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| Around the World: Classic
A 25-Day tour starting from $59,950
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| About This Tour | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Circle the globe, discovering the wonder and beauty of ancient civilizations and timeless landscapes that shaped human experience. |
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PRICE OF THE EXPEDITION INCLUDES
• All hotel accommodations, meals, group transportation, excursions and other group activities from arrival in Orlando on February 4, 2009, through departure from London following breakfast on February 28, 2009 • Airport transfers at beginning and end of trip • Transportation by private jet (or other conveyance) according to the itinerary, including meals, beverages, wine, beer and liquor on board our private jet • Complete program of special events and activities • Enrichment program of lectures and presentations by a team of experts • Professional expedition staff and physician to assist you throughout the trip • Bottled water throughout the expedition • Baggage handling abroad • All gratuities • Amenities package • Comprehensive medical evacuation insurance. PRICE OF THE EXPEDITION DOES NOT INCLUDE • Roundtrip airfare and taxes between home cities to Orlando and return from London (see airfare section below) • Passport fees and visa charges • Accident/baggage/cancellation insurance • Personal expenses such as immunizations, laundry, telephone, fax charges, taxis • Liquor except as noted above. AIRFARE Because travelers originate from a variety of home cities, airfares will vary. We are happy to reserve flights in the class of service you prefer, and to arrange for your airport transfers and pre- or post-trip hotel accommodations. EXPECTATIONS OF TRAVELERS We consider this a fast-paced, strenuous program. Walking and climbing stairs are required to board and disembark the jet at most airports, to get around in hotels and to participate in many excursions. Riding in four-wheel-drive vehicles on rough terrain or unpaved paths can aggravate back conditions.
Around the World 2009 - Classic: Day 1
Meet in Orlando, FL Meet fellow travelers, lecturers and expedition staff for a welcome reception and dinner at our hotel. Around the World 2009 - Classic: Day 2 Lima, Peru Walk the streets of these legendary South American sites and history will be underfoot. When Francisco Pizarro founded Lima in 1535, he built beautiful cathedrals, palaces and houses, many on superbly crafted foundations created by the region’s indigenous people. Much of this beautiful art and architecture remain. Around the World 2009 - Classic: Day 3 Machu Picchu or Trujillo, Peru The following day, head to Cusco, and board a deluxe train to travel through the sacred Urubamba Valley to Machu Picchu. Explore Machu Picchu’s mysterious and beautiful altars, temples, staircases and terraced gardens — set in a breathtaking Andean landscape. Around the World 2009 - Classic: Day 4 Machu Picchu or Trujillo, Peru If you’ve already visited Machu Picchu, travel to Trujillo to see temples and murals at the center of the Mochica culture. Also see the citadel of Chan Chan, capital of the 13th-century Chimu empire and the largest adobe city in the world. Around the World 2009 - Classic: Day 5 Easter Island, Chile There’s much the world could learn from this remote island that sits more than 2,300 miles off the coast of Chile. A thousand years ago, a sophisticated society developed, then disappeared, leaving stone villages, open-air sanctuaries and giant statues called moai. Around the World 2009 - Classic: Day 6 Easter Island, Chile Resident archaeologists lead you to hidden troves of statuary, as well as pictographs and petroglyphs that detail the annual rituals of the birdman cult. Around the World 2009 - Classic: Day 7 Apia, Samoa Lush, tropical beauty enticed author Robert Louis Stevenson to spend the last years of his life in Samoa. Visit his home, observe a traditional kava ceremony, wander through colorful botanical gardens, and enjoy a fiafia, a performance of Samoan dancing and singing. Around the World 2009 - Classic: Day 8 Cross the International Date Line From Samoa we fly west across the South Pacific. Crossing the International Date Line, we lose a day en route to Australia, arriving the next day. Around the World 2009 - Classic: Day 9 Great Barrier Reef, Australia One of the seven natural wonders of the world, the Great