Globetrotting - Venture Magazine Issue #1 Pages 28-29
Venture a little further into our world...

A Pack To Pick

Emma Coburn believes she's found a backpack that ticks all the boxes.

No matter how much advice you are given when preparing for your first tour, your backpack always has a knack of seeming untenably small and heavy. Choosing the right one, therefore, could be an important decision. There are some good packs in the market, and one we think has good all-round strength is the Orient Express Travel Pack from 30-year-old New Zealand manufacturer Macpac.

The company have anticipated a host of design and construction features that the average traveller would not even think of until out on the field.

The Orient Express comes in three sizes: 70l, 75l and Women’s (70l). With an ‘Active™’ Harness System, the pack is designed to comfortably carry 15kg of weight while allowing the freedom and ability to move quickly and easily. Standing for 40 minutes on a tube out to Heathrow with 15 kilos on your back is definitely manageable. With the harness’s efficient transfer of weight to your hips, walking from the train station to your hostel is a breeze.

The fully-padded back panel provides exceptional stability, whilst the lumbar pad fits snugly into the curve of your back, inhibiting movement of the pack while you are in motion. Additionally, the side stabiliser straps prevent any sway, keeping your load balanced.

A compact design means it can fit snugly into luggage compartments, overland trucks, under seats and in many overhead lockers. The pack intelligently ‘seals’ itself up, with covers and pockets to tuck up straps, the harness and the daypack. The internal and external compression straps make it a breeze for airline baggage handlers to deal with and there are no loose straps to snag on passing objects. There’s also a tuck away-able shoulder strap.

Internally, it is surprisingly roomy. The pack is divided into two compartments: a larger section in the top half, complete with internal mesh pockets and organiser sleeve; and the smaller bottom half, practical for keeping your sleeping bag, toiletries, etc, separate.

One of Orient Express' best features, however, is the zip-off Day Pack. Unlike other travel packs whose day sacks can extend your load by a third again, this one is designed to carry your everyday essentials whilst remaining compact and flat. It comes with two external water bottle holders, internal organisation and a feature called ‘Zipiti’, which acts as a waistbelt, a money belt and a padded shoulder sling. Amazingly, the daypack can carry a 25l load but seems to fit snugly and harmoniously into the main body of the pack.

RRP £140. UK stockists include Cotswold, Snow + Rock and Field & Trek, or see www.macpac.co.nz

Would you like to own an Orient Express Travel Pack?

Our friends at Macpac have kindly given us an Orient Express Travel Pack to give-away. If you feel you deserve it, let us know which part of the world you'd most like to visit and why. Email approximately 100 words to venturemag@kumuka.com before December 15, 2006. We'll choose the one that we feel is the most evocative.

BEST PLACE TO… DIVE THE DEPTHS
The Red Sea Although there is great diving at several of our destinations around the world (Belize and Thailand in particular), there are numerous good dive sites off Africa's vast coast.

However, few can match the Red Sea, which is why we chose Dahab as the base for our specialist dive itineraries. Two levels are offered – Learn to Dive, and Advanced – both of which run over eight days. Meaning "gold", Dahab has a constant warm climate, making it a perfect year-round diving location. We stay at the Bedouin Moon Hotel, which offers uninterrupted views of the Red Sea, and use a PADI Resort, offering dives in a professional, friendly atmosphere.

TOUCH A TOUCAN
Amazon jungle. Its a pretty big place the Amazon rainforest, and toucans are abundant throughout. But the best opportunity to get close to these absurdly beautiful birds is probably on an Amazon Jungle excursion in Ecuador. We recommend the 21-day Amazon & Beaches itinerary, which offers a boat trip into the jungle. Keen twitchers should consider our three-day add-on to Bellavista Cloud Forest (from £155), also in Ecuador. The lodge is situated at the southern edge of the Choco/Andean rainforest, where the ecosystem cloaks the steep slopes of the Andes at an altitude of between 900 and 2500 metres, boasting a high biodiversity of bird, plant and animal species.

TAKE AN ELE
Northern Thailand. Frankly, elephant rides are an exciting element of several of our itineraries in Asia. Travellers to Vietnam, India and Nepal will all have the opportunity, but we've selected Thailand because it's a traditional element of our tours here. A train journey from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, Thailand's jewel of the north, leads you to the heartland of trekking country. Over three days (on our Thailand Explorer trip, 9-days from £340), you'll explore this rugged countryside by foot, elephant and bamboo raft, spending time in village homes. It's about as authentic a Thai experience as you can get.

WIN! A 21-day African Drums tour to Kenya and Tanzania!
Answer the three questions below and you could be on your way to East Africa! This itinerary sees you explore Lake Nakuru, Naivasha and the Masai Mara before moving on to the Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti National Park. You'll then visit Stonetown and chill out on Zanzibar's beaches.

How to enter:
All you have to do is correctly answer the following three simple questions:

1. In which northern Brazilian city is the Bahia Carnival held?
2. To which country did Kumuka launch their family holiday programmes in June 2006?
3. In which city will you find the Reichstag?

Write the answer on a postcard or the back of a sealed envelope and post to:

AFRICA competition, Kumuka Worldwide, 40 Earls Court Road, London, W8 6EJ

To qualify, entries MUST include your name, full postal address, email address and daytime telephone number.

Only one entry per household will qualify for the draw.

Entries close on December 22, 2006. Terms and conditions apply.

How to... Walk the Inca Trail
Let Kumuka show you how to follow in the footsteps of this great ancient civilisation...

• Day 1 6-hour walk from KM82 near the colourful Inca town of Ollantaytambo, along the scenic Cusichaca river valley to the campsite at Wayllabamba village.
• Day 2 A challenging hike to the highest point of the trail, at 4200 metres. You'll be rewarded with panoramic views far below.
• Day 3 Steep descent towards Machu Picchu, with fabulous views of mountain and jungle as well as interesting Inca ruins at Winaywana, where we camp.
• Day 4 An early start to view the Lost City from the Sun Gate. Free morning to explore the ruins, followed by the attractive option of a soak in the hot springs at Aguas Calientes. Take the train back to Cusco. Phew!