2020 Tours

Explore Colombia

February 19 – March 7 2020
Price: $16,995 pp share twin | CONFIRMED DEPARTURE

Be among some of the first New Zealand groups in recent years to explore Colombia, which is now safe for visitors and is definitely one of the jewels of South America. Come with me before the secret is well and truly out of the bag! My itinerary will reflect the rich diversity of Colombia’s attractions – from Tayrona, a Caribbean coast national park to 5000-year-old stone statues in the Andes mountains, the remains of an 11th to 14th century city, second only to Machu Picchu on the continent in its significance, Spanish colonial towns, the Zipaquira salt cathedral and Bogota’s legendary gold museum. Our national park visits, including Los Flamencos Sanctuary, will provide great opportunities to observe wildlife – the country has the highest number of bird species on the planet. This will be a small-group tour.

Romania and the Balkans

May 5 – May 27 2020
Price: $11,495 (approx) pp share twin  | CONFIRMED DEPARTURE

This tour combines some of the very best of two previous tours that proved extremely popular with my travellers. We’ll be starting in Bucharest in Romania, exploring Transylvania (including Bran Castle, which is now inextricably linked with tales of Dracula) before crossing into Bulgaria, which always comes as a delightful surprise to travellers, especially the spectacular Rila Monastery. Then we’ll be travelling to two of the least visited countries in Europe – Serbia and Kosovo, the latter being Europe’s newest nation. These two countries will give us a true insight into the religious and historical complexities of the Balkan region. We then head to Albania, which has undergone a remarkable transformation in recent years, and finish our tour in Macedonia, which has a fascinating and complex history, past and present. A wonderful diversity of history, landscapes, cultures, food and wines is guaranteed on this tour, which offers European travel without the crowds.

The Pamir Highway

June 30 – July 19 2020
Price: $16,995 pp share twin | CONFIRMED DEPARTURE

Join me on an adventurous journey of a lifetime through two of the most remote and rarely explored countries in Central Asia – Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. beginning in the Kyrgyz capital, we will explore the region’s high-altitude lakes and spectacular snow-capped peaks, visit families in their traditional yurts to get a feel for the nomadic way of life, attend demonstrations of cooking, felt-making, and yurt-building, and discover thrilling ancient horse games such as kok-boru, Kyrgyz polo. We then cross into Tajikistan, and set off on a breath-taking overland route through jagged mountains and plunging valleys along one of the world’s most scenic drives, the Pamir Highway. and experience the majestic and hauntingly beautiful landscape of the Wakhan Corridor, where Silk Road merchants and “Great Game” players used to tread. We’ll enjoy meals with Tajiks in their timeless mountain villages before descending down into the lively capital, Dushanbe. This will be an intrepid, small group tour, maximum 12 people.

The Wildlife of Brazil

August 16 – September 6 2020
Price: $21,775 pp share twin

My 2019 Brazil tour sold out a year in advance, and the tour exceeded all our expectations so I’m offering it again in August 2020. Once again,I will be accompanied on this tour by German Rojas, who has exceptional wildlife knowledge, is a brilliant photographer and is a great person!. Our tour will include the wildlife-rich Pantanal, three nights cruising on the Amazon River, a lodge stay in the Atlantic Forest (a little known region that is almost as richly biologically diverse as the Amazon itself). We will also visit Rio de Janiero for a complete change of pace . The wildlife viewing opportunities on this tour will be fantastic – August is the absolute best time to go here. This tour will be limited to about 12 people only to ensure you have the very best wildlife viewing experiences possible.

Jill’s Significant Birthday Party and Greek Island-Hopping Tour

September 14 – October 4 2020
Price: $14,995 pp share twin 

As my birthday falls in January, I’ve never had a celebration on tour but this year, even if it’s not on the exact date, I’m going to mark the occasion! We’re going to start this tour in Athens then island-hop our way across the Aegean Sea, first to Mykonos, then on to Crete where we will spend several days exploring its wonderful archaeological and cultural sites before visiting Santorini and then Rhodes. Along the way there will be a full-on Greek-style birthday party dinner for me but also on another night there’ll be a party organised for anyone else in the group who has a significant birthday or anniversary in 2020. So, if 2020 is a landmark year for you how better to celebrate it than in the Greek Islands? This is not a cruise but an island-hopping tour using flights, ferries and land-based touring.

Ethiopia

Price: $16,450 (approx) pp share twin

Departure 1: Filling fast
October 14 – November 4 2020

Departure 2: Filling fast
November 4 – November 25 2020

Due to many requests I’m heading to Ethiopia, which I visited some years ago. Ethiopia is truly astonishing, from its plateaux, mountains and lakes to its ancient Christian heritage. It has some of the very best wildlife viewing in Africa but is also home to an incredible diversity of ethnic groups. My tour is going to focus on Ethiopia’s northern historical circuit and the Rift Valley with an optional extension to the tribes of the Omo Valley. The main tour will include Addis Ababa, the Blue Nile Falls, Lake Tana monasteries, Gondor’s medieval castles, Simien and Awash national parks, Axum’s stele, Lalibela’s rock-hewn churches, Dire Dawa walled town and hyenas and the tribal villages of Dorze and Zonso. This will be a small group tour.