The diversity of divinity

From ancient, animistic beliefs to globe-straddling faiths, our world contains over 4,000 individual religions – some young, some old. Through grand narratives, sacred objects, spiritual rituals and ways of life, these practices have given their believers a light to follow in the often-confusing face of the world in which we live – and the universe beyond, of course. Buddhism, Islam, Sikhism, Hinduism, Judaism and Christianity. These are only the best known of the countless religious practices in the world, each of which – despite their divisions and internal traditions – share a similarity of outlook. And largely, today, they happily coexist.

  • Enter the city of light, India
  • Visit the Vatican City’s ‘secret archive’, Italy
  • The religious history of modern Jerusalem, Israel
  • Meet the patron saint of Bhutan, Bhutan
  • Walking the ‘way of the saints’, Cuba
  • Inside a Hindu religious community, India
  • From Umayyads to Ottomans, Turkey
  • The beguiling ways of Buddhism, Sri Lanka

Looking for something else?
We can create a bespoke trip or experience to suit any mood – educational or not. Just ask.

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Religious Studies About Image
varanasi class

Uncover the mysteries of one of the world’s most sacred subwaypolises

For future theologians, sociologists and anthropologists
Location: Varanasi, India
Fast Facts: Age 14+ | October – April| Two half days

Varanasi, one of the world’s oldest continually inhabited cities, sits on the banks of the sacred river Ganges. As the spiritual capital of India, it has witnessed the development of Buddhism, the rise and fall of empires, and the flowering of Hinduism. Each day, historic spiritual ceremonies and religious rituals take place across the city and along its banks, where pilgrims flock to wash away sins, celebrate life, and grieve those who have died.

On this intimate and spiritual experience, you’ll be accompanied by a respected professor, who will share their extensive knowledge of Varanasi’s history, culture, traditions and religious practices. Visit the sites and museum at Sarnath, where Buddha first performed Dharma, and witness the visual delights of Hindu Aarti from the Ganges on a private boat, a ritual in which light is offered to deities as part of puja. You’ll return to the ghat and continue to take in the morning and evening ceremonies that occur on the river.

This class can be added to any Black Tomato experience in India. We can also build your trip entirely around it.

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varanasi class

Class Highlights

During this class, you’ll:

  • Receive a fascinating talk from your guide on Varanasi’s history, culture, traditions and religious practices
  • Go to Sarnath, where Buddha first performed Dharma, and visit several important structures and the museum there
  • Witness the beauty of evening Aarti from a private boat on the Ganges River
  • Take another boat ride from the ghat and gain an in-depth perspective on the city from your guide, including details of the morning and evening activities and ceremonies that occur on the river

Leave with a sensorial, emotional, and intellectual understanding of Varanasi – its past, its present, and its future.

Looking for something else?
We can create a bespoke trip or experience to suit any mood – educational or not. Just ask.

Vatican Library Class

Take a guided glimpse inside the oldest and largest library in the world

For future theologians, librarians and historians
Location: Vatican City, Italy
Fast Facts: Age 16+ | All year round | Half day

For long and stormy centuries, the Vatican City has been the symbolic heart of the Roman Catholic faith. This is the Holy See – the political seat of the popes and the cardinals who serve them. As an independent city unto itself, the Vatican – once a marshy swamp on the edges of the Tiber – is home to some of the most significant works of art and culture in the western world, from Raphael’s Oddi Altarpiece (1504) to Michelangelo’s Last Judgement (1541).

But the Vatican is no simple place of reverence and worship. Through political intrigue, ecclesiastical infighting, and acts of war, the Vatican City has seen and weathered it all. And at its heart lies the Vatican Library – one of the oldest collections of printed books in the entire world. On this awe-inspiring day, you’ll get a private introduction to its 75,000 codices and 1.1 million printed manuscripts, as well as peering inside its much-discussed Secret Archive.

This class can be added to any Black Tomato experience in Italy. We can also build your trip entirely around it.

Take this class
Vatican Library Class

Class Highlights

During this class, you’ll:

  • Gain private access to the staggering Vatican Library, browsing its shelves and consulting its manuscripts
  • Get access to the Secret Archives, the central repository where all the acts promulgated by the Holy See are stored
  • Pursue your own interests and study ancient texts and original manuscripts

You’ll leave with a rare, first-hand insight into the historical role of texts, manuscripts and the libraries that save and conserve them.

