Take a road and rail trip in Japan
March 2016 sees Japan’s newest bullet-train service link Tokyo to the lesser-visited northern island of Hokkaido. This makes it the perfect time to try InsideJapan Tours’ 14-day self-drive Wild Hokkaido trip.
Monkeys in hot springs, Hokkaido (Shutterstock)
Explore the island in your own car: take a whalewatching cruise on the Shiretoko Peninsula, hike up Asahi-dake (Hokkaido’s highest peak), stroll through Biei’s lavender-cloaked rolling hills, dip in the hot springs at Toya Onsen and be dazzled by lively Sapporo and Hakodate. Then hop on the new train back to Tokyo.
Cruise the Ganges through India
Take a boat along India’s most spiritual waterway on an 8-day Ganges River Cruise Adventure with G Adventures. Sail from Patna to Kolkata, passing a series of splendid sites: Patna’s 18th-century Golgar granary and Sikh temple; Nalanda’s Pawapuri Jain temple; and Bateshwar Temple, with its sixth-century Hindu carvings.
Boats on the Ganges (Shutterstock)
Take a rickshaw ride round the crumbling Mughal fort at Munger and look for South Asian river dolphins in Bhagalpur.
Traverse the Silk Road
Travel along one of the world’s great ancient trade routes on The Great Silk Road Adventure with Wild Frontiers.
Yurt in Kyrgyzstan (Shutterstock)
This 12,000km, 47-day journey from Beijing to Istanbul crosses China, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Iran and Turkey – and takes in more than 15 UNESCO sites, from Iran’s Tabriz Bazaar to Xian’s Terracotta Army. Mountains, steppes, valleys and plenty of local interaction complete the continent-spanning journey.
Cowboys and cascades in Brazil, Argentina & Uruguay
Lap up Latin life in three countries with Dragoman’s new Andes & Amazon between Iguacu Falls and Buenos Aires tour.
Iguacu Falls (Shutterstock)
See Iguacu Falls thunder from both the Brazilian and Argentine sides, then channel your inner gaucho on a Uruguayan ranch. Hike past old fortresses in Santa Teresa National Park, live it up with sea lions in Cabo Polonio and indulge in the cosmopolitan capitals of Montevideo and Buenos Aires. An action-packed 15 days.
Follow intrepid footsteps in India
Pay tribute to a 19th-century pioneer on 10-night The Forsyth Trail with Village Ways. Following in James Forsyth’s footsteps, exploring from the charming village of Chopna, through Satpura Tiger Reserve, to reach Pachmarhi, home to the Jata Shankar cave temple.
Chital in Pench Tiger Reserve (Shutterstock)
Then immerse yourself in the territory that inspired The Jungle Book: stay in the forest village of Sakata and take a safari in Pench Tiger Reserve, looking for Shere Khan himself.
Uncloak China's unknown corners
Explore classic sights and uncover new ones on Wendy Wu Tours’ 20-day China Trailblazer tour. Tick off Beijing’s Forbidden City, the Great Wall, Xian’s Terracotta Warriors and a cruise down the Yangtze, via the Three Gorges Dam.
Panda in Bifengxia (Shutterstock)
Away from these headliners, explore lush Bifengxia in the Sichuan mountains to meet pandas, hike through rice-terraced villages and wind down with t’ai chi in the Yangshuo countryside.
Sail Russia's uncharted waters
Shifts in sea ice mean the previously inaccessible North East Passage can now be navigated. Join The Small Cruise Ship Collection’s 28-day North East Passage: The Northern Sea Route to traverse this legendary route, looking for wildlife as you go.
Polar bear in Franz Josef Land (Shutterstock)
Spot whales off the Gulf of Anadyr, walruses, polar bears and flocks of migratory birds at Wrangel Island, and more polar bears and Arctic foxes at the Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago. Also, conquer Cape Dezhnev (Eurasia’s most easterly point) and reach Franz Josef Land, which is just 10 degrees from the North Pole.
Cycle the USA's Wild West
Embark on an epic journey with a charitable twist: pedal through a slice of the States on Discover Adventure’s 8-day Grand Canyon to Las Vegas Cycle challenge.
Grand Canyon (Shutterstock)
Ride alongside the Grand Canyon on the West Rim Road and join the classic Route 66 highway for sweeping desert views, piercing deep into wild American cowboy country. Peer over the colossal Hoover Dam before pedalling into capital-of-bling Las Vegas.
Roll through Ireland in style
Hop aboard the Belmond Grand Hibernian – Grand Tour of Ireland with Planet Rail to ride the island’s first luxury touring train for 6 nights. Travel from Dublin to Cork, visit Blarney Castle, ride a pony and trap through Killarney NP and try fishing and falconry at Connemara’s Ashford Castle.
Blarney Castle (Shutterstock)
Then head north to Belfast and the UNESCO-protected Giant’s Causeway, crossing the Carrick-a-Rede rope and sampling Bushmills whiskey too.
Slice through the USA
Take the ultimate American train journey, in style. Ffestiniog Travel’s 22-day USA Coast to Coast rail trip starts amid the bright lights of NYC, stops in Chicago for a Lake Michigan cruise and cuts through the Rockies.
Lake Michigan (Shutterstock)
At the Grand Canyon, it picks up the vintage carriages of the Grand Canyon Railroad (celebrating its 115th anniversary in 2016) and finishes with some glitz in Hollywood and San Francisco.
Sail through Vietnam and Hong Kong
Take advantage of discounted flights to discover a little-known waterway with Audley Travel’s 16-day Cruise Vietnam’s Red River trip.
Food stall in Hanoi (Shutterstock)
Start with city stays in dazzling Hong Kong and tasty Hanoi. Then set sail aboard the elegant MV Angkor Pandaw to explore the Red River. Stop off at the villages of Hoa Ha and UNESCO-listed Duong Lam; gawp at temples and rock formations in Gia Thanh; and cruise right to the karst scenery of Halong Bay.
Main image: Road to Mount Fitzroy, Patagonia (Shutterstock)
