2. INSIDE
4 AN ARCTIC
LOVE AFFAIR
It all began in the far
north... click here to
discover the magic of
Iceland and the Arctic
6 ARCTIC
EXPERIENCES
Six seriously cool trips
8 ICELAND
ADVENTURES
Six ways to explore the
Land of Fire and Ice
12 COOL QUOTES
Our travel experts
recount their favourite
winter adventures
W elcome to this special edition of Cloud 9,
celebrating the 30th anniversary of
Discover the World. In this issue, we’re
taking you right back to 1984 and the
start of an Arctic love affair: one man and an island.
Discover the World’s founder, Clive Stacey first visited
Iceland on a few weeks work experience in 1972, but
ended up staying for a year, totally smitten by the place.
In fact, he fell for the mid-Atlantic beauty so completely
that he set up Discover the World’s predecessor, Arctic
Experience, in 1984, cementing his relationship with
the Land of Fire and Ice and including holidays to other
Arctic gems, like Greenland. The magnetic north remains
Cloud 9 is interactive! Click the green links to explore...
2 Talk to the experts ✆ 01737 218 812
3. WINDOW SEAT
at the heart of Discover
the World as you’ll see
from the selection of trips
showcased in this issue.
Be sure to explore the full
array of Arctic and Iceland
holiday ideas on Discover
the World’s new website –
and look out for future 30th
anniversary issues of Cloud
9 where we’ll be turning the
spotlight on wildlife trips
and global adventures.
William Gray, Editor
ABOVE Hot stuff: with sights
like this, it’s small wonder that
Iceland can be addictive. The
blue pool, Bláhver, can be
found at the geothermal field
of Hveravellir in the Central
Highlands of Iceland.
Volcanic
Iceland
Iceland’s volcanic
landscapes are a
huge draw for visitors
all year round, and
they’re never more
dramatic than when
an eruption takes
place. As the world’s
leading specialist tour
operator to Iceland,
we’ve been sending
people to witness
‘tourist eruptions’ for
years – including the
most recent one at
Holuhraun, part of the
Bárðarbunga system.
Find out more
ZClick here to request a brochure 8 discover-cloud9.co.uk 3
4. MORE REASONS TO
CELEBRATE
A s well as the 30th anniversary of
Discover the World, this year marks the
25th incarnation of the incredible ICEHOTEL.
This winter’s design promises to be the best
yet, with a dazzling array of hand-crafted Art Suites and
a programme of special events to be held in the Aurora
Hall. Keep an eye on our blog for further details as they
will be released later in the autumn.
For now you can find out about all things ‘ice’ in our
special edition digital magazine dedicated to this
worldwide icon of Swedish Lapland. Read it here.
Icehotel number
25 is coming this
winter, and you
can only fly direct
from the UK
with us.
Find out more
4 Talk to the experts ✆ 01737 218 812
5. PAULINA HOLMGREN
ABOVE Toast the 25th
anniversary of the ICEHOTEL
this winter with a cocktail
‘in the rocks’ at the world’s
original – and best – ICEBAR.
Click here
to plan your
ICEHOTEL break
WINDOW SEAT
Sthr struck
Tucked away in rural south Iceland,
Hotel Ranga is in a prime location for
northern lights sightings. Now you can
enjoy heavenly views of Saturn’s rings
and Jupiter’s red ‘eye’ thanks to the
hotel’s new roll-off-roof observatory,
equipped with two high quality
11-inch computerised telescopes.
Click here for details
New-look website
We love the fresh and exciting look of our new website
and we hope you do too!
Click on the laptop to
start exploring. You can
browse holiday ideas by
month, view image and
video galleries, read our
blog and meet our team
of travel specialists.
ZClick here to request a brochure 8 discover-cloud9.co.uk 5
6. The irresistible lure of
Iceland – that was the
inspiration, pure and
simple, for our founding
travel company Arctic
Experience 30 years ago.
And the call of the north
still beats at the heart of
Discover the World today...
Love af AN ARCTIC
6 Talk to the experts ✆ 01737 218 812
7. RAGNAR TH SIGURDSSON
fair
ZClick here to request a brochure 8 discover-cloud9.co.uk 7
8. ARCTIC
6 of the best
ARCTIC EXPERIENCES
Lapland, Svalbard, Iceland, Greenland,
the Canadian Arctic... they all send
a shiver down your spine, whether
you’re off on a trip to see icebergs,
icebears or the aurora borealis
AVE you heard a glacier groan? Or a beluga
whale sing? Have you seen the northern
lights flirt with a snow-dusted forest? Or
held your breath as the midnight sun settles
briefly on the lip of the Arctic Ocean? Have you met the
gaze of a wild polar bear? Or smiled at a quivering, ugly
walrus? The Arctic is all about unforgettable experiences
like these. Click on the boxes opposite to start planning
your own Arctic love affair.
