Getting the flavour of…
Getting serious on safari
From animal tracking to astronomy and radio drills, you’ll learn an array of “bush skills” on one of Ecotraining’s African safari guide courses. You’ll also enjoy a more “immersive” experience of the wild than on a traditional safari – and at a fraction of the price, says Richard Madden in The Daily Telegraph. The company, which has been training professional guides for more than 20 years, offers courses ranging from seven to 28 days to tourists of all ages, at camps in Botswana, South Africa, Kenya and Zimbabwe. There are daily lectures, with game drives and walks led by participants. Courses climax in a night bivouacking under the stars, listening out for the “gut-vibrating” snarls of lions. Courses cost from £935 for seven days, excluding international flights (+27 13 752 2532, www.ecotraining.co.za).
Hiking Spain’s Coast of Death
Its boats Spain’slikely “dastardlyto over Costa thrill the da you, seas” centuriesMortenot have kill (Coast– claimedbut you, as of saysa scores Death)hiker, Richardof is Mellor in The Times. In Galicia, at the country’s northwestern tip, it is wild and varied, a “rambling reverie” of empty beaches, vast dunes, wetlands and desolate rockscapes. A single 91-mile path traverses most of its length – the Camiño dos Faros, or Lighthouse Way. It is a tough, lonely, six-day walk, with some “lung-busting” climbs and few reliable waymarks – but well worth it for the sights en route, including megalithic tombs, a cemetery for shipwrecked English sailors, and the beautiful sandy resorts of Laxe and Muxía. Camino Ways (020-3468 1516, www.caminoways.com) has a 7-night self-guided trip from £630pp, excluding flights.
Surfing in style in Morocco
Formerly a “ramshackle” hippy outpost once visited by Jimi Hendrix, the Moroccan village of Taghazout is now a well-known surfing destination. It still has a scruffy charm, says Carole Cadwalladr in the FT, and it’s a good place to learn the sport – just a three-hour flight from London, with great breaks, beautiful beaches, and a fine new boutique hotel that hosts courses for beginners. Built by British surfing enthusiasts Ollie Boswell and Ben O’hara, the Amouage is a “modernist, light-filled” dream decked out in Berber rugs and modern art, with big rooms and a garden with an infinity pool and plenty of hammocks. Guests eat well, at communal meals, and can enjoy sunrise and sunset yoga classes on the roof – great for easing aches induced by the daily surf classes with the excellent Berber instructors. Surf Maroc (01794-322 709, www.surfmaroc.com) has a week’s course at the Amouage from £574, half-board, excluding flights.