Travel: New walking holiday in awesome Australia

Jam-packed with new holiday ideas for late 2016 / 2017, the Australian Adventure is a fantastic 13- or 15-day adventure embracing Sydney and the Blue Mountains, Uluru (Ayers Rock), Melbourne and the Great Ocean Walk.

The journey begins in the Blue Mountains, where walkers will admire the remarkable beauty of this untamed wilderness in a series of walks. Next the iconic city of Sydney, with its neon lights, fabulous opera house and stunning harbour.

Other highlights – and there are many! – include a walk along Manly Beach while you also visit the majestic Ayers Rock, and then Melbourne – Australia’s vibrant cultural capital. After that you head to the Great Coastal Route with its breath taking views and the wild seas of the ‘shipwrecked coast!

Price are from £3,150 per person includes return flights, transfers, half board accommodation, entrance fees, local guides in Sydney and Melbourne and the services of a dedicated tour leader.

For the first time all local transport costs in connection with the walking programme in 2017 will be included in the holiday price, and no credit card charges, making them even better value for money. Departures from 29 October, 2016 but for more details go onto www.ramblersholidays.co.uk.

Besides the Australian trip, Ramblers have a special 17-day Birds and Wildlife of Sri Lanka holiday providing an opportunity to enjoy exceptional birds and mammals – both terrestrial and marine.

The country is a naturalists’ paradise with 430 species of birdlife and a good chance of encountering leopard, sloth bear Asian elephant and Blue Whale.

Highlights include a visit to the mangroves of Waikkal where you will see wetland birds including, stork, herons, kingfishers and waders.

You also visit the country’s capital Colombo and Kandy located in the lush tropical highlands, habitat to flameback woodpeckers and parakeets, Hill Swallow, Sri Lanka Swallow, Pied Thrush and Kashmir Flycatchers.

Then on to Nuwara Eliya and the Horton Plains with endemics like the Ceylon Whistling Thrush, Yellow-eared Bulbul and Ceylon White-eye. At at Kithulgala there’s a chance to see Serendip Scops Owls, Yellow-billed Coucals and the Red Slender Loris.

At the Sinharaja Forest Reserve you can see fascinating species like the Sri Lanka Junglefowl, Ceylon Frogmouth, Red-faced Malkoha, Blue Magpie, Purple-faced Leaf Money and Giant Squirrel while it’s on to the National Parks of Udawalawe – famed for its Asian elephants – and Yala with its stunning rock outcrops; leopards, sloth bears and deer herds and finally to Mirissa for a boat trip to view Blue Whale, Short-finned Pilot Whale and Spinner Dolphins at close range.

Price from £2,399 per person includes return flights, transfers, half board accommodation and the services of a dedicated tour leader with departures on 27 February 2017 and 12 November 2017.