Steppes Private Charter Brochure 2017-18

Private Charters B E YO N D TH E O R D I N A RY

Let us show you the riches

of travelling beyond the ordinary

We have used our connections to come up with a range of exclusive charter tours to some of the world’s most exciting destinations.

We have ensured that they all have the following in common:

You will travel in comfort and style as we have booked the best boats and trains for exclusive use by Steppes’ clients.

You will be joined by at least one of our experts to ensure you are given compelling insight and narrative to accompany your journey.

These tours tread cautiously around the needs of endangered wildlife and respectfully navigate through the cultural maze of ancient civilisations.

Join our impressive line-up of conservationists, filmmakers, writers, academics and explorers to a variety of destinations, from the Galapagos to Baja, Spitsbergen to Antarctica and Iran to India’s Deccan Plateau.

The breadth and range of our charters is impressive and echoes our knowledge and expertise. I hope you agree.

Justin Wateridge Managing Director

START YOUR JOURNEY 03331 227 493 // charter@steppestravel.com

Galapagos Islands There are few places on Earth that can rival the wildlife of Galapagos, with an abundance of colourful creatures seemingly unafraid of humans.

Follow in the footsteps of Charles Darwin and observe the clear evolutionary path displayed by the vivid wildlife on these unspoilt islands.

Wildlife highlights include waved albatross, flightless cormorant, land and marine iguanas, two types of booby (blue-footed and Nazca), giant tortoises, Galapagos penguins, frigate birds and sea lions.

There will be many opportunities to get close to the islands’ unique wildlife, either on foot, by kayak, by panga or when snorkelling.

Making A Difference Galapagos Conservation Trust As Steppes Travel is a Gold Corporate member of the Galapagos Conservation Trust (GCT) all our Galapagos private charter clients will receive a year’s membership to the GCT. Membership helps the ongoing efforts to preserve and protect the Galapagos Islands and their unique wildlife.

START YOUR JOURNEY 03331 227 493 // charter@steppestravel.com

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In partnership with Globalista

Galapagos Cruise with Richard Dawkins

THE BEST KNOWN EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGIST IN THE WORLD TODAY AND CERTAINLY THE WORLD’S BEST-KNOWN ATHEIST. 2016 is his seventy-fifth birthday, the fortieth anniversary of the publication of his first academic work, The Selfish Gene, and the tenth anniversary of his three-million copy bestseller The God Delusion.

Professor Dawkins will be talking about why Darwin’s idea can be called the most significant realization that homo sapiens has ever had about itself and how it has penetrated every corner of modern thought.

DEPARTURES: 18th October 2016, 8th December 2017, 15th December 2017 11 days from £7,750 PP

START YOUR JOURNEY 03331 227 493 // charter@steppestravel.com

Steven Pinker & Rebecca Goldstein

TWO OF THE USA’S MOST CELEBRATED THINKERS

Steven Pinker Professor of psychology at Harvard University and one of the world’s foremost writers on language, mind, and human nature.

Dr Rebecca Goldstein Recipient of a MacArthur ‘Genius’ award, NYU professor and recipient of the National Humanities Award from President Obama for “bringing philosophy into conversation with culture”.

On-Board Evolution Evolution is a 58m (192ft) elegant motor vessel which provides plenty of space for just 32 passengers.

The Evolution provides a high standard of comfort and is designed to take you back to the romantic era of the 1920s.

DEPARTURE: 10th March 2017 11 days from £7,750 PP

START YOUR JOURNEY 03331 227 493 // charter@steppestravel.com

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Galapagos Cruise with

Galapagos Photographic Cruise with

Sue Flood

PHOTOGRAPHER, AUTHOR, WILDLIFE FILMMAKER AND CONSERVATIONIST Sharpen up your photographic skills with Sue, former Associate Producer on the award-winning BBC series The Blue Planet and more recently contributor to Planet Earth.

Her photographic highlights include diving with humpback whales in the South Pacific, face-to-face encounters with leopard seals in the Antarctic, filming polar bears in the Arctic and photographing the wildlife of Zambia.

More than all this Sue is great fun to be with and while you will doubtless hone your photographic skills under her tuition, you are also guaranteed a fun and rewarding time in her company.

On-Board Majestic MY Majestic was specifically designed and built to cruise the Galapagos. The 36m hull ensures generous deck space and the superb sundeck has a large hot tub and its nine spacious cabins and the main deck cabins have huge windows meaning you’ll never miss a thing.

DEPARTURE: 30th April 2017, PROVISIONAL DATE 22nd May 2018* 11 days from ÂŁ4,895 PP *Get in touch with our experts for more details.

START YOUR JOURNEY 03331 227 493 // charter@steppestravel.com

Antarctic Cruise with

Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Monty Halls and Sue Flood IN CONJUNCTION WITH TELEGRAPH TOURS

Join Sir Ranulph Fiennes for a private dinner and lecture in Buenos Aires and Ushuaia.

Cruise in company of marine biologist Monty Halls & wildlife photographer Sue Flood.

Includes time in the wildlife hotspots of the Falkland Islands and South Georgia as well as the Antarctic Peninsula.

