Cultural Journeys

If you choose one of these tours, you’ll be fully immersed into an unfamiliar culture.

These aren’t adventures for the mere observer – they are designed to put you at the heart of your chosen destination authentically and responsibly, through cultural encounters, hands-on experiences and through visits to sites both legendary and lesser-known. Broaden your horizons and make memories that will last a lifetime on a Cultural Journey with Andante Travels.

• Each tour includes an orientation of its villages, towns and cities. Why? Because getting a real sense of the place you’re visiting is so important and fully understanding your surroundings offers a window into local culture and the lifestyle of its people, and it can help place your chosen destination into a wider historical context.
• During your Cultural Journeys encounter, we’ll take you to a selection of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Coming face-to-face with iconic landmarks that have been inscribed by UNESCO will be, for many of us, a real bucket-list experience. From the world-famous to the lesser-known, the sites we’ve included on our tours are bound to leave a lasting impression.
• From the rainforest to the jungle, and from the desert to volcanic lava fields – we will explore a variety of habitats that are home to endemic animals. Most of our Cultural Journeys tours include some form of wildlife spotting and all of our animal encounters are safe, respectful and ethical.
• The varied destinations our Cultural Journeys range visit enable us to offer a range of natural experiences. Hunt the elusive northern lights, soak in geothermal hot springs, admire rock formations in the sprawling desert, sail right up beside magnificent glaciers, and watch the sun appear over a legendary mountain range – the choice really is yours.
• The flavours of a destination can tell as much of its story as its monuments and buildings, and no holiday is complete without a taste of what’s produced locally. Each of our itineraries include the chance to sample local food and drink, and some even feature cookery demonstrations or hands-on classes.
• A chance to live like a local is something that should always be grabbed – and our Cultural Journeys range offers just this in the form of visits to local markets. Go a little off the tourist trail in search of stalls selling traditional goods or handicrafts, and witness frenetic exchanges between buyer and sellers at different types of markets around the world. Our local experts will know just where to take you!
• Instead of just wandering around museums and at galleries, history and culture will be brought vividly to life through a variety of immersive visits. Along with a chance to observe, we will also offer you the chance to participate – watch traditions and rituals take place before your eyes in the most memorable of settings.
• Travelling in the company of an expert doesn’t always have to mean a scholar or an academic. We consider our tour hosts to be absolute experts where their destinations are concerned, and you couldn’t be in better hands on your adventures.
• Meeting local people in new places can be daunting, but our Cultural Journeys tours offer the chance to do just this, with a local expert at the helm to facilitate conversation. Learn about citizens’ lives, culture and traditions through personal encounters. In Greenland, enjoy cake and coffee with a local family. In Nepal, visit a village school and coffee farm to meet with students as well as staff. And, in Costa Rica, chat with an ancestor of one of the first settlers in Tortuguero.