Unique trail for whale watching in Scotland

SCOTLAND'S west coast offers excellent opportunities for accessible, land-based whale watching, with a remarkable range of species to be spotted. The region’s seas are home to around a quarter of the world’s whale and dolphin species – including bottlenose, Risso’s and common dolphins, harbour porpoises, minke whales and Orca.

People are being asked to contribute ideas for top sites for spotting whales, dolphins and porpoises from land on Scotland’s west coast, to help create a Hebridean Whale Trail that will be the first of its kind in the UK. The high-profile trail will be a network of around 25 world-class whale-watching and whale heritage sites. Its development is being led by charity Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust.

The project will promote #Scotland as one of Europe’s best destinations for spotting whales, dolphins and porpoises – collectively known as #cetaceans – and champion conservation of the Hebrides’ unique, globally important marine wildlife and environment.

Due for a summer 2019 launch, the ambitious initiative will connect and support existing wildlife tourism businesses and heritage sites of national cultural significance that showcase the history of people’s relationships with whales in the Hebrides. Many of these will be small, community-run visitor centres at spectacular sites.

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Whale of a celebration

CHANNEL Islands Harbor, USA celebrates the migration of the Pacific Gray Whale with its Annual Celebration of the Whales. Each winter, these enchanting whales migrate through the Santa Barbara Channel on their way to the lagoons of Mexico, where the females will give birth. 

Whale watching excursions to the Channel Islands National Park are offered daily from Channel Islands Harbor and provide sightseers the best opportunities for viewing the whales, which are up to 50 feet long and weigh approximately 36 tons, as they travel south. Excursions begin January 5 and run through mid-April 2018.

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Swim with Whales in Tonga

THE biggest-ever whale swim season in Tonga – both in numbers of whales and travellers – has been chronicled in two compelling, new, short videos produced for Majestic Whale Encounters that capture the beauty and power of swimming with the gentle humpbacks in the kingdom’s tropical lagoons. The inspiring and moving clips – both under four minutes long and now available for viewing on www.majesticwhaleencounters.com.au

Following a bumper whale swim season in Tonga for Majestic Whale Encounters, with more whales than ever and bookings for the Australian eco operator up 15 per cent on last year, Majestic Whale Encounters will offer eight eight-night whale swim tours in Tonga in 2018.

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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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Kaikoura open for business

SINCE the Kaikoura earthquake last November Tourism New Zealand has been ensuring international travel sellers are aware that #NewZealand and the #Kaikoura region are open for business.

“We are doing a lot of work to ensure that travel sellers continue to recommend Kaikoura as a destination," says René de Monchy, Director Trade, PR and Major Events at Tourism New Zealand.

“We are encouraging trade agents to come to Kaikoura and see for themselves that Kaikoura is up and running and some are taking this opportunity.”

“Understandably there has been a drop off in travel to Kaikoura in the wake of the earthquake. As access improves, more tourists are arriving but it will take some time to get back to the way it was.”

Tourism New Zealand will continue to work with travel sellers and focus on autumn sales and beyond.

Almost ninety per cent of tourism activity providers in Kaikoura are now operating again. Whale watching, dolphin encounters and albatross encounters are operating daily, offering plenty of activities for visitors in town.

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Picture Credit: By Lena89851230304 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30811216

Whale watching in the Dominican Republic

JANUARY through March, thousands of Humpback Whales migrate from the polar North Atlantic to the northeastern peninsula of the #DominicanRepublic. Visitors to Punta Cana can now see this amazing natural phenomenon with two different #Whale watching #excursion options to choose from.

Samana Bay has long been the home of one of the largest and most important Humpback breeding grounds in the world. Large pods of whales make their way to the warm waters of the Caribbean to compete for mates and birth their calves. With around 300 whales present in the Bay at anytime during these winter months this is what has earned the Samana Bay the classification as one of the top Whale watching destinations in the world.

Due to strict regulations protecting the whales, the only way to get a glimpse of these magnificent creatures is through an authorized whale watching tour.

• Private Plane Excursion, which in addition to whale watching, includes a bonus visit to the renowned Limon Waterfall. 

• Whale Watching tours by bus, which travels along the recently constructed Uvero Alto - Miches Highway. 

