A nautical journey of myth, memory, and secret fireside evenings

Ancient Greek historian Herodotus declared Egypt itself ‘the gift of the Nile’. Through a quarter of all Africa, this mighty river flows fast and swirls deep. For the Ancient Egyptians, it was controlled the Gods, Khnum and Hapi – the water’s rise and fall dictating the ebb and flow of daily life. An enduring breaker of borders, bringer of life. Where Moses was left in his basket; where Cleopatra and Ceasar sailed together upstream. It’s the setting of many a great, fabled story. And now, of yours.

On your own private dahabiya – an ancient sailboat – you’ll navigate the course of the ancient Nile together – discovering sunken temples at Esna, taking tea at Gebel Silsileh, and meeting locals in remote villages. Waking up somewhere new each day – to skies that tremble with pearl and deep, burnt reds, where beguiling monuments emerge from the golden haze of the wide Egyptian plain. The gentle lapping of the river as you drift. It’s a journey through Egypt few others get to make.

Plunge beneath the surface of a dazzling coral-filled realm

The origin of the name of the Poor Knights Islands is unknown. Some believe it to be evocative of the Poor Knights of Windsor. Others, of Poor Knight’s pudding – a bread-based dish fried in egg. For legendary French explorer Jacques Cousteau, it is simply ‘one of the best dive sites’ in the world. Clear subtropical waters and deep-sea caves. A place for dolphins, orca, and bull rays to weave and plunge through. And now, you.

Setting sail from Auckland via Great Barrier Island, you’ll arrive to the strange subterranean worlds of the islands, before diving into the fragile and mesmerizing ecosystem – and submerged scenery – that unfolds beneath the surface. The islands – forged of the horseshoe-shaped ‘Ring of Fire’ and dusted with ruby-red pohutukawa forests – will be your adventure playground, separated from the mainland for thousands of years. You’ll arrive, and delve deep, by sustainable motor yacht (the only way that access is possible) – navigating waters uncovered by Maori chiefs, legendary divers, and French oceanographers.

BEST FOR: Smaller groups of keen divers

Wine, dine, and dance on an ecstatic rail route through Thailand

When Paul Theroux “sought trains”, what he found were “passengers”. For as much as rail is about the slow and rhythmic journey, it’s really about the people you share it with. But this particular journey goes further. Gorgeous, exuberant – beautifully off the rails.

Citrus-shaded and Neo-Renaissance, Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong station – built in 1916 – offers a magisterial departure. Time has forgotten it, but rail afficionados have not. Banding together, you’ll step back breathlessly in time to the golden age of 1920s rail; embarking on a winding, wise-cracking journey to the waterfalls of Khao Yai, with carriages decked out in remixed art deco splendour. There’s a bar. Space to dance – and music, with the décor and service taking their confected cue from Wes Anderson’s The Darjeeling Limited.

BEST FOR: Larger groups with an ideal group size of 20 people

Cloud forests and endless hills. This friendship is worth the hike.

Ridges and forested peaks, rice fields and lakes. For Sri Lankan writer Romesh Gunesekera, the landscapes of his homeland formed “a kind of sinewy poetry”. The Pekoe Trail – a 300-kilometer hiking route carved through the heart of hill country – embodies that belief. Tea-scented and centuries old, the trail is split into 22 stages. Mountains, forestland, remote villages, tea fields, viaduct bridges. Take your pick. And lace up your boots.

Trekking through stages 13-16, from the high hilltop forests of Haputale to the winding railway tracks of the Demodara Loop, this multi-day journey will leave you with your head in the clouds. Sometimes metaphorically, sometimes not. Chatting, laughing, catching your breath. Spilling the tea – or drinking it. There’ll be time to watch the sunrise as you share breakfast hoppers (crispy, bowl-like pancakes) – and soak up the views together. After all, some people are worth getting up early for.

Share new vistas along the ‘pilgrimage of emperors’

Winding through the mountains of Kii, the Kumano Kodo is an ancient pilgrimage whose pathways have been trodden by peasant and emperor, samurai and poet – a place of cherry, gorges, mist, and moss. Hundreds of ruins and relics are hidden in this great forest’s enveloping silence; worn by time, yet still worshipped by ascetic monks – the yamabushi – who call these mountains home.

For three unforgettable days, you’ll beat the path of ‘ants and emperors’, as it was described in the Chronicles of Japan (AD 720); receiving rare blessings at some of the Kumano Kodo’s most sacred temples, including – among them – Hongu Taisha, Hayatama Taisha, and Nachi Taisha. Through blue-green mountains heaped like rice, you’ll share an indefinable experience that’ll recharge your souls and deepen your bonds. By nightfall, in simple mountain lodges, there’ll be saké, stories, and togetherness – all beneath a blanket of eternal stars.

Blaze across the world's largest salt pans

June - September Only

Before the last Ice Age, Lake Makgadikgadi was a luscious, life-giving source. So much so, it’s considered the land where the earliest lineage of modern humans first evolved. Today, long salinated and dried-up, this north-eastern corner of Botswana is one the most surreal environments on earth: the Makgadikgadi salt pans. The largest in the world, they’re so expansive – dry, cracked, clay – that they’re visible from the moon. Apparently.

In a fleet of quad bikes, you’ll embark on a journey spanning between four-hundred and six-hundred kilometres across them. By day, roar over vast swathes of shimmering white. By night, reflect on how far you’ve come and rest your heads beneath star-scattered skies. Just you, together, on a journey through the mesmerising, salt-baked emptiness – broken occasionally by sight of fresh elephant tracks beside a baobab tree. Or an immense flock of fluorescent pink flamingos. Moment after moment, mile after mile.

BEST FOR: Groups of up to 12 people and a minimum age of 4 years

Follow the ruby-red trail of sockeye and coho

September - October Only

Every September, vibrant hordes (we’re talking millions) of Pacific salmon wriggle and weave their way from the ocean to their natal rivers. Coming to spawn on the pebbled beds of clear-as-glass creeks, rivers run red, grey, and pink with sockeye, steelhead, and coho. Pulled by the earth’s magnetic field and using their ‘smell memory banks’, they find their way home with unnerving accuracy.

And you’ll follow in the footsteps of this spectacular migration event. Embarking on this vibrant route of life and color, you and your companions will witness the circle of life of these creatures. Beginning at the salmon hatcheries of North Vancouver (where alevins emerge from small eggs) and ending at the forested islets of the Broughton Archipelago (where adult salmon leap valiantly above the water). During the course of this journey, you can work on the rehabilitation of this vital ‘highway’ by removing debris from the river, offering a properly hands on way to contribute, collectively, to this unforgettable natural spectacle.