. We were in pursuit of a leopard on the hunt. You can hear the alarm calls in this short video (sorry about the "back of the head" action in this one):

In these instances, tracking from two spots is better than one. Phanuel hops down from his seat, pulls the rifle from its case, and clips a portable radio to his belt. He glances down at the tracks in the road, looks up shading his eyes from the sun, and then turns back at the guests in the vehicle. “See you,” he says.

JD advances the vehicle in the opposite direction and we cruise around, all the guests eager to get this done! The pursuit lasts a good 45 minutes, impalas alarm calling all over the place, but despite all our efforts, we weren't able to locate her. We rendezvoused with Phanuel and resumed our game drive. We circled her location several times and were so unlucky to not view a kill as she was definitely hunting. So close, yet so difficult to spot when they want to hide.

Almost as soon as we pulled out of the immediate vicinity, defeated, a breeding herd of 20 some elephants slowly emerged from a tree line into our clearing. As they lumbered through, JD rattled off an inspired plethora of interesting facts: 22 month gestation period and 20 hours a day spent eating were the highlights. Additionally, elephants are pretty much the only animal in the South African bush that can die naturally due to their size; even the fiercest predators don’t attempt to down an adult Elephant.

As I mentioned in the last post, the tracker’s skills really shine (no pun intended) after dark during night spotting. Depending on your game sightings in the day light, the night spotting typically is typically done during the last 45 minutes of the PM drive. On one drive, Phanuel spotted a gorgeous owl. Another, a tiny black scorpion. But the most amazing piece of night spotting skill came when Phanuel spotted a chameleon perched in the low hanging branches of a tree on the side of the road. Mind you, the vehicle is moving at maybe 15 MPH and Phanuel is moving a single flood light left to right, up to down in search of these night creatures. His ability to spot a single chameleon near the ground in pitch black was wildly impressive.

The AM game drive on the second to last day was on the slower side with one notable exception. JD transported us over to a known den of spotted hyenas.

Hyenas, being nocturnal creatures, are seldom seen in broad daylight. But on our arrival at the den site, we pulled into direct view of a mother hyena, snoozing at the base of the den with two pups, alternating between moments of play and rest while circling, ascending, and descending the dusty mound of earth they know as home.

In between the AM and PM game drives on our second to last day, Candice and I decided to flop ourselves down on the house patio and close our eyes for a short outdoor nap. A troop of nine or 10 monkeys had other (spiteful) ideas. One by one they appeared, first emerging in the tree directly above the outdoor shower, then seemingly from every corner of the property. And these little suckers are not shy about their desires: 1) food, 2) beverage, and 3) gaining entry to the house in pursuit of 1 and 2. One moment I'm lounging on the porch, pondering our glorious accommodation, enjoying a fine, cold, golden can of Castle Lager, the next moment Candice is whipped up in a fever of panic, pleading with me to return to the safe confines of the house. I got a couple of (crappy) photos and then acquiesced, slinking back inside to capture these videos:

On our final go round, a morning drive, we revisited the same pride of lions previously finishing off the buffalo. As it was first thing in the morning, they were just winding down their night and getting ready to rest. If you know cats and their behaviors and tendencies, it won't surprise you at all to read they were lounging, playing, and otherwise jacking around, like these dimwits attempting to ascend a small tree:

While viewing the pride, JD received some promising cat spotting news on the radio: one of the other guides had solidly located two leopard cubs on the property and marked the general vicinity on the road with a small fallen branch. Ever persistent, JD prioritized this for us. It was our last shot, so he and Phanuel got after it. The other guide located the cubs near a dry river bed, so we cruised up and down, backwards and forwards while Phanuel tracked on foot. After encircling the area two or three times, we thought to ourselves we were surely outmaneuvered once again. The vehicle proceeded up the hill and halted to collect a half-smirking Phanuel. "There," he said, pointing down at a male leopard cub laying in a thick area of grass about 10 feet away, "Now the pressure's off." Even after pointing him out, it took the guests several seconds to lock on to this beautiful creature with our naked eyes. Being a young little dude, the cub was not entirely comfortable with the presence of the vehicle, and as such, picked up and trotted off a few times, but even though we were somewhat antagonizing him, JD assured us the cub was better off getting accustomed to the vehicle and learning it introduced no harm. Due to the leopard's stealthy modus operandi, our photos of him aren't the best, but we captured what we could.

