Counting the days to the end of autumn, which is always such a magical time in Europe. On our autumn walks we find a fantastic range of inspiring landscapes erupting in fiery bursts of red, orange and bronze. The weather is cooler, the trails are less crowded, and the beauty of nature takes on a new golden hue while the softer light inspires us to challenge our skills in photography.
France
Gilles finished our European season with the Gastronomic Trail through hidden France where we walk in the delightful Pays Basque before we move to the wine regions of the Languedoc-Roussillon and Côte du Rhone.
Everything was excellent. I could not complain about anything. The guide (Gilles) was so good, the food was fantastic, the sights were all we hoped. The others on the group were like-minded and we loved their company. Even the weather was great. On the rare day the weather was poor Gilles had a backup plan for what to do. We will definitely be considering another walkabout tour." Robert from Bangkok, Thailand
Pascal ended our season in the Middle East on our Journey through the Holy Landwith walks in Jordan and a more cultural visit of Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Please note that this tour is nearly fully booked for 2021.
A wonderful holiday with a good mix of historical culture, spectacular scenery and gentle walks." Catherine from Mosman Park WA, Australia
Graeme was the last to finally end our 2019 Walkabout season back in Australia with walks in the Grampians, along the Great Ocean Road and Wilson's Promontory... Walkabout's absolute favourite and in our programme since 1986.
A wonderful and carefully planned tour through magnificent scenery with fabulous view. The weather was perfect for walking, not too hot and without the rain depressingly predicted by the BOM! The delightful cottage accommodation was 'home' after a day walking, and to freshen up, then enjoy drinks with a view of the beach, before sitting down to a delicious dinner was such a pleasure. A bonus was the koala family in the trees, though if disturbed, he became quite vociferous! Thank you, Graeme, for looking after us so well and sharing your knowledge of this very beautiful part of Australia.." Denise from Sydney NSW, Australia
After the busy days to finalize the brochure, Gabriela, together with Serjosha travelled to Guadeloupe, which featured in our brochure quite a few years ago. It was great to re-visit and explore some of the stunning countryside of this lovely island. Maybe someday soon we will bring it back into our programme.
December 2019
Drome region, France
Golden Dome, Jerusalem
Khazneh Petra, Jordan
Wilson's Prom, Australia
Guadeloupe Island
Paris is always a good idea...
"Paris is always a good idea" were the famous words spoken by Audrey Hepburn. Autumn is definitely the best time for our new Parisian Getaway and if you thought this city couldn’t get any more beautiful, try to imagine the colourful foliage and sunset hues in the autumn light.
We wander through the cobbled side streets, watch the world go by in some of the many stylish Parisian cafes and enjoy delicious French patisseries with… why not… a cup of the thick and creamy Chocolate Chaud (luxurious Parisian hot chocolate).
Recently in Paris, Nastassja finalized some more details for A Parisian Getaway and has found a charming Hotel in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. From here we explore the neighbourhood and local Parisian street scenes of beautiful Iles St Louis, Montmartre and the Marais. We discover mouth-watering markets and taste our fresh produce during our hands-on French cooking class.
We visit some superb art galleries, historic sites and enjoy the Parisian strolling scenes along the Seine and its charming parks. If you are a European culture buff and like to eat and drink well, while being stimulated with art, culture and architecture then this is YOUR tour!
The four members of the Clarke family are getting excited about their forthcoming journey to Japan for a short break and to work out a new itinerary for the near future. We are in contact with some fabulous guides and will give you more news in our next newsletter.
The winter months are filled with various families and friends visiting us in Australia and just for "something different" we shall act as their tour guides to the farm in Gippsland, Uluru & the Olgas, Sydney, Lady Elliot and of course Byron Bay. Time will go quickly before Gabriela is setting off again to India for our Flavours of South India tour in Kerala.
Lady Elliot, Queensland
12 fantastic days in Kerala
We are excited to share 12 fantastic days with you in Kerala on our upcoming journey in 2021 and look forward to youremail or call if you are interested in receiving further information. There are countless highlights but above all it is always so special to meet the Indian people who glow with a light like no other!
In 2021 our local guide Shine will be co-guiding the tour with Gabriela. He is an expert in Ancient Indian History and Culture and is a bundle of information and great fun. We are looking forward to meeting up with Sreejith again who is certainly one of the most empowering holistic yoga instructors we have ever met.
We meet Junis again in Munnar where he will take us through hidden villages but also through the spectacular Munnar tea plantations. His is an outstanding guide and his knowledge of birds and plants is amazing! Our cooking classes with Nimi in Munnar certainly add a unique experience. We will have the opportunity to have this cooking seminar in Nimi’s private home and learn to cook some of her favourite delicious Indian dishes.