Both excursions include a visit to the beautiful island of Cayo Levantado.

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Picture Credit: theglobalpanorama flickr.com/photos/121483302@N02/15872957674 Humpback Whale via photopin

Whale Shark tours in Cancun

WHALE Shark Tours & Cancun Snorkel Tours are joining forces with Caribbean Connection to provide the most exciting water tours in #Cancun.

Roddrigo Sidney The “WHALE SHARK DADDY” owner of Cancun Whale Shark & Snorkel tours has helped more than 40,000 adventure seekers since 2004 to enjoy the best Isla Holbox & Cancun has to offer for an exciting day “On The Water”, snorkeling with whale sharks, turtles, dolphins and myriads of other aquatic life in mother natures aquarium.

Whale Shark Daddy now joins forces with Caribbean Connection Cancun's premier tour operator to better serve their worldwide clients. Caribbean Connection has the most modern boats for all tour offerings with more than 20 years experience serving Cancun’s tour industry

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What’s new in Iceland

COMPRISING natural pools and springs, an icy pool, heated walkway and a tranquillity room, the Krauma Nature Baths in Reykholt offers Icelandic relaxation. The pools, which are built from natural materials and free from chemicals, are sourced from the Deildartunguhver and Raudsgill springs. There are two steam baths, and for those who dare, an ice cold bath. The baths are just outside Reykjavik. www.krauma.is

NORTH SAILING has an eco-friendly whale watching vessel, which runs entirely on Iceland's geo-thermal power. The company runs two departures daily on their whale watching tours from Husavik, the capital of whale watching in #Iceland. www.northsailing.is 

TOUR operator The Cave has undertaken work in the Víðgelmir cave in western Iceland, near Reykholt. The cave has a state-of-the-art lighting feature and an access walkway. Víðgelmir cave is the largest lava cave in Iceland and is open for tours.

www.thecave.is/is

ICELANDAIR is to increase its flights from Glasgow to Reykjavik from six a week to seven. www.icelandair.co.uk

WOW air's flight prices from Edinburgh to Iceland have been reduced to £49 one way.

TRAUSTHOLTSHÓLMI is a small – 57 acres – island in Þjórsá in the south of Iceland, intouched by modern development and with electricity from a windmill and harvested rainwater. The island has been in Hákon's family for generations, and it is running day tours to the island until August, with a maximum group size of ten. Also on offer is private hire of the island or rental of the farmhouse. www.thh.is

ICELANDIC FARM HOLIDAYS is offering 11-day tours, a road trip of the country that takes guests along the country’s ring road to see glaciers, hot springs, and waterfalls. This self-drive tour costs from £645 per person and is available year- round. www.farmholidays.is

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Follow the Whale Trail

FROM May to November the waters along the New South Wales coastline will see more than 20,000 whales making their annual migration.

The state’s tourism minister Stuart Ayres says: ‘Whale-watching is one of the most popular activities for visitors to Sydney and New South Wales, with more than 237,000 visitors enjoying a whale or dolphin experience in 2015. The state boasts a huge variety of #whale-watching opportunities from islands, lighthouses, look-outs, foreshores, and national parks right along the coast.’

Destination NSW CEO Sandra Chipchase adds: ‘I encourage everyone to take full advantage of this special time of year and go whale-watching in #NSW. Don't miss The Eden Whale Festival which is held on the last weekend of October, celebrating the annual migration and offering visitors the chance to have a close encounter with a whale.’

Where to see the whales:

• Spend a couple of days whale-watching from one of the 1920-1950's eco-certified beach shacks in the Cape Byron Conservation Area.   

• The Central Coast has many whale-watching vantage points.  

• The Pacific Coast's Whale Watching Trail features 71 of the best places to spot a whale between Avoca Beach and Tweed Heads. 

• See whales from the air in Sydney with Blue Sky Helicopters on a 60-minute flight over Botany Bay and Cape Banks, heading north up the coast towards Palm Beach and Broken Bay. 

• Jervis Bay has land- and sea-based whale-watching options. 

• Eden on the Sapphire Coast … where whales stop in the calm waters of Two Fold Bay. 

www.visitnsw.com
www.wildaboutwhales.com.au 

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Picture Credit: www.wildaboutwhales.com.au