Intrepid Travel

Highlights

• Head off on safari – Sri Lanka style! Look for elephants and leopards while you cruise the beautiful Minneriya National Park in a jeep with expert local guides.
• See one of the world’s most revered relics at the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, home to an earthly remain of the Lord Buddha, and discover the cave temple of Dambulla.
• Travel through highlands so green they almost glow in Nuwara Eliya, and sample some of the acclaimed tea varieties that grow on the hillsides with your small group.
• Learn about the varied cuisine and local customs of different regions around Sri Lanka and join local families to dine on traditional dishes like fragrant fish curry and rice.
• Take a guided bike tour around Anuradhapura City, an impressive World-Heritage listed site, soaking up the splendour of the ruins which date back to the city’s heyday hundreds of years ago.

Highlights

• A little piece of paradise awaits on the Coromandel Peninsula – dig your own natural hot tub on Hot Water Beach and check out the much-photographed Cathedral Cove.
• Experience the geothermal delights of Rotorua, watch New Zealand’s largest geyser erupt and observe adorable kiwis in a nocturnal house at a conservation centre.
• Head to a Maori village where profits from your visit are fed back into the community, learn the haka and Maori weaving before tucking into a traditional hangi dinner.
• Chill out next to New Zealand’s largest lake in Taupo. Whether you fancy bungy-jumping, sky diving, kayaking or relaxing, Taupo has something for you.
• With a local leader at the wheel, every journey will be one to remember, broken up with stops in scenic spots well off the tourist trail.

Highlights

• Explore seaside Mamallapuram on a bicycle tour, pedalling to the eighth-century Shore Temple and incredible seventh-century stone carving known as Arjuna’s Penance.
• Carve through the iridescent hills of Ootacamund (Ooty) on the vintage Nilgiri Mountain Railway, then visit a lush tea plantation.
• Spot tigers, elephants, sloths, and birds on safaris and nature walks in three of India’s wildlife viewing hotspots – Mudumalai, Periyar, and Ranthambhore national parks.
• Cruise the winding backwaters of Kerala and further immerse yourself in life on the water with an island homestay in this idyllic region.
• Learn about life in the Rajasthani desert on a walking tour around the bustling ghats and temples of Pushkar followed by lunch with a local family.

Highlights

• Experience a memorable Fado performance in Coimbra – an emotional form of Portuguese music expressing the hard realities of the daily life and balancing both resignation and hopefulness.
• Soak up the sun on the Portuguese coast's gorgeous beaches along the Algarve, walking across rocky cliff tops, exploring remote coves and taking in a sunset over the Atlantic Ocean with your small group.
• Relive a glorious medieval past in in the labyrinthine streets of Fes city, and discover the cultural capital, Marrakech, through its people – drummers, dancers, fortune tellers, jugglers and medicine men.
• Scale the High Atlas Mountains and trek through scenic Amazigh villages, spending a night in a traditional Amazigh homestay to get a true sense of rural Moroccan life.
• Travel through the Sahara in a camel convoy, sleeping under a blanket the North African stars and enjoy an evening beside the campfire listening to traditional Bedouin tales.

Highlights

• Taste the best of local cuisine during Exclusive Experiences – sample olive oil at a family-run farm in Andalucia, try delicious marzipan in Toledo, take a wine-tasting tour in the Douro Valley, and visit a traditional cider house in San Sebastian.
• Stay at three amazing Feature Stays throughout your trip: a converted 18th-century mansion in Seville, a historic Parador in Spain's La Rioja region, and a fabulous hotel nestled within the famous vineyards of the Douro Valley.
• Experience the enchantments of the Iberian Peninsula with spectacular Exclusive Experiences, including visiting the Alhambra by day and night, and dining at a historic gastronomic society in San Sebastian.
• See the key cultural icons of Spain and Portugal with local guides to lead the way: visit the Mesquita in Cordoba, explore the Pena Palace in Sintra, wander the Guggenhiem in Bilbao, and more!
• Explore the tranquil waterways of Spain and Portugal to see its cities and valleys from a new perspective - boat down the beautiful Douro river surrounded by vineyards, stop for lunch on the Galacian coast, and take a boat tour to Lake Albufera in Valencia.

Highlights

• Explore the Mwali UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, home to the second highest marine diversity in the world. Spot humpback whales and spinner dolphins; snorkel among vibrant coral reefs, parrot fish, manta rays, wrasses, fusiliers, reef sharks and maybe even dugongs.
• Take a short a hiking experience in the subtropical tropical rain forest to observe one of the world’s largest bats, the critically endangered Livingstone flying fox.
• Stay in community operated beachside bungalows in Itsamia, visit one of the largest Green turtle nesting sites of the world where Turtles nest year-round and learn from various local wildlife experts about ongoing conservation efforts.
• Enjoy a seafood lunch served in a giant clam shell at Miki’s Place, cooked for you by Miki himself, a colourful local Rastafarian, in his lean-to “restaurant” under a baobab next to the sea.
• Walk among homesteads, meeting villagers with beautiful welcoming smiles, and stroll through the surrounding gardens to see how local foods are produced.

Highlights

• See the sunrise at Angkor Wat, then head to a nearby village for a homemade traditional breakfast of Khmer noodles. Once fuelled, spend the day roaming the UNESCO World Heritage Angkor complex.
• Embrace your adventurous side on a tour of Hue’s imperial monuments from the back of a motorbike (the local way of getting around). Then be treated to lunch, specially prepared for you by a chef who is the descendant of the royal family in the garden of their family home.
• Don’t just taste your way around this foodie haven, don your chef hat and learn the recipes behind these incredible eats, too. Learn the secret spices directly from local chefs (often in their own homes) and be guided to the freshest ingredients in authentic local markets.
• Cycle through Battambang meeting locals as you stop to see the production of fish paste, rice paper and rice wine, finishing with a delicious sticky rice tasting.
• Feast on local delicacies and street food favourites, like pho, banh mi, bun cha, fish amok, num banh chok and black pepper ice cream.

Highlights

• Cruise along the picturesque coastline of Freycinet National Park and bask in the beauty of Wineglass Bay, watching for dolphins, penguins, sea eagles and more.
• Trek along walking trails in the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Cradle Mountain National Park – keeping an eye out for furry critters, including wombats and wallabies.
• Walk to Cape Tourville Lighthouse for a panoramic view of Freycinet National Park’s iconic landscape and watch as the translucent waters lap the sands in the secluded bay.
• Get up close to Tasmanian devils on a keeper-guided tour of Devils @ Cradle – a breeding and conservation facility for three of Tasmania's threatened marsupials.
• Discover the rugged beauty and delicious flavours of Bruny Island as you sample local delicacies and explore the national parkland, where towering cliffs fall away into the crashing sea.