Eco-Travel & Cultural Exploration

Assam and Arunachal Pradesh

This far eastern area is one of the least traveled parts of India. Visit the home of the Khampti, descendants of Thai migrants, the Mishmi, who are nature worshippers, the Tai Phakial village, also related to a 13th century Tai Ahoms, and the Angami tribe a branch of the Nagas. Roam Dibru- Saikhowa and Kaziranga National Parks, enjoy the famous Assam tea factories, cruise the Brahmaputra in search of gangetic dolphins, and stop off in Majuli, the largest inhabited river island in the world.

• ACTIVITY: Walking & Hiking Vacations, Eco-Travel & Cultural Exploration
• WHERE: India, ASIA
• AVAILABILITY: April, November, December
• FROM: $5,995.00
• DURATION: 21 days
• AUDIENCE: For Groups: Adventure Travel With the Experts!

Across Bhutan

A trip for those who want to understand the diversity of Bhutan! Where most people go half way across the country to Bumthang, you will travel from Paro in the west, all the way across the country to Mongar in the east, and into India at Guwahati. Along the way you can stay with families or in small hotels, visit monasteries and holy sites, sip tea with monks, explore markets, and meet with the artisans and local people. In the fall, you have the opportunity to see both the Mongar and Trashigang Tsechus – quite a special way to get inside the culture!
 

• ACTIVITY: Eco-Travel & Cultural Exploration, Wildlife, Safaris and Photography Vacations
• WHERE: Bhutan, ASIA
• AVAILABILITY: March
• FROM: $3,895.00
• DURATION: 12 days
• AUDIENCE: Family Vacations & Adventure Travel, For Groups: Adventure Travel With the Experts!

Highlights of Turkey

Travel to Turkey's three most important cultural and political centers: Istanbul, Cappadocia and Ephesus. Our tours to Turkey begin exploring Istanbul on foot and by local communter ferry along the Bosphorus, into the spice market and covered bazaar, local neighborhoods, and our favorite restaurants. Wander through ancient Ephesus and some of the most surreal landscapes on earth in Cappadocia; bizarrely eroded rock formations, dramatic volcanic gorges, and underground cities with elaborately frescoed rock churches.

• ACTIVITY: Walking & Hiking Vacations, Eco-Travel & Cultural Exploration
• WHERE: Turkey, ASIA
• AVAILABILITY: All year
• FROM: $3195
• DURATION: 9 days
• AUDIENCE: Solo Adventure Travel and Singles Vacations, For Groups: Adventure Travel With the Experts!, Vacations for Couples & Partners
• MEMBER'S WEBSITE: Highlights of Turkey

The Silk Road: Mummies, Deserts, Caves, & Markets

Traveling humankind’s greatest path of ideas, culture, and wealth!

Imagine departing Xian in a camel caravan laden with silk, spices, incense and gems for the faraway Mediterranean. Your path will not take you all the way to Italy, but only to the border with the Stans.

You can see the famous terra cotta soldiers of Xian, drive across the menacing Taklimakan Desert, explore the oasis towns of Turfan, Kuqa, and Khotan, spend a day with the nomads near the Heavenly Lake, shop the famous Sunday Market in exotic Hotan (far better than Kashgar today), and mingle with the people of Xinjiang – Uighurs, Kazaks, Tajiks and others.

• ACTIVITY: Walking & Hiking Vacations, Eco-Travel & Cultural Exploration
• WHERE: China, ASIA
• AVAILABILITY: May, June, September
• FROM: $4,495.00
• DURATION: 19 days
• AUDIENCE: For Groups: Adventure Travel With the Experts!

Shaman Festival and Artistic Heritage of Amdo

Rhythmic drumbeats accompany men piercing their cheeks or backs while ritual dances are performed. Here, in far-off Amdo, you witness the shamanic festivals of three different villages- Mayba, Sakkyi, and Lhanggya. You'll explore monasteries filled with artwork, carvings, and sculpture; pray and sip salt tea with the monks; visit Amdo's biggest stupa, admire its scenery, and bring back memories.