To avoid unnecessarily distressing the cub, we bid farewell and pulled away. JD parked the vehicle on the edge of a valley for a coffee and cake break. Gazing out across the valley, a solitary giraffe stood out among the trees. In a nearby clearing, a troop of Baboons frolicked about. Knowing we were soon to depart from this most incredible piece of the earth, we made every effort to absorb it all one last time.

Upon return, many people asked me, "what was the singular coolest thing you saw while down on safari?" The intent of this question is undoubtedly to keep my answer brief, most certainly the antithesis of this blog series. My answer would be something about our proximity to the wildlife. I couldn't possibly imagine we'd be able to park a Land Rover literally in the middle of a pride of Lions feeding on a Buffalo kill without fearing for our lives. While I took a good number of the photos with a 55-200mm zoom lens, it doesn't subtract from the immediacy of the experience.

Up next, the magnificent little Western Cape wine district named Franschhoek!

Interested in more information about travel to South Africa? Click Here 

Looking for a quote on a stay at Singita Boulders? Click here. http://www.downunderendeavours.com/contactus.php

        

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“You can sleep when you get to Cape Town.” – Kobus, Singita Boulders Lodge host, aka the magic hospitality sprite

5:30 am – The phone rings - its the wake up call. We open our eyes and shake out remnants of the vivid dreams induced by our malaria prophylactics. Nothing too intense (or violent, as some people report), but certainly more vivid than usual. We get dressed in many many layers of clothing. Pre-sunrise morning temperatures hover in the mid 30’s F.

5:55 am – A night porter knocks at our front door, ready to escort us down the wooden path to the Boulders Lodge. Guests are not permitted to walk around the property unaccompanied before sunrise or after sunset. And depending on the proximity of any game sighted near the lodge, guests are sometimes not permitted to walk through certain areas on the property unaccompanied during the day either.

6:00 am – The guests and guides congregate in the lodge. Tea, coffee, juices, cakes, muffins, etc are served…some caffeine and calories are encouraged to fuel our senses on the morning drive. All the guides in the area have already been in radio communication with each other to discuss where various groups of animals may have traveled over night and whether or not any kills were reported. The guides often pre-agree who will go in each general direction on the properties. In doing so they must consider the type of animals in pursuit so as to avoid placing an over abundance of pressure on the wildlife (potentially causing them to relocate their dens, for example). I, being a know-it-all of course, engage our guide JD in lots of conversation about nature, absorbing his vast knowledge, explaining what I can about our habitats in North America, and asking lots of questions. My safari persona begins to surface.

6:15 to 6:30 am – The guides and guests exit the lodge, venture up to the dusty circle drive, and mount the vehicles prepped by the tracker. Each guest is provided a soft sided hot water bottle (serving as a highly effective hand/lap warmer), blanket, and fleece poncho (aka Safari Snuggie). JD the guide readies a rifle with the bolt and ammunition. When asked, Phanuel (the tracker) indicated he’s never in his 20+ years of tracking had to shoot at an animal; warning shots only. Quite reassuring. Also, a machete is tucked in the front grill of the truck. JD assumes the driver seat and mans the radio while Phanuel takes the special tracker seat suspended out in front of the vehicle on the left side where he has the best possible view of game and their tracks. JD fires up the rover and we’re off into the chilly morning winter air, made chillier by the breeze blowing through the open vehicle. JD announces a general drive plan: locating a pride of lions, stalking down an elusive female leopard and her cubs, etc. The guests bundle up and expose only their cold hands to ready their cameras.