For anybody with a love of wildlife and wild places, an expedition voyage to the Falklands, South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula is the ultimate experience. Nothing quite prepares one for the epic scale of Antarctica or the amazing sense of space. Towering ice cliffs, gigantic glaciers, bergs the size of skyscrapers – little wonder that Roald Amundsen wrote of Antarctica, that “the land looks like a fairy-tale”.

The wildlife is equally as spellbinding. None more so than the penguin colony of Salisbury Plain on South Georgia.

Home to over 200,000 king penguins, the visual spectacle is extraordinary; so too the sounds and smells.

DEPARTURE: 28th January 2017 24 days from £10,950pp

START YOUR JOURNEY 03331 227 493 // charter@steppestravel.com

Arctic Cruise with

Monty Halls and Sue Flood IN CONJUNCTION WITH TELEGRAPH TOURS

A 12 day high Arctic expedition deep inside the Arctic Circle only 600 miles from The North Pole.

The best place in the Arctic to see polar bears in their natural habitat.

Sail on-board the ice-strengthened Akademik Ioffe and access Svalbard’s most spectacular sites.

Throughout the voyage, you will enjoy private lectures with explorer Monty Halls, who will share tales from his explorations in the Arctic and accompany you on expeditions to discover the geological wonders and native species of the region, including polar bears, beluga whales and the Arctic fox.

You will also be joined by professional photographer Sue Flood, a specialist in the region, who will help you hone your photographic skills so you can capture those precious encounters with the wild as you sail through this astonishing environment.

DEPARTURE: 7th July 2018 12 days from ÂŁ5,595pp

START YOUR JOURNEY 03331 227 493 // charter@steppestravel.com

Baja Peninsular

Great Greys Voyage with Art Taylor ON-BOARD THE SEARCHER

Voyage with Art Taylor, who has been sailing the seas of Baja for over thirty years.

Sail the rich waters of the Sea of Cortez where whales and wildlife are in abundance.

World renowned whale watching including grey, blue, fin, sperm and humpback whale.

A wonderful opportunity to explore this rich marine world with some of the best naturalist guides available.

Art Taylor, owner and captain of the Searcher has been navigating these waters for over thirty years and is hugely passionate about the wildlife and sharing it with his passengers. His knowledge is unrivalled.

The Searcher is one of the smallest expedition vessels for just 24 passengers, boasting three pangas of its own so guests can be sure the very best will be made of every sighting opportunity.

You will experience one of the most complete itineraries of the west coast of the peninsula, travelling south from San Diego to the tip of Baja at Cabo San Lucas and extending into the Sea of Cortez for further breathtaking wildlife opportunities.

DEPARTURE: 23rd January 2018 14 days from ÂŁ4,445pp

START YOUR JOURNEY 03331 227 493 // charter@steppestravel.com

Iran

Luxury Train Charter with Michael Portillo IN CONJUNCTION WITH TELEGRAPH TOURS

Travel in the company of Michael Portillo and listen to his enthralling lectures.

Experience the epitome of luxury travel on-board the Golden Eagle Train.

Discover the ancient ruins of Persepolis and the world heritage site of Isfahan.

An exceptional voyage that combines one of the world’s most beguiling countries with one of its most extraordinary train journeys.

Just a few years ago, rolling through the desert landscapes and ancient culture of Iran on the Golden Eagle would have seemed an impossible dream. Remarkably, it is now a reality, opening the possibility to invite our Steppes Travel clients and Telegraph readers to join us on this exclusive itinerary.

DEPARTURE: 8th April 2018 15 days from ÂŁ10,999 PP

START YOUR JOURNEY 03331 227 493 // charter@steppestravel.com

India

Deccan Odyssey train Charter with Mihir Bose

In the company of an award winning journalist and author, Mihir Bose.

Travel on-board the luxurious Deccan Odyssey for a truly royal journey.

Explore the UNESCO site of Hampi, Badami and the holy shrines of Aihole and Pattadakal.

A handcrafted group tour that includes time on-board the chartered Deccan Odyssey – the only luxury train of India operating in the south of the country.

Starting and finishing in Mumbai you will be shown the splendours of an area of India rich in history and culture.

DEPARTURE: 16th February 2018 11 days from ÂŁ6,195pp

START YOUR JOURNEY 03331 227 493 // charter@steppestravel.com

Canada

Great Bear Rainforest Cruise with Sue Flood

Explore the Great Bear Rainforest and photograph black bears, spirit bears and grizzlies.

Sail aboard the Island Roamer along spectacular British Columbia coastline searching for humpbacks.

Spend two days at a bear viewing platform to photograph bears feeding on the salmon run.

This is a unique opportunity to join an exclusive photographic cruise in British Columbia, sailing a section of the Inside Passage, now known as the Great Bear Rainforest. Some say that black bears and grizzlies outnumber the people that inhabit this remote piece of British Columbia’s coastline.

Probably not the case, but bears certainly rule the roost and make for exciting photographic quarry with the west coast’s towering mountains and lush, temperate forests providing a beautiful backdrop.

