Oasis blog
Below is a selection of our top blogs. Keep up to date with all the latest news from Oasis.
Lebanon: Wine and Coffee
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2022 Travel Update 🚍
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Why you should visit the Middle East in 2022
For those are daring enough to get outside their comfort zone when it comes to travelling – the ones who are keen to rough it out a bit then you’ve come to the right place! Overlanding is the way to go. It’s traveling by road to remote locations and being as self-sufficient as possible in terms of cooking, eating, and sleeping – think outdoor adventure but on steroids!
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Taster Weekend Success
On the 25th – 27th September we held our first successful UK taster weekend in the Peak District.
As the Summer was drawing to an end, and ahead of lockdown 2.0, we held our first ever Taster Weekend in Matlock, the Peak District. Despite lots of challenges being thrown our way with changing rules as a result of Covid19, we managed to adapt our weekend so that we were in small bubbles of 6 or less and we all enjoyed a fantastic weekend together.
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Oasis Overland tour bookings now open!
As the COVID-19 situation around the world develops, and vaccination programs progress, international travel is starting to re-open.
We know that many Oasis customers, (let alone our drivers!) are keen to get back on the road.
We do have to be cautious though and try and make sure that the trips we make available, will actually be able to run. So, there won't be a normal, full Oasis program in 2022. Instead, we have reduced the number of departures and are focussing on some of the most popular routes, and also some of the more adventurous trips.
We are already getting the feeling from contact with customers, that after being cooped up for so long, people are really after some adventure and exciting experiences when they do get away. As a result, some of our very longest trips have already started attracting bookings for 2022 and 2023.
So, the very first Ultimate Expedition departure we plan to run is the iconic Trans Africa, 42 week, UK to Cairo trip, starting in Gibraltar on the 27th March 2022. This has several other legs available within it and travels down the West Coast of Africa to Cape Town, before returning up the Eastern side of the continent all the way up to Cairo.
The next departure will be the 25-week long Trans Asia trip, starting in Istanbul on the 13th April 2022, heading through Central Asia to Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan. From there, you can continue on, through China and south all the way to Singapore, though this section is using local transport, not with the truck, which will do a return trip back from Bishkek to Istanbul. As with all our Trans expeditions, you can join for various different sections.
For the even more adventurous out there, on 1 May 2022, we will be running a new one-off exploratory 21-week trip from Cape Town to Alexandria following a different route to our normal Cape to Cairo. This will be a true coast to coast adventure, perfect for returning Oasis travellers and anyone looking for a new experience.
Our African Grand Adventurer trips between Cape Town and Nairobi will start in January 2022 with slightly reduced frequency than normal.
South America then kicks in, but not until August 2022 when the main Trans South America truck will begin in Cartagena.
For logistical and truck positioning reasons, our new Middle Eastern Oasis Caravan trips are unfortunately going to have to wait until later in 2022, with the first 35-day Amman to Muscat expedition starting on the 10th October. We're really excited about these trips as they are new routes and the scenery through Jordan, Saudi and Oman is spectacular. Do check them out.
With so many people longing to get travelling again, we're expecting some of these first departures to prove popular. So, we do encourage you to book early and secure your places.
Prices are going to be held at the same Oasis rates offered since 2019 for all bookings made until the end of September 2021, after which there may need to be some minor increases to take account of the new logistics and costs following the COVID outbreak.
Oasis trips have always been well known for their great value for money, and this will always remain the case. You can also book with confidence knowing that our flexible booking conditions will allow you to change your date and adjust your plans if necessary
If you do want a shorter holiday before our Overland adventures kick in, then do check out our Small Group Adventures in Morocco and South America which will have departures in 2021. A separate newsletter and blog post will follow on these trips later this month.
Do get in touch with our team if you have any questions or would like to book any of these trips. Remember that if you do want to book, to make sure to get in before the end of September and before some of the very first departures fill up.
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Oasis Overland July 2020 Newsletter
Yes, who would have thought it...... our incredible travellers, tour leaders, drivers, operation teams and wider Oasis family scattered to the four corners of the globe and (currently!) not moving? But more on this later.
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Encounters Travel relaunches Oasis Overland
Hello Oasis Overlanders!
We’re happy to announce that UK adventure travel company, Encounters Travel is relaunching the Oasis Overland brand.
After going into administration on 17 February 2021, Oasis Overland Ltd. became one of many travel companies around the globe to have been critically affected by the effects that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the global travel industry.
However, we’re very pleased that Encounters Travel is bringing Oasis Overland back online and back on the road!
‘Oasis is in safe hands’
Chris Wrede, Founder of Oasis Overland is looking forward to seeing Oasis Overland vehicles on the road again.
