Day trips on the Odakyu line

THE Odakyu Electric Railway, established in 1948, is one of Japan's major private railway companies. With the Shinjuku central transportation terminal in the capital of #Japan, Odakyu lines extend to Hakone, one of Japan's foremost hot spring tourist destinations, and Enoshima-Kamakura, the historical seaside town close to the city center, and they are used not only for sightseeing but also by two million commuters traveling to work every day.

Four types of day tours allow travelers from abroad to enjoy the tourist attractions in areas along the Odakyu lines.

1) Yoyogi Uehara near Shinjuku and Shibuya in downtown Tokyo;

2) Shimokitazawa well known for young people's subculture;

3) Nature-rich, sacred mountain Oyama also known as a historic site; and

4) Odawara, which is the gateway to Hakone and where there is a station on the Tokaido Shinkansen bullet train line.

All four tours are day trips requiring advance reservations. On all these tours, guides provide detailed information in English on local tourist attractions in these four respective areas. Reservations for these tours can be made online as well as at INBOUND LEAGUE and Odakyu Sightseeing Service Center Shinjuku West for foreign tourists, both situated in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward.


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Sustainable travel off the Golden Route

TOKYO based startup tour operator Heartland JAPAN is leading the way in creating sustainable #travel #destinations off the so-called Golden Route (Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima etc.) which is currently overburdened by the year on year increase in inbound travellers (an increase of 450% over the past five years), set to reach 40M in 2020.

In spite of the staggering rise in foreign tourists, relatively little has been done so far to make travellers aware of alternative destinations, with a continued fixation on commercialised travel spots. It is here that Heartland JAPAN positions itself in providing the information and means for inbound visitors to journey off the beaten track.

Heartland JAPAN aims to create life-changing journeys, to provide physical and spiritual fulfillment through outdoor activities, hands-on experiences and cultural exchanges with locals. The company’s current fully guided adventure tours cover five destinations across #Japan, all of which are reachable from the various 2019 Rugby World Cup and 2020 Olympics game sites, providing the perfect opportunity for visitors to these events.

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Barcelona opens its doors

BARCELONA invites you to visit all of its architectural to observe, understand and question the value architecture and its relation to Catalan society and culture with 48 H Open House Barcelona. The festival opens in the first week of October. This event is free for all and will include guided tours, information guides for visitors to explain each of the houses they’re visiting.

Some of the houses include famous landmarks like Casa Vicens, el Mercat de Sant Antoni, while there are also some lesser known sites in the ten other neighborhoods of #Barcelona. Mark your calendars for 27 & 28 October 2018. The event promises visitors an appreciation of the value of good architecture and urbanism, opening over 200 great buildings of different styles, forms, and sizes to the public.

The program is built around the broad network of buildings that will open their doors to the public and it is set within the six Barcelona boroughs (Barcelona, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Vilassar de Dalt, Sant Joan Despí, Badalona and L’Hospitalet de Llobregat). 

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Picture Credit: By cstnow - Flickr, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2541708

Chile solar eclipse tour

ON July 2, 2019 a total solar eclipse will cross the Pacific Ocean and peter out in Argentina before sunset. La Serena in Chile sits on the Pacific Coast just south of the centerline of the eclipse. The closer you are to the centerline, the longer totality lasts. Eclipse viewing will be slightly inland and at a small gain in elevation. Probabilities of seeing the eclipse are in 80 plus percent range according to historical weather figures.

A total solar eclipse happens when the moon passes in front of the sun. Totality will last just over 2 minutes. At this time the moon will hang a black dot surrounded by the sun's corona.

A new 5-day 4-night tour is being offered by Tropical Sails Corp. It will feature the wines of Chile near Viña del Mar, the Total Solar Eclipse in La Serena and Santiago, Chile. There is an option to extend you visit to Buenos Aires, Argentina and Iguazu Falls for 6-days, 5 nights. The tour begins in Santiago and visits Vina del Mar, La Serena, Vina del Mar and ends in Santiago.



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Colombia through the lens

COLOMBIA'S leading supplier of motorcycle tours and rentals in South America, PhotoMotoColombia, is happy to announce their grand opening in Medellin, #Colombia. Guided by international photographer, world traveler, and motorcycle enthusiast Jeff Cremer, PhotoMotoColombia is unlike any other #motorcycle #touring company in Colombia.

Trips are led by professional travel and wildlife photographer Jeff Cremer. Jeff worked as a photographer in the Peruvian Amazon for six years and has had his work featured in National Geographic, Discovery Channel, Wired Magazine and the BBC. Tour the most beautiful and picture-worthy locations in the country to get an experience and the pictures of a lifetime. You will not only tour Colombia from your bike, you will focus on truly seeing, photographing and experiencing all of its beauty,culture and people.

