Timbuktu Travel

Timbuktu Travel Timbuktu empowers curious travellers to explore far-flung corners of the world But really, the only people losing out are the travellers themselves.

Timbuktu was founded in 2014 with a clear mission: to make far-flung corners of the world more accessible by empowering you, our travellers, to explore and build trips, regardless of experience or budget - and save some pennies along the way. For years, trips to remote places have been notoriously exclusive and complicated to plan and book. We’re on a mission to change this. Using over 30 years of combined travel experience, we’ve created a content-rich site that showcases our hand-picked crop of amazing journeys and empowers you to chop, change and refine them - or simply build one from scratch - all under the specialist guidance of our experts. It’s fun and easy, and saves you money. You explore and create; we guide and fulfill your dreams.

Some trips just have that rare, can't-stop-smiling energy about them, and this recently-booked East African adventure cr...
17/09/2026

Some trips just have that rare, can't-stop-smiling energy about them, and this recently-booked East African adventure created by travel specialist, Jenna Coiley, is exactly that. Beginning in Nairobi, our guests will settle in amongst the roses and jacarandas of Karen Blixen Coffee Garden & Cottages – the very farm once tended by the Out of Africa author herself – before heading north to Laikipia.⁠

At The River Camp in Ol Pejeta Conservancy, days unfold on the banks of the Ngobit River, Mount Kenya rising in the distance. Between game drives in search of the Big Five, there's the rare chance to meet Najin and Fatu, the world's last two northern white rhinos, and get up close with the conservation work protecting them.⁠

Next, it's on to the wildlife-thronged Masai Mara and Rekero Camp, an unfenced, old-school tented stay just 150 metres from a famous Talek River crossing point – expect lion roars after dark and wildebeest thundering by at breakfast.⁠

Crossing into Tanzania, our guests will be in for a treat at Out of Africa by Laba Explorer, a vintage-style camp hidden in the Serengeti's Seronera region, before ending in the wilds of the south at Laba Siwandu Camp, where days on Lake Nzerakera are spent gliding by boat between hippos and crocs.⁠

Coffee farms to lakeshores, old-fashioned charm to untamed wilderness – this is East Africa in all its glory. Click the link in our bio to start planning an unforgettable safari of your own.

https://www.timbuktutravel.com/trips

There's no shortage of history in the UK's hotel scene, but the best part is what's being done with it. ⁠⁠A grand old Ge...
14/09/2026

There's no shortage of history in the UK's hotel scene, but the best part is what's being done with it. ⁠

A grand old Georgian townhouse becomes a jewel box of velvet and antiques with a subterranean spa. A Highland coaching inn quietly turns into a gallery, with thousands of artworks and antiques tucked between its sitting rooms – think a Picasso above the mantelpiece and a sculpture watching over breakfast. A country manor gets a playful, kaleidoscopic makeover while the acres of parkland and lily-filled lake outside stay exactly as they should be. ⁠

The UK doesn't do just one kind of glamour – it does a dozen, each one wildly different, and every single one worth the trip. Click the link in our bio for our full round-up of the UK's best hotels, then start planning your own stay.

https://www.timbuktutravel.com/blog/best-hotels-in-the-uk

The UK doesn't do a single golden season, instead it does four very different moods, and the trick is finding the right ...
12/09/2026

The UK doesn't do a single golden season, instead it does four very different moods, and the trick is finding the right one for you.⁠

In spring, the Lake District turns properly photogenic with daffodil-filled valleys and wobbly-legged lambs, while the Cotswolds' honey-coloured villages sit against fresh green hills and grand gardens fling open their gates. Come summer, London's days stretch on for b**r gardens and Wimbledon strawberries, and Edinburgh hosts not one but five festivals at once, doubling its population and turning the Royal Mile into one long, rolling performance. ⁠

Autumn is the great trick of the calendar – warmer and drier than August, but with the crowds gone and the Cotswold arboretums blazing copper and gold. And in winter, London does Christmas with real gusto while Edinburgh owns New Year's Eve entirely, with Hogmanay's torchlight procession and a hundred thousand revellers watching the castle erupt in fireworks at midnight.⁠

The one thing you can always count on? Rain, at some point, regardless of season. Pack the layers, pack the waterproofs, and let the UK surprise you anyway.

