11 days, 10 nights. “Strenuous” hiking. Departures Jan. 19, June 29 & Aug. 31, 2019. Group limit, 6. Highlights: From Entebbe, Uganda, to Kibale Forest for chimp walk/night game drive in Queen Elizabeth N.P./gorilla trek in Bwindi Impenetrable N.P./track mountain gorillas in Volcanoes N.P., Rwanda/Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre. From $9,995 ppdo (includes 2 chimp visits & 2 gorilla permits). Single supp., $1,295.
It was at the Ireland School of Falconry (just outside of Cong, north of Galway), where a great guide took our tour group on a "hawk walk." For about an hour, we wandered through the enchanting grounds of Ashford Castle, with our guide sporting a Harris hawk on his forearm. After learning about falconry, each person in our group got an opportunity to toss and catch a bird on his or her arm. With each toss, the glove was rotated to the next person and the guide tucked a little chicken meat in the padded palm -- and the hawk knew just where to return. The experience was both intimate and intense.
11-day, 10-night safari. Departures Oct. 1, 2018 & June 2, 2019. Highlights: Safari in Okavango Delta, home to lions, Cape buffalo, warthogs/mobile camp in Moremi Game Reserve for wildlife drives, boat safari/fly to Makgadikgadi Pan in Kalahari Desert for stargazing with astronomer and walks with Zu/’hoasi Bushmen. $14,999-$16,499 ppdo (per dates). Single supp., $1,999-$3,800. Deeper Africa (Boulder, CO; 888/658-7102, www.deeperafrica.com).
12-day, 11-night tour of Sydney and South AUSTRALIA. Highlights: In Sydney, The Cannery, Barangaroo, Tramsheds, Kensington Street/fly to Kingscote, Kangaroo Island, for Admirals Arch, Seal Bay/blend wine at Penfolds in Barossa Valley/tea at Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop/Arkaba Station/fly over Wilpena Pound in Flinders Ranges National Park. $9,850 ppdo. Single supp., $4,125. Extraordinary Journeys (New York, NY; 212/226-7331, www.extraordinaryjourneys.com).
Travelers can go whale-watching almost any time of the year with Whale Watch Western Australia (Freemantle Fishing Boat Harbor, Perth, Western Australia, 6160, Australia; phone +61 499 111 322, www.whalewatchwesternaustralia.com).
On expeditions leaving from Bremer Bay, look for orcas from January to March. From Fremantle, seek blue whales from March to May. Spot humpback whales from May to August from Augusta or from September to December from Freemantle. From Albany, watch for right whales from July to September.
4-day, 3-night birding tour via minibus in West Cork, IRELAND, Oct. 7-10, 2018. Group limit, 6-12. Highlights: From Cork to Rosscarbery on Wild Atlantic Way via The Old Head, Galley Head, Toe Head, looking for migrant birds/ferry to Cape Clear Island for bird observatory. €799 (near $983) per person, double occupancy (ppdo). Ireland’s Wildlife Tours (The Mall School, Connonagh, Leap, Co. Cork, IRELAND; phone +353 21 234 8015, tours.irelands wildlife.com).
My husband, Gerald Liedl, and I took a 6-day safari in Namibia, “Dunes & Wildlife,” in March 2017. We booked it online through The Cardboard Box Travel Shop (15 Bismarck St., Windhoek, Namibia; phone +264 61 256580, www.namibian.org).
The cost of the safari, which was limited to 12 travelers, was $990 each and included everything but one dinner and bottles of water.* Because the drives were long, on three days we had box lunches to save time.
After the article “Building Your Travel Bucket List” appeared in Contributing Editor Randy Keck’s column (Jan. ’17, pg. 56), ITN asked subscribers to each send in two lists of international destinations, excluding locations in Europe (which is so popular among travelers) and in the United States (which ITN does not cover).