“I've known the guys at Encounters for nearly 20 years and feel confident that Oasis is in safe hands. Jackie and I will continue to be involved with the overland side of things, and to help with continuity. I'm sure that the high level of personal customer service we always focussed on will continue, and I'm excited to be able to look forward with some positivity now to getting our trucks back on the road again, as soon as Covid will allow anyway!”
“We did our best to handle the closure of Oasis Overland as professionally as possible, ensuring that our ground suppliers were paid, and our customers refunded. For anyone that this was not straightforward for, I am genuinely sorry. I'm doubly sorry that we weren't able to retain our great team in the UK office or contact our customers personally after the administration was announced.”
“But, now to the future and I look forward to seeing our Oasis Overland vehicles and clients once again travelling to some of those far-flung places as well as the iconic sites, engaging with different people and experiences that our groups so much enjoy.”
‘Providing the same great experiences’
Ralph Foulds, Managing Director at Encounters Travel says he is looking forward to relaunching one of the UK’s most respected travel brands.
“We are delighted to be able to bring the Oasis Overland name, trips and operations back online and make their great selection of overland expeditions and adventures available again. The situation is far from ideal, and we feel for everyone at Oasis, their great crews and UK team, and their customers who had their future travel plans disrupted. It's our strong feeling that Oasis and their multi-country tours were hit especially hard by the Coronavirus pandemic and without it would still be going strong.”
“We have known Chris and his team for many years, since we first met on the road in the early 2000s when we ran our own overland expeditions through the Middle East and Asia. Over the years we've partnered on several small-group tours in both South America and the Middle East, so the style of trips and the way they run is very familiar.”
“We're committed to offering as many of Oasis's previous trips as we can, using the same ground suppliers, trucks, crew, and tour leaders wherever possible, and providing the same great experiences out on the road. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 and the gradual way that international travel will recover, particularly for multi-country tours, it's going to be some time until everything will be up and running again. We'll post regular updates on the website and on the Oasis social media channels as things develop. We also hope to bring some exciting new experiences to Oasis travellers, so look out for news on those too.”
Have any questions?
If you’d like to know more about our relaunch, feel free to contact us and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can! In the meantime, keep an eye on our social media channels for more information.
Refunds and re-bookings
If you had a holiday booked with Oasis Overland Limited, we regret that all prior bookings remain cancelled, and you will need to complete the refund process as previously advised.
However, as we hope to be able to run most, if not all of Oasis’ trips again, we will be reaching out over the coming weeks with more information about rebooking options.
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A Good Cup of Coffee
Wondering where you’ll get your daily fix on trip? Oasis Overland has got you covered! Our trips travel to some of the best coffee producing regions around the world, meaning you can sample coffee from all over.
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Big Trips for 2021 and 2022
Happy New Year everyone! If you’re dreaming big when it comes to your future travel plans, we’ve got some big trips lined up for you in 2021 and 2022!
Make up for a lack of adventure in 2020 with a one off overland trip from Cape Town to Alexandria this June or join our annual Trans Africa expedition from UK to Cape Town or Cairo in November.
If you long to explore South America, journey with us over 27 weeks from Colombia to the mountains of Patagonia and the mighty Amazon in Brazil on our Trans South America this August.
Last but not least is our 24 week Trans Asia trip which travels from Istanbul to Singapore each April or for something really different, join us on a one off expedition from London to Kathmandu via Russia and the Stans, returning to Istanbul via India and Pakistan. This one starts in April 2022 so plenty of time to plan and save!
If you don't quite have the full time to spare, all these journeys have sections you can join. Contact us to find out what's possible.
We hope you're inspired to do something different in 2021 or 2022 and join us on one of these incredible adventures!
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Crew Focus: Chris Blake
Chris Blake has been a Driver for Oasis in South America and is also currently Tour Leading the 2019 Trans Africa Expedition.
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Oasis Trip Announcement
We are all very excited here at Oasis HQ to let you know that it is time to get our custom built, big yellow trucks back out on the road.
As you are all aware, we have had to park up trucks around the world, while this pandemic has been spreading globally. Our ambition has always been to get back up and on the road as soon as we are able to, so that you can get to go on your trips, and so that people in local communities in the different countries we travel through can be supported again. We have of course had to take many difficult and sad decisions in postponing trips throughout 2020, since the pandemic's first real emergence back in March.
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Gorilla Numbers are Up!
The Ugandan Wildlife Authority has announced the official results of the 2018 Bwindi – Sarambwe Mountain Gorilla population survey and the total world population of endangered mountain gorillas now stands at 1063, making these magnificent creatures the only great ape species in the world to be increasing in numbers. More than half the world’s mountain gorillas reside in Uganda.