Barrier Reef stretches 1,250 miles from Papua New Guinea to the Tropic of Capricorn. A network of hundreds of individual reefs, it’s home to a panorama of marine life — more than 300 types of coral and 1,300 species of fish. Around the World 2009 - Classic: Day 10 Great Barrier Reef, Australia From Port Douglas, our base for explorations on the Coral Sea, board a catamaran for the Outer Reef to explore and snorkel in the crystal waters. Sail down the Daintree River, abounding with estuarine crocodiles and lined with lush ferns, orchids and other tropical epiphytes. Around the World 2009 - Classic: Day 11 The Highlands or Sepik River Basin, Papua New Guinea Next stop — Port Moresby, jumping off point for the seldom-visited mountainous Highlands area or the art-rich Sepik River basin. Impenetrable jungle and jagged mountain ranges have kept the country’s tribes isolated for centuries, supporting more than 700 distinct languages and cultures in a population of just over three million. Around the World 2009 - Classic: Day 12 The Highlands or Sepik River Basin, Papua New Guinea Those who choose to explore the Southern Highlands will fly to Tari, then travel overland to the Ambua Lodge, where Huli tribespeople — many sporting huge wigs of human hair — honor you with a traditional sing-sing and share the rituals of their colorful self-decoration. Returning to Tari Gap, spot some of its many exotic birds. Around the World 2009 - Classic: Day 13 The Highlands or Sepik River Basin, Papua New Guinea Those choosing to explore the Sepik River will fly to Mt. Hagen, then to Karawari. In nearby villages meet people making sago, a staple food derived from the sago palm, and skilled artisans who create the area’s much sought-after art — from spirit houses to elaborately carved dugout canoes. Around the World 2009 - Classic: Day 14 Angkor, Cambodia While the French were laying the cornerstone of Notre-Dame in Paris, the Khmer kings were finishing the great temples of Angkor Wat. This complex of towers, carved murals, colonnades and courtyards ushered in the classic age of Khmer art and architecture, and continues to draw countless monks and pilgrims. Around the World 2009 - Classic: Day 15 Angkor, Cambodia At the royal walled city of Angkor Thom, explore the extraordinary Bayon, a temple with dozens of stone towers carved with more than 200 giant faces. If you have visited Angkor before, a separate excursion to Banteay Srei — the citadel of women — can be arranged. A scenic drive through the Cambodian countryside takes you to this smaller, more intimate pink sandstone monument. Around the World 2009 - Classic: Day 16 Agra, India Emperor Shah Jahan built his architectural masterpiece in Agra, capital of India’s Mogul empire, to commemorate his beloved wife. The shimmering white marble Taj Mahal is built on the bank of the River Jamuna and surrounded by gardens and pools. Around the World 2009 - Classic: Day 17 Agra, India Near the gardens of the Taj Mahal stands the red sandstone Agra Fort, which served as palace and prison for Emperor Shah Jahan, who was held captive there by his son. Within the walls are fairy-tale palaces, audience halls, and mosques. Around the World 2009 - Classic: Day 18 Dubai, United Arab Emirates Originally a small fishing village, Dubai created the busiest souks on the Persian Gulf coast. Explore its magnificent mosque and old wind-tower houses, then choose from an array of options: glimpse daily Arab life as a guest in a Dubai home; learn to cook classic Arabian delicacies; visit a wharf to see traditional dhow construction; or visit a race track for a hands-on experience with magnificent Arabian horses. Around the World 2009 - Classic: Day 19 Dubai, United Arab Emirates Travel deep into the desert by four-wheel-drive vehicle to Hatta Gardens, enjoying spectacular views. Celebrate with champagne atop the dunes and savor a falconry show and dinner at a desert camp. Around the World 2009 - Classic: Day 20 Serengeti Plain, Tanzania From Kilimanjaro, fly by small plane into the Serengeti where four-wheel-drive vehicles take you on game drives to search out and photograph the abundant wildlife. Around the World 2009 - Classic: Day 21 Serengeti Plain, Tanzania Each year, millions of wildebeest and zebra — stalked by lions, cheetahs, leopards and hyenas — gather to calve and begin their 500-mile seasonal migration to new grazing lands. Around the World 2009 - Classic: Day 22 Marrakech, Morocco An oasis of palm and olive groves, Marrakech