Muir's Tours is committed to travel with concern for the environment, the indigenous people and of course our clients. Our name was inspired by John Muir, the “Father of Ecology”. We are a non-profit organisation with proceeds going to various charities. Your custom will provide us with funds that are passed on to various charities and projects.

We are looking for any help we can get, but most volunteers fall into one of two categories. The Casual Volunteer (CV) who will commit for at least a month and the Long Termer who will stay at least 1 year. We offer the casual volunteer on most of our projects food and accommodation at low cost and practical / logistical assistance with travel. All CVs must pay their own costs – these are minimal (e.g. in India US$6 / £4 per day for food and basic accom, US$21 / £15 train – Delhi / Dehradun / Delhi) together with a registration fee of US$75 / £50 to help with our admin costs.

The options are quite varied and the more popular locations are detailed below.

North India – In Dehradun and Dharamsala we are developing ways to help the Tibetan people help themselves. In Dharamsala there is a well established craft workshop and guest house and we are planning to set up others. We also need people to help promote the sale of crafts back in their home country. We want to establish homestays – a short holiday living with local people – in the areas around Dharamsala and Dehradun. Research work is needed to identify additional suitable families / homes.

Near Dehradun in the small village of Rajpur is a home for Tibetan children (mostly orphans) that have escaped by foot over the Himalaya from Tibet – we want to support this establishment by sponsoring individual children for their education. You can help immediately by suggesting to friends and relatives that they sponsor a Tibetan child, most of whom are orphans. If you know someone who is willing to pay $ 21 / £15 per month to educate, house, feed and clothe a young Tibetan, please let us know.

North central Nepal – near the Tibetan border in and around the village of Panglang. There is accommodation available in a local home and in the tourist periods of March / May and Sept / Dec there is the luxury of a riverside camp at additional cost. The camp is a permanent set up which is a base for rafting and kayaking. Some prior study of the language would be required as there are interpreters available some of the time only, but a limited vocabulary would not be too great a problem.

Mid central Nepal – near the town of Pokhara in a Tibetan Refugee Camp. There is accommodation available in a local home or in the community owned guest house. The camp was set up in 1962 following the Chinese invasion of Tibet and is now well established with brick homes, a fine monastery, a school and a carpet factory. The NKF has English speaking Tibetan staff permanently in the camp, so Tibetan language study is not necessary.

Mongolia – famous for it's horsemanship and yet it nearly lost its most precious horse breed. They are probably the last remaining wild horse species in the world. Przewalski horses almost become extinct with some horses surviving is zoo's. After careful breeding they were reintroduced in several Mongolian nature reserves. Only the group in Hustain Nuruu Reserve was successful. We need to monitor the horses to make sure they are adjusting to their new environment and to gain a better insight into their behaviour. You need to be able to work without assistance in tracking down the harems on horse-back and compiling data on their whereabouts and behaviour. You will need to help us encourage conservation awareness in the local communities.

Eastern Nepal – The Makalu – Barun area. We have a number of projects in this area in conjunction with The Mountain Institute (TMI) and the accommodation would be in local homes or lodges normally. Some prior study of the language would be required as there are interpreters available some of the time only, but a limited vocabulary would not be too great a problem.

To find out more, visit Muir's Tours website on: www.nkf-mt.org.uk or contact info@nkf-mt.org.uk

One of the best ways to discover some of the many views of and from this well known corner of north London can be located by heading up Highgate Hill, at the Archway junction of the A1. Since living in the area, I've completed this route many times and found whether I travel by foot, bus, car or wearily push my cycle up the steep incline that l always seem to see something different on my journey. A bonus to this journey is if it can be made at the beginning of an August's summer day…

My first thought is that I am crossing a boundary – in that I am leaving behind the modern and the utilitarian accommodation of transient London and heading off into a very slowly changing but more permanently rooted era. An initial signpost of this change may well be the tall gothic spires and high roofs of the now renamed Archway Campus, which still seems rooted in its original purpose of providing medical care. Or take the caged Whittington Stone, complete with perched cat on the pavement just before the modern Whittington Hospital, as a signpost. The statue itself is but a small 1935 tribute to commemorate the mayoral achievements of one Richard Whittington, but it talks of a shared history for London.

