Cloud 9 | Travel Brochure | February 2014

1 Talk to the experts ✆ 01737 218 812
cloudInspiration for unforgettable holidays | Feb 2014
ICELAND • POLAR • AUSTRALIA • SWEDEN • NEW ZEALAND • CANADA • FINLAND • ALASKA • NORWAY
9win!
a £500 voucher
towards your next holiday
with Discover the World.
Click here to enter

INSIDE
3ANTARCTICA
New ScotiaArc cruise
4SCANDINAVIA
The joys of summer
6NEW ZEALAND
With Olly Smith
8NORTHERN LIGHTS
Spring Equinox trips
12ICELAND
Introducing our
brand new iDiscover self-
drive touring concept
16CANADA &
ALASKA
Explore the wild wonders
of America’s big country
18ALASKA
WILDERNESS
Bear watching in Denali
22CALENDAR
Plan your 2014
holidays with our month-
by-month planner
N
ow is the time to start planning your summer
holiday for 2014. In this issue of Cloud 9,
we’ve got exciting and inspiring new ideas
guaranteed to banish those winter blues.
Scandinavia, for example, makes an excellent summer
destination, whether you’re searching for the midnight sun
or embarking on a scenic rail journey. In Iceland, we’re
launching our new and exclusive iDiscover programme
this summer, making your self-drive holidays even more
memorable. Canada and Alaska also make fine choices
and can easily be combined with Iceland for the ultimate
summer adventure. Our calendar on page 22 has even
more ideas. Happy travels! William Gray, Editor
COVERandTHISPAGE:RAGNARTHSIGURDSSON
Cloud 9 is interactive! Click the green links to explore...
win!
a £500 voucher
Click here to enter
summer
highs

Click here to
find out more
about this tour
8 discover-cloud9.co.uk 3Subscribe to Cloud 9 and our e-newsZ
A brand new 24-night Antarctic voyage
from Discover the World explores the
spectacular islands of the Scotia Arc
fitting tribute to this year’s centenary of
Shackleton’s voyage aboard the Endurance,
Discover the World has added an 11th
itinerary to its line-up of Antarctic voyages.
The 24-night Scotia Arc – Island Explorer Cruise
departs on 15 December 2014 and treats passengers to
a spectacular succession of remote island outposts, from
the Falklands and South Georgia to the South Sandwich,
South Orkney and South Shetland Islands – many of
which featured in Shackleton’s
epic journey. The Antarctic
Peninsula is also included,
so no shortage of amazing
wildlife and scenery.
sail south
ANTARCTICA
WINDOW SEAT
Hollywood finds
inspiration in Iceland
Ben Stiller’s recent
movie The Secret Life
of Walter Mitty tells the
story of day-dreamer
Mitty escaping his
humdrum New York
office life for adventure,
romance and heroism.
Seven Icelandic locations
star in the movie. Mitty
is seen skateboarding
towards Seydisfjordur
in the Eastfjords, while
the Snaefellsnes and
Reykjanes Peninsulas
also hit the big screen.
Burial Rites
Set against the
stark landscape
of rural Iceland,
Burial Rites tells
the chilling tale
of convicted murderess,
Agnes Magnusdottir in
a story of hidden truths,
hardship and moral
dilemmas. Buy your copy
in Waterstones now. Club
members have a chance
to win a trip to Iceland!

Norway, Sweden and Finland make superb summer holiday
destinations – and now we have a new brochure aimed at
helping you get the most from sunny Scandinavia
t’s warm, the sun can shine 24 hours a day, the
scenery is breathtaking and there’s a wealth of
things to do – from self-drive tours and wildlife
safaris to city breaks and independent odysseys
by ferry, train and bus. Small wonder that Scandinavia is
becoming such a popular summer destination. Discover
the World’s new Scandinavia Summer brochure is packed
with holiday inspiration – including the four trips opposite.
LAND OF THE
MIDNIGHT SUN
SCANDINAVIA
ABOVE Night light –
witnessing the midnight sun
from North Cape at the tip
of Norway is just one of the
rewarding experiences of a
summer trip to Scandinavia