8 Talk to the experts ✆ 01737 218 812
Click here
for more
holiday ideas
9. MAIN PIC: DENNIS MINTY; 6: PAULINA HOLMGREN
2 See the northern
lights in Abisko
It’s one of the best
places in the world for
witnessing the aurora.
5 Journey to the
North Cape
Gaze across the Arctic
Ocean from the northern
tip of mainland Europe.
4 Drift with icebergs
in Greenland
East Greenland is easy
to reach – you can even
combine it with Iceland.
Click the
boxes below
to find out more
6 Admire cool art at
the ICEHOTEL
A must for all lovers of
style and adventure! For
a treat, book an Art Suite.
1 Paddle a sea kayak
through the frozen
seas of Spitsbergen
Nothing gets you closer
to Arctic wildlife.
3 Tour Iceland under
the midnight sun
With almost 24 hours of
daylight all that scenery
becomes mesmerising.
ZClick here to request a brochure 8 discover-cloud9.co.uk 9
10. ICELAND
6 of the best
ICELAND ADVENTURES
Iceland is addictive. When Discover the World’s founder,
Clive Stacey, first went there over 40 years ago, his three-week
trip became a year long life-changing adventure
ET’S be honest. Who can blame him. After
all, where else in the world could you spend
one day delving into the cavernous heart of
a volcano, and the next mingling with a pod
of orcas. Or spend a winter break gazing at the aurora
borealis and lazing in geothermal hot springs. Or a
summer odyssey joining the dots between some of the
world’s most beautiful waterfalls, or hiking remote fjords.
One thing’s certain: you will wish you had a year as well.
10 Talk to the experts ✆ 01737 218 812
Click here for
more Iceland
adventures
11. Click the
boxes below
to find out more
1: HANS STRAND; 3: RAGNAR TH SIGURDSSON; 5: NORTH SAILING
2 Touring Iceland’s
South Coast
A world-class drive taking
in waterfalls, geysers,
lava fields and glaciers.
4 Hiking Iceland’s
East Fjords
Follow trails through
hidden valleys and along
untouched coasts.
3 The stunning
Snaefellsnes
Volcanoes, orcas and
wild beaches epitomise
this beautiful peninsula.
5 Whale watching
Husavik is Europe’s
cetacean capital – see
minkes, humpbacks and
white-beaked dolphins.
1 Inside the Volcano
Hike across an
ancient lavascape before
descending slowly into
the belly of earth.
6 Highlands
Vast, rugged and
utterly captivating,
Iceland’s interior is
crying out for adventure.
ZClick here to request a brochure 8 discover-cloud9.co.uk 11
12. JöKULSáRLóN
Chiselled by waves into
delicate crystal sculptures,
fragments of ice litter a
lava-sand beach on the
south coast of Iceland. This
is Jökulsárlón, the fabled
glacial lagoon on the edge
of Vatnajökull National
Park. All the raw elements
of Iceland – ice, fire and
water – are embodied at
this magical place.
12 Talk to the experts ✆ 01737 218 812
13. Take me there
Click here to start
planning your trip
ZClick here to request a brochure 8 discover-cloud9.co.uk 13
14. WINTER ADVENTURES
QUOTES FROM
COOL PLACES
Our Travel Specialists talk from firsthand experience when
they help you plan a trip-of-a-lifetime. Here, four of them
share their top winter experience
14 Talk to the experts ✆ 01737 218 812
15. Q
The dogs’
enthusiasm is so infectious
– from the minute they
realise they are going for
a run they are barking
and straining against their
leashes, eager to go...
>> Click here to find
out more about husky
sledging in Lapland
Q
We
headed north along the
Dalton Highway where
moose and caribou
roamed against a backdrop
of the snow-covered
Brooks Range...
>> Click here to read
more about winter
travel in Alaska
Q
Nothing
can prepare you for
the breathtaking view
from Eyjafjallajökull. The
atmosphere is eerie and
the view is extraordinarily
spine-tingling!
>> Click here to find
out more about superjeep
tours in Iceland
Q
It was an
incredible experience to
be stood on top of the
mountain, surrounded by
the polar glow and silence,
only 1,360km from the
North Pole...
>> Click here to read
more about winter
breaks in Svalbard
RAGNAR TH SIGURDSSON
ZClick here to request a brochure 8 discover-cloud9.co.uk 15
16. cloud9
In the next special
30th anniversary issue...
Join
us on
Facebook
WILDLIFE
• Adventures on the wild side
• Q&A with Mark Carwardine
• Whale watching worldwide
Visit
our new
website
See
us on
YouTube
Arctic House, 8 Bolters Lane, Banstead, Surrey SM7 2AR
Website www.discover-the-world.co.uk
Email travel@discover-the-world.co.uk
Fax +44 (0) 1737 362 341
Twitter @DTW_Holidays
Writing & design William Gray | www.william-gray.co.uk
ZClick here to request a brochure 8 discover-cloud9.co.uk 16