6:30 to 9:30 or 10:00 am – Morning game drive. I know everyone's looking forward to reading about all the wildlife, but I have a dedicated post on this in the queue. Stay tuned for the next installment!

9:30 or 10:00 am to 11:00 am – We return to the lodge for our “real” breakfast out on the terrace. By now the sun has warmed the humans and our environs to an adequately comfortable state. Sometimes couples elect to dine with each other, sometimes the guides join in for the meal, sometimes couples maintain their privacy. One morning our AM game drive surprisingly concluded with “breakfast in the bush.” The staff set up mobile food stations, tables, chairs, and place settings out in a quaint little clearing where the guests in each vehicle sat together to dine with the guides and trackers.

It was a nice time to get to know each other without the loud cranking of the Land Rover engine impeding conversation. Genuine conversation. I asked Phanuel about his training: what it takes to become a “senior tracker” (there are evidently only a few handful/s in the country) besides 20+ years of experience. In so-so English, he recounted one particularly memorable story of training in the bush with his tracker mentor. He found himself staring down a lion (who wasn’t at all pleased with Phanuel’s proximity) from 50 meters away. The lion growled, then initiated a “mock charge” (a fake attack). Phanuel said every fiber in his body and thought in his mind urged him to flee. But you run and you’re dead; 50 meters is nothing for a lion to make a kill. His mentor literally grounded Phanuel in position by grabbing and holding his belt. Moments passed, the lion eventually relaxed, and the pair of trackers slowly retreated. “It was terrible,” he said, using his go-to catchphrase Candice and I found most humorous.

11:00 am to 1:00 pm – Downtime. The only true downtime of the day. We usually spent this time bathing (Candice indoors, me outdoors), setting aside some laundry, downloading pictures and backing them up, recharging batteries (lithium-ion and human), and relaxing in the winter sun on the house patio.

1:00 pm – Lunch service begins. Having typically finished breakfast at 10:30 or 11 am, we opted for pretty light lunches. Again, our server Enuel greeted us on the terrace at the lodge and tended to our likings. All the meals were really terrific.

3:30 pm – The guests and guides assemble around one of the lodge bars in advance of the PM game drive. By now, many of the guests (including me, of course) have switched over to adult beverages, but others stuck with coffee, tea, juices, or sodas. Similar to the prep for the morning drive, the area guides have synced up on the day’s animal activities. Each guide has his/her general route planned, informs the guests, and we’re on our way again. The earth’s natural light at sunset (and sunrise) are superb for photography…the other-worldly golden orange glow cannot be adequately replicated by software, and can’t be adequately articulated in my words here either.

5:45 to 6:00 pm – Sundowner. Unbeknownst to many (the first night, at least), the land rover is packed with a cooler full of snacks and beverages. JD and Phanuel bust out the cooler, a small card table, some tableware, and set up shop in a clearing “cleared” for safety by Phanuel. A few small appetizers are served, along with beer, wine, coffee, or tea. As the sun goes down, many of the resident nocturnal predators begin to stir and prepare for a semi-relocation of their pride/pack/herd, etc or perhaps they prepare to hunt, so we must be cautious of where we stop the vehicle, dismount, and imbibe. The sunset in the African sky is spectacular. Just as you’d imagine it or as you’ve seen it on television. One of our sundowner spots was near a small pond providing lovely reflections.

5:30 to 7:00 pm – The PM game drive is very similar to the AM game drive except at night, the trackers really get to flaunt their skills. At night, a different set of creatures emerge. More on this in the next post covering wildlife.

7:00 to 7:30 pm – The vehicle returns to the circle drive and is greeted by a small fleet of night porters who offer lanterns and flashlights for the walk back down to the lodge. A host/ess welcomes each guest with a damp cloth to cleanse our fingers. At this point dinner service is underway, and each couple is free to dine immediately, wind down with a cocktail, or retreat to their house and return later.

7:30 pm and later - Dinner. The staff did an incredible job of making every dinner a unique experience for each couple or family as well.

