My daughter and I have recently returned from a World Expeditions Best of Peru and Bolivia tour and I thought that I would give you our thoughts on the tour. The accommodation, meals, transport and organisation were excellent – the long-boat trips were just lovely.
After arriving at our accommodation in Cusco (the owner was such a nice woman) we met our main guide, Veronica Illa. There was nothing that Veronica didn’t know about this wonderful area around Cusco and she was willing to do anything for us. She is certainly a wonderful guide and we feel privileged that she was our tour leader. Once again the transport,drivers and attractions we visited were excellent. We were always picked up on time and our luggage was always taken care of. Everything ran very smoothly.
The ruins at Ollantaytambo were breathtaking and Veronica explained in detail, the Inca history. We loved our accommodation here! We started off on our 4 day Inca trek and at an early stage got to marvel at our wonderful porters. They are such hard working people who we admired greatly. The tents were always set up for us well before we arrived for meals and sleeping (and the toilet facilities).
But I think everyone was surprised by the quality and quantity of the food that was served up for each meal – piping hot and on time, every time. The gear pack and tents were all in very good condition and everything ran like clockwork. We were sad to see our porters leave us on Day 4.
The history of Machu Picchu was explained so well by Veronica and we had a lovely stay at Aguas Calientes before our trip back to Cusco.
Lake Titicaca is a magical place. The floating islands are amazing but the jewel in the crown on the lake was Taquile Island. We had such a wonderful time on this island with the homestay family. The family was very welcoming and we had a fun-filled time with their 3 little girls. They served us lovely food and we could have quite happily spent another night on this island to wander and discover a little more.
Our Bolivian guide, Sandro Diaz and our new driver took us to our lovely Hotel in La Paz.
We felt that Peru was so happy to welcome tourists to their wonderful country.
Overall,we had a wonderful experience in a different culture which we enjoyed immensely. I knew that I would love Peru but I just didn’t realise how much !! Thank you World Expeditions.
Charity Challenges
CHARITY CHALLENGES.We are proud of every Charity Challenge association that we have formed over the years with organisations who are committed to working and lending support to the community, both on environmental and humanitarian fronts.Over the last 10 years World Expeditions' global offices have been involved in raising over one million US dollars within our Charity Challenge programs for a broad range of very deserving causes. Some of the charities we're working with in 2008 and assisting with providing much needed funds include:
Detailed below are the trips you can take in 2009/2010 with these charities as well as other charities we have worked with in the past. |
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Fred Hollows Foundation
For many years World Expeditions worked closely the Fred Hollows Foundation, dedicated to eradicating avoidable blindness in developing countries and to improving the health outcomes of Indigenous Australians. The Foundation works towards the vision of a world where no one is needlessly blind, and an Australia where Indigenous people enjoy the same health outcomes as all Australians.
By way of the SEE THE WORLD Challenges, supporters of the Fred Hollows Foundation trekked with World Expeditions in Australia, Nepal, China and Vietnam and raised well over a half a million dollars for overseas eye health programs benefiting these communities during the years the program operated.
Join us on two new trips; here at home on the Larapinta Trail and another in Vietnam & Cambodia as we hike and cycle the hills and valleys in support of the Red Cross.
With more than 100 million volunteers worldwide and 60,000 members and volunteers in Australia, Red Cross can reach people and places like nobody else. Red Cross cares for people whose lives have been touched by tragedy or disaster.
So get involved, join Red Cross on one of two exciting charity challenges in August and October 2010 to raise much needed funds.
Red Cross Cycle Vietnam & Cambodia
Departs: 20 October - 1 November 2010
Continuing our tradition of pioneering cycle routes, this adventurous 12 day itinerary, designed exclusively for Red Cross is an opportunity to combine cycling through untouched Vietnamese and Cambodian villages to the world renowned temple complex of Angkor Wat. The journey begins in the fast paced city of Ho Chi Minh, which we leave behind for the quieter roads leading to the Mekong Delta. Crossing through to Cambodia we delight in the lush green countryside where the locals will amaze us with their warmth and hospitality. We have time to absorb and appreciate the Cambodian coastal towns of Kampot and Sihanoukville before heading to Phnom Penh and admiring the exquisite palaces, pagodas and French inspired architecture. We conclude our journey with an exceptional in-depth cycle of the renowned complex of Angkor.