Click here for
our full list of
talks & events
1In Pursuit of the Midnight Sun
From mid-May to the end of July the Nordic sun
barely sets – a golden backdrop to this seven-night
trip, starting in Tromsø (pictured) and cruising north by
Hurtigruten ferry towards Kongsfjord and North Cape.
MAINPHOTO:AndersPeter;1:Destination
Tromso,2:RAUMARAILWAY;3:ANDREWSHEARER
2Rail Explorer
Train travel is one
of the most relaxing
ways to enjoy Norway’s
breathtaking scenery
– and this rail journey
ranks as one of the
world’s finest. The
six-night trip takes you
south from Andalsnes
on the famous Rauma
Railway, and then on to
Lillehammer and Oslo.
3Capitals of
Scandinavia
Helsinki, Stockholm, Oslo
and Copenhagen – see
all four urban beauties.
4Island Escapades
Sweden’s Koster
Islands are an idyllic
spot for hiking, boat
trips or simply relaxing.
WINDOW SEAT
Four of our new Scandinavia Summer holidays
Order your
new Scandinavia
Summer brochure

We sent wine expert, columnist and
presenter Olly Smith to the Bay of
Islands to sample one of our five-night
‘Travel Less, See More’ itineraries
was up early to take a trip to see the dolphins. If
the conditions are right you can get in the water
and swim with them, but on this trip we were lucky
enough to see a baby dolphin, which precluded
taking a dip. I will treasure the memory of just seeing
so many of them jumping, diving and splashing off the
gloriously green coastline though.
Heading ashore, with the rest of the day ahead,
I took the local car ferry to Paihia for my stay at The
Sanctuary, which is run by Yogi, Glynnis and Charlie
the spaniel. The view over the woodland to the shore is
ABOVE All smiles – Olly
Smith is the wine editor for
the Mail on Sunday and
appears regularly on BBC1’s
Saturday Kitchen
A toast to
NORTHLAND
NEW ZEALAND

Click here for
our full list of
talks & events
Enjoy this little
snifter of Olly’s
experiences?
We’ve decanted
the full-bodied
version onto our
website. Click
here to read it
jaw-dropping, with more spectacular views to be
had from every window and from the cosy infinity
pool. No wonder my hosts were so warm and kind;
living with that much beauty must rub off. Picking
up on my love of craft beer, my hosts bought me a
cold Mac’s Hop Rocker Pilsner (5%) which was as
zesty, bouncy and snappy as a golden crocodile
on a trampoline. “Every day is a good day,” smiled
Yogi, “but some are better than others.” If only
they could bottle him! The Sanctuary lives up to its
name; it’s Yogi and Glynnis’ home, their world, and
they make you feel like family.
For my final day, I’d hoped to travel up to Cape
Reinga on a scenic flight, but alas the weather
didn’t play into our hands. Instead, I booked
myself a jet ski safari in Paihia – by far the most
exhilarating excursion of my life...
WINDOW SEAT
Click here to
plan your New
Zealand holiday
OLLYSMITH

New! Kangos
Guesthouse Find
out more here
If you’re quick, there’s still time to see the northern lights this
season. In fact, March is a great month for aurora hunting...
ong hours of daylight, milder temperatures and
enhanced northern lights sightings predicted
around the time of the Spring Equinox – March
could well offer your best chance for sighting the
aurora borealis. Whether you’re staying at the Icehotel,
visiting the Aurora Sky Station at Abisko, exploring the
winter wilderness at Kangos or watching orcas in Iceland,
things are starting to warm up in February and March.
As well as milder temperatures, the Kaamos (polar
AURORAS OF THE
SPRING EQUINOX
NORTHERN LIGHTS
Book
your northern lights
holiday for March.
Spring is one of the best
times for aurora watching.
Click here for details
xxx

Although it’s still somewhat of a mystery to scientists,
the period around the spring equinox (20 March) is often
considered the peak of northern lights activity
WINDOW SEAT
Choose your
perfect aurora
holiday using
our path finder
night) is over – which means more daylight hours to take
part in the numerous activities on offer. In Scandinavia,
you can try ice-driving, snow-shoeing and ice-sculpting,
mush your own team of huskies, go snowmobiling, or
join a horseback safari in search of moose.
In Iceland, as well as orca watching, you
can explore craggy volcanic landscapes, hike
on glaciers, visit frozen waterfalls, and relax
in natural hotsprings.
RAGNARTHSIGURDSSON

FOUR BRIGHT IDEAS
NORTHERN LIGHTS
Book early
With NASA predicting that
the solar maximum will
continue into next winter,
we’re already seeing a
surge of bookings for
northern lights holidays.
Be sure to book soon to
avoid disappointment.
New departures
Due to popular demand,
we’ve added three new
departures in March 2014
for our Killer Whales &
Northern Lights holiday
(18th) and Northern
Lights Special escorted
tour (13th and 27th).
New holidays
Full board and with all
activities included, the
three-night Wilderness
Break at Kangos
Guesthouse is great
value for money and
makes a relaxing base for
experiencing Lapland.
Visit the ICEHOTEL
There’s still time to visit
the ICEHOTEL and see
spectacular ice suites,
like Mind the Gap (left).

