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A Relaxing
and Intimate Way to Experience Europe
The original "slow boat" holiday
that you can tailor to fit your
personal travel style.
Barge cruising is a unique, relaxed,
self-contained way to explore Europe. You don't travel: your barge does,
carrying an excellent restaurant and comfortable "country house hotel"
along for the ride.
The barging holidays offered by Abercrombie
? Kent travel Europe's country canals, her busy rivers or a combination
of both. Canal trips differ from river itineraries - which is right for
you?
For the most part, canal cruises
emphasize relaxed, leisurely travel in country regions filled with often-overlooked
sightseeing treasures. The actual miles covered on a canal trip are relatively
few, with frequent opportunities for waterside activities such as towpath
walking or cycling and village rambles.
River cruises cover more distance,
more quickly. They too offer a relaxed on-board atmosphere, but here the
emphasis shifts toward a more comprehensive itinerary in town and country,
with more organized sightseeing tours away from the vessel.
All of the barges A?K features carry
no more than 22 passengers per departure, and some as few as 6 or 8.
You will also be able to choose between
a "hotel" or "charter" barge departure. "Hotel" cabins are booked separately
by individual travellers, just like hotel rooms. If meeting new people
and enjoying the camaraderie of travel is part of the fun for you, this
may be your most attractive option.
On "charter" departures, all cabins
on board are reserved for the exclusive use of the chartering party, which
may be a family or a group of friends vacationing together. Barges dedicated
to charter use generally have space for 6 or 8 passengers. If your group
is larger, we'll find you a larger boat or two barges that can travel in
tandem - by special arrangement, any barge A?K features can be chartered.
Specialty departures also cater to
your unique interests. Whether you choose to savor the finest vintages
in the regions where they are produced, play golf on Scotland's challenging
courses, marvel at the springtime tulips of Holland, go antiquing in London
or fish Europe's rivers and streams, A?K has a specialty departure for
you.
* Walking cruises
* Wine cruises
* Opera and theater
cruises
* Henley Royal
Regatta cruises
* Art and painting
charters
* Antiques cruises
* Fishing charters
* Golf charters
* Cycling charters
* Tennis charters
* Family cruises
* Flower and
garden cruises
* Cooking cruises
* Shopping cruis
ABERCROMBIE and KENT
It’s Simply The Best
Way To Travel
Some people
collect travel destinations the way others collect Biedermeier furniture
or presidents’ autographs.
What’s come
onto the market this year? Bhutan? Libya? Mongolia? Why not fly over this
summer and add it to the collection?
Others travel
for an entirely different set of reasons. Reasons which have less to do
with collecting countries (who needs another trophy on the shelf?) than
with gathering experience.
If you’re a
member of the latter group, you know that, at its best, a journey down
the Sepik River or up Mount Kilimanjaro, across Provence or along the Antarctic
Peninsula, can change you deeply in ways both tangible and intangible,
acknowledged and unavowed.
However, when
changing the way you look at the world is one of your travel objectives
— when authentic experience matters more to you than casual acquisition
— the travel company you choose has a tall order to fill.
That’s where
Abercrombie and Kent comes in.
Since 1962,
A and K has been doing one thing exceptionally well. We specialize in matching
unique people with unique places, and in providing the expertise and (unobtrusive)
support that allows them to experience those places fully, at first hand
and in their own personal style.
It’s simply
the best way to travel. And it requires a unique combination of local knowledge
and global organization that only Abercrombie and Kent is equipped to provide.
The travel
industry is filled with companies who own only their brochures and a handful
of contracts with independent suppliers overseas. In contrast, A and K
has its own network of offices (48 and counting) across the globe, staffed
full time by A and K professionals. We own and operate luxury camps and
lodges in remote destinations to ensure that our clients have access to
the best.
And we draw
on the knowledge, humor and creativity of an incredible team of staff members
and local “friends of A and K,” to bring you face-to-face with an Antarctic
iceberg the size of Chartres Cathedral, or make it possible for you to
walk around Chartres itself with an expert on its stained glass. To set
you down for a private picnic a deux in the middle of the African savannah
or give you and the children your own tropical island for a day.
Experience
does count. Ours will make yours unforgettable.
A and K - The First Name
in Luxury Travel
For more than forty years, Abercrombie
and Kent (A and K) has been internationally recognized as the
first name in luxury travel. Born in 1962 as a safari company in Nairobi,
Kenya, A and K's unparalleled travel and tour operations now extend across
the far and exotic reaches of the globe. A and K takes its travelers on
extraordinary journeys-in extraordinary style-to more than one hundred
countries on all seven continents. The company's tours and safaris span
the globe from Africa to the Middle East, India and Nepal; from the Orient
to Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific; and from Europe to Central
and South America and Antarctica. Forty-five destination management companies
ensure the "insider access" that only a local staff can provide.
A?K’s impressive and enticingly varied
list of luxury and adventure holidays combine active days with comfortable,
luxuriant nights. Small group escorted journeys
allow guests to confidently travel to places they might otherwise hesitate
to go on their own, with a choice of itineraries at varying levels of luxury.
Family
holidays are tailored to the interests, attention spans and
abilities of all ages, with comfortable hotels and comforting meals, and,
most
importantly, a friendly guide who understands children. Tailor
made private travel offers independent travellers meticulous
attention to detail, safety and customer service. These lifestyle-oriented
programs are one reason why A and K was honored at the World Travel Awards
as “World’s Leading Luxury Specialist Tour Operator.”