After our drive the first night, Candice and I elected to go straight from the vehicle into the fire-lit dining room where the chef prepared a 100% vegetarian tasting menu for us featuring one of my new favorite dishes: Lentil Bobotie.

The second night we scheduled a pre-dinner wine tasting down in the lodge's 12,000 bottle cellar. Francois (the sommelier) had nothing specific planned and just let the group’s conversation direct his choices for tastings. One semi-gregarious female guest wanted to explore the differences between Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc, so Francois obliged and our tasting took off from there. We mentioned to Francois that our next destination after Singita was the Franschhoek wine district, so he kindly provided a small pack of recommended wineries in the region. In 45 minutes we concluded and ascended from the cellar. Kobus (our personal host)greeted and informed us he prepared a dinner surprise in our house. A night porter escorted us down the walkway to #7 and we were delighted to find the house completely done up in candles, lanterns, and flowers, some jams playing on the speakers, bubbles in the bath, and a bottle of South African sparkling wine (can’t be called Champagne) chilling on ice.  A slight step up from the Mexican all-inclusives featuring swans sculpted from bath towels...not to be hating on the swans. Or the Mexican all-inclusives. They rock. Anyway, in the main living area, the table was set and a fully vegetarian tasting menu presented. A few minutes later, Kobus rang the house phone and asked when we’d like to begin dinner as well as gathering our requests for any specific wines we enjoyed down at the tasting. Traversing back and forth between our house and the lodge, Enuel (our personal butler) served our dinner, two courses at a time, about 20 minutes apart. What a wonderful experience and meal. Really top class service.

Our final dinner at Singita was also a surprise. As the guests returned from the PM game drive, we all filed around the side of the lodge to a secluded area for alfresco dining complete with multiple food stations, lantern-lit trees, space heaters, and a “campfire” burning in the pit. In the middle of the meal, our host introduced an ensemble of the lodge staff who treated the guests to several traditional South African songs and dances. Enuel, who’s voice I’d describe as muppet-like, belted out his lyrics with crazy inspiration and jubilation. A young boy rocked out on his kudu horn. A few guests got up to join in the dancing. It was an original and unforgettable conclusion to our nights at Boulders Lodge.

Interested in more information on travel to South Africa? Click here. 

Looking for a quote on a stay at Singita Boulders? Click here.

        

Located just a short, direct flight from Melbourne or Sydney, Tasmania has long been a well-kept secret among the Australians. After spending a week there, eating and drinking my way through the island state, I understood why they would want to keep it to themselves. Not only does Tassie (as the locals call it) have pristine wilderness, amazing wildlife and some of the cleanest air and
water in the world, it also hosts some of the best food and wine experiences in Australia.

While it is really known for its delicious cheeses, crisp white wines and sumptuous oysters, Tasmania also serves delicious salmon, beef, whiskeys and beer. All products are locally grown and produced, of course! Here are some of the best food, beer, wine and cuisine-related experiences you can enjoy in this beautiful state!

-Dine on delicious oysters at the famous Barilla Bay, just outside of Hobart.
-Tour and sample local beers at the rival breweries in Tasmania: Boag’s in Launceston and Cascade in Hobart.
-Take a cooking class at the Agrarian Kitchen, 25 minutes outside of Hobart. Classes are led by Rodney Dunn, former apprentice to the head chef at Tetsuya in Sydney, one of the world’s top restaurants.
-Sample handcrafted, award-winning wines at the quaint vineyard, Velo, located in the Tamar Valley.

One of my absolute favorite food and wine experiences, however, was dining under the stars in the Tasmanian bush. The “Bush Tucker Dinner” is hosted (and cooked) by Craig Williams, an Aussie who has been camping in the wild since he was eight. Using herbs and spices that are indigenous to the surroundings, he prepares a feast fit for a king.

Though the menu changes daily, you can usually expect a Tasmanian cheese platter (the wasabi cheese is heavenly), trout with native spices, venison burgers and wallaby tenderloins. All this is washed down with some delicious cool climate wines, while listening to the sounds of the animals stirring for the evening.

