(Anaheim, October 2011) – With family travel in high demand, Trafalgar has introduced four exciting new itineraries in the 2012 Family Experiences brochure. Now adding up to 18 itineraries, the Family Experiences guided vacations are activity-packed and designed specifically to meet family travel needs.

The four new itineraries invite guests to explore Europe, as well as North America, Costa Rica, Peru and South Africa: Sorrento & Sicily Surprise; Greek Island Hopper; Conquistadors, Sacred Valleys & Inca Mysteries; and Dude Ranchin’ Yellowstone & Glacier Roundup. All of Trafalgar’s Family Experiences trips are designed with families in mind, customized to captivate travelers of all ages, and with sightseeing selected to fit a family’s travel needs so they can enjoy the trip of a lifetime together. On the popular 8-day California Dreamin’ trip, families enjoy a barbecue in Yosemite National Park, followed by eating s’mores around the campfire while listening to local folklore. Families on the 11-day Castles and Kilts trip will love that Trafalgar has something for everyone – kids can look forward to staying in a fantastic medieval-style castle for two nights and parents will revisit their youth on a day trip to Liverpool, where Beatlemania is still thriving.

“Our Family Experiences have become hugely popular with families looking for a well-organized, hassle-free vacation,” says Paul Wiseman, President of Trafalgar USA. “Trafalgar takes care of the details on the trip, so that everyone in the family can relax and enjoy traveling the world together.”

Families can also expect the same First Class quality of service on these trips as they would receive on any Trafalgar guided vacation. Guests travel on a comfortable coach with a highly knowledgeable Travel Director and experienced driver. Travelers also rest their heads at fantastic hotels that are located in the heart of their destination, like the Thistle Marble Arch in London and the Hyatt at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. Kids will love Trafalgar’s special accommodations on select itineraries, like the lodges they’ll stay at inside the Grand Canyon National Park on the 8-day Pioneer Adventures of the Old West and Lalibela Private Game Reserve in South Africa on the 13-day An African Adventure.

For European Family Experiences, Trafalgar is encouraging travelers to book their 2012 summer vacations early by offering savings of up to $500 per person! This offer is valid for bookings paid in full by December 1, 2011 for travel between April 1 and October 31, 2012.*

Families can also save big on traveling together with Trafalgar’s great offers for groups and young travelers. Passengers between the ages of 5 and 17 save 10% on any trip when traveling with an adult. Trafalgar also gives a reduction for triple- and quad-share rooms in First Class hotels, perfect for parents traveling with young children.

For more information and reservations, see your Travel Agent or call (866) 544-4434 or visit www.FamilyTravelExperiences.com. Brochures can also be ordered online.

 Cape Town provides a marvelous combination of natural beauty and historic and cultural sites, offering world-class museums and bustling markets, inviting beaches and lush gardens, as well as great restaurants and wonderful shopping. This itinerary provides ample free-time in Cape Town to hit all of the highlights – Table Mountain, Robben Island, the Cape of Good Hope, and much more.

 The Blue Train Experience takes you from Cape Town to Pretoria and is a 27-hour journey of 994 miles through some of the most diverse and spectacular scenery offered by the African sub-continent. On the Northbound journey, the train leaves Cape Town at 08:50 am and arrives in Pretoria at 12:30 pm, in time for high tea the following day. It stops at Matjiesfontein for an off-the-train excursion. On arrival at Matjiesfontein guests are invited for a glass of sherry at the bar. The Victorian buildings and original nineteenth century London lampposts impart to the traveler, the uncanny sense of entering a colonial time warp – an oasis suspended in a different age.

 Experience rare solitude, unsurpassed luxury and spectacular game viewing at Africa’s premier safari destination in the Sabi Sands Game Reserve. Two magnificent riverside lodges, Boulders and Ebony, have earned Singita the highest international accolades, each accommodating just 18 guests in nine suites. Your stay is fully inclusive with daily game drives.

