AFTER a dust-filled safari tour in Namibia in 1998, a tired but happy Mr Paul Choy dined on ostrich meat with his wife in the middle of the Kalahari desert.

Their meal was lit by candles and bow-tied waiters scurried about to make the exclusive two-person-only safari a holiday to remember.

Mr Choy, 38, the managing director of tour operator Thompsons Gateway, says of the experience: 'We are from Asia, so how often do we get to dine alone in the desert under cloudless skies?'

He and his homemaker wife Teresa, also 38, started going on deluxe rustic vacations after visiting friends in Capetown more than seven years ago.

Since then, they have visited Africa every year. They have flown by helicopter over the Victoria Falls, cruised down the Zambezi River and visited game lodges like the Chobe Game Reserve.

Such experiences, however, don't come cheap. He has already spent more than $120,000 on such trips with his wife. They travel less now after the birth of their daughter a year ago.

The Choys form what the travel industry identifies as the 'new nomads', a niche group of high-end travellers who seek luxury with thrills.

Ms Leesa Lovelace, general manager of luxury train operator Eastern & Oriental Express, says Singaporeans are catching on to these esoteric travel options.

Her luxury train has been operating between Singapore and Thailand since 1993, and has seen the number of Singaporean travellers grow.

Each ride costs from $3,330 to $6,140 for a Presidential carriage, which is three times bigger than the regular ones.

During the ride, guests wine and dine on Asian-influenced cosmopolitan cuisine and see indigenous tribes in Malaysia and Thailand through their train windows.

Native dancers and fortune-tellers are also invited on board to entertain guests.

Travel industry analysts report that the new nomads are usually in their 40s and 50s. They are settled in their careers and either have no children or grown-up children. They shun ordinary hotel chains and itineraries because they have enough travel experiences under their belt to be more discerning.

These deluxe thrill-seekers want the level of unique experiences to be on a par with luxury standards of travel though, and travel operators are only too happy to oblige.

Exclusivity means fewer than 10 reservations at any time for some, a limit imposed mainly because of the fragile ecologies they visit. Travellers are taken deep into deserts, forests, jungles, mountains and far-out atolls for yak-skiing, falconry, fossil excavation and even nude horseback riding.

Some sleep in air-conditioned tents right next to reserves of prowling tigers; others wake up to the sound of polar bears pawing their resort-like buggies (check out www.tundrabuggy.com).

To freshen up after their adventures, hydraulic elevators take them up to tree-top lodgings for pampering in Bose-fitted surrounds, with L'Occitane toiletries, Philippe Starck fixtures and Frette linens (www.dhonimighili.com).

For safety, some travellers even get real Masai warriors standing by their rooms as security guards.

This select group also has more travel options now due to the partnerships between tribesmen and aid organisations that seek to preserve their unique cultures, not exploit them.

Take the Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, a luxury safari described as 'Versailles meets Masai in the game lodge at the edge of the world', that is built in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Tanzania.

Promoting tourism at the Lodge also helps to fund soil, water catchment and wildlife conservation projects with the Masai. As the tribes have grazing rights on the plains, travellers also get to interact with them.

Luxury then, is not so much defined in trite dollars but in the rich cultural exchange for these high-end travellers.

Or as Mr Choy puts it: 'It is definitely something that has to be done at least once in a lifetime.'

STOP YAKKING, START TREKKING

FROM yak-skiing to nude horseback riding, LifeStyle gets you one step closer to six mind-blowing vacations.

AFRICA

Abu Camp, Botswana

How exotic: Set deep in the ancient riverine forest of the Okavango Delta are six custom-built tents. For greater luxury, the camp has the Elephant Villa with your own butler, chef, guide and unlimited use of a safari vehicle.
How rustic: You navigate delta floodplains on the backs of elephants or go boating in mokoro (dugout canoes) along the delta rivulets.
How exclusive: With A-listers like Prince Harry as former guests, you can understand why only a maximum of 12 people, twin-sharing six tented suites, are allowed at one time.
How much: US$5,250 (S$8,820) for a four-day safari package.
How to book: www.abucamp.com or www.atoasafaris.com

Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, Tanzania

How exotic: The resort resembles a Masai village of mud huts with suites on stilts skirting the rim of a crater. The walls are lined with gold leaves while chandeliers hang from banana-leaf ceilings. At night, Masai warriors escort you about to protect you from the wildlife.
How rustic: Picnic in the middle of a two-million-year-old crater floor or view the migration of zebras and wildebeest from October to November. Trips are also planned to the Olduvai Gorge archaeological site which has yielded fossils that are 3.6 million years old.
How exclusive: 30 suites
How much: US$445 to US$595 per night
How to book: www.ngorongorocrater.com

Southern Skies Naturist Safari, Namibia

How exotic: Three words - nude horseback riding.
How rustic: Dune-climbing in Sossuslvei, pre-dawn hot-air ballooning over the Namibian Desert with a champagne breakfast in the desert after descent. Naked fishing is also planned. Just be careful where your hook lands. How exclusive: Only one group of up to six guests is allowed on each eight-day safari.
How much: 5,687 Rand (S$1,474) to 8,304 Rand
How to book: www.swakop.com

ASIA

Green Magic Nature Resort in Kerala

How exotic: Guests bunk in a treehouse 26m above ground, complete with a hydraulic elevator.
How rustic: Food is served on banana leaves minus utensils so you have to eat the Indian way. To minimise air and noise pollution, solar energy and gas from cow dung are used extensively.
How exclusive: Only four double rooms in two treehouses.
How much: US$130 to US$310 per night
How to book: http:/www.hotelskerala.com

Indian hill resort of Manali

How exotic: Once known as the end of the habitable world, Manali lies 12 hours by bus from New Delhi.
How rustic: Skiers are taken to the hills with a herd of yaks for an overnight camp in winter. They are tied to a rope threaded through a pulley pivoted at the hilltop with the other end tied to a yak. Skiers then shake a bucket of nuts to catch the yak's attention before putting it down. The yak charges down at high speed for the nuts and the skier is pulled upslope at breakneck speed.
How exclusive: Only five skiers are allowed each winter.
How much: 1. Get there; 2. Look for a Tibetan called Peter Dorje; 3. Haggle.
How to book: www.destinationsindia.com

Three Camel Lodge, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

How exotic: Located in the Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park, guests live in gers (felt tents) and bush food like grubs are served.
How rustic: Guests partake in ancient customs like hunting with eagles, camel races, hoomi (throat) singing and excavating dinosaur fossils under guidance from the Mongolian Academy of Sciences.
How exclusive: 30 gers with twin occupancy only
How much: US$175 to US$300 per night
How to book: www.threecamellodge.com