Themed Cruise - Ornithology

 +  Flora and Fauna
 +  Tenerife Short Cruise
 +  Wine Tasting
 +  Walking Festival
 +  Ornithology
 +  Festival of Running

ORNITHOLOGY VOYAGE WITH PETER STEYN
16TH MAY - 6TH JUNE 2008
Following the success of the Ornithology Voyage in 2007, Peter Steyn a natural history author and photographer of world renown will again lead a group to St Helena.  His books include Eagle Days, A Delight of Owls, Birds of Prey of Southern Africa and Nesting Birds. As a lecturer aboard cruise ships, his travels extend from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Peter has an enthusiastic interest in all aspects of natural history, not just birds, and is an entertaining speaker who imparts humour and his infectious enjoyment to those who travel with him..

Departing from Cape Town on board the RMS, the ship visits Walvis Bay in Namibia before heading onto St Helena. Whilst at sea, Peter will conduct a series of talks and shows about his travels and how best to spot wild birds. Once in St Helena the group will spend 7 nights exploring the stunningly beautiful island and discovering its natural bird life and other habitats. A program of tours are included during the stay and will be conducted by Basil George, one of St Helena's foremost experts on the island.

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Itinerary

16 May 2008

Depart Cape Town on board the RMS St Helena. Spend 3 nights at sea.
During the voyage you will receive informative talks and film shows from Peter about his travels.

19 May 2008

Arrive Walvis Bay. You will have a full day to explore this coastal town including (optional at additional cost) tours to the Namib Desert, Dolphin Watching tours or tours to see the vast amount of sea birds that make this place home.

The RMS will set sail in the late afternoon for St Helena.

In addition to Peter's talks, you will enjoy the varied and often hilarious entertainment provided by the officers and crew of the RMS St Helena as she sails to this remote, but stunningly beautiful island.

23 May 2008

The RMS arrives in St Helena. Witness the excitement amongst the passengers and feel the warmth of the homecoming of this life line for the island. The welcome is extended to visitors as the ‘Saints' as they are known are keen to show you their island, complete with the oddities that shape the place. The transfer from the port to the hotel is included in the cost of the holiday.

The next 7 nights are spent at the Consulate Hotel.
The hotel is located in the very heart of Jamestown, the island's capital. An old colonial building, it has been lovingly restored to provide tourist accommodation. All rooms have en suite bathroom, and there is a public bar and restaurant. Breakfast each morning is included in the cost of the holiday.
During your stay on the island, the following tours are included in the cost of the tour and will be accompanied led by Basil George:

Scenic
This all-day circular tour captures the stunning and varied scenery of this beautiful island.  It starts and finishes in Jamestown.  Climbing out of the steep sided valley of the town, the tour takes the visitor into the countryside, to the east of the Island and into the interior, the roads along the hillsides rising to more than 2000 feet.  Travelling along these roads the visitors gets superb views, from the lush interior contrasting with the stark volcanic outer rim and features with provocative names like Lot and Lot's Wife, Asses Ears, the Gates of Chaos. Beyond the rim there is always the ocean. There is a stop for a packed lunch at a picnic spot overlooking the basin of the Southern part of the Island before moving along the central ridges to the east. A stop at Casons allows for a walk to Farm Lodge, originally the home of one of the earlier settlers, for tea before returning to Jamestown.
Duration:  approximately 7 hours. Good walking shoes required for those clients wanting to do the walk of about one and a half miles.

Historic
Here is an opportunity to see how St Helena's history, even in its isolation, has been connected with the outside world, particularly with Napoleon. This all-day tour takes the visitor to the Briars, a village outside of Jamestown, where Napoleon spent the first two months with the Balcolm family, connected to the English East India Company, then on to a tour of Longwood House where he was imprisoned and died and finally to the Tomb at the secluded Geranium Valley. En route there is the opportunity to see the ruins of Halley's observatory.  After a stop for a buffet lunch at Sunflower café, the tour continues to the Boer cemetery, then on to Plantation Grounds with a good view of the residence of the Governor, followed by a visit to High Knoll Fort with panoramic views of the interior before returning to Jamestown.
Duration: approximately 7 hours. Walk of about three quarters of a mile to Napoleon's Tomb.

Coastal Boat excursion
A really interesting and exciting boat trip along the leeward aspect of the Island. View the English East India Company imposing fortifications at Banks Battery and Lemon Valley. The island during much of its early history was designated a Fortress and was so heavily fortified that only one additional battery was put in place during Napoleon's capture, at Egg Island, one of the offshore islands and now a bird sanctuary. Here you will see the imposing volcanic cliffs and bird life on the offshore islands. In addition there is an opportunity to see the daily run of a school of dolphins though wild life encounters cannot be guaranteed.
Duration: 2 to 3 hours.

National Park
St Helena has some of the world's rarest plants, often described by botanist as plant dinosaurs of the ancient world.  Most of these endemic species of plants are found in the central peaks, the highest rising to almost 3,000 feet, the whole area now a National Park.   This all-day tour takes the visitor along the winding track through the National Park and along the tops of the three highest peaks. From these peaks on a clear day the visitor has a complete circular view of the whole island. 
Duration:   5 - 6 hours.

Eastern region
St Helena's only surviving endemic bird is the Wirebird, a type of plover.  This tour takes the visitor to Deadwood Plain, the main habitat of the Wirebird. It is also the site of one of the Boer prison camps. There is the opportunity to go on a walk to the top of Flagstaff Hill, named when the Island had a system of signalling by flags to warn of approaching ships. It is also on the rim of the oldest of the volcanic craters. Following the walk visitors will be able to plant an endemic tree, a gumwood, in support of a project to recreate a gumwood forest, part of what was once the great wood that covered the interior of the island when it was discovered in the early 16 century. The tour ends with a light lunch at Pub Paradise.
Duration: 4 to 5 hours.  Good walking shoes required.

There is plenty of time for individual exploration of the island and the tourist office located in Jamestown can provide maps and information about places to visit.

PRICES
Price is per person based on two people sharing

            
(T1 & T1S are sole-use cabins.  Price for T1 on A deck is £3237 and T1S on B deck is £3420)

HALF BOARD SUPPLEMENT AT CONSULATE HOTEL £95.00

Tour Cost includes:
7 nights twin/double room accommodation at Consulate Hotel in St Helena inclusive of breakfast, return voyage on RMS St Helena between Cape Town and St Helena based on two sharing, transfers between ship and hotel in St Helena, all meals on ship, tours on St Helena as stated with local guide and private transport for the group, services of Peter Steyn.
The tour cost does not include:
International flights, meals other than those specified, drinks, any visa charges, gratuities and personal items.

Call our reservations department on for more information and bookings.
UK
+ 44 (0) 207 575 6480 0r email at reservations@aws.co.uk
South Africa
+27 (0) 21 425 1165 or email us at sthelenaline@mweb.co.za

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