Looking for something else?
We can create a bespoke trip or experience to suit any mood – educational or not. Just ask.

israel class

The three faiths of an ancient city

For future theologians, anthropologists and historians
Location: Jerusalem, Israel
Fast Facts: Age 14+ | September – June | Full day

Jerusalem, one of the oldest cities in the world, is a melting pot of cultures, faiths and religious beliefs. A place of profound sanctity to people of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian faiths across the world, it is steeped in history and possesses famed holy sites in abundance – from Temple Mount to the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Amongst date palms and cypress trees, it has variously been destroyed, captured, rebuilt and attacked throughout its unsettled past and tumultuous present. Accordingly, there is much to discover in this ancient place.

Embarking on a tour of the city with an expert private guide, you’ll become immersed in the stories of these three major religions, visiting their holy places and exploring what the city means to each.

This class can be added to any Black Tomato experience in Israel. We can also build your trip entirely around it.

Take this class
jerusalem class

Class Highlights

During this class, you’ll:

  • Explore Jerusalem with your private guide, learning about the three religions and asking questions along the way
  • Go to sites holy to the Jewish and Muslim faiths, such as the Kotel and the Dome of the Rock
  • Visit iconic Christian heritage sites, including the Garden of Gethsemane and Mount Zion
  • Enjoy the striking views from the Mount of Olives, where Jesus is believed to have ascended to heaven

You’ll leave with a nuanced understanding of one of the world’s most complex and diverse religious locales, inspired to further pursue the study of faith, place and history on your own.

Looking for something else?
We can create a bespoke trip or experience to suit any mood – educational or not. Just ask.

bhutan class

An auspicious ascent to the meditation cliffs of Gangtey

For future anthropologists and scholars of religion
Location: Gangtey Valley, Bhutan
Fast Facts: Age 14+ | September – October | Half day

His Eminence Gangteng Tulku Rinpoche is an emanation of the patron saint of Bhutan – a secretive kingdom that only opened its doors to the world in 1974. From sub-tropical warmth to polar-like mountains, crystaline and hard, this is an astonishing and mesmeric land where spirituality remains a cornerstone of everyday life.

And on this day, you’ll set off on a pilgrimage hike to meet His Eminence in his mountain abode some 3,400m above the earth. Through sloping pathways, bushes of bamboo, and dense natural forests, you’ll reach a place with stunning, unobstructed views of the Gangtey Valley and the Himalayas beyond. Here, you’ll listen to his words of wisdom before taking a lesson in meditation. Restored in spirit, you’ll take a picnic lunch before raising your own prayer flag.

This class can be added to any Black Tomato experience in Bhutan. We can also build your trip entirely around it.

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gangtey bhutan class image

Class Highlights

During this class, you’ll:

  • Hike from the Gangtey Valley to the meditation cliff above
  • Listen to the words of wisdom of His Eminence
  • Learn the art of meditation
  • Enjoy a panoramic lunch – before hoisting your own prayer flag

Leave with a deeper understanding of Bhutan’s religion and culture, as well as an embodied understanding of the role of landscape in its spiritual beliefs.

Looking for something else?
We can create a bespoke trip or experience to suit any mood – educational or not. Just ask.

cuba class

An introduction to Santería with Valentina Porras Potts

For future theologians, anthropologists and historians
Location: Havana, Cuba
Fast Facts: Age 14+ | December – May | Half day

Valentina Porras Potts is an expert and acclaimed author of numerous publications about Santería (also known as Regla de Osha), an African diasporic religion that evolved in Cuba during the late 19th century. Known as ‘the way of the saints’, this polytheistic religion emerged from a curious merging of West African Yoruba beliefs and Roman Catholicism. In the absence of a central authority, there is remarkable diversity among ‘creyentes’, or believers.

In this revealing and insightful session with Valentina, you’ll be introduced to the rites, rituals and practices of modern Santería, exploring the intricacies of the African influence on Cuban culture and learning about the ethnic groups that brought them to Cuba, and their fascinating fusion with the traditions of Catholicism (another earlier import to the island).

This class can be added to any Black Tomato experience in Cuba. We can also build your trip entirely around it.

Take this class
cuba class

Class Highlights

During this class, you’ll:

  • Hear an engaging talk by renowned specialist Valentina Porras Potts and have the opportunity to ask questions
  • Discover the history of Afro-Cuban religious fusions and how Santería relates to the Roman Catholic Church

Leave with a deep understanding of modern Cuban religious practices and how they’ve been shaped by the West African diaspora.

Looking for something else?
We can create a bespoke trip or experience to suit any mood – educational or not. Just ask.

jaipur class

A Vedic guru introduces you to India’s sacred pink-stone city

For future theologians, anthropologists and historians
Location: Jaipur, India
Fast Facts: Age 14+ | October – April | Half day

Welcome to Jaipur, India’s iconic pink city. Planned according to Vastu Shastra – the historic ‘science of architecture’ – this magnificent subwaypolis is home to more than one thousand sites of sacred importance, many of which date back to its founding by Jai Singh II in 1727.

