With winter nearly upon us here in the Southern Hemisphere it is the perfect time to start planning a break away to sunnier shores.
Below are some destinations to spark your wanderlust. Book today with Adventure Together and make the most of your travel for the remainder of 2018 and beyond.
· Cool festivals to check out this year
| Esala Perahera, Sri Lanka: 17th—27th Aug, 2018. Considered one of the most beautiful pageants in Asia, the Esala Perahera is one of the oldest and grandest of all Buddhist festivals in Sri Lanka, featuring dancers, jugglers, musicians, fire-breathers and lavishly decorated elephants. Celebrated to honour the Sacred Tooth Relic and the four ‘guardian’ Gods Natha, Vishnu, Kataragama and Goddess Pattini, this 10 day festival is a riot of colour and sound. |  |
| Kin Jay Festival, Thailand: 20th—28th Oct, 2018. Running for nine days, the Kin Jay festival in Phuket is lively, chaotic and loud. A throng of people form around the procession while chanting and throwing fire crackers; a lion dance weaves through the crowd and a select few participants actually practice self mutilation in the form of piercing their cheeks with swords, walking on hot coals, and climbing ladders made of knife blades! |  |
| Tazaungdaing—Festival of Lights, Myanmar: 20th to 23rd Nov, 2018 The Tazaungdaing Festival takes place in southern Shan State. Arguably the most spectacular event of the year, this festival marks the end of the rainy season and hosts thousands of tourists and pilgrims alike to enjoy the amateur and expert balloon competitions and gaze at the illuminating paper balloons floating up into the night sky. |  |
· Eco-tourism pick for 2018 - The Elephant Conservation Center, Laos
 | The Elephant Conservation Center is located in northern Laos, just 2 hours from Luang Prabang. Its program is set up around the wellbeing of the endangered Asian Elephant and focuses on both the reproduction and vet care of their 30 strong herd and the education of mahouts. With both experiential and volunteer programmes for visitors running from 2 to 7 days, this is a fantastic opportunity to get up close to the elephants and to support Laos's declining elephant population. |
· Argentina - a new destination for Adventure Together
| My son went to Argentina for the latter part of 2018 for a language exchange and I was fortunate enough to visit this incredible country with my family at the conclusion of his stay. We focused our time in the northern part of the country, taking in spectacular natural sights such as Iguazu Falls, the Salinas Grandis Salt Flats, the rocky deserts on the border with Bolivia and the wildlife rich area of Ibera Wetands. |  |
 | Alongside the natural wonders, the three main cities of Rosario, Cordoba and Buenos Aires were full of colour, stunning architecture and strong cultural elements. I am excited to be able to offer Argentina as an additional destination for my clients. |
