Collette Launches Three New Itineraries For 2017
by Jessica Montevago /Ayuntamiento, Ciudad Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. Photo: Diego Delso
Rhode Island-based tour operator Collette introduced three new tours to its Travel Guide for 2017, visiting Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Patagonia. The new tours are part of Collette’s Explorations Travel Guide, which features 19 tours; other destinations include Morocco, Italy, France, Costa Rica and Machu Picchu.
The 15-day Taste of Vietnam Tour explores the country’s historical wonders, rich culture and natural beauty. In Ho Chi Minh City, travelers will visit to a home where coconut candy and rice paste are made and explore the underground Cu Chi Tunnels. They’ll take a walking tour of Hoi An, and visit the famous lantern workshops and try to make their own. In the country’s capital, Hanoi, guests will see the traditional Vietnamese architecture including the “long house,” watch a traditional water puppet performance and take a cycle tour. Other highlights are a cruise along the Mekong Delta and a visit to the ruins of My Son Sanctuary, a UNESCO site situated in a remote jungle valley with more than 20 well-preserved monuments. Prices start at $2,549 per person, land only, based on double occupancy.
A first-time location for Collette, the Exploring Shri Lanka tour will take travelers to palaces, tropical rainforests and beachfront resorts. Guests will visit the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, which has been rescuing elephants since 1975; the Minneriya National Park, a wildlife sanctuary with herds of elephants bathing and grazing in their natural habitat; the Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy; the ruins of the ancient city of Polonnaruwa; and the Royal Botanical Gardens. The 12-day tour starts at $3,699 per person, for land only, based on double occupancy.
The third new trip, the 20-day Antarctica and Chile’s Patagonia tour, takes travelers through the Torres del Paine National Park, the Chilean fjord, green valleys, the Cape Horn, the South Shetland Islands and Antarctica. Guests will visit Yankee Harbour, Cuverville Island and Wilhelmina Bay featuring humpback, killer and minke whales as well as icebergs. They’ll also see Cape Horn, Tierra del Fuego or “Land of Fire” and Cerro San Cristobal, and sail through the Magellan Straight. Prices start at $11,999 per person, for land only, based on double occupancy.