Dear Traveller

Welcome to the July 08 edition of the Bunnik Tours e-newsletter.

As we work our way through the winter chills let’s escape for a moment and think about warmer climes!

This month we travel to Egypt to feel the power of the pyramids, Marion enjoys the festivities on the streets of Cusco and the winter solstice at Machu Picchu in Peru and we take a pictorial look at India’s beautiful Taj Mahal. And don’t forget to check out our News in Brief section for all the latest news.

This month’s winner of the photo competition is Bob Hallett from Victoria with his photo of the stunning scenery of Vietnam’s Halong Bay. As our winner for July Bob wins a copy of Lonely Planet’s The Travel Book valued at $75 and goes into the running to win our grand prize of a $1,000 travel voucher.

As always, happy traveling

Dennis Bunnik

You first see them on your way into town from the airport. You round a corner and suddenly in the distance they appear. You’re shocked because they look so familiar – like an old friend you haven’t seen for years, yet you pinch yourself because you can’t believe you’re actually seeing the pyramids!

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By Dennis Bunnik

"Egypt will not only surprise you,
its memories will stay with you forever."

The pyramids are incredibly large – deceptively so. When you arrive at your hotel (the luxurious Le Meridien Pyramids) you feel you can almost touch them – they are there just across the road and over the dunes. In fact they are about 10 minutes drive away.

Largest of them all
The next morning you find yourself standing in their shadow – at the base of the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the largest of them all. It reaches up 138m above you but back in 2,550BC it stood even higher (146m) as it was encased in a cover of highly poshed white limestone. How magnificent they must have looked then.

Perfect engineering
The engineering of the Great Pyramid is incredible. The four sides are within 3 degrees of being perfectly aligned with the four cardinal points of the compass – using true north, not magnetic north. The base is within 15mm of being perfectly horizontal and within a few millimetres of being a perfect square! Remember this is a building that was built over 4,500 years ago and contains 2,500,000 cubic metres of stone!

Some believe they were built not by man but by forces from a different world – planted here as some sort of message to mankind from another world. Others believe in the great spiritual power of the pyramids and come here to meditate and draw strength from them.

Everlasting search for answers
Meanwhile the Egyptologists continue their studies and recent finds have moved their thinking away from slave power to them being a massive work-for-the-dole scheme during the annual floods of the Nile Valley. The search for answers continues.

Last year when visiting the pyramids I was lucky to meet and share a cup of tea with the Egyptian Government’s chief archaeologist of the Giza site and I asked him. “After several hundred years of serious archaeology surely, by now, most of the artefacts have been found and there is not too much left?” He told me that they think they have uncovered only 10% of Ancient Egypt’s history and that it will take another 100 lifetimes before it is all uncovered.

All over Egypt teams of archaeologists from around the world work to uncover new secrets. It is said that already there are enough artefacts to fill another 30 Egyptian Museums. It’s this continual discovery of new material that keeps people coming back to Egypt time and again.

Square the pyramids anticlockwise
When you arrive at the pyramids our guide will explain the significance of this site and the pyramids. You’re then free to wander and explore. Take my advice – turn to the right and walk around them in an anticlockwise direction. This way you’ll start your walk away from the touts trying to sell you camel rides and souvenirs. You’ll be able to appreciate the sheer size and power of the Great Pyramids in relative peace. It takes about 30 minutes to walk all the way around the Great Pyramid.

But don’t forget to have some fun as you hit the touts – have your photo taken next to a camel but remember to bargain hard.

Bunnik Tours can arrange your Egyptian experience as an independent holiday or on one of our small group tours. Independent holidays can include private tours for family groups with children.

Our small group tours include:

Egypt – Discover the Pharaohs
15 days from $4,095

Egypt in Depth
17 days from $4,295

Egypt & Jordan
22 days from $5,395

Treasures of the Ancient World (Turkey & Egypt)
21 days from $5,195

All prices include your flights from Australia, accommodation in 4 ½ - 5 star hotels, 5 star Nile cruises, all sightseeing, entry fees, air-conditioned transport and expert Egyptologist guides.

