The wildlife and adventure specialists Gane and Marshall are ringing in 2022 with a range of thrilling, new itineraries that will allow travellers to spread their wanderlust wings following two years of curtailments.
The past two years have pushed the great outdoors to the forefront of people’s minds, and two areas that have seen a massive resurgence in interest from this are trekking and adventuring. The lure has been so great that even my husband Paul and I began our own hiking forays, heading out on an adventure every weekend, irrespective of the weather.
Although our outings have been limited to the UK’s mountains, we’d like to visit places such as Patagonia at some point in the future. The good news is, you can beat us to it as Gane and Marshall have a fantastic Patagonian adventure, among many others lined up for 2022.
Natasha Godbold descending one of Yorkshire’s mountains in November 2021.
The world is an enormous place, but knowing the best places to head to that offers a combination of comfort and adventure requires a great deal of expert knowledge, and this is where a company such as Gane and Marshall comes into play. 2021 is the company’s 30th anniversary, and after cutting their teeth in 1991 with specialist Kilimanjaro climbs, they’ve since expanded their portfolio of offerings across the world.
Gane and Marshall pride themselves on delivering off-the-beaten-track travel experiences in safe hands, whether that’s an Africa safari, an Arctic cruise, wildlife watching in Finland or an adventure trek in Nepal. Their range of adventure holidays now encompasses countries such as Africa, Antarctica, Southeast Asia, Japan, China, the Galapagos, India, Costa Rica, Indian Ocean Islands, Canada & more.
The Gane and Marshall team aim to offer something for everyone, whether that’s unwinding under the Sri Lankan sun at a luxury villa resort, exploring Chile’s spectacular coastline on a new expedition cruise from Patagonia, getting a fix of Japanese culture at a hyper-modern hotel in the country’s Mie Prefecture, taking to the skies on a private helicopter excursion during a Tanzania safari or spending Christmas 2022 crossing the Arctic Circle at sea.
To mark the 30th anniversary of Gane and Marshall, their team have taken the opportunity to refresh their commitment to responsible travel. These include a pledge to commit 10 per cent of pre-tax profits to environmental causes, donations to local initiatives, support for local communities, and more.
Let’s take a look at some of the enticing offerings the UK travel specialists have waiting for you for 2022:
Sri Lanka Winter Sun Special
Sun-seekers can enjoy five-star R&R at Haritha Villas & Spa on Sri Lanka’s beautiful southern coast. The luxury property opened in 2020, but British travellers have only recently been able to return to the region and experience the beauty of this resort.
Nestled in five acres of tropical gardens, Haritha’s spacious seven villas come with a private terrace, plunge pool and butler service. The resort offers Ayurvedic treatments in the jungle spa, yoga, meditation sessions and cooking classes using fresh produce from the hotel’s gardens. Read the full itinerary here.
Special offer: save 40 per cent when travelling this coming high season (Dec 2021 – Apr 2022, excluding Christmas and New Year). Price from £2,785pp (with offer applied), based on twin share. The offer includes seven nights on a B&B basis, private transfers, couple’s spa treatment, daily yoga/meditation and a cooking lesson. International flights are additional, bookable privately or via Gane and Marshall.
Patagonian Fjords of Chile
Guests will chart a course through the labyrinthine fjords of Chile’s spectacular coastline on this new two-week expedition onboard Ocean Victory, a small and modern vessel, part of a new generation of low-energy hybrid ships. Sailing from Cape Horn, the cruise will take passengers through 150 miles of spectacular glaciers and into the Garibaldi Fjord, a UNESCO biosphere reserve. Other highlights include a drive through the Torres del Paine, remote fishing settlements of Puerto Eden and Caleta Tortel, the historic city of Castro, and a visit to beautiful Isla Mocha as the cruise makes its way to Valparaiso. Read the full itinerary here.
This cruise will depart for the first time from Ushuaia, southern Argentina, on the 28th of March 2022, returning on the 10th of April. There are various cabin options, including but not limited to:
- Twin/double cabin with balcony (category C) – £6,125pp
- Twin/double cabin with porthole (category D) – £5,000pp
Special offer: save up to 25% on select cabins. A saving of £1,530 applies to category C cabins if booked before the 31st of Dec 2021. This reduces the cost of a double/twin cabin with a balcony from £6,125 to £4,595pp. The saving can also be applied to other cabin categories.
