8D7N Luxury Camping in the Moroccan Desert: This
private trip takes you and your lady to exotic
Marrakech, Ouarzazate and Sahara with top guides — whose
clients include three past US presidents — to show you the
sights. USD7,900 per person, inclusive of stays in Amanjena
and Royal Mansour in Marrakech on a bed and breakfast basis
and on an all-inclusive basis in Ouarzazate and the Sahara.
All tours, transfers and entrance fees are included.
International flights are not included, private jet charter
optional. Contact Urbane Nomads at 6728 8614 for more
information.
Augustman.com,
June 30 2010
Bespoke Suit?
Think Bespoke Travel
You seen the world,
an even if you
haven't, you are
tired of repeating
the same travel
formula every time
you're in a new
city. Travelling is
all about new
experiences, but
after traipsing from
sightseeing spot to
sightseeing spot
with the rest of the
guide-book led
zombies, one can't
help but crave for
something different.
An adventure, even.
Urbane Nomads pride
themsleves on
specializing in
creating luxurious
and imaginative
adventures in
far-flung
destinations such as
Antarctica, Mongolia
and Kyrgyzstan. Some
of the they've come
up with itineraries include
personality-themed
tours such as the
one that explores
the hunting trails
of Kublai Khan and a
trek that traces the
steps of designer,
Jim Thompson,
through the
highlands of
Malaysia- the same
one that ultimately
led to his
disappearance.
Luxury Insider March 2010
Adventures of a
Lifetime-Live
Like Kublai Khan
When proffered a
themed tour touted
as the "Most
Luxurious Trip in
the World", you'd
expect 100% royal
treatment.
Especially if it
carries USD2 million
price tag.
Singapore-based
luxury travel group
Urbane Nomads
serves it up on a
silver platter.
It's first class
all the way as you
follow in the
footsteps of 13th
century Mongolian
emperor Kublai Khan,
whose lavish
springtime hunting
expeditions were
described by Marco
Polo as using lions,
leopards, and eagles
in the hunt. The
Great Khan was also
said to have
travelled in the
company of thousand
of soldiers,
officers of court
and noblemen, as
well as some 10,000
falconers and bird
catchers.
Your own 16-day
hunting odyssey
through the remote,
untamed landscapes
of Mongolia starts
with stays in the
presidential suite
of the Park Hyatt
Beijing and a
private villa
designed by renowned
Japanese architect
Kengo Kuma, in the
über exclusive
Commune by the Great
Wall resort. Fly by
private jet to
various points in
Mongolia, a private
chef and a private
butler in tow, and
the personal
attention of
specialist tour
guides including the
likes of an
award-winning
filmmaker.
Learn the
traditional sport of
eagle hunting from
Kazakh eagle hunters
in the western
Mongolian province,
Bayan-Ölgii. Your
portrait with the
majestic bird will
be vividly capture
in an oil painting,
done by a famous
painter and falconer
who counts as
patrons HM Queen
Elizabeth II and
members of Gulf
royal families.
Spend the night in a
luxurious mobile
yurt for an
unforgettable
wilderness
experience.
Heading north,
you'll be guided on
a horseback riding
expedition by
academic researchers
who study and
conserve Mongolian
reindeer. This trip
is slated during
Mongolia's hunting
season, so you can
be assured of a most
fruitful hunting
trip – and one that
Kublai Khan would be
proud of.
Five Star Alliance Blog, March 2010
Luxury Eco-tour
of Istanbul with
Urbane Nomads and
the Newly Renovated
Pera Palace
After a two-year,
$30 million
renovation,
Istanbul’s Pera
Palace is back on
top. Built in 1892
to host passengers
of the
Orient-Express, the
historic hotel was
one of the most
luxurious of its
era, welcoming all
kinds of royalty and
celebrity guests,
including Agatha
Christie, who is
rumored to have
written “Murder on
the Orient Express”
at the hotel. (Room
No. 411 has been
preserved as the
“Agatha Christie
Room.”) Stay tuned
for details of the
hotel’s grand
re-opening, slated
for later this year…
Buzzworthy: Visitors
can now partake in a
luxury eco-friendly
tour of Istanbul for
Christie’s inaugural
Green Auction,*
courtesy of the Pera
Palace and Urbane
Nomads, a luxury
travel company.
Made Man. 11th Nov 2009
Adventure Sports
that Take You
Places.
Kite
Skiing in Antarctica
According to the
folks behind this
adventure, kite
skiing is “the
newest form of
‘polar travel’,”
blending skiing,
snowboarding and
parasailing to
create something
that few people can
say they’ve done.
You even have the
option to stay in an
igloo or watch
penguins mingle in
their natural
habitat. Antarctica
also boasts 24 hours
of sunshine a day in
the summer months,
meaning you never
have to feel
embarrassed that
you’re still
partying ‘til dawn
despite your
(advancing) age.
