Holiday Ideas April

The Galapagos offer a unique opportunity to view animals in their natural habitat . Charles Darwin, in 1835, developed his theories on evolution after having explored these enchanting islands. Each island is completely different - from large mountainous peaks shrouded in mist and forest to mere reefs of submerged rock and coral. You can snorkel with penguins and sea-lions, be enchanted by the dance of the blue-footed boobies or observe the antics of the waved albatross. April is an ideal time to witness the unbridled natural beauty of the Galapagos.

The Waved Albatrosses, unique with bright yellow beaks, yellow-cream necks and head and brown bodies, can be found nesting on the Espanola island in the Galapagos in large colonies. Spending part of the year at sea, a visit to the islands durng April, when the male returns waiting for his female mate. After the young are grown and have been nurtured,  they follow their parents heading to the west pacific. As they parents return to mate again, their young stay away, sometime for up to 6 years before they return to find their own mate.

The birds can be heard making sounds as they begin their courtships with other birds. Dancing around each other, they playfully fence against each other using their beaks. This ritual dance is often more engaged and longer when it is the beginning of a new courtship with the birds making sounds, dancing and swaying together.

Cooler temperatures in April provide an ideal climate for exploring Morocco's ruins, tombs and mosques, or trekking in the Atlas Mountains. Temperatures during April warm and pleasant.

Lying at the northwest extremity of Africa, Morocco is the closest Arab land to Europe. For centuries its strategic location attracted the attention of the great civilisations of the ancient world. Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Romans occupied this historic land before the conquering armies of Islam poured forth from Arabia in the 7th century. Morocco has a bit of everything, including ancient cities such as Marrakesh whose spectacular setting against the snow-capped High Atlas Mountains lingers long in the minds of most travellers.The mountains, located only an hour from Marrakech spanning for 2,400 kilometers with three main mountain ranges, with heights reaching above 4,000 meters. The famous Djemaa el-Fna square provides a great open-air spectacle in the world, where jugglers and storytellers jostle for position with magicians and acrobats. One of Morocco’s most famous impressive sights to take a visit and explore is the Ouarzazate film studios. Having been a backdrop for some of the big blockbuster films, such as Star Wars and The Gladiator, the studios provide an opportunity to discover behind-the-scenes. Other intriguing cities include Fes and Rabat, not to mention the attractive coastal resorts and the vast Sahara Desert.

Laos is one of the most laid-back countries in South East Asia and a great place to explore, with its people being some of the warmest and friendliest in Indo-China. Highlights include Luang Prabang, the jewel of Laothian tourism and Pak Beng, a peaceful village home to many tribal people. Also in the south you can explore ancient Khmer ruins or the mysterious north east ''Plain of Jars''. April is a fantastic time to visit Laos as it coincides with the three day Pimay Festival celebrating the Laos New Year. In Luang Prabang they include water pouring ceremonies, where Budda images are washed and offerings of fruit and flowers are made at various altars. People take to the streets to douse each other in water and there are magnificent elephant processions. This festival provides an insight into the religion, beliefs and traditions of the Lao population.

The Hunter Valley, one of Australia’s oldest wine regions, hosts the annual Semillon and Seafood festival. Wine tasting of the valleys home produced wines, master classes in cooking some of the fresh produce from the region and cooking classes to try and create some of the chef’s recipes make this festival an exciting and popular time.

Wine connoisseurs gather together from the Hunter Valley region to celebrate the Semillon, offering wine tasting and the opportunity to meet the winemakers. With live music playing in the background, this is a festival not to be missed.

The Sanno Matsuri festival, or as it is more popularly known, the Takayama Matsuri festival, one of the country’s most colourful festivals, takes place in the spring of each year.

Matsuri, translating to festival or holiday, attracts visitors to Tokyo from all over Japan to engage in the celebrations. Having began over 350 years ago, the festival is considered to be one of three of the most beautiful festivals in Japan. The spectacular floats are the main attractions of the festivals, which are decorated with carvings, marionettes; puppet like dolls and exquisite colourful decorations.

The festival begins with a ritual ceremony before all of the floats make their way through the town, admired by crowds of local people and visitors. The local people join in by wearing traditional bright costumes and the performances by the dolls are dedicated to the gods. This continues into the evening with a Night Festival with the floats continuing to travel through the town. As the festival resumes on the second day, the performances of the marionettes come to an end as the main god from the shrine is taken to visit each house in the town. The festival is drawn to a close by returning to the shrine for a traditional ceremony.