Willis's Walkabouts Newsletter 35, May 2008

Special offers, something to keep you healthy on bushwalks, the best lightweight mossie net I've seen, a Chilean volcano changes our Patagonia trips and more. Read on for details.

In This Issue...
Three Special Offers -- Last Chance for May & June

Only three trips are still available. Our small numbers can give you a win.

  • Kimberley Highlights No. 1: 25 May - 21 June
    This is the ultimate taste of bushwalking in the Kimberley -- five sections any of which can be done on its own. Guide Paul Benjafield would like some company on the drives between Darwin and Kununurra so we are offering a free ride to and from Kununurra. Depart Darwin on 23 May for a two day photographic drive going over and return on 22 June. This saves you hundreds of dollars in air fares. There's more.
    Book and pay for sections 3 to 5 or any combination of those sections and take 20% off. No other discounts apply with this offer. Offer expires ten days from when this newsletter is sent.
    We will have only one vehicle on this trip. The seven seats are full on the first two sections. If you want to join the Bungles section, we may be able to provide a flight in both directions. Please contact us urgently if you are interested in sections one or two.
  • Pilbara: Karijini National Park: 15-28 June
    Karijini contains one of the most spectacular gorge systems in Australia. It is, however, well off the beaten track and little known so our trip often doesn't run. We think it's so good that we've guaranteed departure for a very small group. We'd like a few more so ...
    Book and pay for the full trip or either section and take 20% off. No other discounts apply with this offer.
    Want to know more?
    This link will take you to a report one of our clients wrote about our 2002 trip. That was the last time the trip ran.
    This link will take you to a Karijini National Park photo gallery.
  • Kakadu Circle No. 2: 22 Jun - 5 July
    A long loop that passes some of Kakadu's most spectacular scenery. Two sections, either of which can be done on its own. Yet another very small group. This trip is a definite departure only because everyone who booked has agreed to pay a surcharge if we don't get another booking. We hate to put surcharges on good trips which people have booked long in advance so we are extending our 20% advance purchase discount to 10 May.
    Want a better idea of what it is like? Have a look at the photo galleries from our May 2006 Kakadu Circle trip. (Note. Section two of this trip finishes at Maguk instead of Gunlom. Otherwise, the route is the same. As this starts a month later than Circle No. 1, it will be cooler and drier.)
    Kakadu Circle No. 1, Koolpin to Jim Jim, May 2006
    Kakadu Circle No. 1, Jim Jim to Gunlom, May 2006
Last Chance for July
Three trips are already definite departures. Book one of these and you can be sure it will run. All are still available. We'll leave the 10% advance purchase discount open for two weeks after this newsletter goes out.

  • Kakadu Highlights No. 5: 6-19 July
    Kakadu's tallest waterfalls. Two great walks, either of which can be done on its own.
    Something new, no extra charge. We have now included a short walk with one of the senior Aboriginal traditional owners of the park between sections.
  • West Macdonnells: 6-19 July
    Two walks on and off the Larapinta Trail in the spectacular Macdonnell Ranges. Either can be done on its own.
  • Durack Explorer: 6-19 July
    This is one of our most under-rated trips. You take a boat to the start of a trek along one of the Kimberley's largest rivers and finish with a bus back to town. In between, you see some truly amazing gorges. I recently put a new Durack River Photo Gallery onto the web site. If you're interested in the Kimberley but have never considereed the Durack, you owe it to yourself to have a look.

The following are the only other July trips still available. As of 5 May, all needed at least two more bookings to become definite departures.

  • Bungle Bungles: 13-26 July
    Two separate walks with a night in accommodation in between. The night's accommodation will give you views you wouldn't get on any of our other Bungles trip.
  • Middle Isdell: 27 July - 17 August
    This is a long walk along another one of the Kimberley's large but little known rivers and some of its more interesting tributaries. A food drop in the middle keeps pack weights manageable. For a better idea what it is like, have a look at our Isdell photo gallery.
  • Kakadu Circle No. 3: 21 July - 5 August
    A long loop that passes some of Kakadu's most spectacular scenery. Two sections, either of which can be done on its own.
  • Kakadu Highlights No. 6: 27 July - 9 August
    Three walks, any of which can be done on its own. The first walk is as easy as any we offer and makes a good warm up for the second and third sections. The trip combines the two largest waterfalls in Kakadu with the beautiful Graveside area.
    Enjoy the beautiful Graveside area in Kakadu and follow it with a walk with an Aboriginal guide.

Any July trip where we can't guarantee departure two months in advance will have to be cancelled. Get in quick if you are interested in any of the above.

