Cultural vacations

Our culture vacations visit historic sites to unpick the stories behind ancient civilisations, many of which still have secrets to reveal. Entrance fees to sites such as Machu Picchu and the rock churches of Lalibela help to preserve them for future generations, while our tours also create employment for knowledgeable local guides. They don’t just know the function of different structures, but can share everything from the the significance of certain birds to the Maya people in Chichen Itza, or how communities continue to use Great Zimbabwe for spiritual ceremonies today.

Whether it’s the focus of your trip, or just a happy coincidence of timing, attending a festival is one of the most colourful and memorable highlights of our cultural tours. You can catch religious festivals at dzongs across Bhutan all year-round, while November sees the Black-necked Crane Festival in the Phobjikha Valley, which contributes to understanding and conservation of these sacred birds. In some cases, such as India’s Hornbill Festival, our vacations help to widen exposure of cultural practises at risk of dying out. These events are often a way of bringing disparate communities together to celebrate age-old traditions, so you will be rubbing shoulders with hundreds if not thousands of local people in a welcoming, vibrant atmosphere.

The most satisfying of all routes to a destination’s culture is through its cuisine, and we have a delectable menu of cultural vacations focused on food and cooking for you to browse. They can inspire you in the kitchen and garden, provide you with many enviable souvenirs to bring home, and help local producers to make a living as they keep branches of traditional cuisine alive. Learn the stories behind Sicilian street foods, such as how arancini con i piedi got their name. Explore the health-giving properties of the Mediterranean vegan diet in Greece; your host can arrange tours of their neighbours’ herb-rich gardens. Cast aside your preconceptions about Mongolian cuisine and learn how to make dumplings, pancakes and even vodka with yak’s milk, in a unique spin on the traditional ger camp experience. Or delve into organic honey-making, and meet the beekeepers, in a less-visited corner of Tuscany. No experience necessary – just a healthy appetite.

Many of our cultural vacations work with and benefit Indigenous peoples. Touring Pakistan’s Hindu Kush mountains, you can visit the valley of Rumbor and stay in the home of the chief spokesperson for the animism-practising Kalash people, Pakistan’s smallest ethnoreligious group. In Kenya, meet young Maasai warriors known as morans and learn about their fascinating rites of passages, as well as how to throw a spear, or climb an acacia tree to escape a lion. You can also spend time with Maasai women and watch as they weave the frame of a traditional homestead. Our vacations provide income for Maasai communities, with tourism offering an alternative to their having to sell off their traditional tribal lands.

And in Orissa and Chhattisgarh, the tribal heartlands of India, you can browse bustling markets and explore villages that specialise in different types of handicraft, from applique to Pattachitra painting and handwoven saris. Anything you purchase to take home as a beautiful souvenir helps support these small, independent artisans.

Our small group cultural vacations are designed to appeal to people with a shared interest, whether that be the temples and monuments along the Nile, the fascinating stories behind the Silk Road, or learning how to craft your own mosaic.

These are fully escorted trips, and your guides are chosen for their expertise on the culture of a destination. In many cases they live it themselves, and may have a strong personal interest in the subjects they’re expounding upon. But they’ll also be well versed in every other aspect of the destination you’re visiting, capable of opining on everything from music to food, architecture and plants. They bring the facts to life with stories, personal anecdotes, and often by creating meaningful, memorable encounters with local people along the way.

Whether it be spirituality, music, or ancient architecture, with our tailor made cultural vacations you can really zero in on what interests you. Itineraries are designed by experts with years of experience, and crucially also with reliable connections ‘on the ground’. Armed with up-to-date knowledge of new exhibitions and restaurants that have just opened up, or access to experiences it would be hard to arrange independently, we can arrange everything from a private cookery lesson from your homestay host in Kerala to a private spinning dervish performance in Turkey, or a horseback tour of Argentina’s wine country, staying on working ranches.