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Past ExpeditionsJanuary 13-February 3, 2011 Full--call for last-minute openings
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Depart your hometown independently on a commercial flight to Orlando, Florida. Meet your fellow travelers and the expedition staff during a welcome dinner at our fine hotel.
Grand Bohemian Hotel, Orlando
Fly to Lima, once a thriving capital in Spain’s New World empire. Arrive in the evening, and enjoy a fine dinner of traditional Peruvian cuisine.
Miraflores Park Hotel, Lima
Take a local flight to Cusco, center of the Andean world for centuries. See the historic district where Spanish Baroque palaces, a beautiful cathedral, and the rand Plaza de Armas were built directly on foundations laid by the Incas. Marvel at the reasures of the Pre-Colombian Art Museum, where we will meet with master Andean weaver Nilda Callañaupa, who works with traditional weavers throughout Peru to preserve
the rich textile arts of this country.
The next day, travel on the luxurious Hiram Bingham train through the spectacularly scenic Urubamba Valley to Machu Picchu. This sacred citadel was abandoned by the Incas, reclaimed by the jungle, and lost to history until it was rediscovered by the explorer Hiram Bingham in 1911. Examine the artfully cut stone altars, temples, fountains, staircases, nd terraced gardens that make this one of the world’s most extraordinary archaeological treasures.
Hotel Monasterio, Cusco
Fly more than 2,300 miles westward across the Pacific Ocean to Easter Island. Scattered with mysterious, colossal stone statues called moai, the island is an open-air museum of the ruins of a lost culture. Since the island was first seen by Europeans on Easter Sunday in 1722, it has been the subject of debate. How did its native people first arrive? What transpired over the centuries? What do the tall, brooding statues mean? Explore many parts of this island—a UNESCO World Heritage site—with renowned archaeologists Claudio Cristino, Edmundo Edwards, and Patricia Vargas, who will reveal the stories behind the moai, ceremonial centers, and petroglyphs. Then enjoy a splendid performance by the Kari Kari Rapa Nui dance troupe.
Hanga Roa Hotel
Our expedition will donate funds to the Eastern Pacific Research Foundation, which supports the ongoing work of archaeologists.
Experience the relaxing atmosphere of Samoa—a land that has changed little from ancient times, making it one of the most traditional of Polynesian cultures. This beautiful chain of volcanic islands enchanted Robert Louis Stevenson who called it home and wrote of the “sense of seduction” inspired by this unique habitat where some of the world’s most vivid natural colors can be found. Visit Vailima, Stevenson’s lovely plantation-style estate and his last home, now a museum restored to show the lavish comfort he and his wife, Fanny, enjoyed. We’ll be treated to a lavish traditional feast and a fia fia—a colorful performance of Samoan dance and song.
Aggie Grey’s Lagoon Beach Resort & Spa, Apia
Our expedition will donate supplies to the Satapuala Primary School, attended by more than 300 children from Satapuala and nearby villages.
From Polynesia we continue our voyage across the Pacific, crossing the international date line. We lose a day en route and arrive in Australia the following afternoon.
We land in Cairns and transfer to Port Douglas, a charming resort town on the shores of the South Pacific Ocean. From here, venture out to the Great Barrier Reef, the largest known coral reef in the world and home to an exceptionally rich variety of marine life. We visit the northern reaches of the reef where the fish and coral are the most diverse, to snorkel among the rainbow variety of corals with schools of triggerfish, unicornfish,
bumphead parrot fish, and sea turtles.
Sea Temple Resort & Spa, Port Douglas
Fly by private jet to Siem Reap, our base for a leisurely exploration of Angkor, the heart of the ancient Khmer Empire and one of humankind’s greatest architectural triumphs. Visit the stunningly beautiful Angkor Wat temple complex, and survey its massive towers, carved murals, colonnades, and courtyards that exemplify classic Khmer architecture. At Angkor Thom, explore the famous Bayon Temple and the Terrace of the Elephants; and wander among the ruins of Ta Prohm, still tangled in the thick roots of banyan trees. And, if you wish, you may visit the Kok Dong Primary School to meet local children and teachers. In the evening, at our historic luxury hotel, enjoy a fine dinner and see a performance of classical Apsara dance, whose beautiful costumed dancers echo the shapes of the celestial beings seen in the sculptures of Angkor Wat.
Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor
Alternate - To Angkor Wat --- Instead of an activity or excursion in the main itinerary, choose the following:
Instead of visiting Angkor Wat, travel to the lost jungle temple of Beng Melea, overgrown with majestic trees and surrounded by a lush bamboo forest. Then travel to the ninth-century Rolous temple complex, which includes Preah Ko, the first temple built at this ancient site. Visit Bakong Temple and the multitowered Lolei, once an island temple in the center of a great reservoir. Take part in a tea ceremony with a resident monk at a pagoda and learn about monastic life here. Then visit village workshops to observe the production of silk textiles, ceramics, miniature sculptures, and shadow puppets.
Alternate - To Cambodia --- Instead of an activity or excursion in the main itinerary, choose the following:
Instead of Cambodia, explore historic Hanoi, a beautiful 1,000-year-old city filled with lakes and parks. Visit Ho Chi Minh’s wooden house on stilts and the curiously shaped One Pillar Pagoda, originally built in 1049. Then travel to the spectacular seascape of Ha Long Bay, and cruise among more than a thousand karst limestone pillars, islets, and floating villages. Return by commercial air to Siem Reap, to rejoin travelers who remained in Cambodia.
