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VENTFLASH #299 North Atlantic Cruises in 2024 with VENT & Aurora Expeditions July 6, 2023 Dear friends: In 2024, VENT will again offer 150 tours to more than 100 destinations worldwide. The majority of these trips will be traditional land-based departures, but we will also operate a number of birding and natural history cruises. In particular, I am pleased to announce that VENT’s relationship with cruise partner Aurora Expeditions continues next year with two special North Atlantic cruises: Wild Scotland and Svalbard Odyssey. I am equally pleased to let you know that opportunities for savings are available! Discounts off the quoted rates are available on select cabins on each trip. What’s more, an additional discount of $500 per person is available for registrations between now and August 1, 2023.
For birders and nature enthusiasts, each of these cruises promises exceptional experiences with birds, wildlife, and landscapes. Our Wild Scotland cruise will appeal especially to those who seek a broader travel experience, as that trip includes many options for history, culture, and sightseeing. I emphasize that these trips are ideal for those with a non-birding spouse or partner. For both trips, we’ll travel aboard the Greg Mortimer, a state-of-the-art expedition vessel beautifully designed and appointed, and featuring the vaunted X-BOW technology, which allows for a smoother journey than previously possible on ships of this class. Moreover, the ship was designed with the highest environmentally sensitive standards in mind including some of the least polluting fuel in the industry. Each trip will be led by an experienced VENT tour leader, while aboard ship you will be in the company of an excellent expedition staff who bring knowledge of a variety of disciplines including history, geology, culture, and more.
Looking ahead, I expect 2024 will be a banner year for travel. I hope you will consider joining us on one or both of these marvelous voyages. I encourage you to register soon to take advantage of these rare opportunities for savings. Wild Scotland aboard the Greg Mortimer, May 26–June 7, 2024 with Rick Wright; cabins start at $11,295 per person in double occupancy (Category C Balcony Stateroom) from Edinburgh (ends in Aberdeen). Register now and receive a discount up to 20% off the quoted rate on select cabins, while supply lasts. Receive an additional discount of $500 per person if registering between now and August 1, 2023!
This beautiful cruise explores a number of Scotland’s most evocative locations—Inner Hebrides, Outer Hebrides, St. Kilda, the Shetlands, Fair Isle, and Orkneys—in traveling from Oban in the southwest to Aberdeen in the northeast. Our birding endeavors include visits to some of the most important seabird breeding grounds in the Atlantic, to islands hosting colonies of Great Skua, Common Murre, Razorbill, Black Guillemot, Atlantic Puffin, European and Leach’s storm-petrels, Northern Fulmar, Northern Gannet, Great Cormorant, and more, while shore excursions bring opportunities to sight an array of waterfowl, shorebirds, and landbirds such as Common Eider, Northern Lapwing, Red-throated Loon, Eurasian Jay, Rook, Eurasian Blue Tit, Song Thrush, European Robin, Dunnock, and Rock Pipit, among many others. In tandem with our natural history pursuits, this trip emphasizes a number of Scotland’s superb historical, cultural, and scenic attractions including ancient villages and fortresses, Fingal’s Cave, and the archaeological wonders that are Jarlshof, Skara Brae, the Standing Stones of Callanish, the Ring of Brodgar, and more.
Representing VENT on this voyage is Rick Wright, a veteran tour leader with much experience guiding tours in Europe. Rick is the author of several books about birds and birding, and oversees VENT’s program of Birds & Art tours in Europe. He is an excellent field observer and educator. Please click here to review the field report from our 2022 voyage. Svalbard Odyssey aboard the Greg Mortimer, June 18–30, 2024 with Rafael Galvez; cabins start at $14,895 per person in double occupancy from Longyearbyen. Register now and receive a discount up to 15% off the quoted rate on select cabins, while supply lasts. Receive an additional discount of $500 per person if registering between now and August 1, 2023!
Located due north of Norway, 600 miles from the North Pole, the Svalbard Archipelago (Spitsbergen) is often described as the world's greatest place to experience the High Arctic ecosystem. People have been traveling to this destination in ever-increasing numbers, partly because of the remarkable wildlife and scenic wonders found there, and partly because of the attention on global climate change. It is a fact that Svalbard may be the best place in the world to see Polar Bears. Our recently completed voyage there, last month, with Aurora Expeditions, recorded six of the great white bears. Other wildlife we'll seek are special denizens of the far north including nesting Pink-footed and Barnacle geese, King Eider, Red Phalarope, Purple Sandpiper, Ivory Gull, Great Skua, Black Guillemot, Atlantic Puffin, and blizzards of Dovekies. Cruising at sea, we'll watch for a variety of marine mammals such as Bearded and Ringed seals, Walrus, and Fin Whales. By Zodiac, we’ll venture closer to glaciers and colonies of breeding seabirds.
VENT tour leader David Ascanio led this year’s trip. He used words such as “magical” and “beautiful” to describe what is really not just a birding trip, but an all-around natural history experience. His field report will be available in the coming weeks. Our 2024 voyage will be led by Rafael Galvez, an excellent field observer and artist with considerable experience birding in Europe. I hope you will consider joining one of these fine departures. Best wishes, Victor Emanuel
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