All trips start in Medellin, Colombia, also know as the “City of Eternal Spring” pleasant warm weather all year round. The city is surrounded by mountains and it is very clean with lush trees and beautiful flowers.

Colombia motorcycle trips range from day trips to Guatape, to take in the sweeping views from the top of the famous El Peñol rock to week long trips to the Colombia’s Coffee Triangle where riders can journey into the spectacular Valle de Cocora to find eight species of hummingbirds as well as the famous wax palms — Colombia’s national tree — which regularly grow up to a height of 150 feet, or sometimes up to 200 feet.

Other tours such as the 12 day Ultimate Coffee Region motorcycle tour is perfect for riders looking for an expedition through the adventurous Andean mountain range. This route starts in Medellin and takes riders through on a full loop through Colombias staggering peaks, rugged ridgelines, and diverse elevations bringing riders full circle arriving in Medellin again at the end of the trip.

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Climb the iron road

A North Lake Tahoe area-based guide service, will soon begin construction of two Via Ferrata climbing routes up Tram Face at Squaw Valley Resort. The routes will allow even those with no climbing experience the opportunity to safely scale the iconic rock face, exploring high alpine terrain while taking in the beautiful vistas.

Via Ferrata, an Italian term meaning Iron Road, is a protected climbing route with permanent steel anchors and cables that allow participants to be safely connected to the rock 100% of the time. All climbs will be led by Alpenglow Expeditions' experienced team of AMGA (American Mountain Guide Association) trained guides who will teach participants how to navigate the rock face while introducing basic climbing techniques.

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Barcelona by bicycle

A surprising electric bike journey will bring you through famous sites and hidden treasures of the Old Town, the Fishermen Port and the Montjuic Hill to discover the strong relationship between #Barcelona and the Sea.

The tour, offered by BikeSquare in collaboration with E-bike Rent Barcelona, will bring you through the Gothic city centre, to admire the Roman ruins of the ancient Barcino, then to the charming medieval district of El Born, where you can enjoy the marvellous Santa Maria del Mar Church (the “Cathedral of the Sea”), the narrow streets and the cosy atmosphere.  Here you'll have a chance to taste the famous pintxos, the typical tapas of the Basque Country, famous for its exceptional gastronomy and wine.

Then a ride along the Port Vell to escape the crowds at Montjuic Hill, while exploring the Olympic stadium and the Olympic Swimming pool, enjoying spectacular views of the whole city.  On the way down stop in front of one of the most emblematic symbols of Barcelona, the Columbus Statue and then cross the “Rambla del Mar” bridge and on the other side a Turkish Goleta will be waiting. 

ebike.bikesquare.eu/en/barcelona



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Picture Credit: By Giorgio Galeotti, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org 52837569

A tour of the Vatican before sunrise

FOR the first time, travellers can experience the Vatican – the most-booked attraction on TripAdvisor – in quiet solitude, before sunrise, and before it opens to the public. The #Vatican is famously popular, with travellers waiting up to 4 hours during peak season. 

TripAdvisor, the world’s largest provider of bookable experiences, is giving travellers a look at its new ‘Waking up the Vatican’ tour. The tour is available now and allows a small number of travellers to join the ‘Clavigero’, the Vatican key holder, as he unlocks the doors to the Sistine Chapel, Raphael’s rooms, the Galleries, and more, hours before these iconic sites open to the public.

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A taste of the extraordinary

HONG KONG Foodie has unveiled the exciting Temple Street Night Foodie Tour. On its newest culinary adventure, Hong Kong Foodie whisks food lovers through the backstreets of Hong Kong’s most colorful and food-obsessed neighborhoods in the Yau Tsim Mong district, in search of Hong Kong’s best evening fare. In this city that never sleeps, this evening #Foodie Tour also showcases life in #HongKong after dark — local entertainment, market vending and fortune telling.

From street food to seafood, the new Temple Street Night Foodie Tour introduces Foodie participants to a wide range of authentic local Hong Kong flavors at six small eateries. No Foodie experience in Hong Kong is complete without trying our world-famous street snacks and understanding our street food culture. On this new food tour in Hong Kong, participants will also savor traditional treats before concluding with a scrumptious dinner featuring seafood dishes renowned in this neighborhood.

The three-hour guided walking tour features not only Hong Kong’s culinary gems but also highlights this neighborhoods’ rich culture, history and architecture. Participants will learn about the dizzying array of local entertainment options available, immerse in the street market scene and explore our living culture such as fortune telling.

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Kiev: more than just football

KIEV is famous for football, here such outstanding personalities as Blokhin and Lobanovsky and Andrey Shevchenko were born. The capital of Ukraine is famous for holding high-profile international #football competitions aans of football remember grandiose Euro 2012, which Ukraine hosted together with Poland. The UEFA Champions League Final will be held in #Kiev on Saturday, May 26. And the city is responsibly preparing for this event.