One of the true pleasures of travel is the opportunity sample local foods and beverages, discover new tastes and flavor combinations and be on the receiving end of the most gracious hospitality. And there’s no better place to do that than Tasmania, Australia. Once you eat and drink your way through its bounty, you’ll have a hard time keeping it a secret, too.  

Click here to find an Australian Travel Specialist
Click here for customized Tasmanian Packages

        

Hotel deBrett in Auckland, New Zealand is the hottest new hotel in the city, according to Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure (three times!) and Vogue Magazine , and we couldn’t agree more.  Perfectly located in the center of downtown, it’s a boutique hotel with just 25 stylish rooms.  It was the city’s first hotel that was used commercially in the 1840’s.  Now new management has restored Hotel deBrett to be the ultimate in contemporary and retro urban décor but with certain touches of salvaged heritage remaining.
 
But of course, no trip to Auckland would be complete without a trip to a café.  New Zealanders, much like Europeans, meet at cafés to catch up with friends, conduct business meetings, and experience family outings.  However, New Zealand cafés are unique to those in Europe for the types and versions of coffees offered.  Within a short taxi ride of Hotel deBrett is my personal favorite New Zealand café – Circus Circus – located in the neighborhood of Mt. Eden.  Opening early and closing late, it’s perfect for hipsters and families alike with its toys, books, light seasonal menu (such as warm orzo, mushroom and walnut salad, bagel towers, lime and chili chicken, and rhubarb apple crumble) and to-die-for coffee drinks.  Make sure to try New Zealand’s national coffee drink, a flat white, which is somewhere between a latté and a cappuccino but with foam so smooth and thick it coats your lips.  The New Zealand word for “coffee” might as well be “flat white” because they’re so popular (although one of our clients prefers a “long black” every times she’s there – an espresso with hot water or what’s commonly called an “Americano” elsewhere.) Despite all this, the best part about Circus Circus is its décor, with old circus statues, vintage diner bar and plenty of neon to light up the night.

Spending time at a café on holiday is a great way to slow down, feel like a local, and drink like a local – if you order a flat white in New Zealand.
 
Circus Circus is my favorite café.  What’s your favorite world café?

Contact a New Zealand expert to plan your trip today
Check out some New Zealand itineraries
Read more about gourmet food in New Zealand
Click here for a gourmet food and wine trip to New Zealand!
 

        

And I do mean “folk.”  Conde Nast Traveler just named Fiji the Friendliest Place on Earth, and for good reason.  Visiting Fiji is like seeing members of your long-lost beloved family.  Not just the hotel staff, everyone you meet smiles at you, raises their arms and greets you with a big “Bula!”  (The word for Hello, Welcome, Greetings in Fijian).  It’s not uncommon for them to ask you where you’re from, how your trip is going, and whether or not you’ve seen the local sights.  With very little crime in Fiji, the locals have learned to trust and accept strangers in their midst, no matter how foreign.
 
During my most recent trip to Fiji, this point was hammered home in a typical Fijian moment.  I was in a large tour bus filled with Americans snapping photos, barreling down a dirt highway, leaving a cloud of dust behind.  I watched as we approached an old farmer with a machete slung over his shoulder, limping along the side of the road.  “Oh no,” I thought.  “We’re practically going to run him over, and surely fill his face with grit.”  But as we got closer, he turned to look at us, stumbled into the wild bush on the side of the road, looked right at us through the bus windows, waved his hand, and shouted, “Bula!”  Needless to say, I was stunned at his welcoming nature towards what surely would have been seen as a nuisance to most locals around the world.  We weren’t stopping to purchase anything from him, or even slowing down to accommodate his presence on the side of the road. He simply felt the need to make us feel warmly received.
 
One experience not to miss during your trip there is visiting a traditional Fijian village or school.  There is no better way to experience first-hand the friendliness of the Fijians than by shaking the hand of the village chief, hearing islanders sing songs just for you, or watching young schoolchildren perform songs and dances that they’ve rehearsed not only for learning purposes, but also just in case some inquiring foreigners come by.  At the very least, smile and thank the locals who inevitably greet you upon arrival at your resort with a song and guitar. 