JustLuxe 30th Oct 2009
Charity Buzz's Top
10 Luxury Vacation
Auctions
1. An
Amazing 8-Night
Journey through
Thailand with the
Four Seasons Hotels
& Urbane
Nomads
Through this 8-night
trip through
Thailand you will be
staying at the Four
Seasons Resorts in
Bangkok, the iconic
tented camps in the
Golden Triangle, and
the resorts of
Chiang Mai and Koh
Samui. Have a
welcome dinner at
the Four Seasons
Bangkok's Spice
Market on your first
night in Thailand.
On your second day,
Urbane Nomads
will make
arrangements for you
to explore the
haunting ruins of
Ayutthaya, arriving
early evening to
receive a
private blessing by
a monk on the
grounds of this
World Heritage Site.
In Transit Blog- New York Times, September 21,
2009
Diving the Great
Wall
Speaking of
long hikes, people
who travel to the
Great Wall of China
often do so to walk
as much of its 5,500
miles as they can
manage. But now it’s
possible to see part
of the ancient
structure from a
different
perspective: through
goggles. It seems
that part of the
Wall is actually
underwater —
submerged under a
lake since the 1980s
— and according to
the travel site
Gadling, a tour
company called
Urbane Nomads is now
arranging dive tours
to this previously
hard to reach spot.
According to Gadling,
“Guides will carry
your gear to the
submerged portion of
the Wall and direct
you to the coolest
underwater spots,
where you’ll see
‘Ming-era stone
carvings, some
intricate tunnels
and a tight-squeeze
guard tower.’” The
“Diving the Great
Wall” package
includes two dives
at the site plus
more exclusive
activities, like a
guided tour to the
unrestored parts of
the Forbidden City,
usually off-limits
to tourists, says
the site.
Brave New Traveler-
28th September 2009
Can Life Changing
Travel and Luxury
Co-exist?
While the
“tourist/traveler”
debate is a
dead-end, can we
assert that luxury
and life-changing
travel are generally
opposite to each
other? Ross Tabak
explores the answer.
You’re sitting in a
dirty alleyway,
perched on a bright
blue plastic stool
eating the best bowl
of noodles you’ve
ever had.
A group of
fanny-pack toting
tourists shuffles
by, following their
guide’s umbrella and
craning their necks
to hear her
narration. You let
out a chuckle, happy
to be on your own,
free of the
constraints of an
organized tour and
content in the
knowledge that they
have no idea what
they’re missing.
You return to your
hole-in-the-wall
guesthouse, only to
find that the
tourists and their
umbrella are staying
on your floor. The tour group
mentality has always
been an easy target
for anyone who
travels, making us
feel better about
our own adventures
and providing a
convenient Other to
poke fun at.
It’s getting harder
and harder though,
with companies like
Urbane Nomads
billing themselves
as “travel
mixologists” and
blurring the line
between hardcore
travel and
hand-holding tours.
According to them,
they’ve:
“turned the typical
tourist itinerary on
its head- taking the
tourist through a
city’s back alleys,
revealing its
seamier (and/or more
interesting) side ,
continually testing
the limits of
accessibility in
travel or using a
local folklor
ic legend as a
premise for an
itinerary revealing
current social and
political problems.”
(...)
Dive the Great Wall
of China with Urbane
Nomads
DIt’s also probable
that, before this
company existed,
their clients would
have spent ten
thousand dollars on
a luxury tour of
Western Europe
instead of hot air
ballooning in Burma.
As a concept, I
think Urbane Nomads
is the sort of tour
company we’d all
like to run. It’s
the “urbane” part
that bothers me.
Adventure has always
been a departure
from the urbane, and
if we begin to blur
the lines between
everyday comfort and
eye-opening
experiences we stand
to lose the most
important aspect of
travel: to transform
ourselves.
Gadling 21st
Sept 2009
Dive The Great Wall
of China with Urbane
Nomads
Did you know that
parts of the Great
Wall of China are
underwater? Yeah, me
neither. But
according to Urban
Daddy, one
particular section
of the wall has been
submerged under a
lake since the
1980's. And now a
luxury tour company
called Urbane Nomads
is offering the
first-ever guided
diving trips to the
hard-to-reach spot.
Guides will carry
your gear to the
submerged portion of
the Wall and direct
you to the coolest
underwater spots,
where you'll see
"Ming-era stone
carvings, some
intricate tunnels
and a tight-squeeze
guard tower". The
"Diving the Great
Wall" package
includes two dives
at the site plus
more exclusive
activities like a
guided tour to the
unrestored parts of
the Forbidden City,
usually off-limits
to tourists.
The group at Urbane
Nomads calls
themselves "travel
mixologists"
creating unique
itineraries that
customers can tweak
according to their
preferences while
still keeping the
main ingredients.
