I have always loved Nota Bene – they’re like your best friend dishing insider tips on where to go (and what to ask for) in the world’s most fabulous destinations
Luxury travel providers have always focused on service and hospitality, but truly jaw-dropping expeditions to the farthest reaches of the planet have often remained precious jewels that have been kept under wraps.
Either that or a diluted, insulated version of the experience is delivered. Once which travellers accept because they don’t know any better.
On the other hand, guiding companies have the expertise to take clients further afield but with little understanding of top-level service and attention to detail.
Well, what can I say? Simply the most amazing, spellbinding trip ever!!
With experiential travel showing no signs of slowing down, the discerning traveller should expect the best of both worlds. They ought to be able to summit a mountain, cross a polar plateau, or sleep under canvas with Bedouins in the desert, but with no compromise on accommodation, cuisine, quality of guiding and flawless service round the clock.
One of Nota Bene’s focus areas is the creation of unique experiential trips combining the finest hotels, lodges and dining experiences in the most spectacular remote locations. We try to avoid atypical guides, preferring to work with some of the world’s foremost explorers who have honed their skills and risk management over decades in the most difficult of environments.
The trip of a lifetime that exceeded all my expectations. I’m glad our paths crossed, Anthony
Some of our awe-inspiring wilderness locations include:
Greenland
Twenty billion tons of icebergs float down the Ilulissat fjord each year, making the Jakobshavn glacier the most productive northern hemisphere. Here, on the western coast of Greenland, your journey begins. Greenland is a fusion of two different worlds – a coastline of towering mountains, glaciers and fjords, and the largely unexplored hinterland, covered in the second largest body of ice on the planet – ‘Antarctica’s little sister’ – the Greenland Icesheet. Prestigious polar explorer Louis Rudd leads your journey, one of only two people in history to have crossed Antarctica solo and unsupported. Enabled by boats and helicopters, you’ll sail past icebergs and through the fjords, hike the mountainous coastal valleys and ski across the ice sheet. Walk the tracks of some of the world’s most formidable explorers and hone your polar knowledge and skills throughout this once-in-a-lifetime expedition.
You took away all the pain and suffering and worry and truly made it the relaxing, family-friendly trip of our dreams
British Colombia
We are aware of the perils of climate change – glacial receding, forest fires and calving icebergs – mostly stories from distant lands. It is one of the most critical issues of our time, but only a tiny minority have experienced it first-hand. This journey changes that as you travel with a leading professor of ecology through the various wilderness environments of Canada’s British Columbia. Staying in remarkably situated properties allows one to access some of North America’s least accessible wildernesses. You’ll sail off Vancouver Island to observe the impact of warming waters on whales, trek through areas of previous wildfires to see how nature regenerates, explore the inlets of the Coast Mountains by riverboat to observe how the bear population is declining, and hike through one of the least accessible wildernesses of North America, the Waddington Mountain Range, where you’ll see receding glaciers. Each environment is different and allows you to learn about a different environmental challenge while participating in data gathering as part of the University of British Columbia’s research.
It was a wonderful year of travel for us – thank you for making many dreams come true
Arabia
Spanning Oman and the UAE, the southeastern extremity of the Arabian Peninsula contains some of the most varied desert landscapes in the world. At its centre is the Rub’ al Khali – the Empty Quarter. The name alone evokes the romance of the desert, and it should. It is the most immense sea of sand in the world and home to dunes up to 300m tall. Accompanied by desert guiding experts, discover this remote, other-worldly environment – the geology, flora and fauna, dune driving techniques, and celestial navigation. Then, apply your new skills as the journey continues into Oman and to the Wahiba Sands desert. There, a two-day camel-assisted expedition commences, where you’ll spend a night under canvas amongst the dunes with a Bedouin family. Next, explore a very different desert environment – the wadis and jebels. The wadis are green veins cutting through their baked surroundings – oasis-like canyons which offer some of the world’s best wild swim-trek opportunities. Alongside them are the jebels: arid mountains reaching up to 3,000m, making for sensational hiking.
The trip was fabulous and I have been raving about Nota Bene to everyone who asks…
Many vastly uncovered destinations await the intrepid explorer. It all depends on your goals and where in the world piques your interest. Whether mountaineering, extreme wildlife expeditions, polar explorations or the night skies of some of the world’s most barren deserts, challenge us to create your latest, greatest adventure. CONTACT US.