Highlights of New Zealand Food, Wine, Natural Beauty

Covid restrictions remain in place until 2022 .We welcome inquiries to plan your future dream journey. Dreams are free and dreams are Covid safe.

• Discover dramatic natural scenery of New Zealand – from Gisbon Wine Valley to the blue waters of the Bay of Islands.
• Enjoy a private VIP tour of vineyards at artists workshops. Combined with lots of wine tasting and food pairing.
• Take an in-depth journey to discover Te Papa’s taonga (Maori cultural treasures).
• Partake in a scenic helicopter tour over a landscape immortalized in such films as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
• Savor local foods in a country that is rapidly becoming known as a foodie world destination.

Highlights of New Zealand Queenstown Adventure

Marrakech Jewish Heritage Tour  

One-Day Marrakech Jewish Heritage Private Tour includes visiting the Jewish Mellah of Marrakech, the Marrakesh Synagogues, Jewish Sites, Moroccan Heritage & Cultural Sites. Our tour includes a visit to the Marjorelle gardens and combines well with our other Morocco tours.

Israel Active tour

Highlights

Emblematic Peninsula

Our 12-day Emblematic Antarctic voyage – in partnership with Ponant Cruises – offers incredible wildlife viewing. Enjoy stops at active scientific or historic bases.

Details in brief

Our next group departure February 19, 2022

Highlights

Highlights Peru Travel Tailor-made

Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley

• Trace the path of the ancient Inca civilization. Walk along a part of the Inca trail. Visit the protected site of Machu Picchu, one of the world’s most remarkable archaeological wonders.
• Visit The Sacred Valley of the Incas , undoubtedly a key area of settlement to the Incas. Today the Sacred Valley remains a lush agricultural region and an area where many of the Andean people live as they have for centuries.
• Explore the colorful Pisac Indian Market filled with local handicrafts and the famed Peruvian ceramic beads made into necklaces, earrings and other Peruvian artifacts.
• Investigate extraordinary ruins, walk along cobbled streets, and become acquainted with Spanish colonial history.

This is a Tailor-made journey. Contact our concierge service for assistance. Click on the PDF for a detailed itinerary sample.

PLAN A TRIP

Ten reasons to use a travel professional, concierge service or tailor made travel services.

In the age of technology, booking trips online may seem like a no brainer. Yet, a recent study indicates that the use of a travel professional is up by 12%. Here are 10 reasons ways a travel professional can help improve your journey.

1. We’ve been there, we know the places, we listen to you, and we understand your interests.

Today, travel professionals often specialize in niche markets. This specialization offers greater insight into a specific destination or segment of travel. You want to experience a local culture or perhaps an upscale spa. Whether you want the perfect beach or best place to bungee jump, travel professionals can help make it happen.  From floating markets, to upscale restaurants, we’ve been there. Professionals also spend time getting to know the customer in order to make client specific recommendations tailored to what you want to do.

2. Guidance

• Newest Galapagos Islands Catamaran with 9 cabins, all with private balconies.
• Luxurious private rooms and a panoramic Jacuzzi
• Snorkeling, swimming and kayaking in pristine waters teaming with underwater life.
• Guided hikes on uneven foot trails and paths help you see the islands’ animals and landscape of the Galapagos Islands in their natural habitat.
• Sea lions sharing the beach with marine iguanas.
• Archaic volcanic tunnels
• Like Darwin before you, cross paths with giant tortoises.
• Explore both land and marine fauna in the Galapagos archipelago
• Galapagos Islands is an inimitable adventure.

New Zealand Sampler – Bespoke 11 night Itinerary

Highlights of New Zealand Travel

• Imagine the most glorious scenery of New Zealand’s north and south Island.
• Experience Hawke’s Bay New Zealand eclectic mix of visual and sensual. experiences and an area that is New Zealand’s leading producer of red wines.
• Marvel at the greatest concentration of Art Deco architecture below the equator.
• Don’t miss Cape Kidnappers, home to the largest accessible gannet colony in the world, perched on the edge of a rugged coastline.
• Walk, hike or bike along the miles of nature trails and if you get a clear day, you can see as far as volcano of Ruapehu in the distance.
• Auckland 2 nights, Hawke’s Bay 3  nights, Nelson area 3 nights, Queenstown 3 nights

New Orleans Yucatan Ballroom Dance Cruise

December 15 – 22, 2018.

