FIRST FLIGHT:- Depart Heathrow at 18:25 on 30^th Sep 2005

Arrive Hong Kong at 13:05, local time, on 1^st October 2005

ASIA - 5 months

Hong Kong & China

1^st Oct – 25^th Oct 2005

3 weeks & 4 days

Highlights:-  Hong Kong - Fireworks Display 1^st Oct; Beijing; remote section of the Great Wall; Terracotta Warriors; Shanghai; Longji         (rice terraces); Guilan / Yangshuo (limestone peak scenery)

India & Nepal

26^th Oct – 16^th Dec 2005

7 weeks & 2 days

Highlights:-  Delhi (2 nights); Nepal (1 week); Varanasi (Ghats); Agra (Taj Mahal); Pushkar (Camel Fair); Diwali - festival of lights;                  Jaisalmer Fort; Mumbai (3 nights); Goa (1 week)

South East Asia

(Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam)

16^th Dec 2005 – 24^th Feb 2006

10 weeks & 2 days

Highlights:-  Rainforest (M); Perhentian Islands Dive Course (M); Angkor Wat (C); Islands (T); Ayutthaya (T); Chiang Mai -elephants (T); Luang Prabang (L); 4000 Islands Region (L); Hanoi (V)

AUSTRALASIA – 2 months

New Zealand - South Island

25^th Feb – 23^rd Mar 2006

3 weeks & 6 days

Highlights:- Campervan / pampering!; Kaikoura (whale watching); Abel Tasman National Park; Glaciers; Arthur’s Pass; Extreme sports – Queenstown / Wanaka; Milford Sound; Catlins (albatrosses).

Australia

23rd Mar - 18th Apr 2006

4 weeks

Highlights:- Helicopter ride over Great Barrier Reef; Diving + snorkelling; Fraser Island; Cooktown; Waterfalls, gorges + thermal springs; Crocodile cruise; Kakadu; Olgas; Uluru (Ayers Rock).

New Zealand – North Island

18^th Apr – 3^rd May 2006

2 weeks

Highlights:- Canyoning; Swim with Dolphins; Bay of Islands; Hot Water Beach; Waitomo (abseil into limestone caves); Rotura (geothermal area); Extreme sports at Lake Taupo.

SOUTH AMERICA - 5 months

Santiago to Rio 

(Chile, Argentina, Brazil)

3^rd May – 5^th Jul 2006

9 weeks

Highlights:- ‘The Lake District’ (C+A); Patagonia (glaciers and waterfalls) (C+A); Buenos Aires (A); Iguassu Falls (A+B); Rio de Janeiro (including Pride festival June 2006!) (B); rainforest (B).

Easter Island

5^th Jul – 7^th Jul 2006

3 days

Highlights:- Lots and lots of stone heads!  Some intact, some damaged, some half made and never finished – all over the island!

Santiago to Lima 

(Chile, Bolivia, Peru)

7^th July – 9^th Sep 2006

9 weeks

Highlights:- Atacama Desert – colourful festival by lake / mountains (C); salt flats, steamy jungles + wildlife (B); Lake Titicaca (B+P); Machu Picchu (P); Nazca Lines (P); mountains, jungle, Amazon (P).

Venezuela + Caribbean

9^th Sep – 29^th Sep 2006

2 weeks & 6 days

Highlights:- Caracas; Angel Falls; Gran Sabana – sandstone ‘tabletops’; Orinoco Delta – canoe people; Tobago or Grenada.

FLIGHT HOME:- Depart Caracas, Venezuela on 29^th Sep 2006 – times TBC

Arrive Manchester (via Madrid) on 30^th Sep 2006 - times TBC