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Peregrine starts tours in Australia, NZ

By DIANA PLATER - AAP

29 January 2008 - Adventure travel company Peregrine, which started with trekking tours in the Himalayas, has finally made it to Australasia.

Now operating on seven continents, it's kicking off its 30th birthday year with the introduction of a new range of adventure holidays in Australia and New Zealand.

It will run a range of small group, environmentally and culturally sensitive holidays led by local experts.

From the Top End to Tasmania and across the Tasman, the new program includes walking, trekking, cycling and four wheel drive tours.

Peregrine Marketing Manager Jane Reed says part of the catalyst for setting up tours here was feedback from repeat clients who had gone on overseas trips but also wanted to do similar ones here.

The average age for Peregrine clients is 47, who are normally fairly active and prefer not to travel in large coaches.

The company held meetings with Aboriginal Tourism Australia to discuss ways to incorporate indigenous tours into their itineraries and these have been included in several of them.

For example as part of its Uluru and Outback Trails seven-day trip it heads south to Cave Hill, across the South Australian border, where Aboriginal landowners will teach about their lifestyle and show ancient cave paintings.

Another, the rarely-walked seven-day Dreaming Place Trek is an unmarked trail through some of the Top End's most dramatic scenery. From the remote community of Manyallaluk, across savannah woodlands through the Katherine River Valley and into Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge, it's described as a rare opportunity to explore all 13 gorges on foot with a local Aboriginal leader.

It finishes with a canoe trip, paddling beneath towering cliffs in the wilderness of the gorge.

The Dreaming Place Trek costs $2490 ($NZ2886.95) per person (carrying own pack) and includes a Peregrine tour leader, local guide, transport, canoe hire, park entrance fees, most meals and camping gear. There are two departures from Katherine in July and September.

Other tours include the Larapinta Trail in the Northern Territory, the Overland Track in Tasmania and Milford Sound and Stewart Island in New Zealand.

Peregrine, which is dedicated to "responsible tourism", will also be launching its Peregrine Community Trust in March, which clients can make donations to.

It will fund community projects that advance environmental conservation, education and employment within the tourism and hospitality industries. On-going projects include Save the Albatross and future ones could include the Cape York Turtle Rescue program, working with Aboriginal landowners.

IF YOU GO

To introduce the new program, Peregrine is offering a 10 per cent discount off all Australia and New Zealand 2008 departures that are booked and deposited before February 29 excluding the Mt Cook Expedition and the Mountaineering Course.

Details visit Peregrineadventures.com.

Source: stuff.co.nz

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