The Galapagos

Two of the best months to visit the Galapagos Islands, when both the air and sea temperatures are warm.

Each island is distinctive and we have carefully selected boats which we know will provide the best guides and sailing schedules in the galapagos to get the most out of the astonishing display of wildlife and landscape.

There aren't many places in the world where you can swim with sea lions, see giant iguanas sunbathing with blue footed boobies and dive in crystal clear waters amid whale sharks and turtles. Most of our boats are offering special discounts for early next year if you book now. 

South Africa

Fewer visitors than around Christmas/New Year but the weather should still be good.

Combine a few days walking, horse-riding and game-viewing in the magnificent Waterberg region of the Limpopo Province with a stay in the winelands of the Cape Province.

Far away from mass tourism, a privately-owned lodge like Ant's Nest is great for couples who want to get away from it all or for families who want every moment filled. And a stay in a small hotel like Le Quartier Francais is as restful or as action-packed as you want to make it... you can take in Cape Town and all that it has to offer, or you can ignore it entirely.

Lombok, Indonesia

A great time to visit the region and possibly the best weather of the year.

Lombok has long been (unfairly) seen as Bali’s poor relation. It actually has better beaches and diving and now boasts some great small hotels.

It works as a destination in itself or as a combination with Bali or another island in Indonesia.

There is also some wonderful trekking on the island: the most famous trek is up Mount Rinjani volcano itself but there are softer day treks possible all year round, for instance the gently hilly Tembobor.

Darwin Centre opening in September 2009

September sees the opening of the £78m CF Moller 'cocoon' design which is home to the Natural History Museum's new Darwin Centre in London's South Kensington. With six million specimens in the Botanical Collection alone, many exhibits will be on display for the first time. And microphone links will mean that visitors will be able to question scientists in person.

To book ahead for a free public tour, call 020 7942 5725.

2009 was THE year to visit the Galapagos Islands, being the bi-centenary of Darwin's birth. But for those who missed out, there is still availability in the calmest sailing months of 2010 (January, February, March and April) on some of the best small yachts.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition

Time your visit to the Darwin Centre for between 23rd October 2009 and 11th April 2010 and you can combine it with seeing the annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition at the Natural History Museum around the corner.

For a sneak preview of some of the winning images, many can be seen in the BBC Wildlife Magazine which comes out on the 28th September.

Safaris are still a major part of what we do at c+l and more and more clients are asking for guides with an expertise in wildlife photography to accompany them. This we can organise on a private basis so that you have the guide entirely to yourself but we can also handpick a specific lodge where we know a photographer guide is working.

Maharaja: the Splendour of India's Royal Courts

The Victoria and Albert Museum has a major exhibition starting in October which showcases rich and varied objects that reflect different aspects of royal life in the princely states. The exhibition brings to London the paintings, photography, textiles, dress, jewellery, metalwork and furniture which exemplify the period of the 'Maharajas', from the collapse of the Mughal Empire in the early 18th Century to the accession of the princely territories in 1947 at the close of British rule.

To book tickets call 0844 209 1770 or book online here

There is, of course, no substitute to visiting the Royal Palaces themselves in person. Many have been converted into some of the most impressive and luxurious hotels in the world. These grand palaces in and around the main centres of tourism, combined with smaller lodges in the more rural parts of India, means that there really is something for everyone in modern India.