Passions

Every year is a year full of festivals, migrations and moments of wonder.

These are the ones we won’t be missing in 2020.

Every year our team of travellers head out to experience the familiar and the unfamiliar alike. Like everyone, they have different tastes, wants and needs. But one thing they can all agree on is that whilst places define the world, people and culture make it. These are the moments that will define 2020 – the experiences you’ll kick yourself for missing. Want to join in? Read on below, take your pick, and let’s go.

The Monarch Butterfly Migration, Mexico. A 3,000km journey by the millions.

January to February

The annual migration of more than 100,000,000 Monarch butterflies is best caught from Mexico’s Rosario Monarch butterfly sanctuary in Michoacán and already underway. It’s not too late, however, to pair you with an expert naturalist guide and WWF staff to hike to the monarch’s winter home. These flickering marks of orange and brown form jaw-loosening clouds in the sky. Follow it up with an in-depth food  tour of Roma, Mexico City’s hippest culinary quarter.

View our trips to Mexico

 

The alternative Cherry Blossom Festival, South Korea.

March to April

Typically, Japan gets much of the annual blossom attention. Avoid the Tokyo crowds and slip away for Korea’s Jinhae; the country’s biggest blossom festival, all set against the stunning mountainous backdrop of beautiful Busan. Follow the blossoms inland at the truly striking Yeojwacheon Stream, while filling yourself on cherry blossom burgers and mojitos.

View our trips to South Korea

 

Most think Sydney is its most spectacular at New Year. But it’s Not.

May to June

The entire city gears up for Vivid Sydney, a month-long festival of light, music and ideas. Projections flicker across the Sydney Opera House. Bridges are outlined in wheels of light. Joyously overwhelmed, you can gather your strength with a food tour of New South Wales.

View our trips to Australia

Dive into African history at the incredible Dak’Art Biennale, Senegal.

28th May to 28th June

2020 will mark the 30th anniversary of this long-standing festival for art and ideas. The upcoming edition takes ‘Ì’Ndaffa’  (‘out of the fire’) as its creative theme. Combine this with a tour of sombre Gorée Island (a former trading post for slaves) and colonial-era Saint Louis to dig deeper into this West African nation’s complex history.

See all trips to Africa

 

50 years of Glastonbury, United Kingdom: the world’s most iconic music festival.

24th June to 28th June

This immense carnival of music at Somerset’s Worthy Farm will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year. Expect a world-class lineup and a party like no other. Pair this with a genteel tour of Cornwall’s revitalizing coves and beaches.

See all trips to the UK

 

Tokyo takes centre stage for the 2020 Olympic games

24th July – 9th August

As if Tokyo wasn’t already curious enough, the sprawling city will be hosting the 2020 Olympics in lavish style, with skateboarding and baseball making their first appearances in the competition. If all that activity is too much, we’ll put you up in some of the country’s most tranquil hotels and will serve an authentic geisha tea ceremony in stately Kyoto.

See all Japan trips

Naming mountain Gorillas at Kwita I zi na, Rwanda    

September

This feast of music and culture is, at its heart, a naming ceremony for mountain gorilla infants. Cute. It’s also a broader celebration of Rwandan culture and conservation. After the main event, head toward Volcanoes National Park where we’ll arrange for you to complete a tantalising trek with a specialist gorilla doctor.

See all Rwanda trips

 

California’s Monterey Jazz Festival

25th September to 27th September

Founded in 1958, this is the grand-daddy of jazz festivals. Located in the appropriately sylvan settings of coastal California, expect some of the genre’s hottest stars and old hands to tear up the stage. Recover with a Californian road trip along the Monterey Coast.

See all trips to USA

 

Nagaland Hornbill Festival, India. A festival of warrior tribes.

December

Known as the ‘festival of festivals,’ this is a heady, week-long celebration of the indigenous warrior tribes of Nagaland, in India’s far northeastern regions. Pair with a refreshing tea tasting experience among the plantations of Darjeeling.

See all trips to India

Of course, this is just a selection of blockbuster cultural events happening in 2020. Have a chat with one of our experts today for their ultimate edit.

TALK TO US

 

You might like