Colonial Yangon occupied our first morning before visiting the magnificent Shwedagon Pagoda during a golden sunset followed by a Burmese dinner with French wine, in the company of alumni from Prospect Burma, our chosen charity to support on this tour. On to Mandalay to board our smart new boat for the Irrawaddy cruise. Everyone settled into the luxurious cabins whilst I sorted out details for our forthcoming visits. Due to the river channel being unexpectedly blocked, 

I was creating a completely new itinerary so I was keen to work on this with the team; discussions ranged from candle-lit dinners in forts to cocktails on sandbanks and golf courses! As the river and days slid by, our experiences became more and more varied: we visited remote tribal villages, had rousing school singsongs and a quiet lunch with monks whilst transport ranged from bullock carts to balloons!  Lectures from Robert & Pam Gordon enlightened and entertained us with their knowledge and stories of Burma, both the official and the rather less official anecdotes of life as British Ambassador in the ’90s.  It was a sensational time, a superb group of charming, patient and humorous people resulting in possibly my most successful tour ever.As a result I shall repeat the itinerary, also working with Cazenove+loyd, as well as offer a different river cruise, both on the same boat in 2015. See Future Tours.

… wonderful trip and the last minute changes worked out seamlessly.  We know that this must have involved an enormous about of extra work but the result was a triumph – definitely one of our best ever holidays.  David L

In the warmth of early June, we will be tasting wines from some of the greatest producers including Château de Beaucastel, Maison Chapoutier and Domaine René Rostaing. We start in Orange with its superb Roman ruins and travel through the RHÔNE valley staying in simple well-located hotels. We meet the growers, dine in their restaurants and some of the most inspired French restaurants with Michelin stars as well as enjoy a simple vineyard picnic. The Rhône Valley was the gateway to France for the Phoenicians, Greeks and the Romans, who introduced vines: whether they came from Shiraz in Persia or Syracuse in Sicily is still disputed. This river route resulted in the founding of churches and abbeys to control this lucrative trade, which increased dramatically when the Pope moved to Avignon in the 13th century. During Napoleonic times the area flourished and the reputation of the wine grew, both for their quality and supposed medicinal qualities. DOWNLOAD BROCHURE

From the sophistication of Singapore to the simplicity of Sumatra, this will be a short tour of contrasts, principally offered to those taking the ORION voyage through INDONESIA. We experience some rugged walking to see Sumatra orangutans, so different from those of Borneo, stay in a simple Eco lodge and have the benefits of Dr Ian Singleton who trained in Edinburgh and on Jersey with Durrell to lead us through the tropical forests of this off-the-beaten-track island.  In Singapore our sybaritic hotel will be the Mandarin Oriental offering luxurious comfort and style whilst we sally out into the buzz of Singapore to visit the newly created GARDENS on the BAY as well as the famous BOTANICAL GARDENS.

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From VIETNAM to CAMBODIA by way of LAOS;  temples, rivers and lakes.  A cultural and wildlife extravaganza.

We started in HANOI and the small trading port of HOI AN, moved on LUANG PRABANG and then boarded our small boat for a cruise along the lesser known areas of the MEKONG river. SIEM REAP opened our eyes to the amazing temples of ANGKOR, the bird life and floating communities of the wide shallow waters of TONLE SAP and our final evening was a private dinner by candle light in a small temple;  a perfect tour of these fascinating countries with their ancient temples, vibrant people and scrumptious food.

JANUARY 2013

“The island gardens which dot the Italian lakes are among the most beautiful and beguiling in the world.  But it takes a gardener to explain their fascination” Monty Don.

We visited the Lakes of Maggiore and Como in the company of Mike Nelhams  RHS judge and Curator of the superb Abbey Gardens on Tresco in the Isles of Scilly.

In warm sunshine our private boat whisked us across the calm waters of Lake Maggiore to the stunning villas and gardens on the islands of  – Isola Bella and Isola Madre lunching en route on Isola Pescatore on local fresh pasta and ice cream. As we crossed between Maggiore and Como we were the guests of Count Jacopo Cicogna Mozzoni. He took us round his fascinating villa and gardens before a lunch at his restaurant in the village. On the shores of Lake Como we launched across to visit Villa Carlotta where we were staggered by the quantity and lush blossom before the scents of the wisteria at Villa Balbianello charmed the afternoon.  Dining in Bellagio was a highlight before a private visit to the steep alpine gardens at Villa Bagatti & Valsecchi offered sensational views up to the alps at the head of the lake.  Our final gardens at Villas Serbelloni and Melzi provided contrasts of the lake-side setting;  and throughout the sun shone!

15th – 20th April 2015

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Dr Lee Durrell, who will be our speaker on this exotic voyage through the island chains of Indonesia writes: “I am delighted that the next Durrell expedition cruise will take us to see fascinating animals, from orangutans to Komodo dragons, living free in their natural habitats” This unique one-off and never to be repeated voyage by small expedition ship provides the only sensible and comfortable way to visit uninhabited and remote islands in the Coral Triangle, famous for their superb coral reefs and to venture far up river to inaccessible orangutan habitat where the highly endangered proboscis monkeys are numerous. With Lee on board, a small well-appointed ship and an experienced team to enlighten us, it will be the trip of a life-time. Come and join us!

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