At the junction with Dartmouth Road, it could be said that apart from the volume and nature of road traffic nowadays, much of the surroundings are as they were at the turn of the 20th century, when London swallowed up villages like Highgate during its' suburban expansion. St Joseph's Roman Catholic Church and Retreat proudly stands on its 1888 roots and marks a good point to catch your breath and look back across London down towards the Millennium Dome and the southern cityscape. Cathedral in posture, its copper domes tower above the nearby Old Crown and the now defunct Presbyterian Church on Cromwell Avenue. From neighbours who have a longer association with the area I have heard stories of horses, their carriages and their drivers heading down the hill in unconventional styles, as their wheels and legs attempt to work their way across this busy crossing during snow and ice.

Along from St Joseph's is another landmark from that different era, Lauderdale House, which was renovated in 1893 to become a council operated venue. Nowadays it is a popular location for well attended weddings, craft fairs and views out across Waterlow Park – whilst the coffee could be better its' less busy nature is a welcome contrast. Facing Lauderdale is the imposing Northgate House with is walls struggling to support a large number of windows and the Ghana High Commission with its roof top cupola, arching lines and gated entrance.

The Channing Schools and the art deco Cholmeley Lodge welcome visitors into Highgate village proper and the high street. Local shops and businesses seem to stand their own corner against the undeservedly well located chain restaurants and ubiquitous estate agents !

Highgate becomes one of those weekend destinations that creaks at the seams during the Kenwood season or as people enjoy a summer day. One of my favourite aspects is that the 210 allows me to alight from the bus and almost walk directly through the front door of The Prince of Wales and to a very good pint, whatever the choice ! Other local recommendations include the frustratingly organised Highgate Bookshop, the Village Bistro and the precariously perched stall of Village Flowers.

To extend the search for views turn left into Hampstead Lane and proceed past the always green playing field of Highgate School and its' numerous red brick buildings. Once passed the faded blue sign of the mysterious Highgate Golf Club, you find yourself walking along under broad leaf trees to the entrances of The Iveagh Bequest at Kenwood – however rather than enter through the popular stables entrance, head towards the main gate. I found the simple pleasure of walking down the sweeping drive, towards the front of Kenwood House immensely appealing. This neo-classical house, remodelled during the 1760s to include an archetypal, stately frontage, was home to the 1st Earl of Mansfield…however it his heir, the 2nd Earl, that is to be thanked for commissioning Humphrey Repton's widely enjoyed landscaped garden. This pleasant perimeter of Hampstead Heath makes for a perfect spot from which to explore the 37 odd ponds, Parliament Hill and many superb vistas of the cities of London and Westminster. Depending on the day's clarity, attempt to locate Canary Wharf, the ever majestic St Paul's, the London Eye and the Telecomm Tower at the very least ! And remember that in spite of busy periods, the main Kenwood House makes itself available for excellent afternoon teas…

To prolong your pleasure, avoid the exclusive, brash wealth of the gated Compton, Courtenay and Bishops' avenues and follow Hampstead Lane further round the heath towards the still splendid Spaniards Inn and beyond towards Hampstead itself. For those that wish to return down back down the hill, the 210 can be caught from almost outside the main house and a pleasant journey can be drawn to a close in an unhurried manner !

Matthew is happy to be contacted by email chair@globetrotters.co.uk or at the monthly London meetings.

Mike is the winner of the Globetrotter Club £1,000 legacy available to members under 30 years of age for the best independent travel plan.

If you are under 30 and are a member, please visit our legacy page for details of how to apply. It is available to anyone in the world, as long as they are a member of the Globetrotter Club, have a great plan for independent travel and are under the age of 30. Get those plans in!!

