Jules Verne unveils yet more Highlights
Innovative tour operator Jules Verne (www.vjv.com) has added six new destinations to its popular selection of Highlights tours. Carefully distilling the authentic Jules Verne experience into a select range of concise arrangements, Highlights tours are shorter and more affordable than the escorted itineraries featured in the company’s ‘Worldwide Journeys’ programme, with destinations that include China, Morocco, India, Vietnam & Cambodia, and Zimbabwe & Botswana.
Says Jules Verne’s Managing Director, Francis Torrilla: “When choosing a holiday, affordability can be an issue for all but the very wealthiest of travellers, and never more so than in the current economic climate. By making considered adjustments to some of our classic itineraries – for example, by offering a more limited choice of flights and departure dates, staying at more competitively priced hotels and travelling in slightly larger groups – we have been able to create a collection of tours that enables our clients to visit countries on their wish list without compromising their budgets.”
NEW to the Highlights portfolio for 2019/2020 are…
Highlights of TURKEY:
Encompassing no less than five UNESCO World Heritage Sites, this seven-night journey through ancient, Ottoman and Byzantine Turkey begins in vibrant Istanbul, with visits to St. Sophia, the Roman Hippodrome, the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace, before travelling onwards to Gallipoli and crossing the Dardenelles by boat to visit the ruins of Troy. Take in the wonders of the Acropolis and the Asklepion in Pergamon, the magnificent historic site of Ephesus and Bursa, the former Ottoman capital. More details here.
Departing 7 & 21 September and 12 October 2019, and 16 May*, 13 June, 12 & 26 September and 10 October* 2020, the price is from £995 pp (two sharing), including flights (Heathrow), transfers, B&B (three nights in Istanbul, two in Kusadasi, and one each in Bursa and Canakkale), four dinners, excursions, and the services of guides and local representatives. *No single supplement (subject to availability) on 16 May & 10 October 2020 departures.
Highlights of BURMA:
Starting in the former British colonial capital of Mandalay, this ten-night tour moves next to Bagan, city of 3,000 pagodas and one of South East Asia’s great archaeological treasures. Here, as well as temple visits, the Jules
Verne group will enjoy a cruise on the Irrawaddy River and learn more about Burma’s famous lacquerware at a local workshop. The itinerary also includes the hill town Kalaw and the Pindaya Caves, Inle Lake (travelling by boat to see the famous leg rowers and floating gardens, as well as Phaungdaw Oo Pagoda, Nga Phe Chaung Monastery and Inpawkhon village) and the city of Yangon, a fascinating blend of old and new architecture. More details here.
Departing 11 November & 2 December 2019, and 20 January, 10 February and 2 March 2020, the price is from £1,695 pp (two sharing), including flights (Heathrow), transfers, eight nights’ B&B (two nights each in Mandalay, Bagan and Inle Lake, and one each in Kalaw and Yangon), five lunches, six dinners, excursions as per the itinerary, and the services of guides and local representatives. Two overnight flights.
Highlights of UZBEKISTAN:
This great-value seven-night tour of the Silk Road cities of Uzbekistan takes in Tashkent, Bukhara and Samarkand, travelling between the capital (Tashkent) and Bukhara (former seat of the Samanid dynasty) by high-speed train. Visit the Summer Palace of Emir, watch a ceramics demonstration and a tea ceremony in Gijduvan and visit Samarkand’s fascinating sights, including Ulug Beg’s Observatory, the Shah-I-Zinda and Gur Emir mausoleums (Tamerlane’s tomb). More details here.
Departing 13 September and 4 & 18 October 2019, and 10 April, 15 May, 25 September & 9 October 2020, the price is from £1,395 pp (two sharing), including flights (Heathrow), transfers, six nights’ B&B (three in Samarkand, two in Bukhara and one in Tashkent), six dinners, excursions as per the itinerary, and the services of guides and local representatives. One overnight flight.
Highlights of SOUTH AFRICA:
Discover South Africa’s myriad attractions on this ten-night tour, kicking off in Cape Town, from where excursions include a full-day Winelands tour (with wine tasting and free time to explore Franschhoek), city sightseeing and optional trips to Table Mountain, Cape Point and Robben Island. Transfer by internal flight to Johannesburg and onwards to Pretoria then Kruger National Park, for unforgettable wildlife encounters during two game drives and two nights spent in tented accommodation at the Shalati Safari Camp. More details here.
Departing 17 October & 14 November 2019, and throughout 2020, the price is from £1,895 pp (two sharing), including flights (Heathrow), eight nights’ B&B (five in Cape Town, two in the Kruger area and one in Pretoria), two dinners, park fees, excursions as per the itinerary, and the services of guides and local representatives. Two overnight flights.
Highlights of ECUADOR:
With dramatic topography and a variety of climatic zones, vegetation, bird and wildlife, Ecuador packs a punch that belies its diminutive size as one of the smallest countries in South America. This eight-night exploration of its delights begins in the capital Quito, with visits to the well-preserved historic centre, the Intiñan Museum, the Equator Monument and Antisana Natural Reserve. Next stop is Riobamba, crossing the majestic Avenue of the Volcanoes, and onwards to Alausi for the round-trip rail journey along the legendary ‘Devil’s Nose’, a visit to the Inca ruins of Ingapirca in Cuenca and a walking tour of Guayaquil. More details here.
Departing 16 August, 13 September, 18 October & 15 November 2019, and 7 February, 6 March, 17 April, 14 August, 11 September & 6 November 2020, the price is from £1,895 pp (two sharing), including flights (Heathrow), transfers, six nights’ B&B (two each in Quito & Cuenca, and one each in Riobamba & Guayaquil), one lunch, one dinner, excursions as per the itinerary, and the services of guides and local representatives. Two overnight flights.
Highlights of COLOMBIA & PERU:
Beginning in Cartagena on the Caribbean coast, this 11-night adventure moves next to Colombia’s cosmopolitan capital, Bogotá – where sightseeing includes La Candelaria (the historical centre), the Botero art collection and the Museum of Gold – before travelling to the Sacred Valley, Maras Salt Mines and the archaeological site of Moray. No visit to southern Peru would be complete without a visit to the 15th-century Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, and one afternoon is spent touring the ruins (reached by bus from Aguas Calientes) before transferring by road and rail to the centre of the Inca Empire, Cuzco. More details here.
Departing 19 November 2019 and 11 February, 10 March, 5 May, 13 October & 17 November 2020, the price is from £1,995 pp (two sharing), including flights (Heathrow), transfers, nine nights’ B&B (two each in Cartagena, Bogotá & Sacred Valley, and three in Cuzco), excursions as per the itinerary, and the services of guides and local representatives. Two overnight flights.
All six itineraries are featured – alongside details of Jules Verne’s other Highlights tours – in the new Highlights brochure, a copy of which can be viewed, downloaded or ordered in print here.
BOOKING WITH THE BEST:
Fully ABTA and ATOL bonded, and winner of many travel awards, Jules Verne’s expert staff organise every detail, ensuring that clients can book in complete confidence. This commitment is further reinforced by Jules Verne’s 100% Price Guarantee; the holiday price is fixed when clients book and will remain so, even if Jules Verne’s costs increase subsequently.
For more information or to book a Highlights tour with Jules Verne, call 020 3553 3722 or visit www.vjv.com.
