May 14, 2012
Our friends at Great Primate Handshake are running two expeditions this summer to raise awareness of primate sanctuaries and primate conservation programmes through the production of media. Once again we are proud to be organising transportation and logistics with an Oasis Overland truck being used as a mobile digital workshop!
This year one expedition will travel through Kenya and the other through Uganda, carrying volunteers who are passionate about primate conservation along with Great Primate Handshake staff who will help them to develop their digital media skills. The volunteers pass these skills on to conservation organisations in Africa who can use them to promote their projects. Past volunteers have gained experience in filmmaking, graphic design, web design, online journalism, music, production and more!
So if you would like to travel whilst creating educational based media to aid world-renowned conservation projects, if you want to make a real difference by helping to support primate sanctuaries and their surrounding communities, then join the Great Primate Handshake! You do not need prior knowledge, simply a passion to develop and share skills whilst working with others.
For volunteer testimonials please visit: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzGtLGQ1gZY
Contact: info@primatehandshake.org
Apply: primatehandshake.org
Like: facebook.com/primateshake
Watch: youtube.com/primatehandshake
Follow: twitter.com/primateshake
#jointheshake
May 12, 2012
We have a half price gorilla trekking permit for the first two people to book on our 11th June Gorillas & Gameparks overland trip.
This is a 19 day adventure which travels through Kenya and Uganda to Rwanda, where you can trek to see Mountain Gorillas in their highland habitat. Trekking permits must be obtained beforehand and usually cost £375 however we have permits at £187 each to the first two people to book the trip and purchase a permit.
The Gorillas and Gameparks overland trip starts and ends in Nairobi, setting out on 11th June and returning 29th June 2012. The trip costs £495 plus US$285 local payment which includes all transport in the Oasis Overland expedition truck, campsite fees and some meals plus Lake Nakuru National Park, Lake Naivasha, the Langata Giraffe Centre and Bujagali Falls. Flights to Nairobi, visas and optional activities are not included in the price.
The trek to see Mountain Gorillas on the forested slopes of the Virunga Mountains has to be classed as one of the most incredible wildlife encounters in Africa. Small groups of eight people are accompanied by park rangers who track these rare, gentle giants through the thick vegetation of the rainforest. The hour spent observing the gorilla family as they play, feed and groom each other is magical and an experience never to be forgotten.
The Rwandan wildlife authorities recently announced a 50% increase in the cost of gorilla trekking permits. All permits booked after 25th May 2012 will be affected by the increase.
Check out the Gorillas & Gameparks overland trip
Read more about the increase in gorilla trekking permit prices
Read about Mark’s trek to see the Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda
May 9, 2012
The departure date for our Exploratory Silk Road overland trip is drawing near – only a few weeks until it sets off from Istanbul on 6th June! This will be the first time we’ve travelled some parts of the Silk Road overland route so it will be an adventure for Oasis travellers and crew alike. Delays and diversions will be a possibility as they encounter changes to road routes or visa requirements, adverse weather conditions or just find they are enjoying themselves somewhere so much they really have to stay a day longer…
We’ve recently made one change to a few days on the Silk Road trip itinerary, on the section that travels from Uzbekistan to Kyrgyzstan. Despite our efforts, we will not be able to take the truck through the mountains to Osh but our alternative route will show us another Central Asian country, Kazakhstan and will take us to the Aksu-Dzhabagly Nature Reserve. We’ll have 2 nights here to take in the stunning scenery of snow-capped mountains, glaciers, rivers and valleys and hope to see some wildlife including bears, golden eagles, ibex and argali, the wild sheep of central asia.
Time allowing, we will also visit Syram. At over 3000 years old it is one of the oldest cities in Kazakhstan and was once a busy little stop off point on the old Silk Road.
You can travel to Kazakhstan on the these Silk Road trips:
15 weeks Istanbul to Beijing
63 days Istanbul to Bishkek
Please note: It is now too late to apply for Iranian visas for the trip starting in June 2012. If you wish to travel this year, you can still book the 40 day Bishkek to Beijing section or if you’d like to join the trip earlier, please contact us as we may be able to arrange another pick up point.
We now have Silk Road trip dates set for 2013!
May 2, 2012
Next year our first South America Exploratory overland trips will travel to Colombia so Ceris from Oasis HQ went to check out a few places, just to make sure they were good enough for our first truck group!
Most people thought I was mad to travel to Colombia – it hasn’t got the best reputation after all. Friends and family told me to check my bags before getting on the plane home and kept reminding me of those programmes on telly, ‘Banged Up Abroad’ and the like. But the only souvenir of my trip to Colombia was a small packet of 100% Colombian coffee which I’d put in my bag myself!