•      International flights: New York or Washington/Johannesburg/New York or   Washington
•     The Blue Train journey: Cape Town/Pretoria
•     Bateleur Air Charter flights:  Johannesburg/Singita Airstrip/Johannesburg
•    All accommodation, services and transfers as specified
•     Meals as specified**
•     Transportation in luxury air-conditioned vehicles including qualified drivers
•     Game viewing as arranged by Singita
•     Services of Rangers/Trackers
•     Lion World Tours Representative Meet and Greet upon arrival
• **THE BLUE TRAIN – All meals; high tea; drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic); off-the    train excursions
• **SINGITA – Luxurious all-suite accommodation; breakfast, lunch and dinner daily; teas/coffees; Morning and evening open Landrover game drives; All drinks, including premium wines, spirits and liqueurs (excluding champagnes); laundry; return transfers from airstrip

To make a booking or for questions, please call Lion World Tours at 1-800-387-2706 from the USA or 1-800-668-9968 from Canada, or visit www.lionworldtours.com to view the full itinerary.

Lion World Tours is offering their signature “South Africa In Style” package starting at just USD $2,699* per person for travel during September 1-30, 2011. This package includes international airfare and fuel surcharges!  In addition to airfare from New York (JFK) or Washington DC (Dulles) on South African Airways, the package also includes a 4-night stay in Cape Town at The Commodore Hotel, The Table Bay Hotel, or The Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa.

This package also includes internal flights within South Africa, and a 2-night stay at Jackalberry Lodge. Jackalberry Lodge is located in a private game reserve adjoining Kruger National Park. This area is considered one of the world’s premier “Big Five” game viewing areas.

In addition to luxurious accommodations, the “South Africa In Style” package also includes 6 breakfasts, 2 lunches and 3 dinners, as well as a half-day Winelands Tour. This package is spectacular value for money, as all of these properties are 4- and 5-star luxury accommodations. At other times of the year, this identical package sells for as much as USD $4,069, so the September 1-30 travel dates are a fantastic deal.

**For those choosing the combination of The Commodore Hotel with Jackalberry Lodge, they can take advantage of Lion World Tours’ no single supplement fee offer on this package from September 1 – 30, 2011!

• Round trip international Economy Class airfare from New York (JFK) or Washington, DC (Dulles) to Cape Town, South Africa, on South African Airways
• Domestic flights within South Africa in accordance with the itinerary
• 4 nights in Cape Town at The Commodore Hotel, The Table Bay Hotel, or The Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa
• 2 nights at Jackalberry Lodge
• Game drives / bush walks as specified in itinerary
• Half-day Winelands Tour
• 6 Breakfasts / 2 Lunches / 3 Dinners
• Lion World Tours representative Meet and Greet upon arrival
• Transfers

To make a booking, call Lion World Tours at 1-800-387-2706 from the USA, or 1-800-668-9968 from Canada, or visit www.lionworldtours.com to view the full itinerary.

* Prices are in US Dollars and are per person based on double occupancy accommodations and include fuel surcharges. Government taxes, departure fees and September 11th Security Fee of $225 are additional and payable prior to departure. Low add-on fares from 26 cities in the US available.

The Annual Migration in the Masai Mara is without a doubt one of the main reasons to opt for a safari holiday, but Acacia Africa has uncovered some less well-known migratory extravaganzas, with opportunities to view some spectacular wildlife including, celebrity sharks, dragonflies, and literally, millions of sardines.

Dubbed “the greatest shoal on earth,” the sardine run on South Africa’s Wild Coast holds two titles – the world’s largest animal migration also featuring the greatest gathering of predators on the planet. Sharks, dolphins, Cape Ganets, cormorants, seals and sometimes even Orcas, Albatross and penguins, follow the sardines north west as they head to the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. The spectacle is best viewed on a scuba dive, however, if you have a snorkel, you can still get in on the underwater action. 7-day Coast To Cape Town small group safari £485pp + local payment from £221pp. Best time to go June through July. Twin-share accommodation.

