Because the satisfaction of travellers is at the core of its action, Easia Travel invests a lot in the permanent search of innovative services and products. Indeed, to the company’s opinion, it is very important to regularly renew its range of services in order to remain close to travel agencies and tour operators’ expectations.

Thus the incoming agency designs tailor-made tours, focused on encounters, exchange and sharing with local people. The production teams based in all three countries also work on developing exclusive products.

Since the beginning of 2012, Easia Travel thus has developed several new products and activities, as shown in the following examples:

CAMBODIA

Night in a stilt house (new & exclusive 2012):

South of Siem Reap, travellers discover the atypical way of life of a floating village’s inhabitants in the most authentic way possible. The evening is the occasion to take part in the preparation of the meal, to better appreciate the Cambodian cuisine and to share with the hosts in order to discover their culture and local traditions.

Kayak-ride in Battambang (for individuals):

This 3-hour kayak-ride is the ideal activity for more sportive travellers. From November to May, the water level allows participants to observe the local life, the fishermen busy with their fishnets, the kids playing in the water, etc.

LAOS

Discovery of the rice cultivation in a farm near Luang Prabang:

Perfect reflection of the inhabitants daily tasks, this activity gives visitors the opportunity to meet warm farmers, who show them all the steps of their activity: selecting the best seeds, preparing the rice field, planting the rice, harvesting, making flour, etc.

Trekking to Kuang Sy waterfalls:

After a short stopover in an ethnic village near Luang Prabang, the 3-hour trekking takes walkers to the well-known Kuang Sy waterfalls through kitchen gardens, rice fields and forests. There, travellers savour a delicious picnic in this natural atmosphere, followed with a swim, before going back to Luang Prabang.

VIETNAM

« Debate-diner» evening:

In Hanoi, while sharing a friendly diner in a place suitable for discussion, visitors spend an evening devoted to gaining knowledge and sharing. A speaker shares this moment with them and answers their questions on subjects such as life in Vietnam, journalism, traditions… A real immersion in the country’s daily life, along with a delicious meal!

Note: For Mice groups, the format is slightly different and looks more like a « conference-debate ».

Craft villages in the surroundings of Hanoi:

The best way to discover « true Vietnam » is to meet villagers, unexpectedly knock at their door, ask them questions about their craft industry, share a simple moment with them… This is what Easia Travel is offering to travellers with this activity.

This diversified and rhythmic day allows people to discover know-hows and ancestral techniques deeply rooted in Vietnam’s culture and traditions. 4 different itineraries are available to visitors, who can then choose the crafts they wish to discover, the surroundings they want to explore, … 4 different possibilities united under the same creed: spontaneity et authenticity.

Miami, FL – Ecoventura’s environmentally friendly fleet of small expedition vessels in the Galapagos offers a 10 percent discount on some seasonal departure dates through mid-December 2012. Guests booking a trip now for 2013 (excluding holiday weeks) can lock in 2012 cruise rates. This promotion can be combined with a 5 percent Early Bird discount for selected departure dates 180 days out from booking date.

The 2012 seasonal departures that apply are July 29-Aug. 5, Aug 19-26, Sept. 2-9, Sept. 16-23, Sept. 23-30, Sept. 30-Oct. 7, Oct. 21-28, Nov. 4-11, Nov. 18-25, Dec. 2-9 and Dec. 9-16.

Seven-night/eight-day cruise rates start at $3,550 per person, double occupancy before any discounts are applied. Additional discounts are available for children. All cruises run Sunday to Sunday.

Ecoventura’s three identical superior first-class sister yachts accommodate 20 guests and feature three decks of spacious staterooms with polished teak interiors trimmed with brass fittings. Accommodations include 10 double cabins with a window or porthole view and are appointed with one double bed or two twin lower beds, air conditioning, private bathroom (hot and cold water showers), bio-degradable soap/shampoo dispensers, hair dryer, closet, drawers, intercom and separate climate controls. There’s a dining room, well-stocked bar and conference area with a flat screen TV, library and panoramic picture windows, plus a partially covered upper sun deck with ample chairs for lounging and star gazing.

The company operates two different itineraries, both offering two guided land excursions daily, snorkeling, dingy rides and kayaking, together optimizing opportunities to see iconic species of wildlife that make Galapagos famous: giant tortoises, penguins, frigate birds, boobies, flamingos, Darwin Finches, albatross, flightless cormorant, marine and land iguanas, lizards, many varieties of sea birds, whale, dolphins, sea turtles, sharks and sea lions.

