MALTA
THE ADRIATIC
TANZANIA
AMERICA'S DEEP SOUTH
GREECE
JAPAN
DISCOVER
WORLDWIDE TOURS
With more than 1,000 years of history and some of the world’s most cutting-edge cities to its name, Japan is a must for culture vultures. Jump on our 14-day Japan Unmasked tour, and you’ll pack in everything from Samurai villages and Shinto shrines to soaring, state-of-the-art cityscapes.
JAPAN THROUGH THE AGES
ASIA
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Expert guides on all tours
MODERN MARVELS When you’re not snapping photos of Japan’s traditional landmarks, you’ll come face-to-face with some of the country’s modern, megastar attractions. The tour starts and finishes in Tokyo, where bright neon lights, high-rise skyscrapers and billboard-painted buildings make the whole place feel animated. Peer at Mount Fuji from the observation deck at the Sky Tree, the world’s second tallest tower. Then wander around Ginza, a district that’s packed with luxurious, top-brand boutiques. Later on, you’ll hop on one of Japan’s 200-miles-per-hour bullet trains for a visit to Hiroshima, where you can see the devastation caused by a nuclear bomb up close.
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HOTELS
MEALS
FLIGHTS
TRANSPORT
GUIDES
HEAPS OF HISTORY Japan’s cities are stocked with age-old sights for you to explore. Take Kyoto for example. This former capital’s home to more than 2,000 religious Shinto shrines. While you’re there, you’ll see some of its signature relics, from the crimson-red gates at the Fushimi Inari Shrine, to the mystic waterfalls at the hilltop Kiyomizu-dera Temple. Elsewhere, in Kanazawa, you’ll walk in the footsteps of Japan’s most famous fighters, the Samurai. Follow a guide through their 16th-century wooden houses in the Nagamachi district, and learn about their strict way of life.
TOUR TYPE
RHODES You’ll get a taste for Rhodes – literally – during a traditional Greek meze lunch and wine tasting. It’s a feast for the eyes, as well as the tastebuds, as the setting’s up a mountain. While in Rhodes, you’ll also visit a peaceful, butterfly-filled nature reserve, take a tour of Rhodes Town after dark, and learn about ancient Greek history in Lindos. CHALKI SYMI
More than 6,000 islands make up this land of history and hummus. And our week-long Greek Island Hopper tour gives you a good look at three very different ones – from the well-known to the off-the-beaten-track. Here’s what you’ll get up to in each, with the help of your expert guide…
GET TO KNOW THE REAL GREECE
EUROPE
CHALKI Cars and shops are few and far between on Chalki, while bars, nightclubs and watersports are unheard of. What’s left is a pocket-sized haven of peace and quiet. During your afternoon here, you can wander around the quaint harbour, where colourful boats bob on clingfilm-clear waters. And stop for coffee and calamari at a traditional, waterfront taverna.
RHODES You’ll get a taste for Rhodes – literally – during a traditional Greek meze lunch and wine tasting. It’s a feast for the eyes, as well as the tastebuds, as the setting’s up a mountain. While in Rhodes, you’ll also visit a peaceful, butterfly-filled nature reserve, take a tour of Rhodes Town after dark, and learn about ancient Greek history in Lindos.
You’ll get a taste for Rhodes – literally – during a traditional Greek meze lunch and wine tasting. It’s a feast for the eyes, as well as the tastebuds, as the setting’s up a mountain. While in Rhodes, you’ll also visit a peaceful, butterfly-filled nature reserve, take a tour of Rhodes Town after dark, and learn about ancient Greek history in Lindos.
Symi definitely has looks on its side – the views of the rainbow-tinted, hillside houses as you drift into the harbour are really something. Plus, there’s plenty of substance to go with the style. You’ll check out the intricately painted frescoes of the Monastery of Panormitis. Then, learn about the island’s natural sponge-making history, before having time to dip into the boutiques that line the harbour.
Cars and shops are few and far between on Chalki, while bars, nightclubs and watersports are unheard of. What’s left is a pocket-sized haven of peace and quiet. During your afternoon here, you can wander around the quaint harbour, where colourful boats bob on clingfilm-clear waters. And stop for coffee and calamari at a traditional, waterfront taverna.
From the King of Rock and Roll to the funky jazz tones of New Orleans, America’s ‘Dixie’ states are a hotbed of musical activity. And with our Rhythms of the Deep South tour, you’ll get to experience the lot
FOOT-TAPPING TRAVEL
AMERICA
FAMOUS NAMES Musical heavyweights and the Deep South go together like mac ‘n’ cheese. The catalogue of famous faces to make their name here is like a chart-topping hall of fame. Get behind the mic in a studio in Nashville – dubbed Music City – where Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton recorded hits. Visit the childhood home of the legendary Elvis Presley, in Tupelo, see a statue of him in Memphis, and visit his famous Graceland estate. At Sun Studios, meanwhile, you can see where Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison first hit the big time. PARADES AND PARTIES Parties don’t come much bigger or better than Mardi Gras, and nowhere in the world celebrates the occasion quite like New Orleans. It’s such a big deal, that the city keeps up the carnival spirit all year round, but our tour at the end of February gets you into the thick of the actual festivities. And with optional excursions that take you behind the scenes, where parade floats are crafted and costumes are trialled, you can throw yourself into things full pelt. You’ll get a first-hand taste of country entertainment in Nashville, too. Learn to line dance at a lively saloon, where local songwriters provide a beat and barbecue food’s fired up in the background.