The green lights
danced across
the sky, rapidly
changing shape
and colour. We
were all totally
engrossed in
this magical
experience and
when the lights
finally came to
an abrupt end,
we just stood
there completely
speechless
Q
Ms Turner
Abisko Sky Station
Plan a visit to
the Aurora Sky
Station, Abisko
WINDOW SEAT
How well do you know the myths
and legends of the northern lights?
Click here for five of our favourites

Add a new dimension to your Iceland self-drive tour in 2014
iDiscover
ICELAND

This summer,
Discover the
World introduces
15 new self-drive trips,
each one portrayed in
brilliant detail on an
iPad – provided with
your rental vehicle –
to help you get off
the beaten track and
discover Iceland’s
hidden gems
New!iPad touring in
Iceland, exclusive to
Discover the World
Click here to
find out more
RAGNARTHSIGURDSSON

ICELAND: iDISCOVER
Click here for full
details of iDiscover
and our range of
Iceland self-drive
holidays in 2014
vailable from May 2014, iDiscover is a fully
integrated information system, embedded
into an iPad, loaned to Discover the World
travellers when they collect their rental vehicle
in Iceland. Pre-loaded with one of 15 detailed itineraries,
including seven new tours for 2014, the iPad will reveal a
wealth of hidden gems as you tour the country.
The iDiscover iPad has free WiFi and cellular
connectivity (available throughout most of Iceland) and
even comes with a guidance system to aid navigation.
A range of apps and weblinks will prove invaluable for
weather forecasts, checking local road conditions or
translating and pronouncing Icelandic.
From time to time, Discover the World will push
messages to travellers with information about activities,
festivals, weather alerts and special offers from local
businesses. You’re free to check your emails, surf the
internet and keep in contact through social media –
and there’s also an activities area for children called
Mission: Explore (click on the box, right).
iDiscover has been specially designed by Discover
the World to give travellers all the information and tools
they need to maximise the freedom of a self-drive
holiday in one easy to understand, portable format. It
also allows for more in-depth itinerary recommendations.
Each self-drive holiday is brimming with insider tips and
ideas for getting off-the-beaten-track. Written by Iceland
experts, there’s typically a choice of 10 different places
to visit, or experiences to enjoy, every day. These range
from outstanding hikes and scenic drives to hot volcano
baths and remote beaches. History and folklore feature
throughout, as well as places only locals might know of,
such as a hidden canyon or jewellery workshop.
Click here to find
out more about
our Family Fun
programme
Click here
to see more
images
RAGNARTHSIGURDSSON

New hiking tours
Discover the World can
tailor-make your perfect
hiking holiday in Iceland –
but we’ve also got plenty
of suggestions for getting
you on track – from a
seven-day jaunt along
the rugged and diverse
Laugavegur Trail to a
34-day Coast-to-Coast
hike-of-a-lifetime.
Order your copy of our new
Iceland & Greenland Summer
brochure by clicking here
New self-drives
The four-night Volcanic
Explorer offers an
unforgettable glimpse
of Iceland’s fiery side,
while the 16-night Iceland
Odyssey revels in the
country’s breathtaking
landscapes, showcasing
volcanoes, fjords, lava
fields, glaciers, icebergs
and waterfalls.
Capturing the beauty of Iceland
and Greenland in stunning
photography, our new Summer
brochure has 100 pages of
inspiration and information for
planning your self-drive, escorted
group tour or tailor-made holiday
New group tours
Absolute Iceland, our 16-
day flagship small-group
tour circumnavigates the
country in a luxury 4WD
minibus, exploring the
wilder side of Iceland and
allowing plenty of time for
daily hikes of one to two
hours. Highlights include
Snaefellsnes, the West
Fjords and Vatnajokull.

Order a copy
of your new
Canada & Alaska
Summer brochure
Our new Canada & Alaska brochure is big on ideas – from
scenic cruises and wildlife encounters to escorted tours and
independent self-drives. New flights mean you can even
plan the ultimate big trip by combining Iceland with Canada
Big country
CANADA & ALASKA
Order your
new Canada &
Alaska brochure
t’s a big decision. Will you focus on Canada –
touring the Rockies by road and rail perhaps, or
bear watching at Knight Inlet on the Pacific Coast.
How about a cruise along the Northwest Passage,
or a self-drive across Newfoundland?
Or does Alaska loom large in your holiday plans?
We’ve got an equally grand line-up of escorted and
self-drive itineraries taking in highlights such as Denali
National Park, Kenai Fiords and the Inside Passage.
You can also combine Canada and Alaska, or stop
over in Iceland. This year, Icelandair adds Edmonton and
Vancouver to their existing North American destinations of
Anchorage, Toronto and Halifax.