With any migration you have to employ a certain amount of chance, but when it comes to Hermanus on the Western Cape, you can hedge the bets in your favour.  The historical fishing village employs its own whale crier so you’ll have advance warning – several hundred Southern Right Sperm whales migrating past its shores between July and November. 14-day Kruger To Cape Town £965pp + local payment from £448pp. Twin-share accommodation.

Big Five fans should watch out for the Kalahari elephant and buffalo migration in Botswana. When the rains start to fall in November these huge herds gather into smaller family groups, heading away from the riverfront and deeper into the Chobe National Park. 6-day African Insight overland tour £315pp + local payment from £152pp.

South Africa is one of the world’s top shark diving destinations making it the ideal country for a migration with a bit more bite. The first ever-recorded, and now the fastest transoceanic migration was documented in 2004, Nicole (a great white named after the celebrity and shark lover, Nicole Kidman), completing her return journey from Australia in August of that year.  You can capture a “Carcharodon Carcharia” on camera between May and October, and for those who dare there’s always Great White shark cage diving! 3-day Cape Town Shark Dive £285pp. Twin share accommodation.

Kenya’s Lake Nakuru will be “pretty in pink” in May, as up to two million flamingos return to the national park. (39-day Ultimate African Adventure from £1,375p + local payment from £655pp + gorilla permit from £350p). A birders paradise, Africa also plays host to a less-well known migration in Kwazulu-Natal, the Hluhluwe/Umfolozi reserve attracting the Barn Swallow. From mid October to mid-April, millions of these tiny birds gather just before sunset, offering up a feathered feast for twitterers.

The Cape Cross Seal Colony in Namibia is home to the largest breeding colony of Cape Fur Seals on the planet, but for an all out seal frenzy, October is the ultimate time to travel.  Keep your camera handy as when the bulls return to establish their breeding colonies they often throw in some heroic chest-to-chest combat. 19-day South West Safari £575pp + local payment from £284pp.

Botswana’s Savuti National Park is a hidden gem, and from November through March a dazzle of migrating zebras race across the open savannah. Contained within the more familiar Chobe National Park, the wildlife hub also packs in plenty of predatory action, the lion, jackal, cheetah and wild dog inhabiting the same plains.  32-day Southern Explorer (Botswana) £1,395pp + local payment from £636pp.

The longest insect migration in the world covers 11,000 miles, the route stretching all the way from southern India to Mozambique.  Millions of dragonflies make the mammoth annual trip between June and October – the well-timed event coinciding with the optimum time to travel. 7-day Mozambique Escape adventure £975pp + local payment from £212pp (two sharing). Twin-share accommodation.

The Slave Lodge in Cape Town is an unprepossessing building on Wale Street close to the Cathedral, the Company Gardens and the Houses of Parliament. Don’t be fooled by its lightly coloured exterior, as the exhibitions inside reveal dark secrets about its past.

The Slave Lodge was built in 1679, making it the second oldest colonial building in South Africa. It continued to be used until 1834 when slavery was abolished and during these 155 years, approximately 9,000 slaves who belonged to the Dutch East India Company would have lived here. The Company maintained a settlement at the Cape and needed the slaves to support its profitable Asian trading operations.

The exhibitions outline the history of slavery and its scope. Slaves were brought to The Cape from most of the countries bordering the Indian Ocean though the four main areas were Indonesia, the Indian sub-continent, Madagascar and Mozambique. The cramped conditions of their passage are outlined in diagrams. Individual slaves are honoured in a column of names.

The Slave Lodge is a place that everyone should visit. In Western minds slavery is associated with the transport of humans across the Atlantic from Africa to North America. This museum will show that a similar trade went on at the same time in the Indian Ocean.