During our 12 days Nissar will once again be our faithful driver. He can also organize airport pickup and drop off. The last two days in India we spend on a houseboat, cruising the Kerala Backwaters. It is quite magical to observe the whole rural scene from ferrymen carrying locals on tiny canoes to women in vivid saris washing their clothes on stone steps near the river. Kerala is certainly a tour for the senses.
My cousin and I had an absolutely wonderful time touring South India. We loved the adventure walks and really enjoyed the cooking classes - they were a highlight. Accommodation was first class and the Aleppy houseboat trip was fantastic. Such a brilliant way to see life in Kerala up close and personal. We were so lucky to enjoy the company of the other tour guests - such a great bunch of people and so much fun. The gentle and genuine warmth of the people we met all over Kerala was a sheer delight. Thank you for a wonderful trip!" Victoria from Sydney, NSW, Australia
A cool change is coming for Gabriela when she travels directly from India to Iceland for the Winter Tale in Iceland. She is very excited to experience this winter wonderland together with her first group, and is greatly supported by Bergthora, our local guide in the Myvatn Lakes.
Normally, weather conditions dependant, we shall visit the Lofthellir Ice Cave, a dog sledding tour with Bergthora’s gorgeous Huskies, walks with or without snowshoes and then our daily thrill to chase the famous Northern lights.
The Mývatn Nature Baths are very relaxing during summer, but they are absolutely magical in the winter months. There are plenty of other activities too which could be an option depending on the weather!
By now you should have all received our new Journeys 2021 programme and we hope it will inspire you to join us on one of our many adventures next year. Some of you may have noticed that our accompanying letter was missing a paragraph under the Treasures of Cappadocia and Eastern Turkey- whoops! For some unknown reason, and to the embarrassment of our printer, this paragraph disappeared into cyberspace after we had authorised the final proof. It should have read:
At the end of the Mediterranean Odyssey Gabriela and Fatih will continue for the next 17 days and show you some of the many "Treasures of Cappadocia and Eastern Turkey". This tour begins in Kayseri, not far from the famous Cappadocia region where we walk through this surrealist landscape of rock cones, capped pinnacles and fretted ravines. From here on we travel east to south-eastern Anatolia, Mesopotamia and the beautiful Lake Van, the largest lake in Turkey at an altitude of 1,720 metres. In Kars we are close to the Armenian border and then continue on to the Karçkal Mountains until this journey ends in Trabzon on the Black Sea."
Akdamar, Eastern Turkey
Cappadocia, Turkey
2021 Info Evenings, save the date!
Our forthcoming Information Evenings will commence early inFebruaryin Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane and in March in Canberra and Perth. They will give you an opportunity to meet Gabriela and Graeme and some of our team.
Our presentation will include a 30-minute video showing you a typical day on a Walkabout Holiday. We shall then introduce our range of tours for our 2021 season and then guests will have time to ask questions. Afterwards we shall offer drinks and aperitifs - this is an opportunity for guests who haven’t travelled with us before to talk with us privately or more importantly chat with other guests who have previously travelled with us.
As nibbles and refreshments will be served and seats limited, please register your attendance below and feel free to bring along any friends who you think may be interested in our Walking Holidays.
NSW
Monday, 3 February 2021 at 6.30 pm Royal Automobile Club of Australia
89 Macquarie Street,
SYDNEY
SA
Tuesday, 4 February 2021 at 6.30 pm Mayfair Hotel
45 King William Street,
ADELAIDE
VIC
Wednesday, 5 February 2021 at 6.30 pm RACV City Club
501 Bourke Street,
MELBOURNE
QLD
Friday, 21 February 2021 at 6.30 pm Customs House
399 Queen Street,
BRISBANE
ACT
Tuesday, 3 March 2021 at 6.45 pm
Hotel Realm
18 National Circuit,
BARTON
WA
Thursday, 5 March 2021 at 6.30 pm Hyatt Regency
99 Adelaide Terrace,
PERTH
Upcoming Festivals for Foodies
There are plenty of events in Australia from Food & Fine Wine Festivals to Gastronomy Expos throughout the year. These Events bring together Australian and world-renowned winemakers, chefs and industry insiders to entertain, educate and inspire, you may also visit farm gates and cellar doors, meet with local producers, attend degustation dinners, taste regional products or even attend cooking classes! We have put a list of local and overseas gourmet events together, here is what's coming near you:
If you haven't had a chance to do it after your tour this year, please tell us your thoughts, memories of little details that made your day and your personal highlights by signing our guestbookso we can continually improve our tours for you.
We hope you can join us on one of our Worldwide Walking Holidays next year and we are looking forward to meeting up with you again at our Information Evenings.
