UNESCO World Heritage site Blue Mountains are majestic and beautiful highlands located at the west metropolitan area of Sydney, Australia. This peaceful area has a very attractive cultural heritage which preserves the legacy from its original aboriginal inhabitants.

One of the most popular attractions in the Blue Mountains is Echo Point at Katoomba, a major lookout with impressive views of the Jamison Valley and the Three Sisters. It is recommended to check its fascinating views during both day and nighttime, and certainly it is a good point to start your tour to Blue Mountains from Sydney.

From our experience it is advisable to contract a guided tour in order to take more advantage of this trip to Blue Mountains. A Wildlife Day Tour from Sydney can be contracted through this post referrals in order to experience all the natural wonder that Blue Mountains has to offer including the Three Sisters, Aboriginal Dreamtime legends and a boardwalk stroll through the rainforest.

>>Book your Tour to Blue Mountains from Sydney

The following are some highlights that include the tour, but for more information and bookings you can check the following link to: Tour to Blue Mountains from Sydney

Highlights of your Blue Mountains tour include:

• Visit to Leura village where you can be delighted by groomed gardens and rustic shops
• Stop by Echo Point to appreciate and shot the popular Three Sisters rock formation
• Discover the Aboriginal Dreamtime legends of the mountains and Three Sisters
• Enjoy the panorama of the Cliff Drive and the stunning views of the Megalong Valley
• Travel through the heart of the Blue Mountains’ region at Katoomba
• Feel the peace of a walk along the boardwalk through the rainforest
• Have lunch at Scenic World, with 360-degree panoramas and views of the Three Sisters from your table (optional)
• Ride the Scenic Railway (the world’s steepest incline railway) to the rainforest boardwalk (optional)
• Get fascinated with the charming koalas and other Australian animals at Featherdale Wildlife Park

We hope this post helped you to find another activity to complement your trip to Sydney. Enjoy!

Photo: blah12233

Five million people, including 850,000 tourists, attended this year to Carnival in Rio, which guarantees the creation of 250,000 jobs and leave benefit the state with more than 1,100 million reals ($ 640 million), according to local government . The event began several days ago with hundreds of “blocos” (street parades) that had invaded the streets in unlimited journeys of samba and beer. Make sure you buy your tickets for Carnival in Rio 2012 within this week to make sure you find a place in this major event. Check our website to find first class accommodation deals, hotels and casinos in Rio for a perfect holiday.

Competence and Sambodromo:

The 13 best samba schools in Rio de Janeiro which compete for the coveted title of “Champion Carnival” marched from Sunday night for a special venue along a 700 meter avenue bordered by open stands and VIP boxes with celebrities including singers Jennifer Lopez and Fergie. Completely renovated with new lifts and ramps for people with disabilities and the incorporation of better lighting and acoustics, more than 70,000 people attended excited to one of the world’s most popular shows. On the last morning, seven major schools jumped to the “Temple of Samba” in sumptuous floats, dancers in extravagant costumes, accompanied by the deafening noise of drums and led by the monumental “passistas”, the dancers gorgeous bodies and tiny bright costumes. Carnival in Rio is definitely one of the best world events where you can appreciate female beauty at a glance.

Topics:

In Carnival of Rio 2012, the presentations cover topics such as slavery and poverty in the region of northeastern Brazil and also pays
homage to writers, painters and musicians. Each presentation includes between 3,000 and 5,000 dancers, many from the favelas. The schools spend two to five million dollars to organize parades, suspected of being funded largely by mafias and cartels, although the fact that foreign companies and Brazilian media are investing heavily too.

The numbers:

Only at the box office at the Sambadrome will be raised 60 million reais, about $ 35 million, 42% more than last year. More than 12,000 police were mobilized to maintain security in Rio de Janeiro, one of the most violent cities in Brazil and host city of 2014 World Cup final and 2016 Olympic Games.

You can subscribe to our news to keep posted about Carnival in Rio 2012. Enjoy!

A friend of mine and I decided to dip into all our savings and head to our dream destination, Paris. We booked our flights through a discounted fares comparison website and then finally arrived at the city of lights.

We dropped off our bags at the hostel dorms and took a long walk as the Parisians passed by us, ignoring our loud English chattering. A long row of cafes littered the sidewalk while the Eiffel tower peeked at us behind a big tree. As many know, a tourist’s trip to the La Ville Lumiere is incomplete without a special pilgrimage to the truly awesome Eiffel Tower. You can either stand in a long line to grab your Eiffel Tower tickets or alternatively book the same online and rush straight up the stairs to meet the fantastic view. Standing tall at 324 metres, the amazing Eiffel Tower is the tallest building in Paris and one of finalists for the Seven Wonders of the World.