Red Cross Larapinta Trail
Departs: 24 August - 1 September 2010
On this exclusive 9 day itinerary, you will be trekking on the Larapinta Trail - one of the finest walks in Australia. Walking the high ridgelines of the West MacDonnell Ranges we gain a beautiful perspective of vast flood plains, the razorback rocky outcrops and sheer scale of this ancient land. On this fully supported trek you will be walking selected highlights of this magnificent trail. The trip concludes with a sunrise walk to the summit of Mount Sonder(1380m), for perfect views along the entire West Macdonnell Ranges
Free information nights on Thursday 26 November at 6pm.
Dharamsala Insight Tour
Departs 7th November 2010
Founded in 1988,the Australia Tibet Council (ATC) is Australia’s largest Tibet Support Group. ATC campaigns for the human rights and democratic freedoms of the Tibetan people and supports the Dalai Lama’s Middle Way policy for the peaceful resolution of the Tibet issue. ATC works to highlight the real situation in Tibet, grow the Tibet movement in Australia and build active Australian Government support for the Middle Way policy. ATC combines public events, cyber actions, media work and direct political lobbying to achieve these aims.
Join ATC and World Expeditions on the Dharamsala Insight Tour departing the 7th November 2010.
There are two Dharamsalas - One you can experience as a tourist and another that you can only experience as an “insider”. Let ATC take you behind the scenes of the Dalai Lama’s home in exile.
For more information about ATC, the tour and to download the detailed trip notes please visit www.atc.org.au/insight.
Vets Beyond Borders
World Expeditions are proud to partner with Vets Beyond Borders (VBB). VBB
is an Australian-based, not-for-profit, incorporated organisation established by veterinary volunteers in 2003. VBB co-ordinates and runs veterinary based animal welfare and public health programs with two large street dog programs in Ladakh and Sikkim, and trains local personnel in Asia and Pacific. VBB also:
- Work with local governments and organisations to establish effective veterinary based programs
- Undertake the clinical training of local veterinary personnel to build their skills
- Co-ordinate volunteer veterinarians and veterinary nurses to work on these program
- Supply much needed medications and surgical equipment
- Facilitate the funding of buildings and important infrastructure such as kennels to hospitalise treated animals
- Contribute to the development of wider programs to address animal welfare and community health issues
Dates: 26th August – 10th September 2010
Duration: 16 days
Grade: Adventure touring
Cost: $5290 (ex- Sydney)
More information & detailed trip notes are available here or please call 02 8270 8400 or email Joanna Gurung
WIRES - NSW Wildlife Information, Rescue & Education Service
The NSW Wildlife Information,Rescue and Education Service Incorporated (WIRES) is the largest wildlife rescue organisation in Australia. When an echidna is hit by a car, a possum is attacked by a cat or a lizard gets its head stuck in a drink can - WIRES is there to help.
WIRES was established in 1985, when an injured Ibis was found in the heart of Sydney, in Hyde Park. No organisation, government or conservation group could take responsibility for its rescue or care. WIRES quickly established a coordinated network of wildlife carers and rescuers. WIRES now works under a license issued by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.
On this specially devised 9 day itinerary, you will be trekking on the Larapinta Trail - one of the finest walks in Australia. Walking the high ridgelines of the West MacDonnell Ranges we gain a rare perspective of vast flood plains, the razorback rocky outcrops and sheer scale of this ancient land. One of the highlights of this tour will be a full day visit to Desert Park in Alice Springs with special 'behind the scenes' visits.
