London - Arab Today
Enjoy an authentic Middle East experience this summer
Leading family adventure travel specialists, Imaginative Traveller, are offering over 30 adventurous trips of between eight and 19 days across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Central and South America.
The 22-year-old company say it\'s seen a rise in demand for more off-the-beaten-track family adventures, hence significantly bolstering its trip range this year.
\"It\'s noticeable that families still want the security of an organised trip from a reputable company, but are becoming much more adventurous when it comes to the type of destinations they choose,\" says Kate Hudson, Sales Manager.
According to Kate, the three most popular destinations in the 32-strong trip range are: Morocco, Turkey and Africa (South and East). \"Parents with younger children generally prefer the shortest flight times from Europe, hence the perennial popularity of Morocco for example, available for children as young as two years, but once the kids are older, say from eight years upwards, the more likely they are to consider long haul trips such as Cuba or Borneo,\" she says.
Whatever the destination chosen, each trip has been designed to balance exciting activities with the optimum blend of free time and activities and all offer up-close and personal encounters with the people and places in each destination - such as homestays as diverse as a jungle camps to sleeping under the stars in the Sahara in traditional Bedouin tents.
Here are the trips Imaginative Traveller believe will be the most popular family adventures for the school summer break in 2013.
Complete Turkey
Trip highlights include: Ephesus, once renowned as one of the seven wonders of the world; Cappadocia\'s unique chimney stacks; the \'swiss cheese holes\' of the underground city of Derinkuyu; Fethiye and the Turkish coast; wandering around Istanbul, a blend of West and East, ancient and modern.
Kids in the Kasbah, Morocco
Imagine the twisting alleyways of an ancient medina, a crowded souk full of colourful pottery and carpets or the sound of a muezzin calling to prayer drifting across an orange plantation. Morocco offers all this and more - complete with a stunning backdrop of the snow-capped Atlas Mountains. This short adventure provides a fabulous introduction to these exciting highlights. You visit the old walled city of Marrakech and more out-of-the way places that few tourists get to see - such as the remote villages of the Berbers, hidden away in the folds of the Atlas Mountains. Move on to the Atlantic coast to ride camels along the beach and explore the old pirate hideout of Essaouira - packed with colour and atmosphere.
Journey to the Lost City, Amman
Visit the ancient Roman city of Jerash, which has survived an incredible 2,300 years. Take to 4WD vehicles to explore the towering sandstone landscapes of Wadi Rum and camp Bedouin-style, under vast, star-filled skies. Petra, the superb \'pink city\' of the Nabateans which was hewn by hand from solid rock is a highlight of the trip. Explore Kerak - a key staging post for the Crusaders and descend to the lowest point on Earth, the incredible Dead Sea, where you\'ll swim in its salty and amazingly buoyant waters - an amazing end to an amazing trip.
East Africa Family Safari
Trip highlights include: Visiting an elephant orphanage and Giraffe sanctuary, taking a camel ride out to Masai villages, spot the Big 5 in the Serengeti camping in the park overnight, camping on the edge of the Ngorongoro Crater to see some of its 30,000 animals, visiting an education project for local street kids, spending 3 days relaxing on the spice island of Zanzibar, on its beaches or at the hotel pool.
Breathtaking Burma
Find mythical landscapes, ancient treasures and some of the world\'s friendliest people. From golden Buddha\'s and busy markets, magical temples and the tranquility of Inle Lake - Burma will excite, impress and intrigue those of all ages. Like travelling back in a time-machine, you will experience South East Asia as it was twenty years ago - brimming with rarely seen sights and generations of exciting stories just waiting to be told. Come and uncover a little bit of Burma magic with us on this amazing family adventure.