Guests who book two consecutive weeks back to back for a complete Galapagos exploration are eligible for a 5 percent discount applicable any week (excluding holidays).

EDITOR NOTE: Doris Welsh, company spokesperson, advises that Ecoventura will be participating in the following travel trade shows in 2012:

• Sep 12-14 – Travelmart Latin America (Cartagena, Colombia)
• Nov 05-08 – World Travel Market (London, UK)
• Nov 12-15 – PURE Life Experiences (Marrakech, Morocco)

The innovative Gorilla Permit Chart has been devised to give guests a guideline of the availability of permits both in Rwanda and Uganda for months in advance! The chart has been colour-coded in a traditional traffic-light style to make it incredibly easy to see which dates have high, medium, low or no availability of permits.

When you have seen the general availability of each month and each specific date it’s time to contact our sales team to confirm availability and assist with the rest of your journey to the great kingdom of the gorillas!

It is important to understand that the chart is meant to be an indication only. The most reliable source of up-to-date information is still our sales team. The information on the chart is updated regularly but due to daily changes as a result of the high demand gorilla tracking permits, availability cannot be guaranteed.

We hope that the new chart will make the process of planning your journey the kingdom of the mountain gorillas smoother!

“The pants worked. I wasn’t pickpocketed on a recent Eastern Mediterranean cruise.”

Whether it was the P^Cubed “Pick-Pocket Proof Pants,” a test sample of which was recently sent to Cruise Critic to review, is hard to say. Wandering the narrow, cobbled streets and open squares of one Med. port, I noticed a man who could have been a thief — the greedy looking type with a gold tooth and moist eyes. I think he ogled the pants, with their button-secured flaps hiding deep zipper pockets, and secret zipper pockets within zipper pockets, and thought better. You can’t burgle a walking money belt.”

“[C]onfidence is a valuable asset when visiting a strange, new destination — as those who’ve suffered the sickening violation of being robbed abroad so suddenly learn. PPP Designer Adam Rapp said a near-miss with a team of cut purses at the notoriously congested Bell Tower in Xian, China, was the inspiration behind the product. He wanted potential wallet-lifters to have to go through multiple steps — unbutton a flap, unzip a pocket, unzip another — to strip people of their loot.

I haven’t had the pleasure of finding a stranger’s hand it my pocket, so it helps, too, that the PPP’s are about more than just their marketing angle and the system of zipper-, button- and secret-pocket-based deterrents. The front pockets are big — small guidebook-size big — and the light, dense material is stain, water and wrinkle resistant. The “Business Traveler” model (there’s also a cargo-style version, the “Adventurer”) is stylish enough to wear to the main dining room. Add a black blazer and some dress shoes, and you won’t put the matire d’ in an awkward position on formal night.”

Read the full review here: Cruise Critic

If you think that travelling alone is stressful, daunting and lonely, then think again. Camino Ways, the walking and cycling holiday specialists, offer fun and exciting tours for the solo traveller.

These innovative walking tours cover the Camino de Santiago and are compiled of groups of six to 15 members. Knowledgeable Camino Ways guides accompany the group for the entire trip, making the experience completely hassle free. Your guide will check you in at your accommodation, help you with formalities, transfer your luggage and handle all other administrative aspects of the tour.

This unique tour covers the last one hundred kilometres of the French Way of the Camino de Santiago, from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela. This section is the most famous, and most walked, part of the Camino and offers unrivalled views of the landscape of Galicia.

The trek is split into six walking days and seven nights in accommodation which has been specially selected by Camino Ways. Comfort and character are the top priorities, and after a hard day of exploring, Camino Ways make sure that you receive only the very best comforts combined with excellent local cuisine.

During your trip you will stay in Pousada de Portomarín, in Portomarin – a cosy hotel perched on a hill, 50 metres above the river Mino. You will also experience Hotel La Cabaña in Palas de Rey, featuring pretty bungalows in tranquil gardens. Hotel Teodora, in Arzua, a welcoming hotel in the centre of town, which is popular with locals, will also be part of your tour.

To make your journey unique and unforgettable, your final night will be spent in Hotel Hesperia San Martin Pinario, in Santiago. Right beside the cathedral, this hotel is set in a monastery that has hosted pilgrims since the late XVI century.

