Central America and Mexico

Central America and Mexico: Exploring Mayan sites, colourful markets, local homestay, vibrant nightlife, swimming in the Caribbean's crystal blue waters, wandering the cobblestone streets of colonial towns, sampling new food and drink.

Live like you mean it on a legendary 46-day journey through six countries. Swap San José's bustling streets for lush jungles, Mayan pyramids and amazing white sand beaches. Share coffee with the locals or—if it’s to your liking—toss back a tequila in a colonial plaza and experience Central American culture with others who share your appetite for adventure. Perfect for the adventurer on a shoestring who wants to explore the region’s diversity, this trip will provide a sampling of the best of Central America.
As it is located in the central highlands, San José enjoys a moderate climate. The heat and humidity of the coast and lowland areas may affect you with a general sense of lethargy and/or loss of appetite. This is no cause for alarm, it is simply a reaction to the heat. Be sure to drink plenty of water (cold bottled water is available everywhere) and do not attempt too much in any given day.

Like most cities, San José has its good and bad sides. It is the centre of government, theatre, and art, as well as of air pollution and congestion. It has beautiful parks and museums, and a few beggers on the streets. It is big and often noisy, but even from its crowded downtown streets, you’ll often enjoy a view of the surrounding lush mountains.

Probably the hardest thing you will do in San José, other than get safely across busy streets, is keep the street numbering systems straight. Street and avenue numbers are posted on buildings at the corners of some intersections. Keep looking as you walk, and you will eventually find one.

Canals of Bangkok

Canals of Bangkok, Buddhist temples, float down the mighty Mekong, visit majestic caves, cascading waterfalls, stunning limestone karsts, explore Hanoi, sail a junk through Halong Bay, shop Hoi An, explore tunnels in Cu Chi, cruise the Mekong.
Description

From the vibrant cityscape of Bangkok to Halong Bay's magnificent limestone karsts, this trip encompasses the highlights of Indochina.

The center of the UNESCO world heritage listed town is quite small and is accessible either on foot or by bicycle. You can visit the most impressive of Luang Prabang’s 32 temples including Vat Vixoun, Vat Sene, and Vat Xiengthong. Why not pack a picnic to eat on Phousi Hill and watch the sun set over the horizon or rise at dawn to watch the monks walk through the city collecting offerings of food from the locals. Take an afternoon to browse the many textile galleries and relax and enjoy a local coffee in on of the town's cafes.

Thousands of islands rise dramatically from the waters of Halong Bay and, to further their beauty, intricate cave systems naturally exist throughout these limestone karst formations.

Santo Domingo

Rafting in the highlands, canyoning down waterfalls, biking down a mountain, experiencing Cabarete night life, exploring the fascinating colonial zone of Santo Domingo.
Description

For those with limited time looking to experience the best of the Dominican Republic, this comfortable week-long adventure offers a true taste of the region. On this active adventure, you'll go whitewater rafting on the Yaque del Norte River then really get your adrenaline pumping rappelling down a waterfall on a canyoning adventure. Tear it up on mountain bikes through the stunning scenery of the Septentrional Range and enjoy a dose of local culture in Santo Domingo. While plenty of activities are included, you'll always have free time to explore or relax—ensuring you a true once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

Santo Domingo is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. The city is located on the south side of the island on the Caribbean Sea, and at the mouth of the Ozama River. Founded by Bartholomew Columbus (brother of Christopher) in 1496, it is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the Americas, and was the first seat of Spanish colonial rule in the New World. Today, Santo Domingo is the Dominican Republic's major metropolis, and is the largest city in the Caribbean by population.
Day 2-3 Jarabacoa (2B,L,2D)
Guided walking tour of Santo Domingo Colonial Zone and half-day whitewater rafting on the Yaque del Norte River. Option to ride by horesback to the Jimenoa Waterfall or visit organic coffee plantation Finca Alta Gracia.