Start planning your trip to the UK : https://www.timbuktutravel.com/blog/when-is-the-best-time-to-visit-the-uk

Say "British holiday" and most people picture drizzle and a queue. Well, we'd like to change your mind. This small but d...
12/09/2026

Say "British holiday" and most people picture drizzle and a queue. Well, we'd like to change your mind. This small but diverse island packs in centuries-old history, world-class art and landscapes that stop you in your tracks – often just a short train ride apart. Here's where we'd point you first.⁠

In London, spend a morning nose-to-canvas with the masters at one of the capital's (free!) national collections, then treat yourself to a suitably lavish afternoon tea – Claridge's famous chandelier makes for one heck of a backdrop.⁠

Two hours west, the Cotswolds are all honey-coloured villages and slower mornings. Walk a section of the Cotswold Way before rewarding yourself with a fireside pub lunch, or get hands-on at a countryside cookery school using produce plucked straight from the garden.⁠

Head north to the Lake District for proper muddy-boots fell walking with views for days, then swap hiking boots for a steam train and a cruise across Windermere for an equally scenic (and far less strenuous) afternoon.⁠

And in Edinburgh, climb Arthur's Seat as the evening light turns golden over the whole city, or descend underground into the city's hidden historic alleyways for a dose of proper spine-tingling history.⁠

Fancy stitching it all together? Start planning your UK adventure :
https://www.timbuktutravel.com/blog/the-best-things-to-do-in-the-uk

Just when you thought we'd covered every corner of the map…surprise! Timbuktu is heading north again, this time to the U...
07/09/2026

Just when you thought we'd covered every corner of the map…surprise! Timbuktu is heading north again, this time to the United Kingdom. From megawatt cities to impossibly green countryside, we couldn't resist adding this island of contrasts to our repertoire.⁠

London brings the big city buzz – world-class museums, theatre that'll leave you speechless and a food scene that borrows from every corner of the globe. Up in Edinburgh, cobbled streets and a brooding castle skyline make for one seriously atmospheric stay (bonus points if you visit during the Fringe).⁠

Then there's the Lake District, where fell walks, mirror-still lakes and cosy pubs by a crackling fire await. Golfers (and those who just love a good coastal walk) will find their happy place in St Andrews and, rounding things off, the Cotswolds serves up honey-stone villages, thatched roofs and country lanes so pretty they simply must be driven with the windows down.⁠

Big cities, wild landscapes and proper afternoon tea – the UK really does have it all.

https://www.timbuktutravel.com/country/uk

Some of the most soulful souvenirs you'll ever bring home aren't found in a shop window – you watched them being made, s...
05/09/2026

Some of the most soulful souvenirs you'll ever bring home aren't found in a shop window – you watched them being made, stroke by stroke – or perhaps never brought them home at all. Here's where crafts become an adventure all their own.⁠

📍In Morocco's Fez, step into the centuries-old potters' quarter to watch clay spun, glazed and fired into the country's famous blue-and-white ceramics, a tradition passed down through generations of artisan families.⁠

📍Along the Mekong in Luang Prabang, Lao weavers work wooden looms by hand, turning raw silk into intricately patterned textiles the old-fashioned way.⁠

📍Cambodia's Silk Island (just a short boat ride from Phnom Penh) is home to skilled weavers transforming cocoon into cloth in workshops little changed by time.⁠

📍Valparaíso's rolling hills in Chile are a living canvas, its cerros awash in fearless, unfiltered street art at every turn.⁠

📍And in Japan's rural Niigata, the Echigo-Tsumari Art Field scatters contemporary installations across rice terraces, forests and abandoned schoolhouses – proof that art and landscape can become one and the same.⁠

Feeling inspired?
https://www.timbuktutravel.com/experience/culture/what-to-do

When guests came to one of our travel specialists, Carola Fresno, asking for Carnival, she built them an entire love let...
04/09/2026

