Intrepid adds Whitsundays, Kokoda Track to 2013 Australia & NZ programme

Intrepid Travel has added sailing in the Whitsunday Islands and trekking the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea to its Australia & New Zealand programme for 2013.

Departing from Hamilton Island, the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, Intrepid’s Whitsunday Islands Sailing trip (eight days from £1,365) has been introduced following the success of its small group sailing adventures in Croatia, Greece and Thailand in 2012. With fully-equipped yachts and an experienced crew, travellers can help to sail the boat or simply relax as they discover some of the world’s finest beaches and snorkel among colourful coral.

By contrast, The Kokoda Track (10 days from £2,610) is an intensely challenging trek though rainforests and mountains along Papua New Guinea’s most famous hiking trail. The location of a fiercely fought campaign between Japanese and Australian troops in the Second World War, the Kokoda Track is often walked as a pilgrimage to fallen soldiers and a special departure has been scheduled to coincide with ANZAC Day.

Other highlights of Intrepid’s Australia & New Zealand programme include:

A wide range of short break adventures in the Red Centre and Northern Territory; the three-day Central Rock & Canyon short break explores Uluru (Ayers Rock), Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) and Watarrka NP (Kings Canyon) and was Intrepid’s best-selling trip anywhere in the world in 2012.

Travellers can learn how to throw a spear and track wildlife in the bush, explore ancestral rock art with an Aboriginal elder and hear Dreamtime legends from local guides on the three-day Dreamtime Discovery.

Twitchers will be in paradise on Intrepid’s Lake Eyre and the Outback tour. Lake Eyre has recently experienced its first major water flow since Australia’s drought broke in 2009 and is fuller than it has been since the 1970s, resulting in abundant birdlife.

For travellers that are heading down under, Intrepid has put together the ultimate Spotify playlist for Australia & New Zealand at:
facebook.com/music/playlist/Australia-NZ/381556621912094

To view Intrepid Travel's 2013 Australia & New Zealand brochure, visit: intrepidtravel.com/discoverbrochures