FAMOUS NAMES Musical heavyweights and the Deep South go together like mac ‘n’ cheese. The catalogue of famous faces to make their name here is like a chart-topping hall of fame. Get behind the mic in a studio in Nashville – dubbed Music City – where Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton recorded hits. Visit the childhood home of the legendary Elvis Presley, in Tupelo, see a statue of him Memphis, and visit his famous Graceland estate. At Sun Studios, meanwhile, you can see where Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison first hit the big time.
The photography opportunities come in thick and fast from day one. Your first outdoor stop is the Lake Manyara National Park. En route, you’ll pass plantations full with maize, coffee and bananas, along with frozen-in-time African villages. In the evening, you’ll get to watch the sun set over the lake, with a glass of fizz in hand.
Tanzania: lions, landscapes and locals
AFRICA
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area also comes up trumps with its majestic setting. This place spans highlands, sandy plains and forest. Plus, it merges into the world-famous Serengeti National Park. Wildlife-watching’s almost too easy here, with zebras and gazelles often roaming around the lodges where you’ll be staying.
Head out on safari and you’ll be torn between photographing the landscapes around you and the creatures that roam them. The Serengeti’s home to Africa’s Big Five – lions, buffalos, rhinos, elephants and leopards. Plus, it’s home to the Maasai people. You’ll get to visit a traditional village to see what life’s like there.
Jaw-dropping daytrips come as standard on our eight-day Legendary Landscapes of Tanzania tour. From the seemingly never-ending grass plains to the incredible wildlife, this tour tops the charts when it comes to knockout sights.
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area also comes up trumps with its majestic setting. This place spans highlands, sandy plains and forest. Plus, it merges into the world-famous Serengeti National Park. Wildlife-watching’s almost too easy here, with zebras and gazelles often roaming around the lodges where you’ll be staying. Head out on safari and you’ll be torn between photographing the landscapes around you and the creatures that roam them. The Serengeti’s home to Africa’s Big Five – lions, buffalos, rhinos, elephants and leopards. Plus, it’s home to the Maasai people. You’ll get to visit a traditional village to see what life’s like there.
One of the best bits of this tour is seeing the Ngorongoro Crater. It’s one of the world’s largest volcanic calderas – where a volcano has collapsed into itself – so the panoramas are gasp-worthy. And down on the grasslands of the crater floor, you’ve got the highest density of lions in Africa. See if you can spot a real life Simba as you drive through.
Ever wondered what it would feel like to step into a real life fairytale? Our Adventures along the Adriatic tour showcases scenery that would do Walt Disney proud. This seven-night adventure lets you jump right into the pages of a leather-bound, picture-filled storybook.
Storybook scenery along the Adriatic
Fairytale-style hotspots dot the agenda, starting on the first day in Perast. This Montenegrin town’s home to the tiny island chapel of Our Lady on the Rocks. There are rumours that a miracle once happened here – and it’s easy to believe, thanks to the sky-blue-turreted chapels and Pixar-film-ready cobbled brickwork.
Mother Nature also went all out when she was designing the countryside south of Dubrovnik. Twisting, leafy trails pan out through the Konavle region, making it easy to believe you might spot Little Red Riding Hood or Snow White out of the corner of your eye.
Krka National Park in Croatia’s another highlight – its scenery scores 10 out of 10 at every turn. It’s easy to imagine bright-eyed, bushy-tailed creatures skipping out of its tightly packed forests at any given moment. Plus, you’ll want to whip out the camera for the park’s collection of powerful waterfalls and diamond-clear pools.
And finally, don’t miss snapping the Stari Most Bridge in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It’s made from pure-white stone, and looks like it would slot right into the fantastical architecture of the kingdom of Gondor in the Lord of the Rings.
Gozo goes for gold when it comes to natural landscapes – and wins every time. Keen photographers will go mad for its chequerboard of salt pans. They stretch three kilometres along the coast, and are part of Gozo’s centuries-old tradition of sea salt production. The island’s also home to Calypso’s Cave, which overlooks the fiery-red, Instagrammable sands of Ramla Bay. The tour agenda’s peppered with little villages, too. Foodies will be in their element when it comes to the locally produced food and drink Try a glass of ‘kinnie’ – a fizzy orange drink – in the quaint village of Zebbug. Or grab a coffee while café-hopping around the cobbled centre of Bugibba. Both of these are on Malta.
Let’s talk cities. The best built up areas are undoubtedly Valletta and Rabat, both on Malta. Valletta’s one of Europe’s smallest capitals and you’ll explore it on a walking tour that goes past cathedrals and palaces. You’ll get to visit the picturesque Upper Barrakka Gardens, too. It’s an ideal spot for gazing across the Grand Harbour. Rabat, meanwhile, is the oldest town on these shores. Visit the catacombs of St Paul, before stepping back in time in Mdina, dubbed the ‘Silent City’ because of its noise restrictions and ancient streets.
Our seven-night Maltese Marvels tour plates up all the best bits on the islands of Malta and Gozo. Here, we shine a light on the places that are guaranteed to make you go “wow!” – from dramatic cityscapes to rural hotspots.
Which bit of Malta’s best for you?
Let’s talk cities. The best built up areas are undoubtedly Valletta and Rabat, both on Malta. Valletta’s one of Europe’s smallest capitals and you’ll explore it on a walking tour that goes past cathedrals and palaces. You’ll get to visit the picturesque Upper Barrakka Gardens, too. It’s an ideal spot for gazing across the Grand Harbour.
Gozo goes for gold when it comes to natural landscapes – and wins every time. Keen photographers will go mad for its chequerboard of salt pans. They stretch three kilometres along the coast, and are part of Gozo’s centuries-old tradition of sea salt production. The island’s also home to Calypso’s Cave, which overlooks the fiery-red, Instagrammable sands of Ramla Bay.