A proportion of your trip cost will go back to WIRES to help this organisation in their efforts to rescue injured wildlife.
For more information and detailed trip notes please visit our Wires-Larapinta Trek web page
For more information about WIRES and its projects visit the WIRES website
GREAT WALL TREK Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation 27 August 2010
About the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation:
The Royal Children's Hospital Foundation is the fundraising arm of Queensland's Royal Children's Hospital. The Foundation raises around $13 million annually, and since inception in 1986 more than $100 million has been invested into working wonders for sick kids.
Every year, the Royal Children's Hospital treats more than 30,000 children from all over Queensland, as well as interstate and overseas. This adds up to more than 280,000 hospital visits every year.
As the major tertiary referral hospital for children in our state, our hospital is a home away from home for many families from regional and remote areas who require specialised care.
The Foundation funds groundbreaking medical research and equipment, to find faster diagnoses, better treatments and ultimately cures for childhood illnesses.
Funds also support services within the Royal Children's Hospital and wider Health Service District which brighten the lives of sick kids and their anxious families every day.
Your support will help us to continue working wonders for sick kids.
World Expeditions & the 3BL GROUP
World Expeditions have partnered with 3BL Group to bring you unique and inspiring corporate charity adventures. 3BL philosophy is: We work with businesses to include an element of community interest in their corporate decision making and help them focus on their level of corporate social responsibility, thereby honouring a triple bottom line: people, planet, profit.
Explore Timor Leste with Youth off the Streets and World Expeditions: 4th - 15th September 2009
Youth Off The Streets invites you to help make a difference to the lives of disadvantaged young people by joining us on an incredible journey.
The Youth Off The Streets Community Service Challenge is designed so that supporters can make a difference whilst exploring some of the most incredible places on earth. Presented in partnership with World Expeditions, the Youth Off The Streets Community Service Challenge combines a challenge of fundraising with an amazing opportunity to undertake community work with like-minded Youth Off The Streets supporters at an orphanage we support in the remote village of Baguia in Timor Leste! (It won't all be hard work though! We'll also throw in the opportunity for you to have fun, experience the beauty of Timor Leste and to relax while staying at an Eco Village resort!).
For more information on the Youth Off the Streets Trekking Challenge, CLICK HERE
Free The Bears Inc 
World Expeditions is proud to continue our commitment to the Free the Bears Fund Inc by supporting their next fundraising initiative to Laos and Cambodia. This fantastic journey, escorted by Free the Bears representatives, will focus on the incredible work being done in Laos and Cambodia by the Free The Bears Fund and provides a colourful insight into these culturally diverse countries.
This great opportunity combines hands-on visits to the Free the Bears rehabilitation wildlife centres in Laos & Cambodia, where you will be involved in the daily running of the bear sanctuaries. We combine this with visits to the charming cities of Luang Prabang and Phnom Penh and spend three days exploring the incredible temples of Angkor in Cambodia.
Free The Bears Fund was registered as a charity in 1995 by Perth woman Mary Hutton. The fund is committed to giving 98% of all monies raised to the bears and is run mainly on a voluntary basis. The aim of the fund is to protect, preserve and enrich the lives of bears throughout the world.
In 2009 YOU can make a difference with the FREE THE BEARS FUND and World Expeditions by travelling to:
VIETNAM, CAMBODIA & LAOS DISCOVERY - 2 Departures - 7 March 2009 and 14 March 2009. Enjoy an 18 day intinerary traveling to 3 Free the Bears South East Asia sanctuaries and taking in the sights of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Join Free the Bears founder Mary Hutton at the new Free the Bears Sanctuary in Vietnam and get up close to the bears you support.
SIDS AND KIDS 
Cycling Vietnam, top to bottom, what an adventure with World Expeditions! Some of our fundraisers this year raised over $6000 in the following fun ways - held a Golf Tournament on the Peninsula ($2800), ran a Cadburys Chocolate drive ($300), held a Bunning's Sausage Sizzle ($700), ran a Trivia night ($700). But if you’re an incredibly busy person, you may choose to raise your total $6,000 by sending out our “ask letter”!