boasts a vibrant medina with winding streets, colorful souks and the Place Djemaa el Fna. See the Koutoubia Mosque, the tombs of the Saadian kings and the Museum of Moroccan Arts. Around the World 2009 - Classic: Day 23 Marrakech, Morocco Traveling outside the city, discover the Ourika Valley where rural Berber villages are nestled within sight of the spectacular Atlas Mountains. On your last evening, celebrate at a gala farewell dinner. Around the World 2009 - Classic: Day 24 London, UK This morning, depart for London on the last leg of our private jet expedition. We arrive in the afternoon, transfer to our deluxe hotel, and enjoy a relaxing dinner Around the World 2009 - Classic: Day 25 Depart London for Home Following breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the airport for regularly scheduled commercial flights homeward. Itinerary and prices are subject to change.
Travel with superb lecturers and leaders.
Expert lecturers help create a rich context for your journey, increasing your awareness and knowledge of areas like art, history, geography and politics. Lecturers Tom Dillehay, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Vanderbilt University, studies migration and the processes that lead to long-term political and economic change. Involved in the famous excavations of human remains estimated to be 12,500 years old in Monte Verde, Chile, he provided a new theory of human arrival in the Americas. Professor David Keeling is head of Western Kentucky University’s Department of Geography and Geology. His research interests include the geography of exploration and discovery, regional cultures, development in emerging economies, and globalization. A Councilor of the American Geographical Society, he has visited 175 countries. Wildlife ecologist Dr. Kenneth Raedeke, a University of Washington Research Associate, has extensive field experience and has published many articles on wildlife conservation and management and land-use practices. His interest in conservation of endangered species has led him to work and travel in Chile, Peru, Kenya, and other countries. Professional expedition leaders take care of every detail, leaving you free to immerse yourself in every amazing destination. Expedition Leaders Richard Butler, Expedition Leader, has worked in expedition and cultural travel for more than a decade on all seven continents. He graduated from the University of Southampton, England in 1993 with an Honors Degree in Politics, which sparked his interest in the people and societies of the world. He has traveled with TCS since 2000 on many trips including Around the World, Lost Cities, Africa, and South America. Richard lives in London with his wife and daughter. Jill Peacock, Assistant Expedition Leader. Jill started traveling internationally as a teenager on a study tour in Central America and on a volunteer trip to Venezuela. After college, she backpacked through four continents. For the past decade Jill has enjoyed her work as an International Tour Director and Event Coordinator. She has joined several TCS Expeditions private jet programs. When not traveling, she lives in Petaluma, California. Mary Wakefield, Assistant Expedition Leader, was born and educated near London and traveled extensively with her family as a child. Moving to the United States 25 years ago, she worked as a travel agent/manager for 17 years. She has been a TCS staff member on Empires & Explorers, Around the World, and several other private jet programs. When not traveling, Mary runs her own business in Santa Fe, New Mexico, providing full English tea to clients in their homes. All tour prices are per person, in US dollars, based on double occupancy.
Single from $64,150 Itinerary and prices are subject to change. |
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| Note: All prices are per person, double occupancy, subject to availability. These pages are not endorsed or supported by the tour operator in any way. All information presented is based on promotional material provided by the tour operator. All prices, itineraries, accommodations and dates are subject to change without notice and at any time by the tour operators. Availability is limited and must be reconfirmed at time of booking. The prices on this website are not guaranteed. We are not responsible for errors, omissions, or changes in pricing. Please call us toll free at 1-800-942-3301 to confirm availability and pricing. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