DEPARTURES: 4th September 2017 11 days from £5,195pp

START YOUR JOURNEY 03331 227 493 // charter@steppestravel.com

Papua New Guinea

Luxury Cruise with Chris Packham

Travel aboard the luxury expedition small ship, True North, in the company of BBC presenter and naturalist Chris Packham.

Take to the skies and journey over the towering jungle volcanoes of Bagabag Island.

Dive or snorkel the crystal-clear waters of Tufi and go in search of birds of paradise in PNG’s jungles.

This expeditionary cruise sails around the remote islands of Papua New Guinea and goes up the famed Sepik River to explore the fascinating interior of the country including the stilted village of Kambaramba.

This voyage has a “recce” element to it as this itinerary explores parts of the New Britain coastline that True North has not previously visited.

DEPARTURE: 5th November 2016 17 days from £10,895pp

START YOUR JOURNEY 03331 227 493 // charter@steppestravel.com

The Steppes Difference BEYOND THE ORDINARY

Tailor–made travel No two people are the same, each is unique.

So we understand that no two holidays should be alike either.

We listen to what you want and create a personalised itinerary tailored around you, finessing every detail before, during and after your holiday. Your holiday. Your experience. Your way.

Our objective will always be to show you the highlights of a country, but we also like to take you off the beaten track to see the lesser known, but equally interesting places not frequented by large numbers of tourists.

Get in touch to see why and where we can take you.

We hope that you can join our clients who return to us year after year.

START YOUR JOURNEY 03331 227 493 // charter@steppestravel.com

Expert Led Group Tours WE ARE RECOGNISED AS ONE OF THE UK’S LEADING SPECIALISTS IN WILDLIFE, CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL SMALL GROUP HOLIDAYS.

Hand picked Tour Experts We carefully select our experts based on their knowledge, companionship and influence.

Often they can facilitate private access to sites not typically open to the public.

Benefit from our small group sizes Our average group size is typically 8-10 people, allowing you to have a more personalised and relaxed experience, a factor which many of our clients appreciate.

Refer friends and get rewarded The biggest compliment you can pay us is to recommend us.

Refer a new client to the same group tour and we will give both you and them a £100 discount when they book.

START YOUR JOURNEY 03331 227 493 // charter@steppestravel.com

Our Steppes Travel Specialists MEET OUR TEAM

Bridget Cohen

Charles Knights

Chris Johnston

Amy Waters

Illona Cross

Jackie Pearson

James Armitage

Joe Parkes

John Faithful

Kate Hitchen

Katie Benden

Paul Bird

Paul Craven

Roxy Dukes

Sally Walters

Sue Grimwood

STEPPES IN NUMBERS STEPPES HQ IN THE HEART OF THE COTSWOLDS BUT A WORLDWIDE REACH

WE SEND OUR CLIENTS TO OVER

DESTINATIONS WORLDWIDE

LANGUAGES SPOKEN BY OUR TEAM

- IT’S EASIER TO SAY WHERE WE DON’T SELL

- THAT’S JUST OUR 16 TRAVEL EXPERTS

DOGS IN THE OFFICE

OF OUR CLIENTS CHOOSE TO BOOK WITH US AGAIN

START YOUR JOURNEY 03331 227 493 // charter@steppestravel.com

COUNTRIES TRAVELLED TO IN THE LAST YEAR

TRAVEL EXPERTS

Client Testimonials DON’T JUST TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT

Bridget could not have been more helpful in organising all aspects of our trip, she was very knowledgeable about the country and was able to select a fantastic trip which worked well for the whole family. She always responded promptly to our many enquiries so that when we left we felt reassured all would go well.

Even though we had done a large amount of research for the trip we found the expertise of Steppes invaluable in comparing accommodation types and obtaining a good balance between value and experience. We were also pleased that the recommendations given were in line with the budget we had provided and there was no attempt to push us over the line financially.

- Karen | Zimbabwe

- Joanne | Argentina

We were both impressed with your knowledge and with your speedy replies to all questions.

John put together my trip perfectly as I hadn’t a clue about what to see in the time I had!

- Judith | Antarctica

- Jillian | Baja California

Sue’s in-depth knowledge of the region and the vessel was invaluable in our preparation for the trip and was a strong differentiator when we were choosing a travel agent.

Talking with Sue, we quickly got an honest perspective.

Excellent in every way. Particularly liked the document holder and mini itinerary which we received before leaving, it was invaluable throughout our trip! Promptness of communication was excellent as was the vast knowledge and expertise of our travel experts.

We had a very well organised trip given the short notice. You made the trip unforgettable, since we had nothing to worry about except enjoying the stays.

We have been spoiled in every location and the choices of them were outstanding. Thank you!

- Fiona | Antarctica

- James | Brazil

- Mikhail | Botswana

START YOUR JOURNEY 03331 227 493 // charter@steppestravel.com

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Are you ready to travel into the extraordinary?

OUR AIM IS TO LEAVE YOU SPEECHLESS AND THEN TURN YOU INTO A STORYTELLER. Speak to one of our Travel Specialists and let them charm you with their own love of travel.

For Steppes is a company run by travellers, for travellers.

Start your journey now tel 03331 227 493 email charter@steppestravel.com online steppestravel.co.uk

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