It’s not even so much that the Fijians are friendly, but that they open themselves up, heart and mind, and want to share their lives with you.  With Down Under Endeavours , we will make sure you have this experience on your next trip to Fiji.  Contact us now to find out how!

And click here to see our June Special, this time for Fiji, at a resort with a wonderful local school nearby!

        

The Australian Aboriginal culture is the oldest on the planet.  Dating back some 60,000 years, these are a people full of rich histories and stories. Now when you travel to Australia, you can also do a little time-travel by taking part in the Daintree Walkabout tour in northern Queensland.

What’s so special about the Daintree Walkabout tours? For one, you can experience the beauty and wonder of this ancient culture, first hand.
Your local Indigenous guides will demonstrate traditional plant use, identify bush tucker sources (food found in the native Australian bush), share their dreamtime legends, explain the history of cave paintings and provide an enchanting narrative of the rainforest and their special relationships within this unique tropical environment. All this set amongst the beauty of one of the world’s oldest rainforests, the Daintree.  
This tour also includes a delicious Barramundi lunch, with beautiful views of the Mossman River, followed by a cruise on the Daintree River, which is home to birds, tree snakes, unique plants and the estuarine crocodile.
I have sent a lot of clients on this tour in the last year and they have raved about the lush forest and the knowledgeable and friendly guides.  It is truly a one of a kind experience.

For a look at what you would experience on this fantastic tour, click here.

Ready to go Down Under and back in time?

Call Down Under Endeavours to plan the exact trip you want.  

        

Headed to Australia or New Zealand and worried about driving on the left-hand side of the road?  Here are some tips and tricks for making it happen without using up the deductible on your rental car insurance.
 
First, the challenges.  If you’ve never driven on the left, it can take a day or two to adjust.  The steering wheel is on the right side of the car, and everything else is opposite to what we’re used to in the U.S. as well (except the brake and accelerator pedals).  You go to flip on your turn signal and the windshield wipers screech across the dry windshield.  You reach for the gear shift and jam your fingers into the side of the door.  You dutifully look for oncoming traffic before turning and realize, mid-turn, that cars are coming at you from the other side of the road.  You attempt to stick the key into the ignition with your right hand and realize you’re bumping up against plastic.  You walk up to your parked car, unlock the door, and sit down only to realize that you’re in the passenger seat.
 
But think of this as fun.  It’s all part of the adventure!  Driving Down Under is the best way to travel, especially if you’re headed to New Zealand.  The scenery bumps right up against the side of the road, unlike the superhighways lined with sound barriers in the U.S.  Even major highways have nothing more than one lane in each direction, so you experience the best of New Zealand -- the landscape -- as you cruise around mountain passes, coastal curves and long, straight bridges over braided rivers.  Many consider the time spent in the car as the best part of their vacation.
 
The best piece of advice is to think about hugging the center lane with your right hip.  You will instinctually want to drive with the center lane as far from your right hip as possible, but naturally that would run the left tires off the side of the road.  So think to yourself, “center lane, right hip, center lane, right hip, center lane, right hip.”
 
When turning onto another street, look at the correct lane for oncoming traffic.  And then when you turn, remember that left turns hug the corner whereas right turns require crossing over a lane -- just the opposite as in the U.S.  Your mantra for turning should be, “think left lane, think left lane, think left lane.”  And when in doubt, look in every direction before you turn. It will only cost you a few seconds yet can help avoid big problems.
 
Another consideration is to book an automatic rather than manual shift car. Sometimes it’s easier to have one less thing to do “backwards” and it can help you concentrate on staying on the correct side of the road.
 
The passenger can do a little work to keep you straight as well.  If your left tires start going off the side of the road, they can warn you verbally, “right, right, right.”  That should keep you from driving off the road.
 
Overall, don’t worry. Your natural instincts won’t let you drive towards oncoming traffic.  Just remember to switch back to your old patterns when you return home!
 