Highlights of New Orleans Yucatan Ballroom Dance Crystal Cruise

• Awaken your senses with the best dancing at sea, Dixieland Jazz, and great port stops with our New Orleans Yucatan Ballroom Dance Cruise.
• Ballroom dance on Crystal Cruises with our award-winning and internationally acclaimed dance professionals.
• Dancing nightly to live music hosted by our professionals.
• New Orleans Yucatan Ballroom Dance Cruise. Shall we dance?
• Be entertained with top nightly shows, daily group dance lessons hosted by our Evia dance professionals, our signature cocktail parties, and more.
• Basque in the warmth and sunshine of the Yucatan Peninsula from Belize to Cozumel.
• Sip complimentary select fine wines, champagne and premium spirits.
• Complimentary gratuities for all dining, bar, housekeeping and Penthouse butler staff.
• Complimentary enrichment via the innovative Creative Learning Institute® and Computer University@Sea® with classes in diverse topics such as world affairs, wellness, art, wine appreciation, digital photography and iPad film making.
• Complimentary fitness and Wellness at Sea® programs with classes in yoga, mat Pilates, Spinning®, and so much more!
  
• Shall we dance! Don’t miss the boat? Our cruise fare represents savings of 60% off regular cruise fare prices. This dance cruise and discount is only available through EVIA. LET’S TALK
  

Highlights Thailand Luxury Itinerary

• Discover Thailand, a country rich in culture, cuisine and heavenly islands.
• Immerse in the enticing and impeccable Thai  hospitality.
• From luxury accommodation in off-the-beaten-track locations to privately guided tours, our in-depth, first-hand knowledge of Thailand will provide a highly bespoke experience.
• Explore the riches and bustling adventures of Bangkok, Thailand.
• Discover the Emerald Buddha (Wat Pra Kaew) and the giant gold Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho.
• Cook  Thai specialties and take home exceptional recipes.
• In 12 days of of Thai experience, you’ll create memories to last a lifetime.

Highlights Hawke’s Bay New Zealand

• Hawke’s Bay New Zealand presents an eclectic mix of visual and sensual experiences.
• Discover Hawke’s Bay New Zealand’s leading producer of red wines.
• Experience the greatest concentration of Art Deco architecture below the equator
• Don’t miss Cape Kidnappers, home to the largest accessible gannet colony in the world, perched on the edge of a rugged coastline.
• Take a break from the world at the Greenhill Lodge
• Walk, hike or bike along the miles of nature trails and if you get a clear day, you can see as far as volcano of Ruapehu in the distance.

• Travel through the Galapagos Islands on one of the most luxurious of small 16-passenger boats.
• Spot sea lions sharing the beach with marine iguanas, explore archaic volcanic tunnels, and, like Darwin before you, cross paths with giant tortoises.
• Snorkel, scuba, or kayak in these pristine waters teaming with underwater life.
• Guided hikes on uneven foot trails and paths help you see the islands’ animals and landscape of the Galapagos Islands.
• Visit a turtle breeding farm.
• Explore both land and marine fauna in the Galapagos archipelago
• Galapagos Islands is an inimitable adventure.

Highlights of Authentic Tuscany

• Discover Florence as an insider, including the Ponte Vecchio, Brunelleschi’s Duomo, Michelangelo’s works, and hidden medieval family towers.
• Stroll through the Renaissance town of Pienza where life goes on as it has for centuries.
• Meander through the ancient streets and alleys of the medieval towns of Sienna, Montepulciano and Cortona tasting olive oil, home made pasta, and other delicacies.
• Sip a glass of world-class Brunello wine in privately owned vineyards known to our guides.
• Walk in the hills around Montalcino and take in the sweeping vistas of the Val d’Orcia.
• Awaken your senses with a cooking class followed by an authentic mouth-watering Tuscan dinner.
• Learn about the ancient Etruscans – the founders of many of the Italian cultures known to us today.

Experience awe-inspiring South Africa on a seamlessly planned tailor-made journey. A land that is vast, wild, and exciting. See the Big 5 for yourself. Explore South Africa’s the rugged natural beauty. Taste incredible wines and visit the green winelands created by Dutch settlers. Understand South Africa’s tumultuous background and the pain and struggle of the country’s heroes and founders.

The Galapagos Islands, unique at every turn

Remote archipelago offers exceptional nature observation.

By Eva Stelzer

The Galapagos Islands are one of the most incredible wildlife-watching destinations in the world. Besides the sheer spectacle of the place, this remote archipelago is a land of cactus forests, stark lava formations, lush green highlands, turquoise bays and quintessential tropical beaches, and unique and abundant wildlife at every turn. As a bonus, the location of this archipelago at the earth’s equator makes it a perfect year-round travel destination.

The weather is relatively constant for 12 months of the year and there is always – as one would expect – 12 hours of daytime and 12 hours of nighttime. One of my favourite parts of travelling to the Galapagos Islands is clear illuminated night skies unobstructed by the hue of man made lights.

