Tour MADEIRA’S FAMOUS FLOWER FESTIVAL and its beautiful gardens
See some of the island’s horticultural highlights and experience Madeira in bloom next spring
Thanks to its fertile volcanic soil, Madeira is a plant-lover’s paradise, with a range of species – from purple-blossomed jacaranda trees, orchids and bird of paradise plants to its Unesco-listed native laurel forest. It has been named the World’s Leading Island Destination at the World Travel Awards since 2015.
You’ll visit the island in time for its famous Flower Festival, where the streets of Funchal are filled with colourful floral floats and parades. Funchal, where you’ll be staying, is packed with highlights, such as a 15th-century cathedral. Foodies can discover the farmers’ market, or sample the local Madeira wine and will enjoy an excursion to the manicured Botanical Garden in the hills overlooking Funchal. You’ll also explore two of Madeira’s other fine gardens; the oriental Monte Palace Tropical Garden and Palheiro Gardens.
Alakeside paradise in northern Italy awaits you on this eight-day trip to the region’s beautiful and elegant gardens. You’ll travel by train in style and comfort through France and Italy before arriving at Lake Orta.
From these glorious surroundings, you’ll move on to Lake Maggiore, taking in the majestic villas and gardens of Stresa on the western shore, including the Botanical Gardens of Villa Taranto.
Other highlights of your holiday will be a trip to Locarno in Switzerland and a visit to Lake Como, to enjoy breathtaking views across the water as you explore the picture-perfect villages, villas and parks of Como and Tremezzo. You will also discover Lake Lugano with its town’s beautiful squares, arcaded walkways and gardens adorned with subtropical plants.
You’ll then return to Lake Orta where there will be some days to relax, discover the towns along the lake or even visit the exquisite island of San Giulio. Sandwiched in-between is a day trip to Milan and its historic and artistic attractions such as the Duomo and Pinacoteca di Brera.
With its vast unspoilt scenery, extreme climate conditions, roaming icebergs and magnificent marine life, Antarctica is a destination like no other. This voyage to the virtually uninhabited seventh continent promises to be an unforgettable adventure.
You’ll start your journey in Buenos Aires, Argentina’s bustling capital, where you’ll have the warm spring evening to explore the ‘Paris of South America’. Then it’s on to Ushuaia, in Argentina’s southernmost region, Tierra Del Fuego, where you’ll realise why the city is nicknamed ‘the End of the World’ to board your state-of-the-art custom-built expedition ship MS Roald Amundsen.
You’ll leave the southern tip of the Americas and glide through the icy waters of Drake Passage to the Arctic
Peninsula and gaze out at seas that are home to whales, pods of orcas and seals.
Looking back you’ll see ‘the End of the World’ disappear over the horizon as you approach skyscraper-sized icebergs rising up out of the waters before you.
The next five days will be spent in Antarctica, which never fails to inspire awe and wonder, with white horizons above oceans full of icebergs and whales.
Your Expedition Team will lead ice-cruising and landings at every opportunity to go ashore and explore the impressive Antarctic scenery. From the deck, there are great chances to spot whales and huge colonies of penguins.
With your adventure over, you’ll cruise back to Ushuaia to transfer to Buenos Aires and your journey home. Or you could choose to extend your stay in the Argentinian capital or make a trip to the magnificent Iguazu Falls.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE ANTARCTIC PENINSULA
The extraordinary islands around the Antarctic Peninsula are a stunning reward for those who conquer the infamous Drake Passage. Every day is a new adventure and each voyage is unique as the landing sites visited depend on the ship’s location and weather conditions. Your experienced expedition team will attempt landings at several sites in the South Shetlands and on the Antarctic Peninsula, and aim to bring you to the incredible diversity of landscapes and rich wildlife on display in this pristine wilderness.