There's definitely
an emphasis on
luxury here, though
the company claims
that, unlike other
high-end tour
operators, their
tours seek to
connect visitors
with the local
culture (in a way
that is not staged
or touristy) rather
than isolating them
from it. In addition
to China, they offer
tours to over 30
destinations,
including Spain,
South Africa,
Afghanistan, Sri
Lanka, Bhutan, Oman,
Thailand, Turkey,
Laos, Morocco, and
Argentina.
Urban Daddy, 20th Sept 2009
An Underwater Tour
of the Great Wall
You've heard of the
Great Wall. Maybe
you've even seen it.
But here's a bit of
wisdom you may not
have known: Some
parts of the wall
are greater than
others.
Especially the parts
that happen to be
underwater.
Introducing Diving
the Great Wall, the
first-ever organized
tour of the
submerged portions
of the Great Wall,
running missions
now.
This portion of the
wall has been under
a lake since the
1980s, but unless
you planned on
ferrying a few
hundred pounds of
diving equipment
across the border,
you couldn't take it
on until now. Your
scuba-sherpas will
suit you up, bring
you to the exact
spot where the wall
dips underwater and
guide you to its
most dive-worthy
parts. Once
submerged, you'll
stumble across a few
Ming-era stone
carvings, some
intricate tunnels
and a tight-squeeze
guard tower that
will require every
last ounce of your
Bond-like scuba
ability. (Wearing
your backup tux is
advised.)
Over the course of
the trip, you'll get
two scuba-assisted
dives into the
Atlantis-style ruins
(feel free to keep
the dress
semi-formal for the
second) before you
start the earthbound
portion of the
voyage, which
includes a guided
tour of the
unrestored parts of
the Forbidden City,
usually off-limits
to tourists.
You always knew you
were special.
Travelogue- 3rd September
2009
Urbane Nomads
It’s September. That
means that in the
northern hemisphere
the sun is setting a
little earlier in
the evening and fall
is imminent. Perhaps
it’s time to plan a
little fall getaway
– an adventure, but
without too much
hardship. And good
food. In a remote
area, but sleeping
in real beds.
We give you Urbane
Nomads – a travel
agent that bears no
resemblance to any
other. Urbane Nomads
arrange custom made
tours to virtually
any place in the
world that ups your
adrenaline levels.
The twist to this
company is that
regardless of where
you’re getting your
kicks, the kicks
will always be
accompanied with
first-rate lodging,
delicious food, fine
wines and
comfortable
transportation. The
newest addition to
their tour package
is celebrated as The
Most Luxurious Trip
in the World. This
adventure is going
to set you back
financially about 2
million US dollars,
but on the other
hand you get to go
horseback riding in
western Mongolia
while staying in
designer villas,
flown here and there
by private jet,
always accompanied
by a butler and a
private chef. We
wonder if the good
folks at Urbane
Nomads give special
rates to writers … ?
Urbane Nomads
www.urbanenomads.com
Lujo y Estilo-
August 6th 2009
El viaje más lujoso
en el Mundo
Cuando pensamos en
viajes con
estilo y lujo
generalmente no nos
imaginamos viajar a
Mongolia, pero
Urbane
Nomads, una
nueva agencia de
viajes localizada en
Singapour, espera
cambiar eso al
enfocarse en una
nueva camada de
individuos que ya
conocen gran parte
del planeta y
quieren seguir
viajando.
Para conquistar este
complejo mercado,
Urbane Nomads
intentará destacar
ese elemento único
de cada destino y
sumarlo con
acomodaciones
selectas en cada
ciudad y modalidades
de viaje diferentes
a lo que se maneja
generalmente.
Con el objetivo de
destacarse en el
mercado, esta nueva
compañía ha
anunciado el
lanzamiento de "El
Viaje Más Lujoso del
Mundo",
que ofrecerá una
experiencia
diferente a todo lo
que conocemos con
precios que
comienzan en los dos
millones de dólares.
Luxury Insider August 12th 2009
Live Like Kublai
Khan for USD
2million
Alternative luxury
travel group, Urbane
Nomads presents what
is touted as the
“World’s Most
Luxurious Trip” – a
hunting trip modeled
after the hunting
expeditions of
Kublai Khan, which
takes adventure
seekers from Beijing
to Mongolia.
Cleverly weaving in
exotic pursuits such
as equestrianism,
falconry and
hunting, the Nomads
will be launching
this all-new
itinerary at the Abu
Dhabi International
Hunting and
Equestrian
Exhibition (ADIHEX)
on 30 September
2009.