Your guide to its temples and sanctuaries will be one of the Vedic Gurus (or Hindu priests) who call this city home – a font of wisdom and an expert in astrology. Meandering through its exquisitely adorned streets and squares, you’ll gain a sage-like understanding of the various faiths, customs and communities that have shaped this city over the centuries, mulling the magnificent wall paintings of Chaturbhuj and the filigreed frescos of Meenakari. This is a chance to learn, to observe, and to understand, culminating in a private blessing ceremony at a 300-year-old Hindu temple.

This class can be added to any Black Tomato experience in India. We can also build your trip entirely around it.

Take this class
jaipur class

Class Highlights

During this class, you’ll:

  • Join a Vedic Guru on walking tour of some of Jaipur’s most storied sacred sites
  • Observe historic Hindu religious customs in some of its most iconic temples
  • Learn basic tips of palm reading and have your horoscope read
  • Participate in a personal blessing ceremony at a 300-year-old temple

You’ll leave with a deep understanding of Hindu customs and practices, and a knowledge of how places and spaces play a role in this historic religion.

Looking for something else?
We can create a bespoke trip or experience to suit any mood – educational or not. Just ask.

Islamic Art Class

Walking the Islamic art of ancient Istanbul

For future art historians and artists
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Fast Facts: Age 14+ | March – November| Full day

In stone, ceramic, metal, wood, and silver, the richness and diversity of Islamic art is truly beguiling. For centuries, Istanbul has been a repository for its most iconic and beautiful works, much of it housed within the devotional contexts of mosques and madrasas.

On this thoughtful and inspiring day, you’ll join an expert on Islamic art on a walking tour through Istanbul and its most storied sites and artworks – from the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art to the Sehzade Mosque, and on to the very top of Pierre Loti Hill. Your journey will be an act of time-travel, taking you through the styles and masterpieces of Umayyad, Abbasid, Mamluk, Seljuk, Beylik and Ottoman history – a stretch of history that spans hundreds of years.

This class can be added to any Black Tomato experience in Turkey. We can also build your trip entirely around it.

Take this class
Islamic Art Class

Class Highlights

During this class, you’ll:

  • Be guided through the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art, a palace dating back to 1524
  • Explore the Sokullu Mehmet Pasha Complex in Kadirga
  • Visit the Sehzade Mosque, one of the masterpieces of the architect Sinan
  • Spend time at Ebu Eyyub el-Ensari and the Eyup Sultan Mosque, before taking the cable car (for a cup of Turkish coffee) to the top of Pierre Loti Hill

You’ll leave with a comprehensive understanding of Islamic art through the ages, as well as a deep appreciation for the rich devotional history of Istanbul.

Looking for something else?
We can create a bespoke trip or experience to suit any mood – educational or not. Just ask.

Sri Lanka Buddhism Image

Dharma and Buddhist practices on the shores of Sri Lanka

For future theologians and anthropologists
Location: Colombo, Sri Lanka
Fast Facts: Age 12+ | November – April | Half day

Of saffron robes and motionless meditation, Buddhism – one of the world’s largest religions – has entered the public imagination like no other. But its history is rich and deep, going back some 2,500 years to ancient India and the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama – ‘the Buddha’. Across the world, its followers do not recognize a deity, but rather a state of enlightenment. But every country has its own history and traditions.

During this thoughtful experience, you’ll be guided by Siri de Thabrew, a learned Buddhist scholar and principal of a Dhamma school. In two sprawling conversations, you’ll learn about the birth of Buddhism and its propagation in Sri Lanka, and the holy places sanctified by Buddha. You’ll also gain an introduction to Buddhist philosophy, try your hand at traditional meditation methods, and participate in Alms giving to Bhikkhus (ordained monks).

This class can be added to any Black Tomato experience in Sri Lanka. We can also build your trip entirely around it.

Take this class
Sri Lanka Buddhism

Class Highlights

During this class, you’ll:

  • Meet your guide, Siri de Thabrew, Buddhist scholar, principal of a Dhamma school, and Buddhist pilgrimage consultant
  • Learn about the birth of Buddhism and its propagation in Sri Lanka, and the holy places sanctified by Lord Buddha in two lectures
  • Discover and practice two different meditation methods used in Buddhism
  • Witness and participate in Alms giving to Bhikkhus (ordained monks)
  • Understand Buddhist philosophy and Buddhist worship methods through Sutta literature

You’ll leave with a practical as well as intellectual understanding of the origins and present of Sri Lankan Buddhism.

Looking for something else?
We can create a bespoke trip or experience to suit any mood – educational or not. Just ask.