Impressions of
India 2018
Itinerary
Day 1: Delhi
Day 2: Jaipur
Day 3: Bharatpur
Day 4: Vrindavan
Day 5: Vrindavan
Day 6: Vrindavan
Day 7: Agra
Day 8: Agra
Day 9: Gwalior
Day 10: Orchha
Day 11: Khajuraho
Day 12: Night train
Day 13: Varanasi
Day 14: Varanasi
Day 15: Trip ends
Steve has travelled in India countless times, but has never taken part in the incredibly colourful and chatic Holi Festival. Noted for the joyful throwing of paint and coloured powder, Holi is at the heart of this exciting photography tour.
This itinerary will visit many of the most famous site of this incredible country, as well as a number of less visited and more hidden places. You will see the Taj Mahal, the great forts at Amber and Gwalior, as well as the erotic carvings on the temple at Khajuraho. We will see pilgrims in temples, and also bathing in the holy River Ganges at Varanasi - one of the most spiritual places in the country. Travelling by train, rickshaw, boat and bus we will see both the ancient and modern India, and have the chance to photograph countless expressive faces, ancient places and even unspoilt landscapes and birds.
The trip will include extensive photography tuition from professional travel photographer, Steve Davey, countless photo opportunities and the company of fellow photography enthusiasts, as well as the chaos of the Hindu festival of Holi.
Our adventure starts in the busy capital city of New Delhi, before heading into Rajasthan and the pink city of Jaipur. Here we will visit the City Palace, as well as the Hawa Mahal - the Palace of Winds. From Jaipur we drive to Bharatpur - home to one of the most famous bird sanctuaries in India.
A short hop takes us to Vrindavan where we will base ourselves for the Holi Festival - also visiting the nearby city of Mathura, the birthplace of Lord Krishna.We will stay here for three nights to explore the Holi Festival at a number of different locations and temples.
Another short drive takes us to Agra, where we will have a little time to gather our breath from the festival - and to photograph the Taj Mahal at sunrise, of course! One of the most beautiful buildings in India, everyone should visit the Taj at least once in their lifetimes.
Crossing into the state of Madhya Pradesh our next stop is the city of Gwalior - home to an intricate hilltop fort and a Royal Palace that is a byword for the wealth and power of the Maharajahs.
Continuing through Madhya Pradesh we spend an atmospheric night at the little visited city of Orchha, before continuing on to glean a few ideas from the erotically carved temples of Khajuraho! Guaranteed to make even the most broadminded person blush – these temples hark back to the days of the Kama Sutra!
Our final destination is the Holy city of Varanasi, or Kashi. Blessed with amazing light and graced by the holy River Ganges, Varanasi attracts pligrims from all over India as well as wandering holymen called sadhus who sport great dreadlocks and often perform incredibe Yogic feats.
Our tour finishes in Varanasi, allowing you to explore further, or to catch a cheap flight back to Delhi for your return flight.
Please note: this is an exploratory trip. Steve has travelled to most of the places on this itinerary, but never during the Holi Festival. This exploratory nature is reflected in the trip price. We will, however, have expert local people to guide us and to help us have the best experience and also come back with some excellent pictures!
The price quoted is per person. Prices for our this trip is based on a twin share basis: that is on two people sharing a room.
If you are travelling with a partner, or a friend, then this doesn't affect you, but if you are travelling on your own, you will be paired up with another same-sex member of the group to share with.
Sharing a room, or paying the single supplement is compulsory on this trip. To keep the price as low as possible for everyone, we simply can't let anyone have a single room without paying for it.
This means that we will have to manage the rooming lists carefully, so that this situation doesn't crop up. Unfortunately this means that the availability of places or the availability of the optional single supplement cannot be guaranteed. When making a booking, the more flexible that you can be over rooming and dates, the more likely you will be to get a place!
This tour is organised and led by Steve Davey | The land arrangements are sub-contracted to Intrepid Travel, but the tours don't appear on the Intrepid Travel website | The only way to book is through this site! | ||
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Our return to the breathtaking country of Namibia manages to fit all of the highlights of this most photogenic of countries into an action packed, and adventurous fifteen days.