At Down Under Endeavours, we’ve tackled this challenge personally, and have helped countless clients have the driving trip of their dreams Down Under. 

Ask a Down Under Travel Expert for more advice

See a sample self-driving itinerary in New Zealand

Check out our website for more information about travel to the South Pacific

        

Last August I was lucky enough to spend some time at one of Australia’s hottest new
properties, Qualia, located on Hamilton island in the beautiful Whitsunday Islands on the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef

I woke up early my first morning in my private pavilion, just in time to see the sun creeping over the gorgeous Coral Sea. After a short photo session on my secluded deck, I hopped into my electric golf cart (yes.. every villa has one and they are THE way to get around the island) and made my way to the Long pavilion for one of the best breakfasts of my life; a yummy chocolate croissant, Eggs Benedict, and a delicious latte.

After breakfast, I headed back to the pavilion where I took a quick dip in my private
plunge pool, followed by a relaxing nap on my day bed. To be quite honest, it took a lot
to get me out of the pavilion, which is amazing enough in itself. Beside the outside
amenities, the bathroom is to die for! You can shower or take a luxurious bubble bath
while watching the marine activity on the Coral Sea. All from the private comfort of your
pavilion!  And if it happens to rain a bit one day, no worries, you have a stocked mini
bar and on-demand movies.

For those who are more adventurous, the thing to do while at Qualia is the “Best of Both
Worlds” which is a helicopter ride out to the reef, a semi-private snorkeling experience,
and a romantic picnic on Whitehaven beach. You then have the rest of the afternoon to
lounge by the pool or explore Hamilton Island. Or indulge yourself even more at
Qualia’s amazing spa! My favorite is the Wine Lovers package, which includes a chardonnay massage, vinothérapie body scrub, pinot noir body mask, and a burgundy bath soak and body moisturizing

Evening meals are a real treat with the degustation menus featured at the Long Pavilion
restaurant. But, if you are looking for something a little more casual, venture out of the
resort to one of the local’s favorites dining spots.

Qualia is truly a unique, yet very Australian experience. I fell in love with the place and
Hamilton Island when I was there, and I cannot wait to get back!

Read what a local has to say about Qualia

Experience Qualia from your own home!

Contact an Australian Travel Expert today!

        

If you thought camping was only for those with a gas stove, granola bars and a desire to  sleep amongst grubs on the ground, then think again.  “Glamping” –a uniquely Australian term combining “glamour” and “camping” – well describes a more comfort-focused approach to sleeping under canvas.

Surely the most well-known place for glamping is in the Australian Outback at Longitude 131, overlooking Ayers Rock in the center of the red desert.  Described as a “luxury wilderness camp,” Longitude 131 features 15 white tents in a line along the desert, each with a King bed, air conditioning, Bose sound system with iPod dock, private bathroom, bathrobes and evening turn-down service.  This is camping like you’ve never experienced (unless you’ve been on a luxury tented safari excursion in Africa.)

We’re not the only ones in love with Longitude 131.  The Qantas Australian Tourism Awards recently honored Longitude 131 as the winner in its Unique Accommodations category.  These awards are presented once per year to outstanding properties that typify the best in their category.  Longitude 131 sits next to the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, with its well known Ayers Rock and the Olgas, massive red rock formations that attract droves of tourists to this remote desert outpost.  Rates at the lodge include all meals and a full touring program that separates you from the tourist crowds, delving deeper into the significance of the region and the beauty of the austere landscape.  Fine meals round out the experience, with the opportunity to dine under the massive Outback sky under a canopy of stars. And at the end of the day, you tuck into comfortable bed in your fully-appointed tent. No sleeping bags necessary.

One of the many unique and exhilarating experiences that Down Under Endeavours has to offer to its clients, Longitude 131 is the pinnacle of “glamping” in a region that is historically and geologically significant.

Ready to start planning your trip? Ask an Australian Expert here

Read more about the Australian Outback here