Once you've reached your goal, you’ll also have raised awareness about such a fantastic organisation that provides its services free of charge, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to anyone who needs it. SIDS and Kids Victoria is funded primarily by the community. Government funding is less than 1%.
Did you know? ....that we are much more than SIDS. SIDS and Kids Victoria now offers services to those affected by the death of a child who dies suddenly and unexpectedly from 20 weeks gestation to six years of age, regardless of the cause of death. The children may have died from SIDS, stillbirth, drowning, motor vehicle accident, fire, sudden onset illness, homicide or in some other way.
Variety, The Children's Charity 
Variety, The Children’s Charity is dedicated to improving the quality of life of children with special needs. We believe that all children should be given the opportunity to make the most of their abilities and to achieve their aspirations and dreams.
Every year Variety raises valuable funds through numerous events, such as the Variety Trek to the Indian Himalayas.
The Variety Charity Challenge brings together like-minded supporters to make a difference to the lives of children with special needs, whilst undertaking a once in a lifetime trek surrounded by some of the world’s most breathtaking scenery.
For further information on Variety events please call (02) 9819 1013.
The Shepherd Centre
The Shepherd Centre is a charity that provides vital Early Intervention programs for deaf and hearing impaired child
ren and their families free of charge. Our First Sounds Program provides the medical, audiological and therapy services required for a child to receive a cochlear implant.
The charity has helped countless numbers of children learn to listen, speak and communicate. Our objective is to help our children achieve their language, listening and speech potential so that they may enjoy all of the same education, employment and lifestyle choices as their hearing peers.
Due to the amazing enhancement of hearing aids, cochlear implants and the wonderful work of our therapists, over 90 per cent of The Shepherd Centre’s ‘graduates’ go on to attend mainstream schooling and further education.
The Shephard Centre receive limited government funding and rely heavily on the vital support and generosity of people like you to continue our work. The partnership with World Expeditions has helped raise these vital funds to keep deaf and hearing impaired children able to reach their full potential.
Make sure you make a difference and help break the silence.
Veterinary Science Foundation 
World Expeditions is partnered with The Veterinary Science Foundation. $15,000 was raised through a trekking adventure in Nepal during 2004, another $15,000 was raised through an Antarctic expedition in 2006 and, in 2007, we raised more vital funds with a spectacular adventure to Africa.
This amazing safari adventure through Tanzania, and also Zanzibar, bought travellers face to face with the famous Big Game from the comfort of the specially designed safari vehicles. Please call us and find out how you can help VSF raise funds for the future of animal health and welfare in Australia. Call us on 1300 720 000.
Australian Bush Heritage Fund
Australian Bush Heritage Fund is a non-profit organisation that protects Australian animals and plants and their habitats. Bush Heritage buys or acquires private land of outstanding conservation value where natural populations of threatened species or communities are still living. This land then becomes a reserve and is managed to protect the animals and plants that live there. These reserves are for the benefit of all Australians.
Bush Heritage currently owns 24 conservation reserves totalling 670 000 hectares. World Expeditions has generously supported the work of Bush Heritage.
INSPIRED ADVENTURES
World Expeditions has been fortunate to be a long standing partner with Inspired Adventures, a leader in the organisation of charity challenges and a soldier for the cause of bettering communities all over the world by coordinating the efforts of those eager to give something back.
Below are some of the current Inspired Adventures intineraries, operated by World Expeditions. Should you feel inspired to particpate contact Inspired Adventures and speak to one of its consultants to find out which of its diverse range of products suits you best.