A beautiful adventure in breath-taking surroundings, carving through the “Dominican Alps” you will experience excellent class III rapids that will change your image of a Caribbean island forever. Experience jumping from the "El Cerrazo" rock and swimming through the "Crocodile" rapids. Rapids are gentle to start with, allowing time to learn skills and understand guide commands, leading to more challenging sections of river later in the trip. Rafting is followed by lunch and then transfer back to the hotel.

Nairobi

Nairobi to Joburg Overland
Countries Visited

Highlights

Spotting the 'Big 5' from 4x4 safari vehicles, inhaling the aromas of a spice plantation, snorkelling Zanzibar's waters, getting the heart pumping at Lake Malawi, gazing out across Victoria Falls, spotting the 'Big 5' in Kruger National Park, discovering the less-visited Zimbabwe, walking in search of rhinos in Matobo National Park, witnessing Shangaan traditions.
Description

Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Kruger National Park, Lake Malawi, Zanzibar, Victoria Falls—we originally called this trip ‘Africa Complete,’ but those pesky lawyers made us change it. While it may not feature all of Africa, it’s still pretty darn close: Wildlife safaris, cultural contact, rugged landscapes and natural landmarks spread across six incredible countries. And with supremely knowledgeable CEOs, meals prepared from fresh local produce and starlit camping stays, you’ll gain a kinship with this land and its people you won’t find anywhere else.

Introduction

Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Kruger National Park, Lake Malawi, Zanzibar, Victoria Falls—we originally called this trip ‘Africa Complete,’ but those pesky lawyers made us change it. While it may not feature all of Africa, it’s still pretty darn close: Wildlife safaris, cultural contact, rugged landscapes and natural landmarks spread across six incredible countries. And with supremely knowledgeable CEOs, meals prepared from fresh local produce and starlit camping stays, you’ll gain a kinship with this land and its people you won’t find anywhere else.

Western Isles and Scotland

Western Isles and Scotland

Love and romance in Scotland

Scotland is one of the most romantic places in the world and a great location to rekindle the flame of love, or even wed.

This is our very successful archaeological journey through the West of Scotland. We have invited archaeologists who are or have been researching or working along the Antonine Wall; in Argyll along the west coast; through the Highlands of Inverness and into Perth to come and give us their own introduction to their sites and areas. You will also be accompanied throughout by an archaeologist who will be able to weave the different threads of the story into that of Scotland.

We follow Scotland’s story through the prehistoric and early Pictish peoples, to the arrival of the Romans, discovering her early ambition to take all of Britain, and seeing the archaeological evidence of her failed attempt to do so. We have included a visit to the tiny island of Iona and the monastery founded by St Columba who brought Christianity to Scotland from Ireland.

We cover a lot of ground and there will be some long drives but this will be an adventurous archaeological journey through the glorious and dramatic landscapes of the Highlands and Islands. This challenging environment was the stimulus for all manner of ingenious responses by the early local population. ‘Crannogs’, dwellings built on small islands or on stilts in the lochs; ‘brochs’, fortified towers with walls so thick that people could walk around inside them and so high that they could do so on many storeys, and ‘duns’, smaller fortified tower/farmsteads.

Travel to New Orleans

New Orleans: back in full swing

The shop names say it all. Trashy Diva, Voluptuous Vixen, Constant Envy… Walk down Chartres Street in New Orleans's wilfully bohemian French Quarter, with its richly coloured houses and frilly cast-iron balconies gushing with flowers, and it is clear that this is a city where the sensual life matters.

Boutiques selling perfume, corsets and lingerie give way to handsome Jackson Square, lined with purveyors of hope. Fortune-tellers and tarot readers vie for attention with the pencil-point spires of St Louis Cathedral. A uniformed jazz band tunes up as a splendid white carriage with matching horse clip-clops off for a romantic ride through a bewitching ensemble of Spanish, French and Creole buildings.