Adventure doesn't mean that we will roughing it though: we will be travelling in a large overland truck, giving us plenty of space for camera bags and a window each. We will also be staying at some amazing properties, not just for the luxury, but because they will give us special pgotographic access. Staying at the Sossus Dune Lodge inside the park at Sossusvlei gives us special access to the park before anyone else, which means that you can get to the hauntingly beautiful dry pan of Dead Vlei in order to witness the sunset, and before the crowds of course. Staying at Okakuejo, in Etosha National Park, means that you can spend the night at their floodlit waterhole: in my opinion the best in Africa, and your best chance of seeing the critically endangered Black Rhino anywhere on the continent.
There are two dates for this trip: one led by Steve Davey, and the other by Jamie Marshall, who has travelled widely in Namibia, and led our tour to Ladakh.
We start our adventure in the capital of Windhoek, before driving south to the Quiver Tree Forest, where we hope to photograph star trails over these strangely shaped endemic trees. Moving further SOuth, we come to the little known Fish River Canyon. Although reached by few tourists, this is te second largest canyon in the world, after the Grand Canyon. Staying ina comfortable lodge, we can photograph at sunrise and sunset.
Driving to the coast we stay at the pretty town of Luderitz, before visiting the ghost town of Kolmanskop - which was constructed in the German style at the height of a diamond boom, before being deserted and reclaimed by the shifting desert sands.
The highlight of any trip to Namibia are the dunes of the eponymous Namib Desert, most specifically at Sossusvlei. This is our next location, and we stay inside the park to give is special access, allowing us to be at the haunting dry pan of Dead Vlei in time for the sunrise.
Mid way through our trip, we send a couple of nights exploring the vibrant town of Swakopmund on the coast. We have time to explore the touwn and the surrounding area, including the flamingoes at nearby Walvis Bay, before heading north to Damaraland, stopping en route to see the thousands of Fur Seals at the Cape Cross Seal Sanctuary, and the ancient rock art at Twyfelfontein.
Damaraland is home to the colourful Himba people, and also a chance to look out for a rare sub-species of Desert Elephant. The wildlife theme continues with two nights at Okakuejo Camp in the Etosha National park - famous for the floodlit waterhole, which is the best place in Africa to see Black Rhino.
Our final journey is a drive back to Windhoek, for our final night in Namibia and a chance to review our best shots from the trip.
We have two dates organised for this itinerary. The first is led by Steve Davey, and departs Windhoek on the 23 September; the second is led by photographer Jamie Marshall and 14 October, each for 15 days. Even this far ahead, there is a high demand for accommodation, and we have had to vary the properties slightly, but to all intents and purposes, the trips will be identical. We are even endeavouring to have the same local Intrepid leader for both trips.
Jamie has travelled widely in Namibia. He has accompanied me on two trips, and also led a photography tour to Ladakh for us in the past. You can see more of his work here.
Please indicate on your booking whether you would prefer the first, or the second trip, or whether you have no preference. The more flexible you can be, the more likely we are to be able to offer you a place.
Highlights of this trip
• Dead Vlei sunrise
• Kolmanskop ghost town
• Cape Cross Seal colony
• Relaxed Swakopmund
• Etosha National Park
• Extensive photographic tuition
better travel photography•COM
impressions of namibia
impressions of namibia
photo tours with steve davey
Website, Images and text © Steve Davey/stevedavey.com 1990 - 2019
Land arrangements are sub-contracted to Intrepid Travel, who have many years experience in running small group adventures.
Bookings are made through the Intrepid Special Groups Dept. in the UK not the Intrepid website or Stores. Use this link for more information
Impressions of Namibia Itinerary
Day 1: Windhoek
Day 2: Keetmanshoop
Day 3: Fish River Canyon
Day 4: Luderitz
Day 5: Sossusvlei
Day 6: Sossusvlei
Day 7: Swakopmund
Day 8: Swakopmund
Day 9: Twyfelfontein
Day 10: Damaraland
Day 11: Damaraland
Day 12: Etosha
Day 13: Etosha
Day 14: Windhoek
Day 15: Tour ends
There are two departures:
Start:23 Sept. 2020
End: 7 October 2020
Code: NA201
Min 8, max 12 people
Places left: 12
Trip to be confirmed
________
Start:14 Oct. 2020
End: 28 Oct. 2020
Code: NA202
Min 8, max 12 people
Places left: 6
Trip to be confirmed
________
Price for either trip:
From £3995 pp
excl. international flights, based on
Optional single supplement: £450
Estimated international
flight cost £750
We have two departures for this tour - each led by a different photographer. Each will be identical, although we have had to use a couple of different properties due to availability. The more flexible you can be over dates, the more likely you are to get a place on this great trip.