Mike is using his travel award to visit Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Here's Part 1 of his travels:

We've been in Thailand now for about 10 days and thought I should drop you all a line to let you know we're actually alive and what we've been up to. We spent a few days in Bangkok which was very different than I expected. It was so much cleaner and more organised and the Sky train makes it feasible to get across the city quickly. There is lots of diversity across the city with huge modern skyscrapers next to slums.

The Grand Palace is incredible and so are many of the other sites but the food is by far the best aspect. You can pick up great noodles on the street for only a few pence. We've also tried Scorpion, grasshopper and loads of other things that so far our bodies are accepting. The nightlife in Bangkok is also a completely new experience and we had a couple of wild nights out. We're also getting pretty ruthless with the tuk-tuk drivers.

We caught the sleeper up to Chiang Mai the second largest city where we had our Visas for Laos and Vietnam done whilst we went off into the Jungle Trekking. The Trek lasted 3 days and was hard work but well worth it! We met some hill tribes and also did the very touristy elephant rides and white water rafting. The weather here is mixed with some rain but always very hot and within seconds of doing anything we're sweating. We then headed up by bus to Tha-ton where we are now which is a small town only a few kilometres from the Burmese boarder.

It's been really nice staying here for a couple of days away from the noise and pollution of Bangkok and Chiang Mai. The views are amazing and we've only seen two other westerners here. We've even spent an afternoon chatting with a group of young monks about philosophy. We're leaving in an hour by boat down to Chiang Rai where we'll be spending a while exploring the northern tip of the country. So far it's all gone really well (touch wood) the people are very friendly especially when you get out of the cities. The weather has been good and we've kept away from trouble and illness.

We should be getting to Laos this weekend we think but we're just taking it as it comes.

There is an old Namibian saying: “If the Namibian sun has shone on you once, you are part of the country.”

People who have never been to Africa seem to be under the misconception that lions and wild animals roam our streets or that we stay in the bush! This has caused much laughter from Africans and some even thought that this was just the opportunity to fool around with someone. But that is typical African hospitality. People will joke around just to make you feel comfortable and at ease!

And when you finally convince someone to come and stay in “the bush” in Namibia, it's amazing to see their reaction when they arrive, one of disbelief and feeling that a mistake has been made, is written all over their faces! You see, our International airport is situated 40km outside Windhoek and when you arrive there, it truly seems as if there is nothing! And you do not see the city until you are basically in it! The landscape is such that it hides civilisation from a first time visitor!

But once your find yourself in Namibia, you'll be angry at yourself for not coming here sooner! The country is exquisite in beauty, cultures, places to see and things to do! But don't be in a hurry! African time seem to have found its way to Namibia too! At the coastal town of Swakopmund (the most visited town in Namibia and the second largest town) you get a true European feel – people are laid-back and it seems as if they are on a constant vacation. But don't misunderstand: business is good – you do get good service, but this is the place to come and unwind completely! And we do offer the best cuisine! You can even experience a true African dinner in Windhoek in a township restaurant! This is a must do for any traveller! But you must have a strong stomach! This is not for the faint-hearted!

So what is there to see and do in Namibia? There are international events, such as championships in sand boarding and powerboat racing, to mention a few. And don't forget, we do have the oldest desert in the world, the Namib Desert. You can ride the endless waves of dunes on a quad bike or in a 4×4 or hot-air ballooning over the Namib Desert or visit indigenous tribes or go big game fishing or skydiving or going on a seal and dolphin cruise or bird watching or take a safari to see the big 5, or, or, or…(the list is endless!) Travelling in Namibia you will encounter good hospitality and good value for money and unspoilt nature scenes where wild life is abundant.

With is wide variety of inhabitants, habitats and scenery, Namibia has a lot to offer any traveller! It is fast becoming a popular holiday destination and with a well-planned itinerary, you can see an impressive amount of the country that will leave you breathless with awe and amazement! Even the most difficult to please will find something to enjoy.

For more information, visit Renate's website at www.mcleodcontours.com