Charity, Vitalise are offering a range of holidays in 2009 including a trip to the Galapagos Islands where they can walk in the footsteps of Charles Darwin in the 200th anniversary of his birth.

The commemorative trip is the highlight of the charity's range of holidays for visually impaired people. Groups will also be visiting destinations such as Cuba, Australia, the USA, Morocco, Canada and Jordan.

Vitalise are an organisation which provide short breaks for disabled people and carers. Their 2009 brochure also offers European trips to countries such as, Croatia, Spain and Italy.

The holidaymakers travel in small groups, accompanied by sighted guides and are categorised into adventure activity, interest, sightseeing and sun. Nearer to home, Vitalise will take groups to The Lake District, Hadrian’s Wall, Shakespeare’s Stratford, London’s Palaces, Devon, County Wicklow and the Isles of Scilly.

Vitalise Holidays Manager Sam Earl said: “The visually impaired people who go on our holidays gain as much, if not more, from these amazing destinations and activities as sighted people.

It’s all thanks to the wonderful sighted guides who accompany them; they really make the experience come alive, as well as having a holiday with a real difference themselves. If anyone wants to join us they should book as soon as possible - the places are filling up fast!”

Visually impaired people can also sample some of Vitalise’s activities on special subsidised ‘taster’ weekends in the Lake District, offering introductory sessions for walking, canoeing and tandem cycling as well as sighted guide training.