Chinese New Year: Year of the Dog

This Friday the 16th February marks the beginning of the Chinese New Year 2018; the Year of the Dog.

In celebration of this event, we have put together our favourite Original Travel canine capers to enjoy around the globe.

'We've seen a huge increase in requests specifically to see the elusive and endangered African wild dog over the last year,' explains former safari guide and Original Travel Africa expert Matt Shock. 'Especially from clients who have ticked off the more traditional 'Big Five' beasties and who are searching for a new and uncommon safari experience. Trying to spot some of the remaining 5,000 wild dogs fits the bill perfectly.'

• African wild dogs: Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana – the epicentre of wild dog sightings. With between 150 and 200 wild dogs roaming a fairly concentrated area in the north-eastern areas of the reserve, this is the place to head if you want the very best chance of a sighting.
• Dog-sledding: Swedish Lapland, Finnish Lapland and Svalbard are all excellent winter wonderland destinations where you can enjoy dog-sledding with affectionate and energetic huskies. We can organise other arctic activities to enjoy along with dog-sledding such as ice-fishing, glamping, snowmobiling and snowshoe walks for the ultimate winter escape.
• Dog-friendly hotels: The Betsy in Miami offers dog and owner massages. They also donate half of the dog-lodging fee to dog charities in Florida and Zimbabwe.
• Play hide and seek with the canine anti-poaching unit at Ol Pejeta Bush Camp, Kenya. Meet the dogs and their trainers, watch them do an anti-poaching demonstration and then play hide and seek with the adorable anti-poaching patrollers.
• Indian Wild Dogs: Dhole are India's answer to wild dogs. These beautiful fox-like dogs are extremely rare, however it's possible to spot them – alongside tigers - in Kanha National Park (Central India).
• Wild Card Entry: OK, OK, so they're not mutts in the technical sense, sea lion pups are utterly adorable, and you can dive with them in the Galapagos Islands on an Original Diving liveaboard cruise.

How to get there

Original Travel (020 3582 4990/www.originaltravel.co.uk) offers a seven-night wild dog safari holiday to Botswana starting from £5,700 per person. Price includes all flights, transfers, safari and accommodation.

Original Travel (020 3582 4990/www.originaltravel.co.uk) offers a three-night trip to Swedish Lapland including dog-sledding starting from £2,120 per person. Price includes all flights, transfers and accommodation.

Original Travel (020 3582 4990/www.originaltravel.co.uk) offers a four-night stay at The Betsy, Miami starting from £995 per person (including your dog).

Original Travel (020 3582 4990/www.originaltravel.co.uk) offers a four-night trip to Kenya, including three nights at Ol Pejeta Bush Camp, starting from £3,435 per person. Price includes all flights, transfers and accommodation.

Original Travel (020 3582 4990/www.originaltravel.co.uk) offers an eight-night trip to India, including six nights in Central India on safari and two nights in Delhi, starting from £5,320 per person. Price includes international and domestic flights, 10 game drives, transfers and accommodation.

Original Diving (020 3911 0431/www.originaldiving.com/) offers an eight-day voyage to the Galapagos starting from £6,095 per person. Price includes all flights, transfers and accommodation on the Galapagos Sky Liveaboard.

Original Travel is one of the UK's fastest growing bespoke travel companies, offering tailor-made holidays to 95 countries worldwide. Since its launch in 2003, the multi-award winning company has firmly established itself as 'one to watch' in the travel industry, experiencing uninterrupted growth since 2003. The Original Travel team have created just over 50,000 itineraries for clients since 2003 including for some extremely high profile clients. Unlike many companies in the sector, Original Travel also has a bespoke inbound operation welcoming clients from all over the world to the UK. Also unique to Original Travel is its specialist team of divers – Original Diving - who pride themselves on combining the best dive destinations with the best accommodation across the globe.

For more information contact Helen Mulhern or Clare Jackson

press@originaltravel.co.uk

020 3582 4990