Destination: December
Before you know it, you’ll check your calendar, and it’ll be...December!
Have you procrastinated about carving out leisure time during this hectic month? R. Crusoe & Son to the rescue. Allow us to help you plan a December holiday with those you hold nearest and dearest. Short on ideas? We have a few we’d like to share:
5 Favorite December Destinations
Cairo, Giza, & the Nile. Mighty Egypt calling. Seeing the Great Pyramids up close is incredible. Grab your kids (and grandkids), and discover what the ancients left behind. Poke around Cairo with your private Egyptologist. In Giza, examine the pyramids and the Sphinx. Then cruise along the Nile, lifeblood of Egypt, on one of two magnificent river cruisers. Visit amazing Luxor, Esna, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Aswan, Agilika Island, Kitchener’s Island (aboard a traditional felucca), and Abu Simbel.
Peru & the Inca. The conquistadors thought they’d erased most traces of the Inca in Peru, but Yale professor Hiram Bingham proved otherwise when, centuries later, he stumbled upon magnificent Machu Picchu. Our approach to the site is decidedly less haphazard, but no less incredible. Begin in Lima, a mix of Spanish colonial, Inca, and pre-Inca remains. Then fly to Cusco, a city we love, and gateway to the Sacred Valley. The hotel here? The Monasterio, an exceptional Orient-Express hotel right smack in the middle of the old town. To Pisac’s bustling market. Ollantaytambo for an eyeful of incredible mortarless masonry, Inca-style. The Maras salt flats and Moray’s Inca terraces. Catch a weaving demonstration in Chichero before we board a train (the Vistadome or the Orient-Express’s luxurious Hiram Bingham) to Machu Picchu. The site? Indescribable, including its breathtaking perch high in the Andes. Stop by monumental Sacsayhuaman and little Tipon before flying back to Lima and home.
India Comes Alive. For civilization’s eastern roots, nothing quite compares to India. Never been? Let’s fix that this year. Crusoe builds an itinerary for you to show off the highlights of the Mother Country, and we do it from the hotels up. Did you know that India boasts some of the world’s most outstanding hotels? We use them along our route. Begin in Delhi, where old and new collide in a marvelous cultural chaos. In Varanasi, Hindus immerse themselves in the holy water of the Ganges. Buddha stopped in Sarnath. We do, too. Khajuraho’s amazing temples might make you blush. In Agra, get an eyeful of that Indian icon, the Taj Mahal, at sunset and sunrise. Visit an Untouchables village. Magical Jaipur. Akbar’s ancient Amber fort. Take an elephant safari in the Aravali foothills. Examine Udaipur’s jeweled palaces. Explore ancient temples at Eklingji and Nagda before heading home.
Safari in East Africa. It takes a journey through Kenya and Tanzania to understand that, in spite of all mankind has done to tarnish the planet, the Earth still belongs to the animals. Find proof positive during your travels in the Serengeti, in baffling Ngorongoro Crater, in Amboseli, Samburu, and the Masai Mara. Spend several days at a time in one-of-a-kind lodges and permanent and seasonal tented camps. Get the lowdown on all kinds of creatures in the company of handpicked naturalist-guides. Witness immense herds take part in the Great Migration (move over, National Geographic). This one is a life-changer. And if you can spare a bit more time, we suggest you consider adding to your safari a gorilla trek through Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.
Australia: Contrast and Compare. The continent-nation of Australia is complex, multilayered. Not so easy to size up. It has something (or many things) for everyone. Red mountains. Bald desert. Ancient culture. A little Europe, a little Polynesia. Pristine outback full of strange and wonderful creatures, for the nature buffs among us. Terrific cities—Sydney and Melbourne among them—with high culture to match. Get to know Sydney and its world-class harbor, then we’re off to the Blue Mountains, Uluru (formerly, Ayers Rock), Katatjuta (formerly, the Olgas), Mossman Gorge, Daintree National Park, Cape Tribulation,and—the pièce de résistance—the Great Barrier Reef.