Julian has written articles on Middle Eastern and European architecture for the US magazine Skipping Stones. He has written travel articles that were published in The Toronto Globe and Mail, Fate Magazine, National Catholic Register, and Northwest Travel. Julian has also written articles for the In The Know Traveler, Go Nomad, InTravelmag, and Go World Travel websites. He has also taken many photographs that have appeared in travel guides by National Geographic, Thomas Cook and The Rough Guides. Examples of his work can be found at http://www.photographersdirect.com/sellers/details.asp?portfolio=13734

The most poignant symbol of the apartheid regime is the District 6 Museum. District 6 was a vibrant community of Cape Malays, Indians, Blacks and a few Whites. On 11 February 1966, the apartheid regime declared District Six a whites-only area under the Group Areas Act and by 1982, 60,000 people had been relocated to the Cape Flats township around 15 miles away. Only the churches and mosques remained standing.

A pair of pictures of one street before and after the demolition of the area is as sad as the destruction is absolute. There’s a tower of street names from the district which were given to the museum by the person whose job it was to collect the signs and throw them into the sea. A whites-only bench leaves you in no doubt as to who is allowed to sit on it.  The ground floor is covered with a map of District 6. People have written information on the map regarding the names of the families who lived there or what businesses occupied which premises.

Julian has written articles on Middle Eastern and European architecture for the US magazine Skipping Stones. He has written travel articles that were published in The Toronto Globe and Mail, Fate Magazine, National Catholic Register, and Northwest Travel. Julian has also written articles for the In The Know Traveler, Go Nomad, InTravelmag, and Go World Travel websites. He has also taken many photographs that have appeared in travel guides by National Geographic, Thomas Cook and The Rough Guides. Examples of his work can be found at http://www.photographersdirect.com/sellers/details.asp?portfolio=13734

Book well in advance for your trip to Robben Island, especially in the summer holidays when there can be a wait of two weeks before there’s a free spot. Try and get to the Nelson Mandela Gateway early to board the boat as the best seats are on the top deck with the especially eye-catching views of Table Mountain.  Remember that there is no land between Robben Island and Antarctica, so the winds can be cold on occasions.

Once on the island, everyone has to get on a bus and be escorted around the island before visiting the prison. The most poignant place is the house of Robert Sobukwe, the founder of the Pan Africanist Congress. Sobukwe was in solitary confinement and he was not allowed to speak to anyone- however he did give secret hand signals to other prisoners when he was outside – he held dirt in his hand and let it trickle through his fingers as a gesture of solidarity. His little yellow house is by the guard-dog kennels.

Visitors are given a tour of the prison by either an ex-prisoner or an ex-warder, who will show you Nelson Mandela’s cell, the exercise yard and the dormitory-style accommodation with the daily prison diet written on a board for all to see.

Julian has written articles on Middle Eastern and European architecture for the US magazine Skipping Stones. He has written travel articles that were published in The Toronto Globe and Mail, Fate Magazine, National Catholic Register, and Northwest Travel. Julian has also written articles for the In The Know Traveler, Go Nomad, InTravelmag, and Go World Travel websites. He has also taken many photographs that have appeared in travel guides by National Geographic, Thomas Cook and The Rough Guides. Examples of his work can be found at http://www.photographersdirect.com/sellers/details.asp?portfolio=13734

My guess is that most tourists will visit the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront more than any other attraction in Cape Town. There’s a huge choice of shopping opportunities for those items that travellers may have forgotten to bring with them and for souvenirs too.  Indeed there’s a large craft market full of carved items, T-shirts, and paintings. This is located near the statues of the four South Africans who have won the Nobel Prize for Peace.

The restaurants, both indoor and outdoor, are excellent and range from seafood to Italian via an African buffet. The tour buses start and finish at the V and A, right outside the Two Oceans Aquarium. Nearby the Robben Island ferries leave for a half-day trip to the former prison from the Nelson Mandela Gateway. The clocktower is a symbolic point and nearby there’s a plethora of signposts to major cities in the world. Visitors can go on yachting trips, take harbour tours, or simply buy a drink and gaze at the wonderful view of Table Mountain.

