"This
year's jaw-dropping adventure is the Dive
the Great Wall Trip. A select few might view
it from the air but only the elite
adventurer gets to dive the Great Wall."-
Priority Magazine, Singapore Airlines
A trek on horseback to visit
the tsaatan(reindeer
herders)in Mongolia.
Witnessing (or
participating) in a
courtship ritual on
horseback in Kyrgyzstan,
game viewing on horseback
around the Okavango Delta or
pantaneiro excursions
around the Pantanal Wild
Wet, staying at private
lodges accessible by private
charter. Luxury and
adventure being a
combination that Urbane
Nomads does particularly
well, we're offering quite a
variety of adventure-themed
travel on our pages, ranging
from horseback safaris in
Africa to a trip to
Mongolia, combining the
themes of horseback riding,
hunting and falconry, dubbed
as the 'Most Luxurious Trip
in the World'.
Have us arrange for you
polo tours in Argentina,
combining the three P's-
galloping through the pampas
of South America, polo in
Buenos Aires and Cordoba and
trekking through the forests
of Patagonia. You'll be
staying in charming, luxury
estancias, most with their
own polo pros with
impressive handicaps and
illustrious backgrounds in
polo.
Alternatively, witness the
resurgence (or
reconstruction) of polo in
Mongolia within the comforts
of your luxury ger(yurts) in a
remote part of Mongolia.
Whether you intend to
participate or not, in this
polo game unfettered by
Western rules (as the
Mongolians during the
Genghis Khan era must have
played it, we can only
imagine). The idea of the
wild, remote corners of
Mongolia, done in as much
luxury as possible (think
caviar and high-thread count
sheets) , literally in the
middle of nowhere, defines
Urbane Nomads' idea of
luxury adventure travel.
On the subject of no-rules
polo, travel to Pakistan,
making your way through the
scenic mountain-top-and-lake
views of Chitral to the
mystical Shandur Pass- the
highest polo grounds in the
world hosting an annual polo
tournament with equally
fabled roots.
Whilst horseback riding
trips feature greatly in our
mix of luxury adventure
trips, Urbane Nomads also
offers a wide array of
interesting adventure
options- from ziplining
through the forests of Laos,
paragliding with raptors in
Nepal to kite-skiing in
Antarctica. Sometimes
adventure is defined not
only in terms of the
activities during the trip
but also in the
destinations- this can range
from a trip on a luxury
vessel to the mysterious and
much-lored Asmat tribes in
Papua New Guinea to
travelling through Northern
Pakistan, visiting the
equally lored Kalash people
in Kafiristan, famous for
their place as 'The Other'
in Pakistan- fairy
worshippers in a country
almost homogenously Muslim,
with features that have some
speculating that the Kalash
are in fact descendants of
Alexander the Great's army.
These adventure trips are
conducted with various
levels of luxury- but always
in a manner and level of
luxury that is unprecedented
and unexpected for the
places that we're travelling
to.
For exotic, non-traditional
locations, try skiing in the
mountains of Dizin outside
Tehran, sample the excellent
apres-ski in the skiing
towns outside Beirut or try
heli-skiing in the
Himalayas. These are not the
luxury ski lodges in more
established skiing
destinations. Instead,
you'll be sampling the
legendary apres-ski of
Lebanese skiing towns after
a day of skiing and the
virgin powder of Tehran's
little-explored slopes.
Diving Lake Khuvsgul in
Mongolia, finding some of
the best surfs in a remote
island in Indonesia (where
headhunting was practiced
till recently and where the
elaborate funerary rites and
surprisingly untouched
culture has been the focus
of the likes of National
Geographic), sailing on the
idyllic seas of Kep-sur-mer
in Cambodia or surfing along
the Cantabrian sea- are more
ideas and trips that Urbane
Nomads has sussed out for
our luxury adventure trips.
The intrepid traveler
looking for a bit of luxury
would not be disappointed as
Urbane Nomads works with
like-minded independent
hoteliers who'd set up
luxury lodges in the
unlikeliest corners.
Raft down the rapids in the
Himalayas, through Nepal and
Bhutan. Or take a leisurely
rafting trip through the
Burmese Himalayas of Putao-
your instructors will
possibly be the first
rafting instructors in
Myanmar! You will similarly
be based in a luxury lodge
(one of our all-time
favourites!) designed by
Jean Michel Gathy of Aman
Resorts' fame.
Helicopter safaris in Kenya,
balloon safaris taking you to the mystical ruins of Bagan
and the iconic Inle Lake of Shan State in Myanmar, the
Serengeti and Cappadocia in Turkey- airborne travel. Heli-safaris
possibly representing the peak of luxury in safari travel,
Urbane Nomads would have you travelling to Lake Turkana (of
Constant Gardener fame and one of THE places epitomizing
remoteness in Africa) within the day or whisking you off for
spectacular sundowners overlooking the Rift Valley, all the
while being based in the most luxurious safari camps and
lodges that have placed Africa firmly on the luxury
adventure travel circuit.
You might have tried
falconeering in Dubai or even in the minority Kazakh areas
in Mongolia but to take flight with raptors in the air as
they guide you through the thermals that keep you aloft-
only in the Himalayas.
Or try your hand at
kite-skiing, one of the most
extreme sports around, in
Antarctica, one of the most
extreme places on earth. The
luxury here comes in the
form of travel via private
jet (to an airport
intriguingly listed as
'Unknown International
Airport on the destination
board), a private chef in
one of the most remote
corners on earth and the
luxury of private access and
an unforgettable experience-
whilst hordes of tourists
have visited Antarctica
through day trips whilst
being based in the comforts
of their cruise ships, we at
Urbane Nomads believe in
taking it one step further
by having our guests
actually sleeping on
Antarctica itself, waking up
,(weather permitting) to the
rays of the sun piercing a
beautifully carved igloo.
Never has adventure travel
sounded as intriguing or as
luxurious...
A falconeering trip with
the eagle hunters of
Western Mongolia.
A superlative journey
that would surely figure
on any 'Trips of a
Lifetime' list.
Departing via private
plane to Antarctica, you
will be spending days
(and nights) in
expedition-style tents
on Antarctica,
kite-skiing, exploring
ice waves and talking to
polar explorers. The
idea of a spa treatment
here would be a sauna
near a Russian science
base...
This itinerary, designed to coincide with the Pushkar Camel Festival (but works
equally well during other times of the year), combines the highlights of India's
Golden Triangle with a horse trek through the remote villages of Rajasthan,
visiting the famously ornate Jain temples and picnics recalling the glamour of a
bygone era, whilst staying in a dazzling assortment of accommodation choices-
the former hunting lodge of a Maharani, a resplendent Art Deco palace or former
Maharaja's residences.
On
a luxury cruise through the Andaman Islands, recently propelled into the
mainstream consciousness, post-tsunami, through video footage of tribes shooting
at rescue boats with bows and arrows. Whilst this indirectly introduces the
debate on the ethics of tourism into the area, this cruise itinerary combines
visits to some of the islands in an area associated with pristine beaches,
gin-clear waters and lush inland forests- the epitomy of the modern
day paradise, with excellent diving
opportunities. The areas visited (or
rather, not visited) are in line
with efforts to protect the
lifestyles of the indigenous people
of the area.
