Travel Experiences

Thirty ‘Do Before You Die’ Travel Experiences

We’ve been organising top notch, tailormade holidays around the world for over thirty years, and in that time, we’ve come across some remarkable experiences that we think will really knock your socks off. To celebrate some of the gems we’ve discovered in that time, here are thirty ‘do before you die’ travel experiences that we think everyone should enjoy at least once in their lifetime.

Meet elephants by mokoro – a small, dug out canoe is a silent, stealthy way to slip past a herd of elephants without raising alarm. You’ll be close enough to hear their breathing and catch their scent
Track big cats in India – As the only country where lions, tigers and leopards all inhabit the same region, India is arguably the finest ‘big cat’ destination in the world.
Sleep out in the wilderness – If you want an African wildlife safari experience that gives you goosebumps, try sleeping out in a fly camp or on an isolated ‘star bed’ platform. You’ll be perfectly safe and supremely comfortable, but sounds of the African night will get the adrenaline racing nonetheless!
Take a bucket shower in the bush – Luxury is lovely but sometimes basic is best.
Dance with the Datoga – The Datoga are a proud, fierce warrior tribe, considering themselves to be the oldest tribe in Tanzania. Wearing traditional red leather dress, the bracelets around their wrists and ankles create a percussive beat for their singing and dancing.
Camp with penguins on an Antarctic ice shelf – with all the lively chatter, don’t expect a good night’s sleep whilst sleeping on the pack ice amidst a colony of penguins, but you’ll soon forget any sleep deprivation when you’re dining out on the bragging rights!
See evolution unfold before your eyes – our Galapagos islands tours offer an unparalleled window into our ever-evolving natural world, but you might also consider the little known African nation of São Tomé and Príncipe. Cast adrift off the coast of Gabon, the islands have never been connected to the mainland and present an isolated biosphere of unique creatures found nowhere else on Earth
Celebrate Holi in India – Of all our women only travel groups, this one if the most popular and its not hard to understand why. Sheer, unabandoned joy!
Summit Table Mountain – take the Skeleton Gorge route (2.5km) for a more relaxed stroll or the India Venster route for a challenging scramble. Otherwise sail up by cable car to sit back, drink in the view and discover the mountain’s magical floral kingdom without raising a sweat!
Walk in the company of carnivores – Join our Great Walk of Africa to walk 100 miles across Tsavo, home to the famous man-eating lions of the First World War, or head to Zambia, the birthplace of the walking safari as we know it today.
Do an Outback pub crawl by private plane – Nothing captures the spirit of Australia like a single pub in a lonesome one-horse town. Join our Outback Aussie Pub crawl to sit on a shady veranda with beer taps running icy cold as the red dust shimmers for hundreds of miles in every direction.
Gallop with the great migration – The saddle is the best seat in the house for one of the greatest spectacles on Earth! Luxury horse riding holidays don’t get better than this.
Walk in the footsteps of the Pharaohs – Channel your inner Agatha Christie or Howard Carter as you stroll through the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. We offer both bespoke travel options and women travel groups to this captivating land.
Fine dine in Peru – The latest iteration of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants named three of those fifty in Lima, including Virgilio Martinez’ restaurant, ‘Central’, which claimed the top spot.
Snorkel in the lake of stars – Round out a Malawi safari by plunging into Lake Malawi, which is so full of rare and colourful Cichlid species that it feels like diving into a giant, freshwater fish tank!
Play with pink river dolphins – Aboard one of our luxury expedition cruises to the Amazon Rainforest, you are highly likely to see theses curious, playful creatures jumping in and out of the water and welcoming with any visitors to their home.
Sit in the company of great apes – Gaze into the faces of our oldest ancestors on one of our tailormade Uganda gorilla safaris.
Be humbled whilst horse riding Patagonia – Huddle round an asado as a whole lamb roasts, slurp your matte tea or malbec, and head into the Patagonian mountains on horseback to be humbled by the majesty of nature.
Attend the Galle literary festival – rub shoulders with the glitterati of literature in beautiful Sri Lanka.
Study the stars in the Kalahari – there are very few places on Earth where the night sky is dark enough to see the milky way in its full glory. With almost no light pollution for miles, the Kalahari was recently declared an International Dark Sky Sanctuary, recognizing its value as one of the world’s darkest places and best areas for viewing pristine night skies.
Slide through the Amazon by boat – reach pockets of wilderness where land-based vehicles wouldn’t stand a chance and navigate deep into the Amazon with a crew of scientists, historians, and naturalists. Our luxury expedition cruises match style with substance!
Cheer on your team at the Argie open – Experience all the thrills and spills of the Polo Open in Buenos Aires. The atmosphere is electric!
Horse ride through rural Rajasthan – feel the spirit of the Marwari horse as you discover India’s history, culture, forts and palaces on four legs.
Stand amidst the monarch migration in Mexico – Feel the air hum as millions of monarch butterflies take flight, and sense the spirituality of the Aztecs, who believed that the souls of the dead were reborn this way.
Cruise the Top End – Our ‘homegrown’ True North cruises take in King George Falls, the Prince Regent River, Montgomery Reef, the Horizontal Waterfall and more…and they are mind blowing! The pandemic prompted us to appreciate our own backyard more than ever, and these top-notch charters are a fitting reminder as to why.
Pay your respects at the graves of your heroes – Think Ernest Shackleton in Antarctica, Dianne Fossey in Rwanda, Frederick Courtnery Selous in Tanzania and the spot in Zambia where Livingstone’s heart was buried before the rest of his body was transported to England – all remarkably poignant.
Travel solo with a group – Travelling ‘solo’ in a small group sounds like an oxymoron, but our women only travel groups are designed to provide a mix of both structure and freedom to explore under your own steam and stretch your wings. Travelling independently never came with such security and peace of mind!
Fly fish in supreme style – Settle in to designer digs, then head out into the wilderness to tempt a trout on to your line. Luxury travel south America meets rugged outdoor adventure in a carefully selected Patagonia luxury lodge.
Treat your family to a once in a lifetime multigenerational holiday – Think a big private house in the wild complete with your own chef, butler, guide, and vehicle, all ready to cater to your every whim. You’ll cherish a lifetime of memories.
Take your safari from the sublime to the ridiculous by travelling at migration time – be it stampeding wildebeest on a Serengeti safari, zebras in Botswana, bats in Zambia or any other number of remarkable natural events.