• ACTIVITY: Eco-Travel & Cultural Exploration
• WHERE: China, ASIA
• AVAILABILITY: July
• FROM: $5,595.00
• DURATION: 21 days
• AUDIENCE: For Groups: Adventure Travel With the Experts!

Vietnam & Cambodia: From Hanoi to the Mekong Delta & Angkor Wat

Hanoi, boats, deltas and Cambodian Khmer temples!

A superb trip for families and individuals, it blends the Vietnamese Mekong world and the magnificence of the Cambodian Khmer civilization. Begin by exploring Hanoi, do tai chi by the lake, and enjoy some Vietnamese music.

Travel to the museum in Danang, then drive to the marvelous Viet-Chinese port town of Hoi An, and onto Ho Chi Minh City, to wander the markets, peek into the Cu Chi Tunnels, and marvel at the Cao Dai religion. Head down the Mekong Delta, take a boat from Vietnam’s Can Tho to Phnom Penh, and end your journey in Siem Reap, exploring the temples of the Angkor Civilization.

• ACTIVITY: Walking & Hiking Vacations, Eco-Travel & Cultural Exploration
• WHERE: Cambodia, ASIA
• AVAILABILITY: February, November
• FROM: $3,695 per person
• DURATION: 12 days
• AUDIENCE: For Groups: Adventure Travel With the Experts!
• MEMBER'S WEBSITE: Find out more here...

South Vietnam: Bicycles and Beaches

Cycle the Mekong Delta on 21-speed new Taiwanese bikes, visiting markets, eating and sleeping in local homes and hotels, and traveling as the Vietnamese do. Watch people planting rice, visit coconut and fruit orchards, and enjoy the pace of life along the Mekong River and its canals. Take sampans, local ferries, and get inside the life of South Vietnam. Finish with two luxurious days on the beach in Phu Quoc, an island at the southern tip of Vietnam.

• ACTIVITY: Eco-Travel & Cultural Exploration
• WHERE: Vietnam, ASIA
• AVAILABILITY: March, November
• FROM: $2,995.00
• DURATION: 11 days
• AUDIENCE: For Groups: Adventure Travel With the Experts!

The Sacred Chomolhari Trek

Trek Bhutan’s Himalayas – wildflowers, white peaks and magnificent Bhutan.

The trek to Chomolhari is a sacred one. In Bhutan, people look at the mountains as some sort of divine power. In Bhutanese, Chomolhari is pronounced Jumolhari and means the heavenly deity of animals. The nomads in the region will not allow any climbing on the mountain. They believe that the deity could be upset and their yaks, sheep and other livestock might perish.

We recommend this trek for alpine flower lovers in the months of June to August. The only disadvantage is some mountain rain. Paro and Thimphu are also part of this journey.

• ACTIVITY: Walking & Hiking Vacations, Eco-Travel & Cultural Exploration
• WHERE: Bhutan, ASIA
• AVAILABILITY: May, October
• FROM: $3,595.00
• DURATION: 12 days
• AUDIENCE: For Groups: Adventure Travel With the Experts!
• MEMBER'S WEBSITE: Find out more here...

Guizhou - Textiles and Festivals of the Miao and Dong

The spring festival occurs only once every 13 years - DON´T MISS IT!

Enjoy the Sister´s Meal Festival (Valentine´s Day for the Miao) in April and the famous Lusheng Festival in November amid a kaleidoscope of colorful local ethnic groups. Incredible artistry, textiles, embroidery, jewelry, the hill tribe villages in Guizhou... this trip is an ethnologist, textile collector or designer´s dream.

Sit down with the villagers, learn their sewing and batik techniques, enjoy the ceremonies, and eat delicious food. Not only is this a journey of people and wonderful villages, but you can shop and shop and shop!

• ACTIVITY: Walking & Hiking Vacations, Eco-Travel & Cultural Exploration
• WHERE: China, ASIA
• AVAILABILITY: April, October
• FROM: $3,695.00
• DURATION: 10 days
• AUDIENCE: For Groups: Adventure Travel With the Experts!