Camino Ways are now offering this solo traveller experience from only €690 per person. This excellent price also includes fabulous three course dinners every evening and breakfast every morning.

Price includes: Luggage transfers, en-suite rooms in selected hotels on a half-board basis, luggage transfers from hotel to hotel and a holiday pack.

Price does not include: Flights, insurance or drinks.

Quito

This is the second accolade Rodas has announced in past months targeting the ambitious and comprehensive dive center and its new academy scheduled for fall 2012 opening. Last spring the resort received the coveted PADI Five-Star Dive Resort designation. The five-star rating is the highest rating standard within PADI.

“The National Geographic rating goes hand in hand with Red Mangrove’s commitment to sustainable tourism and providing the most rewarding visit to the islands possible,” said Caleb Hayes, Dive Resort Project Manager and PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer.

The dive academy will offer classroom and open water instruction and PADI certification along with scuba diving tours and packages operated by the resort.

“Accompanied by an expert lineup of instructors and dive masters, our guests can witness all the various perspectives the islands have to offer – land and sea — for a complete Galapagos experience. This fact was not lost on the National Geographic ratings team,” Hayes added.

National Geographic partnered with PADI, the world’s leader in scuba diving training, to jointly create the National Geographic Diver program. Both organizations have the common goal of encouraging public interest in recreational scuba diving worldwide and exposing people to the aquatic environment to help them gain a better appreciation of our underwater cultural heritage. Red Mangrove’s instructors have been certified to offer National Geographic diver education classes.

Final touches are being applied to over 15,000 square feet of space now under construction that, upon completion, will be the largest dive training center in Ecuador and one of the largest in South America, said Rodas.

The Hyperbaric chamber is being readied for installation; trainings begin the third week of August. The Nitrox gas system will also be installed then, making this the only dive center in the Galapagos with a state-of-art membrane Nitrox maker that produces Oxygen Enriched air for Nitrox certified divers. Modern, comfortable classrooms will accommodate up to 40 students. There will be his and her changing rooms, lockers, a patio/juice bar, a large and modern repair center, a retail store for parts and new diving equipment plus a 20-foot-deep training pool.

The center will offer Open Water Diver, Adventures in Diving, Advanced Open Water Diver, Rescue Diver, Emergency First Response, Master Scuba Diver, Divemaster, Assistant Instructor, Open Water Scuba Instructor, Master Scuba Diver Trainer and IDC Staff Instructor all enhanced with National Geographic programming.

The resort’s two diver-dedicated lodges are the nine-room Red Mangrove Santa Cruz Divers Lodge in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island with hot tub, library/lounge and on-premise dining adjacent to the dive center; and the five-room Red Mangrove Isabela Divers Lodge just steps from the sea on Isabela Island with WiFi, cable television and laundry service. The adjacent Coco Restaurant serves three meals daily.

Beaverton, OR

The inaugural issue of WildHope, which launched on June 27^th, features several articles including:

• Net Worth: A first hand account of participating with a grassroots sea turtle research program in Baja California Sur Mexico. This article, written by award-winning Outside Magazine correspondent Kate Siber, delves into the backstory of how former poachers became conservationists first and tour guides second;
• Return of the Black Turtle: A photo essay by photographer Neil Osborne that documents an emerging conservation success story along Mexico’s Pacific coast;
• Wildlife Conservation Travel Tips: Five ways that travelers can ensure that endangered animals benefit from vacations, no matter where you go; and
• Blue Mind: An essay by SEEtheWILD co-founder Dr. Wallace J. Nichols on how neuroscience is proving that the ocean is good for your brain.

“We continue to use every means we can to personally reconnect people with nature, building a stronger movement to restore wildlife and wild places around the world. WildHope Magazine is our latest innovative tool, we think you’ll love it,” said Nichols.

Each issue of WildHope includes news from wildlife conservation organizations around the world and advocacy programs that people can participate in to help protect wild animals. Future issues will include interviews with inspiring wildlife conservationists and leaders in ecotourism, highlight wildlife conservation tours, and fundraising campaigns that support endangered animals.

Fifteen years ago the hawksbill sea turtle in my hands would have been hog-tied, whisked hundreds of miles, slaughtered and carved into trinkets.

Today, it swam free.

On Baja’s Pacific coast, an adult male hawksbill sea turtle found its way into a fisherman’s net. In the past, for the fisherman anyway, such a thing would have been considered a stroke of good luck. The endless demand for turtle meat, eggs, skin and shell on the black market can provide a nice payday to anyone willing to endure the low-level risk of being caught.

