Follow in the footsteps of history's great explorers, discovering magnificent monuments and the spectacular landscapes that shaped nations and civilizations. 

Timbuktu, Mali • Ashanti Kingdom, Ghana • The Namibia Coast • Livingstone, Zambia • The Maldives • Angkor, Cambodia • Rangoon & Pagan, Burma • Jaipur, India • Lisbon, Portugal

Detaild Tour Itinerary

Day 1
Depart USA
Depart on individual overnight flights to London.

Day 2
London, UK
Meet fellow travelers, lecturers and expedition staff at our deluxe hotel for a welcome reception and dinner.

Day 3
London, UK to Bamako & Timbuktu, Mali
Board our private jet for Bamako, Mali. Visit the mud-brick National Museum, and enjoy a special performance by Dogon dancers at our hotel. En route to Ghana, we stop to explore Timbuktu's unique architecture, and observe the camel caravans of nomadic Tuaregs distinguished by their traditional blue clothing.

Day 4
Ashanti Kingdom & Akwasidae Festival, Ghana
From Accra, travel to Kumasi to take part in the ancient Akwasidae Festival. Costumed dancers perform and storytellers memorialize Ashanti history to the accompaniment of drums and trumpets. Enjoy a private audience with the Ashanti king, adorned in massive gold jewelry and flanked by sword-bearing guards.

Day 5
Ashanti Kingdom & Akwasidae Festival, Ghana
In a suburb of Accra, visit world-famous Ga craftsmen who create ornate coffins — shaped like cars, leopards, bottles, even microphones — to symbolize the deceased's persona or affiliation.

Day 6
Namibia's Skeleton Coast
A maritime graveyard for the many seafaring explorers whose ships wrecked on its rugged shore, the Skeleton Coast harbors a wealth of natural beauty and history.

Day 7
Namibia's Skeleton Coast
From Walvis Bay, where hundreds of flamingos feed in the lagoon, take a dune drive to the coastal German colonial town of Swakopmund.

Day 8
Namibia's Skeleton Coast
Adjacent to the enormous desert wilderness of Namib-Naukluft Park, you may wish to fly over the breathtaking dunes or go quad biking through the desert. Or choose to cruise the coast past a huge colony of sea lions, and enjoy fresh local oysters.

Day 9
Livingstone, Zambia
Explorer David Livingstone, the first European to see Mosi-oa-Tunya, renamed the spectacular waterfall Victoria Falls for his queen. On the Zimbabwe-Zambia border, the Zambezi River plunges 350 feet into a narrow chasm to create one of the world's magnificent sights.

Day 10
Livingstone, Zambia
We also take a “Flight of the Angels” for an aerial view of this marvelous spectacle. You may also choose to see many of the explorer's personal effects at the Livingstone Museum, the largest in Zambia. Other options include a wildlife safari in the surrounding bush or a visit to a Zambian village.

Day 11
Maldive Islands
The Maldive Islands may have been explored as early as 1500 B.C. Explorers who crossed the Indian Ocean were compelled by the ocean currents to stop in the atolls of the Maldives.

Day 12
Maldive Islands
The Maldives are known today as a paradise of pristine white sand beaches, brilliant turquoise lagoons, and swaying palm trees.

Day 13
Maldive Islands
Visit an island village, enjoy exotic marine life among the coral reefs, or explore the diverse collections of the National Museum.

Day 14
Angkor, Cambodia
Visit magnificent Angkor Wat, a symbolic representation of Hindu mythology and one of the wonders of the world; the Bayon with its enigmatic faces watching over every corner of the former Khmer empire; and Ta Prohm, where encroaching jungle foliage intertwines with immense stones in the unexcavated temple.

Day 15
Angkor, Cambodia
If you have visited Angkor before, we would be happy to arrange an excursion to Banteay Srei — the citadel of women — or to the Rolos Group of temples built 400 years before Angkor Wat.

Day 16
Rangoon & Pagan, Burma (Yangon & Bagan, Myanmar)
In Burma's capital of Rangoon (Yangon), the dazzling gold stupa of the Shwedagon Pagoda has dominated the city's skyline for more than 2,500 years. Visit Scott Market, renamed Bogyoke Aung San Market in honor of Burma's national leader, where 2,000 shops sell everything from jewels to costumes to herbs.

Day 17
Rangoon & Pagan, Burma (Yangon & Bagan, Myanmar)
Also explore the ancient capital of Pagan (Bagan). In the two centuries before Kublai Khan overran the region in 1287, some 13,000 religious structures were built on a vast plain. Today, more than 2,200 monuments remain. Travelers who have already visited Burma's glorious cities may wish to explore the fascinating floating villages of Inle Lake.

Day 18
Jaipur, India
In Rajasthan's exotic pink-stone capital of Jaipur, discover the intricate mosaics, marble, and glittering chamber of mirrors in the Amber Palace. Explore the Hawa Mahal — the palace of winds — built in 1799 so ladies of the Mogul court could view public events.

Day 19
Jaipur, India
Also visit the City Palace and Jai Singh's observatory, a marvel of brick curves, slants, circles, and pillars. Enjoy a special, private celebration including entertainment by costumed musicians, dancers, puppeteers, and artisans during a gala Rajasthani dinner.