Once done with your obligatory trip to the Eiffel tower, you can stroll around its beautiful gardens and truly soak in the Parisian dream, while Paris’ pride beams proudly at you.

Another must-see experience known not only to Europeans but made famous all over the world is the Moulin Rouge, Paris. This was built in 1889 by Joseph Ollerand is famous worldwide for its dance spectacle, known as the ‘can-can’ dance. When visiting, one either has the option grab the 11pm performance with the show only and half a bottle of champagne; or go to the earlier 7pm performance which includes dinner and half a bottle of champagne. A lot interested in going to Moulin Rouge book packages in advance, as they provide a pickup and a drop-off near or directly at your hotel/accommodation.

The French are known not only for their beautiful cities but for their various and unique delicacies like the macrons, Foiegras, crème brulee, and the beautiful array of wines. Choose from any of the various restaurants found at every nook and corner of Paris’ streets to end a well packed day of heavenly sights.

Photo: Henri Garat

There are a number of different accidents which can happen during the course of a flight – from major disasters such as aircraft crashes and collisions – to the more common types of minor accidents such as falls, luggage problems and spilt drinks that the majority of flight accident personal injury claims revolve around. Furthermore these accidents can be the result of negligence on the part of the airline firm, mistakes by the passenger him or herself, or simply an unavoidable consequence of unforeseen flight problems. The difference when it comes to personal injuries that occur during a flight is that a claim for compensation can be made via an aviation lawyer even if it cannot be demonstrated that the illness or injury resulted from the negligence of the airline.

One of the more common types of accidents that occur during a flight is that of hot food or drinks being spilled. While this may sound like a relatively minor accident, it can result in a passenger suffering burns injuries; the degree of which can vary significantly depending on the temperature of the food or drink involved, as well as the amount. There can be a number of reasons why such an accident occurs during a flight, just as there can be different parties responsible for it. One cause could be negligence on the part of the airline company, e.g. if the tray or holder designed to support the food or drink is badly designed or maintained. Another way in which such an accident can occur due to negligence by the airline is if it results from a member of the cabin crew accidentally spilling the hot food or drink over a passenger.

Alternatively such an injury may be down to a mistake by the passenger him or herself, if they are simply failing to pay enough attention to their own safety in this matter. The third potential cause is an unforeseen outside factor, such as the airplane being rendered temporarily unstable due to turbulence during the flight.”

Where will you be staycationing this year? Here are our picks of the top 4 holiday cottage destinations in the UK. It’s best to book now to avoid missing out on these fantastic cottages. Where will you be whisking your loved ones off to?

Fish Court, Hampton Court Palace, Surrey

If you’ve visited Hampton Court Palace as a child you might not even be aware that there are small apartments within the palace available to rent. You can roam the magnificent gardens after hours and visit the palace rooms as often as you like while they’re open. This apartment was once an entrance for Officers of the Pastry. Sounds tasty.

The Penthouse, Orton and Cumbria, Sykes Holiday Cottages UK

This is a plush penthouse apartment in the wing of a Grade II listed Jacobean mansion. Surrounding the mansion are five acres of mature woods and parks. The upstairs windows provide fantastic views of the surrounding fells. Inside, the bedrooms are warm and inviting and subtle in their decor. The kitchen is spacious and excellent for large dinner parties.

The Station Officer’s House, Devon

Proud of its location as ‘the most Southern house in Devon’, this cottage is an outpost of comfort and tranquillity. It bears five stars awarded by VisitBritain and a private coastal path – just one feature of the acres of National Trust land that surrounds the house. As for wildlife, there are (friendly) sheep nearby, and a whole coastline of beauty to explore.

Old Observatory House, Edinburgh

This hilltop curiosity was founded by Thomas Short, an optician, in 1776. There’s room for 8 people inside and the building has all modern amenities. The bedrooms have a vintage style, keeping all the charm of Edinburgh’s Enlightenment period in their furnishings. What’s in the observatory itself? An incredibly stylish drawing room. From the rooms you have great views of the city of Edinburgh, Fife and the Lothians.

Let it never be said that staying at ‘home’ is boring! A cottage holiday is the perfect break to fit into a short amount of time. Make sure you research the amenities and local area ahead of time so you can make the most of your break.

This year, an opinion poll established a ranking of the top 100 cruise ships worldwide. Did you know that 19 million people sailing on cruises during each year? Here are the most fun facts about your favorite cruises, with data that includes interesting information such as which are the cruise ships with the most pools, and also those with the fewer children.