Variety Vietnam Community Challenge October 2009
If the deeper regions of Vietnam have always interested you, a fundraiser trek with Variety The Children’s Charity, Inspired Adventures and World Expeditions is likely to interest you. Focusing on the remote hill tribes of Northern Vietnam, this adventure immerses participants in a community to carry out much needed work on the Bao La Commune School. Travellers will trek for 3 days to get to the small hill tribe community and then work side-by-side with the residents to build the school room and celebrate the tangible benefit that such a project delivers. There is a fundraising target for this adventure which raises the funds to purchase a 12-seater coach to assist Australian children with special needs travelling long distances from home to school and return which will assist in getting them to and from school with greater safety and speed. Variety brings sunshine into the lives of thousands of children through Sunshine Coaches. This is one community project not to be missed.
To learn more about this exciting fundraiser to the deep heart of Vietnam visit the Inspired Adventures website.
Save The Children – Nepal October 2009
Join Save The Children, Inspired Adventures and World Expeditions on a fantastic journey to the Annapurna region of Nepal. Not only will you trek through the stunning Himalaya you will also participate in a vital school building project in the Amar Village. Save the Children work for a world that respects and values each child, listens to children and learns, and where all children have hope and opportunity. Save the Children fights for children's rights. They deliver immediate and lasting improvements to children’s lives worldwide and are the world’s largest independent organisation for children, making a difference to children’s lives in over 100 countries.
To learn more about this exciting fundraiser in Nepal visit the Inspired Adventures website
Kids Help Line – Cambodia Community Challenge October and November 2009
Kids Helpline is Australia's only free, confidential and anonymous, telephone and online counselling service specifically for young people aged between 5 and 25. Each week, over 12,000 kids try to get through to Kids Helpline. However, counsellors answer only 6,000 calls and emails each week – often regarding very serious issues. You have an exciting opportunity to raise much needed funds for Kids Helpline. We are giving twenty Business Chicks the opportunity to travel to Cambodia and work on a project at the Sunrise Children’s Village, operated by Geraldine Cox and the Australia Cambodia Foundation. You have the chance to make a real difference to the lives of children here in Australia and in Cambodia.
To learn more about this exciting fundraiser in Cambodia visit the Inspired Adventures website
Rainforest Rescue March 2010
Rainforest Rescue is a not for profit organisation that has been protecting and restoring rainforests in Australia and internationally since 1998 by providing opportunities for individuals and businesses to Protect Rainforests Forever. Our projects re-establish rainforests through planting, maintenance and restoration programs, as well as purchasing and protecting high conservation value rainforest and preserving its biodiversity.To mark the launch of The Burning Season film, you are invited to join us on an amazing fundraising trek through the jungles of Sumatra in support of Rainforest Rescue. Visit the orangutan rehabilitation program in Gunung Leuser National Park, trek through the stunning rainforests of Indonesia and contribute toward the protection of this vital ecosystem.
To learn more about this exciting fundraiser in the jungles of Sumatra visit the Inspired Adventures website
Step Up April 2010
The purpose of stepUP Foundation is to educate and excite teenagers the world over about the possibilities for their futures in business and in life. The fundamental intention of stepUP Foundation is to contribute to world peace. One person at a time. Join us on an inspirational journey to the magical country of Nepal. With the breath-taking views of the Annapurna ranges as your backdrop, this fully supported trek will allow you to experience the wonder of the Himalayas. Rediscover your sense of fun, adventure and be an inspiration to others. Funds raised from this challenge will pay for scholarships for underprivileged teenagers to attend stepUP events.
To learn more about this exciting fundraiser in Nepal visit the Inspired Adventures website
War Child May 2010
War Child believes that children should never be the victims of armed conflict. For those children who become victims of armed conflict, War Child believes that their security and access to quality health, educational and recreational facilities and services should still be a right. War Child also believes that children in conflict areas have a right to the love and care of their families and communities. Join us on the amazing charity challenge that will take you into the heart of Cambodia and become a part of the lives of the children of Cambodia who are living with War. This trip involves cycling Cambodia, spending 3 days of community interaction and visiting the world renown Angkor Wat complex.
To learn more about this exciting fundraiser in Cambodia visit the Inspired Adventures website