As always, the Tour Availability and Specials page on our website will be updated regularly with information aboput special offers and what's still available.
Thirst and Age

According to a recent study, the thirst mechanism in older people turns off before it should. This means that they are more likely to become dehydrated because their brain underestimates how much water their body needs to remain healthy. The best way to prevent this is to drink consistently, even if you are not thirsty.

Click this link for more information about the study and thirst on bushwalks.
The Ultimate Mosquito Net?

If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have believed it -- a free standing mosquito net weighing only 650 grams!

Click here for more photos and the whole, somewhat sad, story.

South Africa 2008

We are back to only one trip to South Africa this year. We've now got two places available, but it may not be possible to do all the walks. The trip is currently scheduled to begin in Cape Town on 8 September and to finish in Johannesburg on 3 November. Here's an update with a draft day by day itinerary.

If you think there is any chance you might be interested, please contact us as soon as possible.
South America -- A Volcano Blows Its Top

We have been running trips to South America since 1990. Most of our recent trips have visited the Chilean region near a town called Chaiten. After doing nothing for about 200 years, the Chaiten volcano has blown its top. Nicolas LaPenn who has provided some of our transport on a number of trips sent us an eyewitness report.

The best description and photos I've found are in this link. Do a Google search for "Chaiten Volcano" if you want to find out more. Exactly how this will change our trips remains to be seen.

A bit about our South America trips.

Our trips all include 'serious' bushwalking, carrying full packs. Every trip is different, most include something which sounds interesting which we haven't tried before. Every time we do a trip, we use the information we gain to try and improve the next one. However, it doesn't take anything as dramatic as the volcano to make things change. What was a magnificent walk on one trip may be much less so on a later trip.

Now, for the first time, two of our clients, Keith and Sib Corbett, have written a report on their trip and have allowed us to publish it. If you've ever thought about joining us in South America, you should have a read.

Our trips are not for everyone. People coming on a trip need to be properly equipped and fit enough for the walks. They need to read everything we send out and should look at the web links to other information which will help them prepare for what they find. On the past few trips, some have thought that the high altitude, semi-desert Condor Circuit was the highlight of the trip. Others have hated it. Some have loved Torres del Paine, others have found it overcrowded and overrated. We hope to offer a trip similar to the one described in the 2007-08 trip report in 2008-09. If you think you might be interested, please send us an email to say so. If we don't get any interest, the trip won't run this year. It's not cheap. Keith and Sib spent $10,500 each. This included $8,900 for airfares (total).

August and Beyond -- Tour Availability

From August onwards, every other trip is still available. Only three have bookings.

  • Kakadu Highlights No. 7: 10-23 August
    Two great walks, either of which can be done on its own. Enjoy the beautiful Graveside area in Kakadu and follow it with a walk with an Aboriginal guide. We need one more booking to guarantee departure.
  • Kakadu Highlights No. 8: 24 Aug - 6 Sept
    Three great walks, any of which can be done on its own. See the place where I had my most special moment in Kakadu.
  • Pilbara: Karijini National Park: 12-25 April, 2009
    We've never had two bookings for this trip this far in advance. Unlike the trip in June, the water will be a pleasant temperature for swimming. This is a trip I've been dreaming about for a long time so I hope to lead it myself.

As always, the Tour Availability and Specials page on our website will be updated regularly with information aaboput special offers and what's still available.
New Registration Form & Two Great Books

I have just made the biggest revision of our registration form that's ever been done.

  • Almost no one orders breakfasts & lunches so that section is gone.
  • The liability release has been rewritten as all groups now normally carry satellite phones.
  • Some of the books we have available have been incredibly popular when people have seen them so I've listed them in the hire gear section. The lighter weight ones can be posted for minimal cost.

The best books I've seen which cover all aspects of Kakadu and the Bungles are put out by Geoscience Australia. As a map dealer, I can also sell these books.

I have updated our Map Index and Sales page with photo scans from the two Geoscience Australia books so that you can get a better idea of what the books are like. I'm not sure that I've formatted the scans in the best possible way. The new links are toward the bottom of the page. Comments welcome.

Back to the registration form ... what have I missed? If you are willing to have a look at the new registration form I'd very much appreciate your comments and suggestions.

Special discounts -- combine them and save even more.

Book now and save! As in the past, if you are one of the first three people who quote this newsletter when booking any Australian trip within two weeks of when we sent it out, you will get an extra 10% discount on any trip where your total discounts are 10% or less. You'll get an extra 5% off if your total discounts are 15% or more. This offer does not apply to the three trips listed in the first section of this newsletter.

Note. There has to be a limit. The maximum total discount on any trip is 35%.

News About This Newsletter

If I've made a mistake with your listing, please accept my apologies, let me know and I'll fix it for next time.

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Best wishes to all.
Russell Willis