Set beside a venerable bend of the Mississippi, New Orleans has always been that dreamy, steamy place where Uncle Sam finally throws off his top-hat and goes lindy-hopping. Tennessee Williams, Mardi Gras, Dixieland, voodoo, gumbo – the call is exotic and hard to resist.

Strangeness is everywhere. New Orleans has stalls selling alligator burgers, and tribes of men who dress up as Indians in outrageous feathered costumes that take a year to make. There are bars that resound to the foot-tapping beat of zydeco, and there are fish named pompano and sheepshead. The locals confer using words such as lagniappe (a little bit extra) and po-boy, which is a sandwich, not an impoverished youth.

It seems to have been like this for ever. In 1920, when Prohibition arrived and agents were despatched nationwide to assess the severity of the problem, New Orleans was found to have 5,000 bars.

While it took an inspector 14 minutes to be offered an illegal drink in New York, here it was just 37 seconds – generously proposed by his taxi-driver.

Comparisons with Venice are appropriate. Both cities have ravishing looks, bags of atmosphere and a precarious relationship with water. As we all know, in August 2005 Hurricane Katrina triggered floods that devastated the city.

The verdict is that this was a man-made disaster – levees meant to provide protection failed. This view is banged home emphatically in David Simon's hit television drama Treme, which is named after the city's historic and culturally rich African-American neighbourhood.

Beginning three months after the disaster, the series shows its citizens struggling to transcend the tragedy, with a superb backing track of home-grown tunes. Many locals consider it "hyper-accurate", and a third season is now in production.

"Some say we are the northernmost city in the Caribbean," a resident suggests – which is plausible given the warmth, colour and laissez-faire lifestyle enveloping me. New Orleans is the only city in the United States where it is legal to drink alcohol in the street, with 24-hour bars and signs saying "Cocktails to Go". Every weekend the pedestrianised party-strip of Bourbon Street becomes a raucous, boozy mayhem filled with out-of-town drunkards festooned with coloured beads.

South hall travel- Which was your best holiday?

South hall travel- Which was your best holiday?

I always try to go somewhere historic in Britain at Easter with my partner [David L Williams, a filmmaker] and our three children. Last year we stayed in a really lovely b & b near Hadrian’s Wall and felt really free; there was nobody there and it was absolutely stunning. We’d walk the wall in the daytime with a lunch the b & b had packed. We’d think we’d done brilliantly, but after hours of walking we’d find out how far we’d gone and it would turn out to be a mile and a half or something! It was up and down, but it didn’t matter. It was fantastic.

I discovered Northumberland fairly recently – the beaches there are so beautiful, and it’s like the Fifties up there: unspoilt and with very few people. Easter’s good for holidaying in England; we seem to get the warm weather then, and a rainy summer.

What do you need for a perfect holiday?

A camper van and the open road. I just love the feeling of “We’re off!” We did own one until recently, but we’ve outgrown it. We hire them now because the big ones are very expensive. I had a lot of caravanning holidays when I was young with my parents and have very happy memories, and this is me trying to replicate that.

What do you always take with you?

A washing line and pegs, a tin opener and a couple of books for each of us. We take Scrabble or Boggle or Bananagrams, probably all three. Lately we’ve quite got into Carcassonne, a game where you build a medieval city out of tiles. We get really into our games and then we go off them, so it’s good to have a few.

What’s your best piece of travel advice?

Always have double the number of pairs of knickers of the days you’re away, because anything can happen. You don’t want to get caught short.

Where would you like to go next?

Somewhere in Britain within an hour of home. I think Britain is very underrated as a holiday destination. I’d like to do things like walk the Ridgeway through Oxfordshire. I think we might do a bit of canoeing and camping in the Wye Valley next.

Freshly honed after the successful first trip, we present a tour to some of the best-preserved Roman cities in the world, lying abandoned in dramatic terrain in one of the least-visited of countries. The museums contain breath-taking surprises, with artefacts and mosaics of the finest quality. The infrastructure for visitors is new and all tours to Algeria are escorted by a police presence.