Darwin himself marvelled at the amazing animals found on the Galapagos Islands. Large and small, the islands are filled with unique species that delight the eye and capture the imagination. With that in mind, here are our 5 must-see Galapagos animals.

It’s a ballroom experience unlike any other: our Ballroom Dancing at Sea cruises provide an exclusive opportunity to take in the high seas and feel the rhythm. Let the music take you as you dance the night away. Either join us with a friend or meet some new ones while you take the sights and sounds of the ocean. Each year we organize one perfect cruise experience and invite renowned ballroom dance teachers to join us. Besides cruising, you’ll get to take lessons from our experts who will also dance with you each evening.

In April of 2019, Ole Burlay and Annie Lebedeva will improve your ballroom dance skills, your fun, and all the while travelling from Monte Carlo to Venice. A destination not to be missed.  Other dance professional will whirl and twirl with us. Steve James an hustle and west coast swing pro and Amir Shafi – a stunning dancer from Paris, will win your hearts. If you have a passion for dance, join other enthusiasts on this special Crystal Cruise adventure.

Experience real tango in Buenos Aires

By Eva Stelzer

Five things you need to know about Argentinean Tango. It is a must to round out any Buenos Aires experience. Tango is passion, the music is haunting, there is tango for show and then there is the real tango, and lastly, tango is pure entertainment.

Tango is an essential part of any Buenos Aires experience
It is commonly held that tango was born in the brothels of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It’s more likely tango started elsewhere, but the brothels of the port area of La Boca is where people of the upper and middle classes first encountered it. Brothels were major places of entertainment for the working classes. Due to a shortage of women in the early days of Buenos Aires, prostitution became a thriving industry, with long queues forming as men waited for the women to become available. Visit the ever-colourful houses of La Boca for a glimpse back into history, where tango dancers perform on the streets outside the buildings, maintained as a memory to this port city’s past.

Tuscany is a necessary part of any cultural education, as it has been for centuries.

By Eva Stelzer

Tuscany long ago earned its reputation for capturing the very essence of Italy – picturesque rolling hillsides with vineyards and charming medieval towns. The geography varies dramatically: coastal cities teeter along the Tyrrhenian Sea, while lush mountains, quaint hill towns and river plains stretch far inland. Add to this beauty seeing some of the world’s famous art in person. One of many reasons we are drawn to Italy and other European destinations is that touring “the Continent” always has been part of the ultimate educational experience.

A picture is worth a thousand words. This one captures the essence of relaxing in Capri from one of the most charming boutique hotels. Want to know more? Contact our concierge service for your tailor-made dream trip.

LEARN MORE

Cambodia Temperature and Rainfall

This chart is provided to help guide your travel plans. June to October are the wettest months. April is the hottest. While December, January, February and March are the driest and coolest months, these are also the peak season travel time. November is still dry and relatively cool, with slightly fewer crowds.

Hiking in Southern Patagonia

The moment my husband and I arrive in El Calafate, an oasis town in Southern Patagonia’s desert, we know that our decision to travel to Argentina’s outback wilderness was right. It is exotic and exciting. Birds dig their webbed feet into the sand to keep from being blown away. Clouds swirl past the snow-capped Andean peaks. We came to explore remote hiking trails, gawk at wind-hewn icebergs, and walk on Perito Moreno—one of the southern hemisphere’s few advancing glaciers.

“That’s Cristina’s place,” announces our driver. He points to sprawling bungalows and an enormous villa. They are surprisingly lavish in this frontier town of slapdash clapboard buildings with corrugated metal roofs.

“Who’s she?” I ask, sounding quite ignorant, I later realize.

“The President. She vacations here. Owns the hotel.” Los Sauces belongs to Argentina’s first elected female leader, the glamorous and tough Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. I hadn’t realized that our accommodations and her private home would be so close together, sharing an elegant décor of British hunting lodge-meets-hearty ranch. The property originally belonged to her late husband and political predecessor, Néstor. The goal to transform the remote location into a premier travel destination is ongoing. Progressing from a one-runway airport to a four-terminal stop opened in 2012, all signs point to their success.

After checking in, we bundle up for the trek to the hotel bar. Sand hits our faces like shards of glass. There’s an eerie quiet. We are aware of thethings that are missing more than what is there: an absence of city lights and neon signs leaves us in unfamiliar darkness. Because we are traveling off-season, the staff has time to chat while plying us with drinks. Chef Carlos whips up a parilla that includes a lamb chop the size of a rib steak and a steak resembling an entire side of cow. Excited by my limited Spanish, he rambles on about the region’s world-class cattle culture. In Argentina, animals roam great expanses of open land, chewing thick grasses and grey-leaved desert thorns. It takes six years—compared to one year in North America—to bring the meat to market. We savour the results—a reduced-fat beef with melt-in-the mouth tenderness.