The cruise with the most pools:

The fleet of Princess Cruises has the largest number of pools (65 in the 17 ships of this fleet which were evaluated by readers). The gold medal, however, is shared with Cunard as both companies have an average of four pools by boat. The silver medal is also a tie between two cruise lines: both Royal Caribbean and Disney have three pools by boat, on average.
If what matters is to know what ships allows you the most space for a dive, your best options are the Grand Princess, Diamond Princess, Sapphire Princess and Queen Mary 2, since they all have five pools each, for approximately 2.600 passengers.

The cruise with the most restaurants and the best food:

It’s no surprise that the river boats and small ships tend to have only one or two restaurants, while others such as the Silver Spirit become the exception with six restaurants on board. Large ships, however, those with 600 or more passengers, appear to be faster in adding dining rooms and restaurants than in anything else. Oasis of the Seas has up to 26 restaurants!
However, it is not really the number of restaurants but the quality and good taste of what they can put on your plate what matters. When a cruise line hires as guest chefs like Christophe Muller of the Paul Bocuse restaurant in Paris, this is a good indicator that the company takes very seriously your pleasure in food. This is precisely what happens in the Seabourn Cruise Line, whose five boats have a score above 90 for food and dining, and the score goes up to 98.8 in the case of the Seabourn Legend, one of their boats.

Cruises with the easiest dress code :

Most cruise lines encourage guests to stay within a certain dress code, but high scores do not mean that the lines favor the Italian Salvatore Ferragamo shoes over your comfy flip flops. Four cruise lines which are pleased to welcome passengers dress both in Gap and REI-clad clothes have obtained more than 90 points in this area. These companies are Viking River Cruises, Grand Circle, Uniworld and adventure line Lindblad Expeditions.

Cruises with the most balconies:

How can a cruise invest on the happiness of its passengers? A simple and safe way to do this is by adding balconies. There are only three cruise ships have balconies in every cabin, reaching scores of at least 90: Seven Seas Mariner, Seven Seas Voyager and Viking Emerald riverboat.

Cruises with the fewer children:

About half of the cruises chosen in the top list of the world’s best cruises are labeled “adults only”. These are, predictably, the smaller boats – with less than 600 passengers each. Families are welcome in the main large cruise ships, and in all but four of the top medium cruise ships. Among the small cruise ships, however, only the Regent Seven Seas, Celebrity, Seabourn and Lindblad’s will allow you to travel with your children. Among river cruise ships, child-friendliness is even rarer. Only four of them allow children onboard: River Baroness, River Ambassador, and Sun Boat IV AmaLegro.

Cruises with the smallest cabins:

You pay less when you choose a cabin with little space but, just how tiny are the smaller cabins in the top 100 ships? The average size of the smallest cabin is 177 square feet, equivalent to almost 16.5 square meters. This corresponds to the most compact cabins in the Solstice and Celebrity Eclipse cruises.
The range of what is defined as the smallest cabin is very broad. The lower end can be found in the Viking Primadona, which offers cabins of 76 square feet – 7 square meters. The upper end lies on the Regent Seven Seas Voyager, four times the smaller size, offering a cabin of 365 square feet – 34 square meters – with a balcony as the smallest in the whole ship.

The latest cruises incorporated into the ranking of the world’s best cruises:

Nineteen of the 100 boats in this year’s ranking of the world’s best cruises are joining the list for the first time. Four of them achieved a score above 90 and are the Helvetia (91.7), the Seabourn Sojourn (91.3) the Avalon Scenery (90.8) and the Emerald (90.0).

The cost of a massage onboard:

The average cost of a basic massage in one of the world’s best cruises is 120 US dollars. 41 of these boats charge between $ 118 and $ 120 for this service. There are 17 boats which charge a higher amount, reaching $ 159 in the Mariner and the Regent Seven Seas Voyager. In addition, seven cruises charge less: $ 38 at the Viking Emerald River in its itineraries on the Yangtze River, coming down to $ 28 on other routes of the same boat.
Have you already chosen your cruise? Welcome onboard!

As can be seen from any window of the city, the already picturesque streets of Amsterdam have woken up these days covered in a layer of snow that gives the city a magic touch. While some complain and others worry about whether they can take their next flight given the delays at Schiphol airport, the smartest thing for those who are currently doing winter tourism in Amsterdam is to wear their warmest pair of socks, leave their bike well locked to a fixed object and relax in one of the best coffee places in town.

The typical Dutch bars are also known as “brown cafes” since they are decorated with wood panels, lit by candles and feature a snoring cat as a cliché. Who would not think this is taken from a description of a movie-scene set in winter time?