InterContinental Westlake Hanoi and Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor
Our expedition will support Watthan Artisans Cambodia in Phnom Penh, which provides training and employment in traditional Cambodian textile arts. We will also donate funds to the Preahatit Orphanage, located in a floating village on Tonle Sap Lake.
Board our private jet and fly to Agra, India, site of the famous Taj Mahal. Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned this astoundingly beautiful monument in the 17th century as a tribute to the memory of his second wife Mumtaz Mahal. A masterpiece of the Mughal Empire, the monument soars majestically above the banks of the Yamuna River. Wander this enchanting work of art, which incorporates and expands on Persian, Hindu, and Islamic styles. Admire the Taj Mahal’s lovely form among the reflecting pools and gardens that surround it, and examine its intricate mosaics made of precious stones.
Reboard our private jet and fly to Jaipur, the “Pink City,” named for the rose color of its prominent buildings that were painted for a citywide makeover to honor a visit by the Prince of Wales in 1876. See the unique Palace of the Winds, an oasis for women of the court to secretly observe palace activities. Visit the sumptuous City Palace and its museum to see royal artworks and artifacts, including exquisite robes, toys from the royal playroom, and antique weaponry. Explore the whimsical Jantar Mantar, an 18th-century observatory with enormous and sculptural astronomical tools. In the evening, gather for a gala Rajasthani dinner at Dera Amer, beautiful home of the family of Mansinghji, the legendary Maharaja of Jaipur.
Rambagh Palace, Jaipur
Depart India in the morning and fly by private jet to Kilimanjaro International Airport, where you will transfer to private local aircraft to venture into one of two different areas of Tanzania. No other country has more land devoted to national parks and game reserves.
Take a short flight to the Serengeti National Park, site of the most complex and least disturbed ecosystem on Earth. Begin your safari from the moment you land in the bush with a game drive en route to your lodgings. Later, venture deep into the savannah and be surrounded by the beauty of the land and the staggering concentration of animals that live here. Africa’s densest “big cat” predator populations (lions, cheetahs, and leopards) thrive here. Wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, impala, and giraffe also abound, and although these animals are protected from human hunters, they may not be spared by the “big cats,” as we may witness while exploring this area.
Serengeti Sopa Lodge or Mobile Tented Camp
Or descend into the Ngorongoro Crater to observe the permanent population of about 25,000 animals in the largest unbroken caldera in the world. Along with great herds of wildebeest, gazelle, and zebra, you may also see the “big five” (rhinoceroses, lions, leopards, elephants, and buffalo). Spend your nights here at a lodge perched on the crater’s rim.
Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge
Handicrafts made by a local women’s cooperative will be purchased and given to travelers on this expedition. We will also donate supplies to a local school.
Arrive in Luxor and head to the Luxor Museum to view its stunning collection of statues, figures, bas-reliefs, and mummies. Spend the next morning in the Valley of the Kings, where we visit the tombs of divine pharaohs, including King Tutankhamun. Stop at the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut, the longest reigning female pharaoh and one of history’s great leaders. See the Colossi of Memnon, two enormous statues that are all that remain of the mortuary temple of Amenhotep III, who commissioned many of the monuments and temples in Luxor. Visit Medinet Habu, the best-preserved mortuary temple in the area; and gaze up at colorful reliefs detailing the triumphs of Ramses III, often considered the last great pharaoh. Sail the Nile River in a felucca, a traditional sailboat. Then visit the Great Hypostyle Hall and temples at Karnak, the largest ancient religious site in the world, described by the ancient Egyptians as “the most perfect of places.” In the evening, enjoy a gala dinner.
Sonesta St. George Hotel, Luxor
On our last day in Egypt, we board our private jet and fly to Cairo. Transfer to Gîza to visit the Pyramids—including the 4,500-year-old Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops). After a luncheon in view of the Sphinx, we reboard our private jet and continue on to Morocco.
Our expedition will donate supplies to the Awladi Orphanage, which provides a home and education through university level, for more than 300 boys and girls between the ages of 2 and 21.
After seeing the Pyramids, we reboard our private jet and continue to Fez, Morocco. Founded in the ninth century, Fez is the most complete medieval Islamic city in the world and continues to be considered the spiritual, cultural, and intellectual capital of Morocco. Visit Fez-el-Bali, a colorful medina and the oldest part of town. Wander this UNESCO World Heritage site, a maze of narrow streets filled with fountains, restored medieval-period madrassas, and mosques, most notably the exquisite Kairouyine Mosque. Peruse the fine wares at the bustling souks and hidden fondouks, where Morocco’s traditional arts and crafts flourish. Observe tanners, silk dyers, brass workers, and other skilled artisans who carry on with fascinating centuries-old traditions. Just west of the medina, at Fez el J’did, view the imposing gates of the Royal Palace covered with rich zellige tile work. Enjoy a farewell cocktail party followed by a fine meal of traditional Moroccan delicacies.
Palais Jamai Fes
Our expedition will donate wheelchairs to an organization serving handicapped individuals in the Fez area.
Following breakfast, our private jet flies us to Orlando, Florida, to connect with your regularly scheduled commercial flight home.
Limited to 78 Travelers
Double Occupancy: $62,950
Single Supplement: $8,150
For your protection and peace of mind, all payments are secured in a bank escrow account that is fully insured by the U.S. Government.
Featured Accommodations
Hotel Monasterio, Peru
Hotel Monasterio, Peru
Sea Temple Resort & Spa, Australia
Sea Temple Resort & Spa, Australia
Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor, Cambodia