Day 20
Lisbon, Portugal
Some of the world's most intrepid explorers sailed under the flag of Portugal in its golden age of discovery. Most expeditions departed from the capital of Lisbon. You may choose a scenic walking tour of Lisbon's medieval streets, flowered courtyards, and ancient monuments.

Day 21
Lisbon, Portugal
You may prefer to travel along the coast to the Arrabida Mountains, stopping to enjoy the cobbled seaport of Setúbal and lunch at a pousada. Or, travel to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Sintra. Celebrate with a gala farewell dinner at our hotel.

Day 22
Return to London
Depart from Lisbon for London, arriving in the afternoon. Transfer to our deluxe hotel for dinner and overnight

Day 23
Depart London for Home
Following breakfast at the hotel, return home on regularly scheduled commercial flights.

Accommodations

United Kingdom

Four Seasons Hotel, London
Set back from Park Lane and Hyde Park and a short walk from Mayfair, Bond Street, Piccadilly and Knightsbridge, the hotel features immaculate rooms, impeccable service, a state-of-the-art gym and one of the city's favorite restaurants. Nearby attractions include Buckingham Palace, Churchill's WWII bunker and the Wellington Arch.

Mali

Sofitel l'Amitié, Bamako
Centrally located in Bamako’s embassy district, next to the National Museum of Mali, the Sofitel offers a fitness centre, outdoor swimming pool, clay tennis court, and massage services. All areas are designed with clean, modern lines and contemporary furnishings. Air conditioned rooms overlook the Niger River and feature many comforts.

Ghana

Labadi Beach Hotel, Accra
Adjacent to a palm fringe beach and tucked amid 15 acres of landscaped gardens, the hotel boasts newly refurbished rooms. On-site facilities include a health club, open-air terrace bar and restaurant, a large swimming pool and fountain.

Namibia

Swakopmund Hotel, Swakopmund
This German-colonial-style hotel is built around a renovated 1907 railroad station and features a rustic German-theme tavern, cinema, small shopping arcade and casino. The courtyard comes complete with a pair of dolphin fountains. Colorful guest rooms are decorated with blond woods, wicker, and blue and yellow accents.

Zambia

The Royal Livingstone Hotel, Victoria Falls
A new 5-star luxury hotel, the Royal Livingstone is minutes away from Victoria Falls. Featuring refined colonial architecture inspired by the grand estate houses still found in Zambia, its large shaded verandahs are cooled by swirling fans and floor-to-ceiling shutters. Each guest room is air conditioned with a private balcony or terrace.

Maldive Islands

Four Seasons Hotel
This property is built on its own private coral island. Palm-thatched guest bungalows are built on columns over the turquoise sea, and have private sundecks with steps down to the lagoon. The spa, across the lagoon on is own island, consists of open-air pavilions where luxurious Ayurvedic, Thai, Indonesian and Maldivian treatments are dispensed.

OR

Soneva Gili

The Soneva Gili’s spacious, traditional stilted villas are constructed over the lagoon from natural materials and offer rooftop and over-water sundecks, open air baths, sumptuous daybeds and a personal entertainment center concealed within hand-built wooden cabinets. The full-service spa has glass floor-panels beneath massage tables so clients can watch the ocean during treatments.

OR

Taj Exotica

The luxurious Taj Exotica is situated on one of the largest lagoons in the Maldives. Guest villas built over the water are palm-thatched, built of local materials and appointed in classic Maldivian style with modern comforts. Secluded verandahs have ladders leading into the lagoon, and soothing treatments are administered in sea-facing spa rooms.

Cambodia

Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor, Siem Reap
Voted by Travel + Leisure Magazine as one of the Top 10 Hotel Spas, this is one of the world’s classic properties. Just minutes from the Angkor complex, the historic Grand Hotel d'Angkor was built in 1911 and sits on 15 lush acres. Guest rooms feature Art Deco country-style furnishings and public areas showcase Cambodian objects d’art.

Burma

Traders Hotel, Rangoon
The modern Traders Hotel is located in Rangoon’s central cultural and shopping district, a short walk from the sprawling Scott Market. There are several good restaurants and an outdoor pool and health club with sauna and massage. The comfortable, air-conditioned rooms overlook pagodas, colonial buildings and the bustling activity of the river.

India

Rambagh Palace Hotel, Jaipur
This former maharaja's palace spreads out over impeccably landscaped grounds. Receive a "royal welcome" on the formal front garden, greeted by painted elephants and festooned camels. Spacious guest rooms feature roomy closets, marble baths, high ceilings and plenty of period furnishings and architectural detail. The tennis and squash courts are well maintained, and the original pool with stained-glass windows evokes an ornate bathhouse.

Portugal

Four Seasons Hotel Ritz, Lisbon 
Perched atop one of Lisbon's seven hills, flanking Parque Eduardo VII, this property offers remarkably spacious guest rooms with views of the park and the city. Each room has a private terrace with outdoor seating. Glamorous marble baths include soaking tubs and separate showers. The new spa boasts saunas, whirlpools, a superlative indoor lap pool and treatment rooms.

Save time, money and stress!
For reservations: Fill out the vacation planner to be contacted by a Private Jet vacation specialist.

Contact : Travelwizard.com
Phone: 1-800-330-8820 or 1-415-446-5252

3/08