Marion Bunnik has just returned from a marathon quality control trip around the world which included destinations as diverse as Beijing, Mongolia, Moscow, Amsterdam, Peru, Chile and Argentina.  While in Peru she spent a few days with our June South American Discovery group.

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By Marion Bunnik

"Peru is one of the many
magical places you will find
in South America."



I met up with our group as they arrived in Arequipa. I’d just completed the Trans-Siberian railway and they had spent 10 days touring through Ecuador - so we both had plenty of stories to tell! I must say they were a little surprised to see me – to ensure quality control I try to join a group for part of a tour unannounced several times per year.

Majestic Andean Condors
From Arequipa we travelled high up into the Andes towards the famed Colca Canyon. The Colca Canyon is one of the world’s deepest and most spectacular canyons but its primary claim to fame is that it is home to the majestic Andean Condor.

These amazing birds have a wing span of up to 310cm making them one of the world’s largest flying birds. To see them glide on the thermals above the canyon is a truly magical experience but being an endangered species we’re not always guaranteed to see them. This time we were lucky! The skies were bright blue and there, at the main lookout, were a family of condors soaring high above us and then perching on the rocks just below us.

We overnighted in the nearby town of Chivay where we were able to relax in some of the delightful hot springs.

Gateway to Machu Picchu
The next day we flew on to Cusco which is known as the gateway to Machu Picchu. Cusco’s town centre was abuzz with activity as the winter solstice was fast approaching.

Life in Cusco revolves, as it does in many South American cities, around the main square and cathedral. Cusco abounds with colonial-era building giving it a charming atmosphere. The main square is overlooked by the equally ornate town hall and the main cathedral.

It is in the shadow of these buildings that we saw the first of the parades celebrating the winter solstice – there were hundreds of people dressed in traditional costume accompanied by musicians.

We were enjoying a double celebration as Gina, our guide was celebrating her birthday. It was a wonderful atmosphere and luckily, for mid winter, clouds stayed away.

A truly magical experience
On the 20th we headed up to Machu Picchu and again we were lucky as for the fist time I was able to see it without a cloud in the sky! Being up so high the weather changes rapidly but this time it held out and the next morning on our return visit we were lucky enough to see the sun shine through the window of the Sun Temple – something it only ever does on the solstice. Several of us stood near the temple and held hands in meditation as the sun appeared – it was a truly magical experience and one that I will remember for a long time.

Machu Picchu is such an incredible place, it is visually stunning located high up in the Andes and it has an amazing energy.

We then headed back down to Cusco for another night before it was time for me to say goodbye to the group – they were heading for Lake Titicaca and Bolivia while I headed for some inspection visits in the Peruvian part of the Amazon Jungle – but that’s a story for next time.

Peru features strongly in the following Bunnik Tours:

Essential South America
26 days from $8,595

South American Discovery
24 days from $10,095

Inca Discovery
21 days from $7,195

All prices are per person twin share and include flights ex Sydney. Air taxes are extra. Limited seats are still available on some 2008 departures including November. 2009 dates are now open for bookings.

It has been described by some as the world most beautiful building, by others as a reckless waste of money. It is acknowledged as the greatest symbol of love ever built.

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By Dennis Bunnik

"Bill Clinton once said - The world is divided
between those who have seen the Taj and those
who have not."


Whatever your thoughts, few people are left untouched after visiting India’s most photographed and visited building – the Taj Mahal.

Situated on the outskirts of Agra, the Taj Mahal is both a mausoleum and a working mosque (so it is closed on Fridays). It was built in the 1640’s by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as the final resting place for his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died during childbirth. The cost of the building converted into today’s currency would be trillions of dollars. This may explain why Shah Jahan was overthrown by his son, Aurangzeb, soon after its completion and spent the rest of his days imprisoned in Agra Fort!

The Taj Mahal can be visited as part of a private tour of India or as part of the following small group tours. For an online virtual tour of the Taj Mahal click here.

India – Best of Rajasthan
17 days from $3,295

Best of North India
13 days from $3,695

All prices are per person twin share and include flights from Australia. Air taxes are extra.