home / news / exclusive special interest holidays - 2013

Exclusive Special Interest Holidays - 2013

Our plans for 2013 are taking shape and we have some new inspiring holidays to offer you.  For painters we are again working with the most famous and admired professional artists – Ken Howard OBE, RA, Lucy Willis, Hazel Soan, David Bellamy and Glyn Macey. We start off in the spring with a new destination – the exotic island of Sri Lanka with Hazel Soan.  It’s a long way to Sri Lanka so the whole time will be spent painting in and around the world heritage site of Galle Fortress. We have timed the trip to benefit from typically the best weather conditions and when Blue Whales can be seen out at sea. For accommodation we are taking over exclusively a wonderful former colonial house, now a homely and fabulously atmospheric hotel set amidst lush gardens with a path leading down to the river. For more experienced painters and anyone wishing to work in oils there is another opportunity to join Ken Howard OBE, RA to Morocco. Every day will be spent painting in the friendly traditional fishing town of Essaouria, a long favourite with many artists including Tom Coates.  With direct flights and luxury accommodation this is a painting holiday not to be missed. Later in the summer there is the opportunity to paint wild mountain landscapes in the Canadian Rockies with David Bellamy. In the autumn we have a unique trip to capture architectural gems in two fabulous cities – Istanbul and Tiblisi, where East meets West with travelling artist Lucy Willis and Hazel Soan will be leading a lovely painting holiday to Verona and Lake Garda.  The year culminates with a structured painting course for beginners and intermediates in Venice with Glyn Macey. Accommodation is on Dorsoduro within walking distance of the iconic Venice sights and enabling you to paint quieter and lesser known canals.

Our wildlife trips are being planned around endangered species and to unique wilderness areas with the best experts in the field - Simon King OBE, Prof Claudio Sillero, Stephen Mills and Dr Greg Rasmussen.  We start the year off with a no frills but very special Masai Mara safari, a wildlife extravaganza to the Camargue and a special Shetland safari, all with Simon King OBE. Stephen Mills will be leading a Big Game safari in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania and a special mountain gorilla expedition in Bwindi and the Parc National des Volcans. We very much hope that Stephen also plans to co-host a safari with his friend and colleague Dr Greg Rasmussen in Zimbabwe to see first-hand the work being done to conserve wild dogs in Africa and to enjoy other wildlife in Mana Pools and Hwange National Parks.  There will be another opportunity to join Claudio Sillero and the EWCP team and experience living with Ethiopian wolves and help collate vital demographic data for EWCP’s on-going conservation work at a time when many of the packs have their pups and den activity is most rewarding.

We are still planning some of the programme details and thinking about new ones. So please bear with us and let us know what interests you. The number of places is always limited and we would like to send you advance details as soon as they are available.

Painting Holidays
In association with The Artist & Leisure Painter Magazines

9 – 22 March	Sri Lanka with Hazel Soan	£4,495.00
10 – 17 March	Essaouira, Morocco with Ken Howard OBE, RA	£2,150.00
17 – 24 March	Essaouira, Morocco with Ken Howard OBE, RA	£2,150.00
1 – 14 September	The Canadian Rockies with David Bellamy	£4,995.00
22 Sept – 3 Oct	Architectural treasures of Istanbul & Tiblisi with Lucy Willis	TBC
28 Sept – 9 Oct	Verona and Lake Garda with Hazel Soan	£3,275.00
3 - 11 November	Painting workshop in Venice with Glyn Macey	TBC

Wildlife, Photographic & Conservation Safaris
In association with BBC Wildlife & Wildlife Whisperer, Ethiopian Wolf Conservation, Painted Dog Conservation

20 – 28 January	Big Cat Safari with Simon King OBE	£4,795.00
20 – 26 April	Camargue wildlife with Simon King OBE	£3,495.00
28 June – 6 July	Shetland Safari with Simon King OBE	£2,795.00
July?	African Wild Dog safari with Dr Greg Rasmussen and Stephen Mills	TBC
June/July	East African Big Game safari in the Serengeti & Ngorongoro Crater with Stephen Mills	TBC
September	Mountain gorilla expedition in Uganda & Rwanda with Stephen Mills	TBC
6 – 16 November	Ethiopian wolf conservation safari with EWCP & Prof Claudio Sillero	TBC