The Colombian tourist office’s logo is ‘the only risk is wanting to stay’ and after a few days, I absolutely agreed!
My first port of call was Tayrona National Park in the north of the country, on the Caribbean coast, also one of the first stops in Colombia on the Oasis exploratory overland trip. Here, the tropical forest reaches right to the beaches – it’s absolutely beautiful and you can trek through the forest, explore ancient Tayrona sites or just chill out on the beach. My group was dropped off at the park entrance from where it was an hour’s walk through the forest to the nearest beach. It was so humid, we were glad to reach a campsite where we cooled off with a coconut lemonade, mmm….
Our guide Carlos promised us a swim in the sea but when we reached the actual beach we saw pounding surf and a sign saying how dangerous it was to swim there. Thankfully this wasn’t the beach Carlos had in mind! We strolled down the coast for about a kilometre, walking along the sand, through palm groves, across small stream inlets full of white egrets and arrived at La Piscina (The Swimming Pool), a calm piece of shoreline protected from the surf by rocks.
We all dived in and although the water wasn’t that warm, the sun was shining, the view of jungle and forested hills behind the beach wasn’t too bad and I still had another few days of the Colombia trip to enjoy. What’s more, it was Monday morning and all my friends were at work – and they thought I was mad to travel to Colombia?!
You can visit Tayrona National Park on our exploratory overland trips to Colombia:
50 days Manaus to Quito
92 days Rio to Quito (via Manaus)
29 weeks Quito to Quito
April 27, 2012
Our Silk Road Trip driver, Andy Robinson wrote this insightful and we think, quite amusing piece on what overlanding is all about. If you’ve booked a trip with us, you could forward it to any friends or family who are wondering what on earth you’re doing!
Ever since Man picked his knuckles up off the floor and stopped swinging from the rafters he’s been on the move, searching and exploring. To begin with, food water and shelter were necessary in order to survive but once he’d got the hang of that Man decided to go wild and branch out a little further.
Originally there was no alternative to crossing the vast expanses of land in Europe, Asia, Africa or the Americas so the only way to find out what was over the next mountain or across the next valley was to go by foot. Once he realised walking was hideously overrated Man began utilising horses, donkeys, camels, elephants and anything else that could be coerced or kicked up the arse, into carrying him and all his gear.
The desire to trade goods, start fights, seize land, develop civilisations and defrock exotic women have all tempted Man to travel further afield over land. The human urge for something new hasn’t waned since. Alexander the Great, the Romans, Attila the Hun, Marco Polo on the Silk Road, Genghis Khan and umm Ewan McGregor. All have led the way in all things new and vast, each of them stamping their own particular brand of exploration on the world.
An expedition can often be described as a journey with a purpose, such as Richard the Lionheart’s Crusade to the Holy Land, but overland travel sees the journey as the purpose. It isn’t all about the destination; it’s about the journey to the destination.
Even such great warriors and explorers quickly realised it was much more fun exploring and fighting with other people of the same ilk rather than doing so on their own. Such huge expeditions with thousands of men and animals probably wouldn’t fall into the ‘group travel’ category but the origins were certainly there…
Andy will be driving the truck carrying the Japanese film crew on our Exploratory Silk Road overland trip. It’s not the first time he’s done this sort of thing and he’s written a book about a similar jaunt with another overland company in South America – check it out: South America: Overland
April 18, 2012
Ricardo, who leads our Peru tours, sent us this snippet about what it’s like working in his home country…
“One day I’m in the middle of the huge city of Lima and the next night I’m sleeping in the middle of the desert in Huacachina under thousands of stars. A couple of days later I’m hiking through the deepest canyon in the world in Arequipa and the next morning flying to see the Amazon rainforest! And all of this can happen in less than a week!
With an amazing geography there is almost too much to see and do on a Peru tour – this country is one of my favourite places in the world, and for me it is also home! Its great food variety and diverse mixture of geography combined with a rich ancient culture makes me enjoy every single trip and I enjoy nothing better than eating guinea pig to recover energy after a hike!
Every time someone asks me if the piranhas would eat them, I always ask them if they wouldn’t like to try them first?! Last time we went to the jungle we had a delicious piranha banquet! But to go fishing for them you need to jump in a small canoe no bigger than a caiman which are the little cousin of the alligators… No matter what part of my Peru trips I’m on, there is always something exciting to see!”
We’re not sure whether Ricardo is serious about the guinea pig or not – but it is a common dish in Peru so we’ll take his word for it!
We have several trips to Peru as well as Bolivia including 15 days Incas & Amazon and 30 days Peru & Bolivia Encompassed. Or check out all our Peru trips.