Hawksbill turtles, once common, are now the rarest of the rare due to decades of being hunted for their beautiful shells, which get carved into combs, broaches, and other adornments.

These days, however, a Mexican grassroots conservation movement called GrupoTortuguero.org has challenged the old ways and shaken things up a bit. A network of thousands of fishermen, women and children count themselves among its ranks.

Noe de la Toba, the fisherman who caught this turtle, is the nephew of the local lighthouse keeper who is a sea turtle champion himself. Noe contacted Aaron Esliman the director of Grupo Tortuguero. Esliman dispatched a call, an email and several facebook messages to network members throughout the region, who responded immediately. The turtle was swiftly moved by another fisherman to the nearby office of Vigilantes de Bahia Magdalena, where a team led by Julio Solis, a former turtle hunter himself, took care of the turtle, checking it for injuries. The turtle was measured and weighed, ID tagged and then quickly returned to the ocean. Images and details were shared immediately on Facebook and Twitter, on websites and over beers.

The fishermen involved weren’t paid. They just did it. It was no one’s “job”, but it was everyone’s responsibility. They weren’t motivated by fear or money, but pride, dignity and camaraderie instead.

People just like them are rescuing animals every day. Thousands of sea turtles are saved each year. The number of sea turtles in Baja’s ocean has been on the rise. One turtle rescue at a time.

Fifteen years ago experts had written off Baja’s sea turtles. The population was too small and the pressures on them too great, the thinking went. And yet, the survival of this one turtle tells a very different story.

If the survival of endangered species is just a battle of the budgets, they — and we — will lose. But if it’s a matter of will, commitment and love, I’ll put my bet on the turtles to win.

The hope conveyed in this turtle story is embodied by Julio Solis and beautifully described in his own words in the award winning short film by the good folks at MoveShake.org.

The hope we have for the restoration of endangered wildlife is the motivation behind our new online magazine, WildHope. It launches soon and highlights compelling wildlife conservation success stories and moves you can make to create more. I hope you will check it out. We have come a long way indeed.

As we watched that lucky hawksbill swim gracefully into deeper water, we all felt good, optimistic and grateful. It was a moment of joy, not because one turtle was saved, but because we understood that this one experience just might be a trend, a movement, a collective shift. And because a world with sea turtles is better than a world without them.

Right throughout our travels in Scotland our expert guides are always on the lookout for unique experiences so they can really get under the skin of the real Scotland and make sure our clients have the most inspiring and immersive experiences on holiday.

Our guides are in that privileged position of being in the wilds of Scotland day in day out, living in and moving through the landscape on a daily basis means that they have built up the most amazing adventure photos of Scotland.

We’ve selected 20 Surprising Adventure Photos of Scotland. These photos represent what is hiding under the surface of Scotland and what you can see if you know where to look, something our guides have down to a tee. Enjoy the photos and please comment on your favourites.

Our 20 Surprising Photos of Scotland

1. Guide Laura meets a Scottish field vole – One of the incredible benefits of walking through the Scottish landscape is being able to take your time and not only enjoy the expansive and dramatic views but also have time to see the little things like mice, rare plants and other friendly locals.

2.Talking about friendly locals, I think our client was happy there was a fence between him and the friendly Highland cow, especially with the size of those horns.

3. From horns to spikes. Jo finds a large sea urchin on our Introduction to Sea Kayaking trip. There are over 200 varieties of sea urchin and interestingly these omnivorous creatures come from the same family at sea stars and sea cucumbers. Sea urchins are peace loving beasties but often become part of the diet of otters along Scotland’s coastline.

4. This is our Senior Guide and wildlife expert Steve Willis identifying otter tracks. Otters are more common than you would think along the Scottish coastline, though careful patience is required to actually photograph one. We often hear of our sea kayaking groups seeing otters at play in the kelp. They are able to close their nose and ears to help them dive and have 2 types of specially adapted fur, one type to act as a guard and for waterproofing and the other for insulation.

5. If you want to see seriously coarse hairs then wild boar are your creatures of choice. Wild boar were originally native to the Caledonian Forest of Scotland but as forest cover shrank over the centuries, so their population was reduced and they were thought extinct in the 13th century. Thankfully they have been a reintroduction success story and the site of our Corporate Grove at Dundreggan near Loch Ness is one such location where they are thriving. More about boar here.