Unlike the usual
exotic getaway, this
one comes with a
jaw-dropping price
tag of at least USD2
million. The tour
guides include the
likes of an
award-winning
filmmaker and the
eagle hunters of
Bayan Olgii. While
you take your shot
at eagle hunting, a
famous painter and
falconer (who counts
as patrons HM Queen
Elizabeth II and
members of gulf
royal families) will
capture your
memories via an oil
painting. Urbane
Nomads assures
travelers the best
experience possible
as they jet around
being serviced by a
private chef,
butler, and
specialist guides.
Wedding Guide- August 5th 2009
A viagem mais
luxuosa do mundo
A Urbane Nomads, uma
nova empresa de
turismo de Singapura
que organiza viagens
para quem procura
experiências únicas
sem deixar de lado o
conforto e
facilidade de
acomodações e modos
de viagem de luxo.
Eles estão prestes a
lançar "A viagem
mais luxuosa do
mundo" com preços a
partir de US$ 2
milhões. Essa viagem
terá passeios a
cavalo, caça e
falconaria e será
lançada em uma
exibição em Abu
Dhabi no final de
Setembro.
O objetivo é tentar
recriar um pouco das
viagens de caça de
Kublai Khan, através
do Oeste da
Mongolia.
A viagem começa em
Pequim, onde ficarão
hospedadas no Park
Hyatt Beijing ou em
uma pequena villa
criada por Kengo
Kuma perto da Grande
Muralha da China.
Pleasure- August 5th 2009
10 mio. kr. for
verdens mest
luksuriøse rejse
Det unikke niche-rejseselskab
Urbane Nomads, der
er baseret i
Singapore, har for
længst specialiseret
sig i rejser, hvor
man i ekstrem luksus
f.eks er på tur med
det pakistanske
pololandshold eller
heli-skiing i
Himalaya, kommer med
på optagelse med
verdenskendte
filmfolk eller
følger i primitive
nomadefolks fodspor.
Luxist- August 5th 2009
Urbane Nomads Offers
A Kublai Khan
Experience
Luxury travel
purveyors,
Urbane Nomads
has given us a peek
at their next trip.
The company is
currently working on
a trip that combines
the themes of
equestrian
adventure, falconry
and hunting to be
launched at an
exhibition in Abu
Dhabi in late
September. The trip,
billed as "The Most
Luxurious Trip In
The World" will
attempt to capture
the spirit of the
lavish hunting
expeditions of
Kublai Khan.
It all begins in
Beijing where the
guests will stay in
the presidential
suite of the Park
Hyatt Beijing as
well as a private
villa designed by
Kengo Kuma close to
the Great Wall of
China. Costs for the
trip starts from $2
million. If Mongolia
doesn't suit your
fancy, tell Urbane
Nomads your most
outlandish travel
fantasy. If you've
got the money, they
can likely make it
happen.
Luxuo- August 5th 2009
The Most Luxurious
Trip in the World
Urbane Nomads, The
new Singapore-based
travel agency,
caters to a new
breed of savvy,
well-travelled,
restless
individuals.
They are about to
launch “The Most
Luxurious Trip in
the World” that will
offer an experience
like never before
with prices starting
at $2 million.
Attempting to
re-create a little
of the lavish
hunting expeditions
of Kublai Khan, the
trip puts together
unique,
once-in-a-lifetime
experiences,
travelling through
the western part of
Mongolia, amongst
others, to
experience horseback
falconry.
Confashions
from Kuwait June 2009
Confashions from
Kuwait-
In the News
They are currently
working on an
itinerary promoting
the Middle East as a
fashion tourism
destination-combining
stays in the Hotel
Missoni Kuwait with
activities like
pearldiving and
trips to the luxury
fashion store Villa
Moda. Sounds fun!
Unearthing Asia May 13, 2009
Exile in remote
Putao- Article
Contribution
The beautiful
remoteness of Putao
has a prominent
foothold on the
Burmese imagination
– remote,
inaccessible and
ringed by
snow-capped
Himalayan mountains.
Truly off the beaten
trek, Putao was one
of the British
Empire’s most remote
outposts and due to
its isolation, was
never conquered by
the Japanese during
the World War.
Hajar is the founder
of Urbane Nomads, a
luxury travel
company that
introduces the idea
of “travel mixology”.
The itineraries,
created along a
particular theme or
interest, revolving
around a particular
myth or local lore
or centred around a
festival, seeks to
provide an
alternative
experience to the
typical , or
expected,
experience.
While most
itineraries pair a
visit to the Khmer
complex of Angkor
Wat with Vietnam,
Urbane Nomads pairs
a visit to Angkor
Wat with Indonesia
so guests begin to
understand the
trajectory of
political influence
in the region. While
logistically, Bhutan
works well with
India or Nepal,
Urbane Nomads pairs
the secret kingdom
of Bhutan with the
much-less visited
Burmese Himalayas in
a journey that
reconciles
remoteness,
inaccessibility and
the beauty of
less-trodden paths.