Please contact us if you have any queries, we are always happy to chat about our trips!
April 13, 2012
We have another update to our previous blog on the price increase of Mountain Gorilla Trekking Permits:
You can now avoid the price increase if you book and pay for your permit before 25th May 2012
The Rwandan wildlife authorities responsible for issuing permits to trek to see the mountain gorillas will be increasing the price of permits by 50% this year. The change comes into effect in June 2012 and will affect all treks for 2012 booked after 25th May, and all other treks from 2013 on.
This means that any permits for treks in 2012 that are booked and paid for before 25th May 2012 will be charged at the old price of £375 (subject to availability). If you wish to secure a permit for 2012, we advise that you book your trip and Gorilla Permit before 25th May to avoid the price increase.
Any questions? Just call or drop us a line!
You can trek to see Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda on our Gameparks & Gorillas, Apes & Lakes and Grand Adventurer trips
Read about Mark’s Mountain Gorilla trek earlier this year!
April 11, 2012
On June 6th our Silk Road Expedition will leave Istanbul, the start of a 15 week journey to Beijing! Andy Robinson will be driving the truck carrying the Japanese film crew and will be blogging about the trip on his website. In fact, he’s started already, here is his first missive:
Planning a four month trip through Central Asia isn’t something that can be done in five minutes. In fact this trip has been in the making for well over a year and has required a huge amount of research and coordination from Japan, the UK and numerous places in the ‘Stans.
First the idea had to be put forward for funding from the film crew to NHK in Japan. Then they had to find a reputable company who was prepared to run an overland trip through such a demanding part of the world that had not only one truck, but two. Having been part of their support crew in South America in 2009/10 the Japanese approached me to help. With seven years of experience in the industry I knew there weren’t too many options but Oasis Overland based in Somerset were up for the challenge.
With the help of Oasis’s Fleet Manager Mark Middleton (who used to be my boss at Exodus Travels and fellow Mongol Rally driver in 2007) we managed to conjure up an itinerary that suited everyone. The staff at Oasis HQ have done an incredible amount of work in a relatively short space of time to advertise and market the trip to encourage passengers to join.
Many people have overlanded along the famed Silk Road but very few have done so with a Japanese film company in tow. Filming in little known about countries such as Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Krgygstan and China will no doubt create some interesting twists and turns…
While the passengers are there to have fun and explore the magic and mystery that exists in Central Asia, the film crew and the support crew are there to work. It will be a demanding and challenging role but one that will generate its own different kind of adventure. Overlanding isn’t all about the destination – its about the journey to the destination.
Planning and organised such a trip can be as eventful and challenging as actually undertaking it and right now we have the small matter of how to get the support truck from Jordan to Turkey in time for the start of the trip; driving it through Syria is no longer an option….!
My aim is to keep you as entertained as I can from now until the finish….
Cheers
Andy
Check out our Silk Road trip webpages if you’re interested in joining us and contact us as soon as possible as visas have to be obtained in advance
April 4, 2012
If you want to join our Exploratory Silk Road trip from Istanbul this June, you need to get your booking in quickly! Due to the time it takes to get visas, bookings need to be made really soon – we are already applying for visas for those booked on.
This applies to the 15 week Istanbul to Beijing Silk Road trip and the 63 day Istanbul to Bishkek section.
If you’re think of doing the 40 day Bishkek to Beijing Silk Road section, breathe easy, you have a bit more time to plan your travels.
Please call us on 01963 363400 or email silkroad@oasisoverland.co.uk if you have any questions.
Meanwhile, preparations for the trip are going well. You can see the Silk Road overland truck as well as some shiny new woks for the kitchen on Facebook! Blogs from Andy who is driving the film crew support truck will also be here soon – watch this space!
April 2, 2012
This year we launched our Bolivia Encompassed trips and our 1st June departure is the first one to coincide with the annual El Gran Poder Festival in La Paz.
El Gran Poder means ‘the all powerful’ and during the festival a figure of Christ with dark features is paraded through the streets of La Paz accompanied by groups of dancers in themed costumes. The consumption of beer and food are integral parts of the celebration! Hundreds of people form the procession and even more line the roads to watch, making this one huge street party.
Join in the festivities on our 11 day Bolivia Encompassed starting 1st June 2012 or our 30 day Peru & Bolivia Explorer starting 13th May 2012
Why Choose Oasis
Our friends at Great Primate Handshake are running two expeditions this summer to raise awareness of primate sanctuaries and primate conservation programmes through the production of media. Once again we are proud to be organising transportation and logistics with an Oasis Overland truck being used as a mobile digital workshop!