6. From big furry beasties to small ones now as we take a look at what we think is a fox moth caterpillar.The fox moth is found across much of Britain between May and July and prefers moorland and heathland. This little fellow was found on the Isle of Rum on our Knoydart and the Small Isles walking holiday, there seemed to be a lot about.

7. One of the oddest things we’ve seen, though completely understandable really, is a seal sleeping while hanging in the water. Seals grab 40 winks either on land, hanging in the water like this one or even under water. This one seen off the Outer Hebrides with it’s nostrils out of the water is still able to breathe and enjoy some REM ‘recovery sleep’.

8. The Outer Hebrides are the location of choice for many of our holidays, with so many white, sandy beaches, an abundance of wildlife and such a depth of history and culture where Gaelic is the first language, it’s like visiting a foreign country. These black houses at Gaernin make up a small crofting community on the Isle of Lewis. Generally built with a double dry stone wall and traditional thatch held down by rocks at it’s edge.

9. What certainly does rock is sea kayaking with basking sharks. Our group on the first Summer Isles Sea Kayaking Expedition come back yesterday reportedly awe-struck by the experience of having the world’s second largest fish choose to interact with them. Just to put your fears at ease, basking sharks are slow-moving and harmless filter feeders that follow plankton which is found in abundance in the clean waters around Scotland.

10. Did I say clean waters, well yes they are really and sea foam is often the result of agitation of sea water, perhaps through a recent storm cycle, and where there is a higher concentration of dissolved organic matter in the water. It does gather in pools close to the coastline and I think this one looks like our intrepid kayaker is paddling their way across a massive pint of Guinness.

11. And if the waters weren’t clean then we’d never see these amazing common dolphins on a private charter sailing trip. In addition to private charters we also run sailing and walking trips on the west coast of Scotland, widely regarded as some of the best sailing in the world and a must visit destination for any keen sea hand.

12. We run a sailing journey out to St Kilda and explore the impressive archipelago which clings to the western point of Europe. One fifth of the world’s population of northern gannets populate St Kilda and they likely chose this location due to the rich waters where they dive for fish and squid.

13. Another seabird which is perhaps more well known due to it’s friendly and almost clown like looks is the puffin. Our guides are lucky enough to see these birds regularly when they explore the northwest Highlands of Scotland as many of our trips coincide with the point when their young are fledging and beginning to grow up into responsible sea-fairing adults.

14. Did I mention responsible sea-fairing adult? This beautiful and invigorating looking image was taken by our guide Craig Tweedie on the Skye, Raasay and Rona sea kayaking expedition. It is always beautiful seeing waterfalls cascading directly into the sea but what really stands out for me is the colour of the rock and the lines of erosion from the sea’s constant battering.

15. If you don’t fancy getting that close to the sea then why not opt for the easy ride. I know what you’re thinking…that looks like a bike on a RIB boat. To link the best possible off-road riding together on our pioneering new Hebridean Trail mountain bike trip, it’s all aboard to cover the 5k crossing and open up the otherwise inaccessible part of Harris and Lewis.

16. We have taken delivery of some excellent new cameras which claim to be ‘adventure proof’. The Scottish Highlands is the ideal testing ground and we’ll post a review once we’ve put them through their paces. Meantime, the Pentax WG-II can be used underwater so it’s ideal for capturing the shots you never thought you could and opening up a whole new dimension to our photography.

17. Perhaps not as close as you or I would like to be but our expert guides can identify animal scat and instantly let our groups know what type of furry beast has been this way in the last few days, which is quite nice as it paints a picture of the type of happenings that are going on in the area and of what we might be lucky enough to see.

18. Something we see a lot of on sea kayaking trips is intertidal life. National Geographic published anarticle all about intertidal life and you can also see an incredible photo gallery to accompany the article. It just goes to show the incredible diversity that seeks shelter at every low tide and comes to life as soon as the waves crash over at high tide.

19. It seems like the team read the smallprint and decided to hedge their bets. However, unlike the rest of the route, we don’t really like it when you venture too far from the path on this section of our classic Coast to Coast mountain bike adventure.

20. As we come to the end of our 20 Surprising Adventure Photos of Scotland blog we hope you’ve enjoyed the mix of quirky adventure photos. There will be a lot more photos snapped and adventures taken but let us leave you with this little number from our Wilderness Walking trip on Shetland. This is one bus stop on the island of Unst that had a bit of a makeover. You don’t see these coming along too often.