
Imaginative Traveller, the one-stop-adventure-specialist-shop for travellers wanting to select the 'best of the best' of all 7 continents, is showcasing more than 160 trips to over 60 destinations in its new brochure, out now. Of those trips, 92 are brand new, the greatest number of new trips ever featured in an Imaginative Traveller brochure.
Lorna Archibald, Marketing Manager says: "We've significantly ramped up the number of active adventures we offer to 40, whether its trekking in Burma or Madagascar, biking in Jordan, volcano-visiting in Indonesia, walking in Andalusia or sailing in Cuba".
New, too, are some more luxury options, like a lodge-stay in Namibia or a first-class sailing trip around the Galapagos.
"Burma, Morocco and Jordan were our biggest sellers for 2014 and whilst we anticipate that sales to each will remain strong for 2015, we're anticipating that Vietnam and Indonesia will also become big hitters for the coming year due to improved flight links," continues Lorna.
"Madagascar, very much a surprise hit for 2014, will also be a contender in terms of growing popularity and we've doubled our offering for 2015, going from two to four trips there," she says.
Trips in the brochure have been categorised into seven trip styles, including: Taste (culinary tours); Voyage (cruises and sailing adventures); Active (classic treks to cycling tours); Discovery (up-close and personal cultural and geographic exploration); Raw (budget-friendly travel); Family (for families with children aged 5 upwards) and Overland (travelling in purpose-built trucks or 4x4's).
Travellers also have three comfort levels to choose from: basic, standard and plus.
“We're thrilled to be offering such a comprehensive travel portfolio, the biggest yet, which we hope will appeal to a much broader range of people and better suit individual tastes,” continues Lorna.
The new brochure also includes the operator's tailor-made service, tailor-madeadventures.com, with sample trips including a six day trip to Oman, a 12 day trip to Madagascar and an active 10 day trip to Iceland.
"Tailor made has been the fastest growing trip style we offer since we launched it in 2012, allowing us to offer some really cutting edge and unusual destinations like Iran and North Korea.
For more information, please contact Imaginative Traveller on (01728) 885 514 or visit www.imaginative-traveller.com
Here's what Imaginative Traveller think will be their best-selling NEW trips for 2015
Burma by Bike, 14 days from £2,049 per person
For the past two years, Imaginative Traveller's 15 day Best of Burma trip has been its biggest seller by far. For 2015, this two week trip captures the zeitgeist, cycling (cycling has boomed in popularity since the Olympics and Tour de France successes) through South East Asia's fastest growing tourist destination, Burma. Starting in Bagan, the route traverses Shan Highlands, crossing the central plains around Mandalay, and down a fabulous descent from Mt Popa. There's welcome respite, too, out of the saddle to float down the Irrawaddy River and explore Inle Lake by boat with its famous floating markets.
Volcanoes and Temples of Indonesia, 15 days from £1199
With direct flights from London to Jakarta now possible and for less than £500, Indonesia has never been more accessible, affordable or attractive. This 15 day adventure traverses Java, Bali and Lombok, the most popular islands in the archipelago, taking in the sites and sights of Borobudur, sunrise over Mount Bromo, plantation walks, the Klungklung palace, rice paddy walk, Ubud and Sengiggi, with an optional night spent summiting the spectacular 'volcano within a volcano', Mt Rinjani on Lombok. This trip will be a sure-fire best seller, no pun intended.
Trekking in Madagascar , 15 days from £1,849 per person
Rice fields, nature reserves and national parks, all by foot, allows travellers to enjoy Madagascar up close and personal, but also slowly, immersing the visitor with a unique wildlife experience. Trek in Andringitra National Park, one of the most beautiful and biodiverse parks on the island, and in Isalo National Park with its unique landscape of rock formations, deep canyons, waterfalls and natural swimming pools. Travellers will also go in search of lemurs in Anja Reserve and visit Ranomafana National Park, walking through spectacular scenery in the hope of spotting lemurs and sifakas.
Kilimanjaro Climb Rongai Route, 8 days from £1,449 per person.
It's estimated that over 25,000 people a year try and summit Kilimanjaro every year, with approximately 66% succeeding. The Rongai Route isn't just less crowded that more popular trails but takes a much easier approach, benefiting from a gentle gradient whilst giving climbers a sense of unspoilt wilderness. 8 days, trekking through farmlands, forest and alpine moorlands, this route allows an extra day for acclimatisation under the imposing spires of Mawenzi, before the arduous final ascent. The final climb begins in darkness but our reward is an incomparable dawn vista over the sweeping East African plains. What's not to like?
Discover Namibia - Lodges, 13 days from £2,499
Active by day, comfort by night. Whilst Imaginative Traveller has always offered adventurous trips through Africa, accommodation has typically been camping based, to keep costs down and to allow travellers a more in-depth, camp-fire experience of Africa, often in the heart of its National Parks. This trip to Namibia, one of the companies' most popular African destinations, has added comfort on tap, with lodge based accommodation. The lodges aren't the glamourous, 5 star versions typified in glossy mags and weekend supplements, but affordable and comfortable options for travellers who don't want a sanitised hotel experience. After a long, hot day exploring the world's highest sand dune at Sossusvlei, sand-boarding or quad biking at Swakopmund, or game driving in Etosha N.P. it's R&R all the way.