The price includes 14-days’ cruising on a full-board basis, Zodiac landings and excursions, English-speaking expedition team, boot rentals, lectures, photo workshop, local taxes and more. International flights are additional, bookable privately or via Gane and Marshall.
Nachi taisha. Image courtesy of the Kumano tourist office.
Ise-Shima & Kumano (Japan)
The often-overlooked Ise-Shima Peninsula provides an exciting detour from Japan’s tourism hotspots. Easily accessible from Nagoya or Osaka, the region houses some of the country’s oldest Shinto shrines while also offering beautiful coastal scenery and culinary delights.
New for 2021/22 is Mie VISON, Japan’s largest commercial resort village, which opened in summer 2021 in Taki Town and is located just outside Ise city and in the centre of Mie prefecture. At the heart of the resort is the Hotel VISON, a new 155-room hotel that offers an assortment of facilities and easy access to the shrines of Ise, Ise-Shima National Park, and the beautiful Ago Bay. VISON’s 155 rooms are split across four main buildings, or hatago, each with its own theme and design sensibility. Read the full itinerary here.
Price from £1,090pp, based on twin-share. Includes two nights at hotel VISION in Ise City, one night at Kumano Club in Kumano City, breakfast each day, one lunch, Ago Bay cruise, cycling tour, Ama Hut experience with English-speaking guide, long-distance train fares. Gane and Marshall can incorporate Ise-Shima & Kumano into a longer tour of Japan. International flights are additional, bookable privately or via Gane and Marshall.
Mwiba and Matemwe (Tanzania & Zanzibar)
This beach and safari combo includes three nights at Mwiba Lodge, an upmarket safari lodge situated in its own private reserve to the south of the Serengeti, followed by four nights at Matemwe Lodge on the northern coast of Zanzibar. Mwiba Lodge announced in 2020 that private helicopter excursions would be offered as an add-on option, and 2022 brings the first real chance for British travellers to take up this experience.
Guests can opt to fly over incredible sites, including the southern Serengeti plains, the Ngorongoro highlands, Lake Natron and the Great Rift Valley escarpment. Read the full itinerary here.
Price from £5,500pp, based on twin-share, in the peak season (Dec-Mar). Includes three nights at Mwiba Lodge in Tanzania on an all-inclusive basis with safari activities, four nights at Matemwe Lodge in Zanzibar on a half-board basis, concession fees, internal flights, transfers and taxes. Helicopter journeys last 1½-3 hours and cost £2,200 per hour.
International flights are additional, bookable privately or via Gane and Marshall.
Photo of the Sunset over Svolvar Norway by Lars Looström of Hurtigruten.
Winter Voyage to Norway (Christmas & New Year 2022/23)
Passengers will experience the spectacular Norwegian coast, the aurora borealis and wonderful Yuletide celebrations on this 15-day voyage, offered over the Christmas and NYE period for the first time. This festive cruise offering from Hurtigruten departs Dover on the 22nd of December 2022, onboard hybrid-powered MS Maud, returning to Dover on the 5th of January 2023. The fascinating, wintery destinations visited include Egersund, Fjaerland, the Lofoten Archipelago, Narvik, Alta, Tromso, Reine, Kalvag, Mosteroy and Klosteroy. Read the full itinerary here.
Special offer: early bookers save 5 per cent. Price from £3,799pp, based on two sharing an interior cabin (5 per cent saving applied). Includes 15-day cruise on MS Maud, all meals while aboard the ship, beverages (house beer, wine, soft drinks, mineral water), hot tubs, panoramic sauna, outdoor and indoor gyms, lectures, excursions accompanied by an English-speaking expedition team, expedition jacket and equipment.
About Gane & Marshall
Gane and Marshall employ an expert team of travel consultants with at least 20 years of experience in their specialist sector. Each holiday is managed from start to finish by a dedicated member of the team, who is able to draw upon their extensive knowledge of the destination to provide the best possible experience for the client.
Read more travel guides, reviews and features here.
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