Guide me UA offers 3 hour sightseeing tours with a private guide in English. The tours offered include Pub Crawl or Street Art tour, and the most luxurious one is a tour of the Mezhyhirya mansion where the former president lived; he built his mansion using stolen money.

Kiev is the home of Ukrainian culture, a hero city, the capital of modern Ukraine, where contemporary art and creative cuisine are highly prized. You will see the city's history, Old Russian - near the pagan temple and near the monument to the founders of the city, Orthodox - in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and St. Andrew's Church, Soviet - at the Museum of the Great Patriotic War and near the Motherland Statue, fashionable and democratic - while walking along Khreshchatyk Street.

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Polar Explorers

WHAT does it take to guide over 500 people to the North and South Poles? The answer is 25 years of experience and hundreds of days skiing in the world’s most extreme environment, where an average day "at the office" includes enduring minus forty degree temperatures and keeping everything you don't want to freeze on your body.

On April 14, PolarExplorers, the world’s leading polar expedition guiding company, will kick off their 25th anniversary. PolarExplorers’ reputation has been built over hundreds of expeditions and thousands of cold, frozen miles in some of the planet’s least forgiving environments.

To celebrate their 25th anniversary PolarExplorers is offering several exciting expeditions including a ski expedition from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole, a ski traverse of the Greenland Icecap, Last Degree Ski Expeditions to both the North and South Poles, a ski traverse of Europe’s largest glacier, and numerous other polar expeditions. 

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Extra tours of Fort St Angelo

HERITAGE #Malta has announced that the upper part of Fort St Angelo managed by the Knights of St John (Sovereign Military Order of Malta – SMOM) will be more accessible to visitors during August and September and the special daily guided tour of this part of the fort will be held also on Sundays.

This part of the fort was leased to the SMOM in 1998, and subsequently restored. This area was made accessible to the general public a few months ago following an agreement with Heritage Malta. Access is restricted to an exclusive daily guided tour capped at 30 participants. These visits are available from Monday to Friday at 11.00am.

However, for the months of August (6th, 13th, 20th, 27th) and September (3rd, 10th) these visits will be held also on Sundays. The limited number of tickets available is assigned on a first come first served basis and costs €5 for adults, €3 for students and seniors, and €1.50 for children between 5 and 11 years.

Sitting atop the highest point of the promontory, the upper part of Fort St Angelo is definitely one of the oldest in the fort’s extensive timeline. It includes the Keep, the most defendable section of the fort, intended to be the place of last resort during the Middle Ages, when the stronghold was known as the Castrum Maris. In this secluded quarter stands the Castellan’s House, its name derived from the tenant who occupied it until 1530; a person of trust appointed by the King in Sicily to oversee interests in Malta.

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Picture Credit: pintrest

Whales & Gardens Tours in British Columbia

BRITISH Columbia’s largest and most trusted whale watching company Prince of Whales Whale Watching, is excited to welcome guests aboard the Salish Sea Dream — a sleek new state-of-the-art, eco-friendly $3.5 million catamaran that will provide a new experience for tourists and locals on the “Ultimate Day Tour.” 

The custom-built 78-foot catamaran will depart Vancouver each morning, taking guests on a whale-watching tour en route to the B.C. Capital. In Victoria, there will be many options for sightseeing around the city before travelling by shuttle to the world-famous Butchart Gardens. From the Gardens, guests will take a breathtaking sunset cruise back to downtown Vancouver. The vessel can carry 95 passengers and everyone will have a great view as each person will have a seat inside the cabin and on the deck. Combining two of Victoria’s “must do” activities, the Salish Sea Dream will offer whale-watching excursions each afternoon from the Inner Harbour and stopping for a visit to the Butchart Gardens as part of the “Whales and Gardens” packages. 

“It’s a fantastic trip and it really offers something different,” says Prince of Whales Whale Watching owner Alan McGillivray. “We live in such an amazing part of the world and this gives people a front-row seat to see and learn more about the animals that live in and travel through our waters.” 

Marine naturalists and experienced crew will be on board and offer informative talks about marine mammals, birds and other wildlife, as well as the ecosystem and key points of interest. It will be an entertaining and educational trip with a focus on conservation.


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Hong Kong: Old Town Central

THE #HongKong Tourism Board (HKTB) launched a new programme earlier this year – “Old Town Central”, consolidating unique tourism hotspots in Central and Sheung Wan.

To provide visitors with a unique perspective when exploring this area, five themed walking routes have been thoughtfully designed, highlighting historical architecture and landmarks, arts and culture, dining outlets and lifestyle boutiques.

The HKTB will also work with trade partners to promote guided tours focusing on the richness of Central, and local celebrities as well as long-time expats to introduce the district’s charms and hidden gems through PR campaigns and digital platforms.

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