What follows is a list of some of the best bars of this kind where you can go for a drink in Amsterdam, all of which are especially nice on days when everything is covered with snow. Cheers! Or as they say in Dutch: Proost!

Café Genootschap der Geneugten:

Located at number 54 of the Kerkstraat street, this bar is almost a hiding place and radiates class and style with French deco style posters, a wood carved jester on top of the bar and friendly staff who dress in immaculately starched clothes. Café Genootschap der Geneugten is known for the reasonable price of the gin drinks of the house (known as jenevers), but also quite famous for its carefully edited blackboard of classic cocktails.

Cozy Bar:

Do not be fooled by its small proportions. They are precisely what makes this gay bar located off the Niewendijk street a hidden treasure. With a small but very welcoming fireplace, the Cozy Bar becomes the ideal place to take refuge in this busy part of town. Do not underestimate the bar for its size, they even managed to include a disco ball as part of the decor!

Café Het Molenpad:

In the number 653 of the Prinsengracht canal you will find Café Het Molenpad, distinguished by its old, dark wood paneling. This is a bar located next to the channel and is, for the Dutch, the very definition of ‘gezelligheid’ – which refers to its warmth, intimacy and coziness. The bar has a privileged view of the Prinsengracht canal right on one of its most picturesque points. Often times, however, this cannot be noticed because the owners tend to draw the heavy velvet curtains and cover the view.

Café Chaos:

This is one of those places which has not received its name in vain. Located at number 144 of Looiersgracht, Café Chaos features a brown color and a pleasantly crazy decor style, with lots of golden archangels and cherubim emitting timid sounds from the roof. Once you have enjoyed the free peanuts, throw the husks directly on the carpet, as this is the way to demonstrate that you belong there!

Café Papeneiland:

This exquisite bar built on two levels opened its doors for the first time in 1642. Except for the inclusion of smartphones as companions of the regulars, little has changed since then. Indeed, your eyes are not tricking you, those are hard-boiled eggs which that dude has ordered at the bar. With enough salt, boiled eggs become the perfect companion for your beer.

‘T Smalle:

Small in name, and even smaller in nature, this bar was in the past, where the Hoppe Distillery was located, as indicated on a brass plate. When light passes through the stained windows in this bar, the effect is stunning. At night, the bar comes alive, becoming the perfect place to relax and have a good drink … or quite a few of them!

We offered you six differnte choices of bars where to go for a drink during snow days in Amsterdam, have you already made your choice?

Photo: CN Traveler

According to the United Nations, in 2011 Chile was able to consolidate its position as one of the most important destinations for foreign direct investment among the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) is the kind of investment that gives the investor the 10% or more of the voting share in a company that operates in a country different from that from which the investor comes. This excludes the mere purchase of stock and refers primarily to participation in management, transfer of technology, expertise or joint venture.

In the case of Chile, the most recent balance report of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) ascribes an investment amounting to U.S. $ 17,600 million. This places the country third in the region, behind the giants Brazil (U $ S 65,600 million) and Mexico (U.S. $ 17,900 million), to which Chile is coming very close. Brazil and Mexico are also the most populous countries in the region.

The report, known as Global Trends on Investments, also analyzed the increase in FDI compared to 2010. In this case Chile also got the third place, with an increase of 16.4%. This puts it behind the growth of 113.4% of FDI in Colombia with a total of U.S. $ 14,400 million – and Brazil, where the percentage of growth was 35.3%.

Not so promising were the results of other countries such as Peru, with a moderate increase of 7.4% rising FDI to a figure of $ S 7,900 million. In the cases of Argentina and Mexico, FDI declined by 10% and 8.8% respectively.

Last season, the region of Latin America and the Caribbean was the area of the planet which was more attractive to foreign direct investment. The total for the region was U.S. $ 216,400 million, which means an expansion of 34.6%.

Throughout the world, UNCTAD estimated a total FDI of U.S. $ 1.51 billion. This is 17% more than in 2010. The UNCTAD report predicts that there will only be a “modest growth”, taking into account the risks and instability in the global economy nowadays.

Half of this total, however, was designed in 2011 to the transition economies and developing nations. This, according to UNCTAD, can be explained in the region because investors “still see the appeal of the natural resources of South America and are increasingly being attracted by its growing markets.”

A recent report by Global MetroMonitor revealed that Santiago, the capital of Chile, was the 9th metropolis with the fastest growth in the whole world for the year 2011.

The report was elaborated by the think tank Brooking Institutions with its headquarters in Washington D.C. For the ranking, different factors were considered and measured, including the per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the growth of the labor market in the 200 most prosperous metropolitan areas in the world.