Julian has written articles on Middle Eastern and European architecture for the US magazine Skipping Stones. He has written travel articles that were published in The Toronto Globe and Mail, Fate Magazine, National Catholic Register, and Northwest Travel. Julian has also written articles for the In The Know Traveler, Go Nomad, InTravelmag, and Go World Travel websites. He has also taken many photographs that have appeared in travel guides by National Geographic, Thomas Cook and The Rough Guides. Examples of his work can be found at http://www.photographersdirect.com/sellers/details.asp?portfolio=13734

The Gold of Africa Museum is found at 96 Strand Street in Cape Town. The museum is located in the Martin Melck House. The exhibition dedicated to the history and artistry of African gold begins on the first floor.  

First comes the history via an astounding timeline of the importance of gold throughout the ages. Some people had too much gold such as Croesus of Lydia (561 – 546 BC) who is said to have sent 3400kg of gold to decorate the temple at Delphi. When Mansa Musa, the ruler of Mali, journeyed to Mecca in 1324 he carried so much gold with him and spent it so freely that the price of gold plummeted in Cairo and it took a dozen years to recover.

Then through another door comes the artistry. The museum contains the world-famous collection of West African gold artefacts originally from the Barbier-Mueller Museum in Geneva. Outstanding pieces such as a human head of pure gold from Cote d’Ivoire and hammered crescent-shaped earrings — 8 inches across — made using 610 grams of gold, are found in every case. There are gold-decorated fly whisks, parasols, and sandals. There are gold sword ornaments, necklaces, rings, amulets, brooches, and pectoral disks.      

Up another flight of stairs is the highlight of the museum, the Golden Lion of Ghana. This charming king of the golden jungle has a lovely curly tail, a glorious mane, and a wonderfully self-contented grin. After visiting this museum and its eclectic shop of delights, the visitor will know how that lion feels.

Julian has written articles on Middle Eastern and European architecture for the US magazine Skipping Stones. He has written travel articles that were published in The Toronto Globe and Mail, Fate Magazine, National Catholic Register, and Northwest Travel. Julian has also written articles for the In The Know Traveler, Go Nomad, InTravelmag, and Go World Travel websites. He has also taken many photographs that have appeared in travel guides by National Geographic, Thomas Cook and The Rough Guides. Examples of his work can be found at http://www.photographersdirect.com/sellers/details.asp?portfolio=13734

Cape Agulhas is the most southerly point in Africa and is approximately a two hour drive from Cape Town. It’s so atmospheric to stand on the beach with the Atlantic and Indian Oceans merging behind you and think that everything on this continent is north of you.

The lighthouse is cute beyond belief with its two circles of red on the tower. There is an exhibition of lighthouses from around the world on the ground floor. To get to the top you need to climb four ladders each of which seems to be steeper than the last. The holes in the floors are quite narrow so it’s best to leave your large bags behind before climbing.   

On the way to Cape Agulhas make sure to visit the Shipwreck Museum in Bredasdorp, 30 kilometres from the coast. It’s estimated that around 250 vessels and 2,500 people have been lost in the local waters. The most interesting artifacts are those from the wrecks of the Queen of the Thames, the Birkenhead, and the Arniston. There are some lovely old wooden coaches in the barn behind the main museum building.

Julian has written articles on Middle Eastern and European architecture for the US magazine Skipping Stones. He has written travel articles that were published in The Toronto Globe and Mail, Fate Magazine, National Catholic Register, and Northwest Travel. Julian has also written articles for the In The Know Traveler, Go Nomad, InTravelmag, and Go World Travel websites. He has also taken many photographs that have appeared in travel guides by National Geographic, Thomas Cook and The Rough Guides. Examples of his work can be found at http://www.photographersdirect.com/sellers/details.asp?portfolio=13734