Whether you’re seeking to recapture your ancestral heritage or simply wish to discover a beautiful and poignant part of the world, this small group tour offers ample opportunity for enrichment, enlightenment, and enjoyment. With both comprehensive touring and time for independent exploration, it provides a generous overview of four distinctly different – and fascinating – nations.
In a land of breathtaking natural beauty, abiding tradition, and profoundly hospitable people, rewards abound for the thoughtful traveler. And in our flexible and congenial small group we encounter rewards aplenty on this comprehensive journey featuring all the highlights, plus the beautiful, remote Mekong Delta, where we spend two days.
Fascinating sights, scents, and sounds reign in this land where Europe and Asia meet. From Istanbul, magnificent “Empress of the World,” to ancient ruins, stunning landscapes, and the dramatic – and legendary – Turquoise Coast, Türkiye (formerly Turkey) engages and beguiles, offering us an unparalleled small group experience.
They rank as two of South America’s greatest treasures, and a small group tour is the natural selection for both: the enigmatic ruins at Machu Picchu, where we overnight at an intimate on-site hotel; and the fascinating Galapagos Islands, Darwin’s “living laboratory,” for a four-night island-based adventure.
They rank as two of South America’s greatest treasures, and a small group tour is the natural selection for both: the enigmatic ruins at Machu Picchu, "Lost City of the Incas;" and the fascinating Galapagos Islands, Darwin’s “living laboratory,” for a four-night island-based adventure.
This land of dramatic contrasts invites us to encounter its ancient ruins and sacred mosques, endless desert and storied mountains, imposing kasbahs and spirited souks. As we travel from the imperial cities of Rabat, Fez, and Marrakech to the High Atlas and vast Sahara, we open our eyes, and hearts, to a truly foreign land, an age-old culture, and genuinely hospitable people.
Mystical and spiritual, chaotic and confounding, India overflows with riches. While staying at excellent hotels, we travel the classic Golden Triangle: bustling Delhi; Agra, home of the sublime Taj Mahal; and Jaipur, the "Pink City." We also search for elusive Bengals in Ranthambore, and absorb the holiness of Varanasi.
It’s a land of scenes epic in scope, from the immense Grand Canyon and the winding Colorado to the sandstone spires of Bryce and the red-rock cliffs and chasms of Zion. It’s the Southwest, which our small group celebrates at favorite national parks and preserves. And, wrote author Wallace Stegner, it’s America’s “best idea.”
It’s a tale of two islands as our small group journeys from New Zealand’s North to its South, through lively cities and pristine fiords, past lush farmland and enchanted forests in a land where the outdoors is the national shrine. Add engaging “Kiwis” and traditional Indigenous cultures – it’s a pure New Zealand experience.
This leisurely exploration of Italy’s varied northern regions, from the romantic Lake District and dramatic Cinque Terre to beloved Tuscany, the majestic Dolomites, and canal-laced Venice, offers a refreshing perspective on a well-known land. In the company of our congenial small group, we celebrate the Italian penchant for hospitality, good food, and good living. In a word, splendido!
As the Midnight Sun turns night into day, Scandinavia shines. It’s the perfect time to visit, with the majestic countryside at its loveliest and the cities at their liveliest. From the cosmopolitan capitals of Copenhagen and Oslo to Norway’s magnificent fjord country, our small group encounters Scandinavia at its best, both on and off the beaten path.
You’re invited on a distinctive small group journey through the Iberian Peninsula to the intimate lodgings of Spain’s paradores and Portugal’s pousadas: medieval monasteries, historic fortresses, and stately palaces, each reflecting the spirit of its region. We feel the spell of Iberia’s rich Roman and Moorish past – and the pull of its vibrant contemporary life.