Geoffrey Kent, who along with Jorie
Butler Kent owns and operates A and K, was born-most fittingly-while his
British parents were on safari in Zambia. Indeed, he spent much of his
childhood on the African continent. In 1962, Geofrey Kent, along with his
parent's Colonel John and Valerie Kent, formed Abercrombie and Kent.
In the 1970s, Geoffrey Kent, who
by then had long been the Managing Director of the company, entered into
a partnership with Jorie Ford Butler of Oak Brook, Illinois, to run A?K.
They continue to travel the world in search of adventures that will surprise
and thrill their guests. Under their passionate and visionary guidance-Geoffrey
Kent serves as Chairman and CEO, Jorie Butler Kent as Executive Vice Chairman
- Abercrombie and Kent represents the uncompromising best at every turn
in the road.
With a philosophy that is governed
in equal parts by the Kents' unswerving commitment to conservation and
their mission to provide "memories of a lifetime," A and K goes to seemingly
limitless lengths to design tours that offer privileged
access and special insight.
Further distinguishing A?K is the fact that the company owns luxury safari
lodges in pristine wilderness areas, including Chief's Camp and Chobe Chilwero
in Botswana; exclusive rights to camps with some of Africa's finest game-viewing;
a fleet of comfortable, well-maintained ground transport vehicles; and
the Sun Boats on the Nile. A and K also creates unique travel experiences
built around the luxury trains of Venice Simplon-Orient-Express and the
Royal Scotsman; the Road to Mandalay river cruiser and 29 canal and river
cruisers in Europe; and the legendary Sea Cloud, the world's most beautiful
sailing ship.
Abercrombie and Kent's headquarters
are in Oak Brook, Illinois. Forty-seven offices worldwide, employing more
than 1,700 travel professionals, offer unrivaled attention to detail, safety
issues and service standards.
A deep-rooted concern for the natural
world infuses each and every A?K trip: Geoffrey Kent and Jorie Butler Kent
believe passionately in "high-yield, low-impact" tourism-adventure that
respects the natural environment and benefits indigenous peoples. They
are the founders of Friends of Conservation and the Abercrombie ? Kent
Global Foundation, established to address global environmental and conservation
concerns. Among its achievements have been significant contributions to
the preservation of Kenya's famed Masai Mara Game Reserve, as well as to
anti-poaching and environmental education projects on all seven continents.
Abercrombie
and Kent has received the following:
Recommend
Magazine
“Best Africa/Middle East Tour Operator”
- December 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000
Men’s Journal
“10 Great Companies to Work For”
- November 2004
Forbes
“Best of the Web” - April 2004,
2003, 2002, 2001
Elite Traveler
“Wonders of the World: Machu Picchu”,
Juan Lazo, Best Guide - January 2004
World Travel
Awards
“World’s Leading Luxury Specialist
Tour Operator” - 2003
“World’s Leading Villa Operator”
- 2003
Travel
+ Leisure Magazine
“Best Tour Operator and Safari
Outfitter” - 2004 (#12), 2003 (#5), 2002 (#2), 2001 (#1), 2000 (#2), 1999
(#1), 1998 (#1), 1997 (#1), 1996 (#1)
“Top Guides in Africa” – Joseph
Ndunguru, Gavin Ford - 2001
Conde Nast
Traveler
“Readers’ Choice Awards: Top 15
African Safari Camps”
Olonana and Chief’s
Camp - 2004
Chief’s Camp - 2003
Chobe Chilwero -2002
“The World’s Best Places to Stay,”
Gold List
Chief’s Camp - January
2004
Chobe Chilwero - 2003
“The Greatest Travel Pros on Earth”
“A and K has access to places and
people that other operators in China don’t – including some of the top
English speaking guides. Hatherly is a cultural encyclopedia, Chen a whiz
with logistics.” - 2003
"Reader’s Choice: Top 20 Small-Ship
Cruise Lines" - 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997
Gavin Ford, “15 Best Safari Guides”
- 2002
Ecotourism Award – Special Mention
- 1996
Conde Nast
Traveller (UK)
"World's Best Tour Operator” - 2004
(#3), 2003 (#5), 2001 (#2), 2000 (#1), 1999 (#1)
Andrew
Harper’s Hideaway Report
“Favorite Hideway Resorts of the
Past 25 Years”, Chief’s Camp - 2004
“Favorite Worldwide Travel Adventures”,
Olonana, Chief’s Camp - 2004
“Previewing Heaven: 15 Worldwide
Hotels with Drop-Dead Views”, Chief’s Camp - 2003
“Top 20 Hideaway Gems,” World’s
Best Hotels, Resorts and Hideaways, Chief’s Camp - 2002
Travel
Agent Magazine
“Leaders in Luxury,” Geoffrey Kent
- 2002
World Travel
and Tourism Council
Green Award for Corporate Social
Leadership in Travel ? Tourism - 2002
Town and
Country
Gavin Ford, “Top Guides in Africa”
- 2001
Queen’s
Award for Enterprise
(A and K Europe) - 2001, 2000
Chevron
Conservation Award
Jorie Butler Kent - 1999
ASTA/Smithsonian
Environmental Award - 1992
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© 1999 - 2007
Luxury
barge 'Napol?on'
is one of Europe's finest vessels. This year she cruises from Tournon/Tain
l'Hermitage in France's Rh?ne region to Arles in Provence, a diverse itinerary
that passes from ch?teaux and sleepy vineyards to the sun-drenched landscapes
of Van Gogh and the monuments of the Roman Empire.