When guests came to one of our travel specialists, Carola Fresno, asking for Carnival, she built them an entire love letter to Brazil. This trip kicks off in Rio de Janeiro including downtown's historic heart, the climb up to Christ the Redeemer, and a night at the Sambadrome for a front-row seat to Carnival's world-famous parade. Sequins, samba and pure electric energy – need we say more?⁠

From there, it's a complete change of pace as they travel to Ilha Grande for several unhurried days amongst lush forest and impossibly clear water.⁠

And just when you think it couldn't get any better, enter Iguazu Falls from both sides of the border, starting with the dramatic Argentine viewpoints before crossing back into Brazil for an adrenaline-spiking Macuco Safari boat ride, right into the falls' billowing mist.⁠

Carnival spectacle, island calm and thundering waterfalls – one seriously unforgettable trip.

https://www.timbuktutravel.com/continent/latin-america-trip/trips

When guests came to one of our travel specialists, Carola Fresno, asking for Carnival, she built them an entire love let...
03/09/2026

When guests came to one of our travel specialists, Carola Fresno, asking for Carnival, she built them an entire love letter to Brazil. This trip kicks off in Rio de Janeiro including downtown's historic heart, the climb up to Christ the Redeemer, and a night at the Sambadrome for a front-row seat to Carnival's world-famous parade. Sequins, samba and pure electric energy – need we say more?⁠

From there, it's a complete change of pace as they travel to Ilha Grande for several unhurried days amongst lush forest and impossibly clear water.⁠

And just when you think it couldn't get any better, enter Iguazu Falls from both sides of the border, starting with the dramatic Argentine viewpoints before crossing back into Brazil for an adrenaline-spiking Macuco Safari boat ride, right into the falls' billowing mist.⁠

Carnival spectacle, island calm and thundering waterfalls – one seriously unforgettable trip. Click the link in our bio to start planning your own Brazilian adventure.

There's a version of Italy that unfolds when you stop rushing to tick off the icons and simply let the days meander inst...
31/08/2026

There's a version of Italy that unfolds when you stop rushing to tick off the icons and simply let the days meander instead. It's not about seeing everything – it's about really seeing something.⁠

Trade the crowds for quiet mornings wandering Como's historic centre, where lakeside cafés and narrow lanes practically beg you to slow your pace even further. Then let the Venice Lagoon work its magic at golden hour, drifting by boat as the light turns the water to liquid amber and the city softens into something dreamlike.⁠

Just outside Bologna, spend an afternoon with a local winemaker, learning the story behind each bottle over a glass (or two). In Palermo, follow your nose on a street food tasting tour through bustling markets, sampling arancini, panelle and all the deliciously chaotic flavours Sicily does best.⁠

And for a dose of pure joy, hop on a Vespa and putter through the Chianti hills, past cypress trees and vineyards, and let the Tuscan countryside do what it does best.⁠

This is Italy at its most unhurried and most unforgettable.

https://www.timbuktutravel.com/country/italy-trip

As the year winds down and the northern hemisphere will soon be burrowing into winter, our minds turn (as they always do...
28/08/2026

As the year winds down and the northern hemisphere will soon be burrowing into winter, our minds turn (as they always do) to sunshine, adventure and all the destinations doing their absolute best work in December. If the coming change in weather has you dreaming of your next escape, we’ve got a few favourites lined up.⁠

📍Summer will be in full swing in Argentine Patagonia and El Chaltén, the self-proclaimed trekking capital, has its moment. Lace up your boots for trails leading to the jagged spire of Mount Fitz Roy, with long daylight hours giving you plenty of time to soak it all in.⁠

📍Further south still, Tierra del Fuego National Park, aka the ‘End of the World’ is looking rather glorious. Expect the Beagle Channel at its most navigable, unique marine life and that particular thrill of being somewhere so remote.⁠

📍December is prime time for exploring South Africa’s Garden Route – think coastal drives, forest walks and beaches basking in full sunshine.⁠

📍Thailand’s southern islands hit their dry-season sweet spot with calm seas, limestone karsts and toes-in-the-sand bliss.⁠

📍And in Weligama on the coast of Sri Lanka, the surf is up and the season is peaking – gentle enough for beginners, glorious for everyone else.⁠

https://www.timbuktutravel.com/when-to-go

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