The 10 first cities listed in the ranking were leaded by the Chinese metropolis. Shanghai was first in the list, while Hangzhou had the 5th place, Shenzhen the 8th and Shenyang the 10th. The 2nd and 3rd place went to the Saudi cities of Riyadh and Jeddah, respectively. In Turkey, the cities of Izmir, Ankara and Istanbul got the 4th, 6th and 7th spot, respectively.

The Chilean city of Santiago is, therefore, the first American city in the ranking and, among the 10 faster growing cities, the only one located outside Asia, together with Istanbul, but with less geographical proximity.

Explaining Santiago’s Fast Growth

The study highlighted the fact that the Chilean capital generated two times the employment of other Latin American cities like Buenos Aires, which got the 16th position and Lima, which appeared 25th. In figures, Santiago de Chile registered a growth of 4,9% in employment and 5,7% in the per capita income comparing figures from 2010 and 2011. These are both growth rates exceeding the average for the whole world.

The ranking by Global Metro Monitor also stressed the importance of financial services and businesses as the main strengths of Santiago for growing at this level. Trade and tourism were the other two factors also pushing for the city’s development; making it the 9th fastest growing city in the world.

Have you visited Santiago de Chile already? What are you waiting for travel to Chile?!

Photo: Wikipedia

In our previous blog entry  we offered you a detailed description of two of the possible temperaments that may match you, or your team-mates, when you venture into group adventure tourism. We talked about the Rational and Idealist. On this occasion we will also summarize the main features of the two remaining profiles: the Artisan and the Guardian.

The Artisan: the adventure is … oh, take a look at this!

This is the classic fun traveling companion. A conversation with the Artisan can start with a text message in which he announces “Oh, I have an idea!” Just to leave you in suspense while the Artisan arrives with a frosty smile ornamenting his face.

For some, their penchant for action seems to scratch the edge of madness. Once their idea is tossed into the air, the Artisan perceives his /her work as complete. The laws of attraction are responsible for guiding them to the next shiny object, sometimes leaving the details of the current project unpolished.

Before you start to block or dismiss their calls, however, you should appreciate the creativity of the Artisan and his /her ability to turn a messy entanglement in a proposal. In most cases, these people are a fun company and you can learn to enjoy how their polarized goggles seem to make them see a world “half full” of opportunities, finding solutions which the rest of us overlook.

Note, however, that the Artisans are not always able to complete all that is required to finish their proposed ideas, or at least not much into detail, and can often arrive to meetings or situations unprepared, saying to themselves “I’ll think of something once there.” Artisans are, therefore, people who work very well to solve problems in unexpected situations, for example, if presented with the need to negotiate customs charges while driving out of Kazakhstan.

The Guardian: Adventure is to be prepared

When I was a child I was part of the girl scouts … yes, I finally admitted it! Before my first weekend fieldtrip the leader of my group gave me a tin full of Band-Aids. Our leader thought it wise to put each member of the woods with a home-made survival kit, containingenough products to survive in the style of the adventurer Bear Grylls spending the winter in the Cascades.

Among the ten essential products where a guidebook of signs approved by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration in the United States), an emergency snack known as Slim Jim, enough rope to catch a wild beast and a coin of 25 cents, in case we would get lost and need to make an emergency call. Our leader was the perfect stereotype of the Guardian.

The guardians are conservative when it comes to change, but didactic in their preparation. Their systematic approach to the processes can be perceived as too prosaic or conventional by some, and their obsessive work ethics and mental focus appear sometimes as complicated to those who prefer to improvise. In times of change, this person will be restless until a decision is made… but you can expect their full support once you have chosen a direction.

This is the kind of person you want to be tied to when you’re doing rock-climbing in a group, or to make a small well in the snow before diving in fresh snow. The Guardians know the rules and why following them is the smart choice. These individuals are strong in meal planning and logistics.

Rational, Idealist, Artisan and Guardian; with which profile do you identify yourself?

People are quite complicated, so it is unlikely that you, or your adventure tourism mates, will fully abide to one of the four temperaments mentioned. Most likely, you will identify in yourself different aspects of two, three or even the four of these profiles. The important thing then is to recognize which are your main features and to apply this knowledge positively for you and your team.

So, should you and your fellow Adventure Tourism mates perform a temperament test before your next expedition to the mountains? Probably it will not be necessary. The best advice is to identify your own weaknesses and have an open conversation with your fellow adventurers about them. If you plan to travel alone, be aware of your weaknesses and seek to resolve them through training or skill building, or have someone complementary travel along. Aligning your weaknesses with the strengths of another person will have you both better protected in the event that nature decides to express its own temperament.

Be aware, be safe, and have a great tour! Adventure is waiting for you!

Photo: CN Traveler