Where to travel in 2017 ... new Cox & Kings journeys

Nigel Hosking | June 5, 2017

SHORT BREAKS: Exclusive Collection

I am very pleased to announce the new Cox & Kings Exclusive Collection, a carefully selected group of luxury hotels, perfect for a short stay. All are in culturally fascinating destinations easily accessible from the UK, and we have chosen perfectly situated properties with character and style. I can personally recommend the elegant Hotel Napoleon in Paris, with its relaxed yet sophisticated atmosphere, but only 100 metres from the Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysées.

Hotel Napoleon in Paris

The Hotel Napoleon: £495 per person including 2 nights’ accommodation, breakfast, return private car transfers and Eurostar / international flights

MIDDLE EAST: Oman for the Family

Our new series of family holidays features over 30 different private tours to more than 20 destinations. All have been specially created for those seeking adventure and discovery, without foregoing comfort and peace of mind. Our family tour to Oman offers a variety of unforgettable activities to suit all age ranges: sand boarding and dune bashing excursions in Wahiba Sands, a dolphin- and whale-watching cruise from Muscat, a night under the desert sky and turtle watching in Ras al Jinz.

Wahiba Desert, Wahiba Sands, Oman

Oman Family Explorer is available as a private tour • 10 Days & 9 Nights from £4,215

ART TOURS: Treasures of Bologna

Operating under the radar compared with other Italian cities, I find Bologna rivals most for culture and cuisine. The capital of the Emilia-Romagna region, it seems to have stayed off Italy’s well-beaten tourist track. Yet the city has its own leaning tower, the oldest university in the west, about 40km of beautiful arcaded streets and an array of gastronomic delights that – even by Italy’s high standards – are superb.

Piazza Maggiore, Bologna

Bologna: Treasures of Emilia-Romagna is available as an escorted group tour • 4 Days & 3 Nights from £1,245

CANADA: Great Bear Rainforest

Travelling to remote areas of the Pacific Northwest’s Inside Passage, sailing through spectacular mountain scenery, our cruise with Bluewater Adventures provides the perfect opportunity to watch bald eagles soar or spy Kermode and black bears. A comfortable base for exploring the coast of British Columbia, the Island Roamer is a 68-foot yacht with only eight cabins.

Brown bears salmon fishing in Canada

Great Bear Rainforest Cruise is available as a private tour • 9 Days & 8 Nights from £4,195

AFRICA: South Africa

Cox & Kings is launching a series of non-exclusive group tours offering the best of South Africa. My chosen itinerary from this programme is perhaps more likely to appeal to the second time visitor to this fascinating and diverse country. It includes the beautiful Drakensberg mountains, the historic Zulu battlefield sites and a Big Five safari experience in a luxury tented camp. Groups have guaranteed bi-monthly departures and a maximum of 16 travellers.

Leopard cubs in Kruger National Park

South Africa: Battles & Bergs is available as a non-exclusive group tour • 16 Days & 13 Nights from £3,895

FAR EAST: Irrawaddy Cruise

The Anawrahta is a new, luxury river cruise vessel. Sailing from Rangoon (Yangon), it visits the temples and pagodas of Pagan (Bagan), the palaces and monasteries of Mandalay, and remote riverside forts and markets. Built to resemble a British colonial paddle steamer, the Anawrahta takes guests back to an era of bygone elegance.

Sunset, Irrawaddy river, Burma

A River Journey on the Irrawaddy: Anawrahta Cruise is available as a private tour • 12 Days & 10 Nights from £5,495

EUROPE: Portugal Self-Drive

Portugal remains one of my favourite European destinations. Much of the country remains untouched by mass tourism, especially in the north. Our new self-drive itinerary starts in the charming city of Porto with its characterful port lodges and tumbledown baroque churches, then travels into the green hills and vineyards overlooking the twisting course of the spectacular Douro river.

Douro Valley, Portugal

Vineyards of Portugal is available as a private tour • 7 Days & 6 Nights from £585

INDIA: Kerala Comfort

An interesting new property is the Wayanad Wild in Kerala. Located in the depths of the rainforests of Lakkidi, it is a family-friendly resort offering luxury cottages in beautiful surroundings, with a variety of fauna, birdlife, peaceful streams and remarkable rock formations. A CGH Earth property (using best eco- and community-friendly practices), it features a range of activities and excursions suitable for all ages, including hiking, cycling tours and visits to a neighbouring tea factory. The Wayanad Wild is featured in our new family tour in Kerala.

Wayanad Wild Bedroom

India: Kerala Family Adventure is available as a private tour • 15 Days & 13 Nights from £3,495

AUSTRALIA: Queensland in Style

For those who are looking to explore around the islands of the Great Barrier Reef, see the ancient Daintree rainforest and discover the beauty of the Australian outback in style, this tour combines luxury lodges and a 4-night private yacht charter for ultimate comfort.

Whitehaven Beach, Queensland

Queensland in Style is available as a private tour • 10 Days & 9 Nights from £7,495

LATIN AMERICA: The Inca Trail

New for this year is an opportunity to trace the footsteps of an ancient civilisation, trekking the Inca Trail. With spectacular scenery and a back-drop of snow-covered peaks, this adventure includes walking the Inca Staircase, climbing to Dead Woman’s Pass, reaching the Sun Gate and seeing the remarkable ruins of Machu Picchu at sunrise. It requires a good level of fitness of course, but the reward is a radiant, once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Llamas at Machu Picchu

Peru: Inca Trail Adventure is available as a private tour • 11 Days & 9 Nights from £2,095

• Tags: Adventure, Africa, Art & Architecture, Australasia & Pacific, Cox & Kings Staff, Culture & History, Europe, Far East, Hotels, India, Latin America, Middle East & North Africa, South Africa, Wildlife, Worldwide

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