3Glaciers, Grizzlies
& Whales
Discover Alaska’s wildlife
from Glacier Bay to
Admiralty Island.
5The Northwest
Passage
See polar bears, deep
fjords and huge glaciers
on this adventure cruise.
1Hiking the Yukon & Alaska
The sheer grandeur of the Yukon and Alaska is
best appreciated on foot. This 13-night small-group
tour includes short walks and full-day hikes in some
of the region’s most head-spinning wilderness areas.
2Passage through
the Rockies
A classic journey from
Calgary to Vancouver,
via Whistler and Victoria.
4Ultimate Pacific
Coast Experience
This 10-night self-drive
offers chances for
seeing bears and orcas.
This is just a taster
of the trips on
offer. We can
tailor-make a
holiday just for
you. Chat to one
of our experts or
visit our website

William Gray explores the wild wonder of Denali National Park,
home to grizzlies, caribou and North America’s tallest peak
rizzly bears aren’t fussy. In Denali National
Park, they’ll eat anything from caribou calves
and ground squirrels to roots, blueberries
and salmon. The bear we’d stopped to watch,
however, seemed intent on getting duck onto the menu.
Five hours into our bus journey along the 137km
park road, we were about to descend to Wonder Lake –
renowned for its reflections of the Alaska Range – when
the driver brought us lurching to a halt. A young grizzly was
cavorting in a kettle pond next to the road, rolling on its
back, diving underwater and lunging at a lone duck. The
bird seemed unfazed, swimming towards the floundering
fur-ball just close enough to elicit a chase, before easily
TheHighOne
ALASKA
ABOVE Early morning
sunlight sets the Alaska Range
aglow, with Wonder Lake
mirroring the 6,194m peak of
Denali – Athabaskan for ‘The
High One’ or ‘The Great One’
Click here for a
wildlife calendar
to Denali NP

Click here
to view our
Wilderness Map
and explore
other areas to
witness Alaska’s
abundant wildlife
paddling out of range. Eventually, the bear tired of the wild
duck chase, climbed out of the pond, shook itself like a
wet spaniel and sloped off across the tundra.
Denali’s ‘big five’ (moose, caribou, Dall sheep, wolf
and grizzly bear) can often be seen from the park road
– the sole vehicle access into the heart of Denali. The
duck-chasing bear was our fifth grizzly sighting, while
our caribou tally had reached double figures.
During another stop, we spied Dall sheep on a ridge
high above the Toklat River. And at the Eielson Visitor
Centre – tucked into a mountainside overlooking the
Muldrow Glacier and Alaska Range – the slopes were
riddled with the burrows of ground squirrels. >>
WILLIAMGRAY
POP-UPMAPADAPTEDFROMWILD
TRAVELBYWILLIAMGRAY(FOOTPRINT)

There was
something
almost celestial
about cresting
the summit of
Mt Busia and
looking up to
see Mt McKinley
towering above
the snowy
ramparts of the
Alaska Range
Q
OPPOSITE From top left:
grizzly taking a dip, Denali
Backcountry Lodge, bald
eagles, bull caribou, driving
into the park, hiking on Mt
Busia, blueberries, grizzlies,
Moose Creek, fireweed, The
High One, bull moose
Every now and then, one of the rodents would pop
upright, vying for attention with the scenery.
Etablished in 1917 as Mount McKinley National
Park, Denali takes its name from the Athabaskan word
for ‘The High One’. North America’s highest peak lords
over this 24,300-sq-km wilderness – the glaciers and
valleys of the Alaska Range sweeping down to vast
tracts of lake-studded tundra, gilded with braided rivers
and softened with a tentative stubble of boreal forest.
For day visitors to Denali, it’s a long time on one of the
official buses, travelling in and out along the park road.
Also, a day trip doesn’t always give you enough time to
experience the park’s true sense of wilderness. For that
you need to stay into the backcountry.
Located at the road’s end, Denali Backcountry
Lodge – a cluster of cedar cabins along Moose Creek
in the old gold-mining community of Kantishna – makes
a comfortable base in the wilderness. Activities include
gold-panning, mountain biking and fishing, as well as daily
hikes led by naturalist-guides.
One morning, during a three-hour stroll up Mt Busia,
our guide paused often to reveal the small wonders
of the tundra. She showed us purple monkshood, the
white plumes of grass of Parnassus and the dainty
nodding heads of harebells. We picked blueberries and
lingonberries, the tart fruits fizzing in our mouths.
Heads bowed on our botanizing ramble, there was
something almost celestial about cresting the summit of
Mt Busia and looking up to see Mt McKinley towering
above the snowy ramparts of the Alaska Range 50km to
the south, its ice-fluted peaks etched against a vivid blue
sky. Bears chasing ducks are memorable, but a view of
The High One is the crowning glory of a visit to Denali.
ALASKA: DENALI
Start planning
your own Alaska
adventure here
PHOTOSOPPOSITE:WILLIAMGRAY;ALASKATOURISTBOARD

MARCH
Wilderness Break at
Kangos Guesthouse
Stay full-board in a
cosy cabin, with husky
sledding and a northern
lights tour included.
also consider...
Killer Whales &
Northern Lights
Snaefellsnes, Iceland.
?where will you go in
2014Your monthly guide to holiday highlights
SEPTEMBER
Grizzly Bear Adventure
at Knight Inlet
Spend two nights at a
floating lodge in the heart
of British Columbia’s
Great Bear Rainforest.
also consider...
Bergen and Hardanger
Fjord Explorer, Norway
A five-night self-drive.
AUGUST
NEW: Absolute Iceland
Circumnavigate the
country in a luxury 4WD
minibus on our flagship
escorted tour, with plenty
of opportunities for walks.
also consider...
Secret Archipelago
Discover a hidden gem
on Sweden’s west coast.
JULY
Arctic Quest Voyage
Cruise from West
Greenland to Canada,
experiencing the wildlife
and Inuit culture of Baffin
Island and Hudson Bay.
also consider...
Finland Wild Brown
Bear Adventure
Go wild in the taiga forest.
win!
a £500 voucher
Click here to enter

JUNE
Hiking in East
Greenland
Explore the Ammassalik
district on day walks
through spectacular
mountains and fiords.
also consider...
Alaska’s Natural
Wonders
Two-week self-drive.
MAY
Iceland iDiscover:
Around Iceland
Go full circle around
Iceland on this two-
week self-drive, with our
exclusive iPad touring aid.
also consider...
Norway Rail Explorer
Admire the scenery from
the Rauma Railway.
APRIL
Alberta Northern
Lights Break
There’s a 90%-plus
success rate of seeing
the lights during this short
break in Fort McMurray.
also consider...
ICEHOTEL, Abisko &
Lofoten, Sweden
Seven-night odyssey.
AUGUST:RAGNARTHSIGURDSSON;OCTOBER:DestinationRotorua
DECEMBER
New Year in Iceland
Celebrate the arrival
of 2015 in Reykjavik,
before enjoying a break
in the countryside at a
comfortable lodge.
also consider...
Hike & Drive
Stride out on New
Zealand’s Great Walks.
NOVEMBER
Off the Beaten Track
Cruise, Antarctica
Adventure cruise with
time for kayaking,
camping, snowshoeing
and other activities.
also consider...
Great Ocean Road
Tour one of Australia’s
most scenic routes.
OCTOBER
New Zealand
Ultimate Explorer Tour
Travel on 28 October
2014 for free pre- and
post-tour hotels, plus
save £125 per person.
also consider...
Polar Bear Kingdom
Travel to Churchill to see
the ice bear up-close.

Pin with
us on
Pinterest Subscribe to our
e-newsletter
Join us on
Facebook @
Discover the World Ltd
Arctic House, 8 Bolters Lane, Banstead, Surrey SM7 2AR
www.discover-the-world.co.uk Email travel@discover-the-world.co.uk
Fax +44 (0) 1737 362 341 Twitter @DTW_Holidays
In the next issue:
• Summer Scandinavia
• Iceland’s Hidden Gems
• Whale watching worldwide
• Independent New Zealand
• Walking & hiking
Writing & design William Gray | www.william-gray.co.uk
cloud9
Outstanding tailor made
holidays since 1984
win!
a £500 voucher
Click here to enter

Cloud 9 | Travel Brochure | February 2014

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (15)

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (18)

Similar to Cloud 9 | Travel Brochure | February 2014

Similar to Cloud 9 | Travel Brochure | February 2014 (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Cloud 9 | Travel Brochure | February 2014