• Discover rich ecological wonders as you walk or zipline above the treetop canopy on suspended bridges.
• Gain firsthand knowledge of Costa Rica’s habitats as you explore with your highly trained naturalist guides, keeping an eye out for caimans, monkeys, river otters, toucans and butterflies.
• Explore the Arenal region with a bird’s-eye view from numerous fixed and hanging bridges positioned at or above the tree line.

• Relax on a sunset cruise along the ocean shores.

• Basque in the warm sun of the Guanacaste’s wide open beaches while sipping a margarita.

• Discover rich ecological wonders as you walk or zipline above the treetop canopy on suspended bridges.
• Gain firsthand knowledge of Costa Rica’s habitats as you explore with your highly trained naturalist guides, keeping an eye out for caimans, monkeys, river otters, toucans and butterflies.
• Explore the Arenal region with a bird’s-eye view from numerous fixed and hanging bridges positioned at or above the tree line.
• Visit Manuel Antonio, one of the most bio diverse spots in the world.

Highlights

• Soak up stunning views of Amalfi’s alluring coastline.
• Hike along the Amalfi Coast’s famed paths carved into the rock – once the only access between the isolated villages set among the cliffs.
• Dine on exquisite local cuisine.
• Sip the intoxicating limoncello.
• Go back in time and place on a privately guided tour in legendary Pompeii.
• Meander the serpentine alleys in the picturesque coastal villages of Amalfi, Positano, Ravello, and Capri.
• Discover why the Amalfi Coast has for centuries lured kings and queens, artists, writers, and others to the sun drenched isles.
• Visit the superb gardens of Villa Cimbrone.

Highlights Cambodia Classic

• Prepare to be mesmerized by the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Angkor Wat.
• Our crowd avoidance itineraries let you listen to the sounds of nature at work as you stand alone in the morning mist among the soaring trees and serpentine roots of Ta Prohm.
• Visit the Angkorian waterway late in the afternoon and her only the dip of your boatman’s oar and the call of the redheaded whistling ducks as you sip your sunset drink.
• Get introduced to the most talented artisans and restorative spas.
• Visit authentic markets.

Highlights of Cusco Machu Picchu

• Discover the magnificent beauty, mysterious ancient cultures of the Inca civilization, and extraordinary ruins of Cusco, Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley.
• Walk cobbled streets and discover Spanish colonial history.
• Experience vibrant Andean culture and colourful markets.
• Transform yourself in Machu Picchu, one of the world’s most remarkable and enigmatic archaeological wonders.
• Hike the magnificent and alluring Inca trails.
• Drink the intoxicating mix of culture, archeology, and nature.

My first day.

MY FIRST TIME IN ITALY AND I WENT WITH EVIA
BY: TONI PERL
May 12, 2014.

I am not a savvy traveller when it comes to European destinations so I look for direction and help to achieve my most desired results. I have heard stories of difficult trips with many details required and thought, I just cannot do this on my own.

Highlights

• Discover Naples, the birthplace of the “pizza”.
• Hike the mountainous trails of the  Amalfi Coast famed for paths carved into the rock – once the only access between the isolated villages set amongst the cliffs.
• Walk serpentine alleys in picturesque coastal villages of Amalfi, Positano, Capri, and Sorrento.
• Luxuriate in the Amalfi Coast, a place that has for centuries lured kings and queens, artists, writers, and now you, to her sun drenched isles.
• Follow the history of the ancient Romans as you tread their well-worn paths.
• Be intoxicated by the glorious landscapes of the Amalfi Coast.

Highlights

• Discover the flora and fauna of the Galapagos Islands
• Cross the Equator line
• Hike through the Andean countryside and visit the condor restoration project
• Visit Otavalo, an indigenous market and UNESCO world heritage site
• Experience the world as Darwin did and learn about the Giant Tortoise conservation program.
• Watch local weavers as they demonstrate artistic weaving techniques used for centuries
• Enjoy deluxe historic accommodations and traditional local food.

Guided tour of the Vatican

Private Tour of the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica – 4hrs

Highlights

• Discover the flora and fauna of the Galapagos Islands
• Cross the Equator line on this Galapagos boat tour
• Hike through the Andean countryside
• Visit Otavalo, an indigenous market and UNESCO world heritage site
• Visit the leather town of Cotacahi and watch master weavers demonstrate techniques that have been used for centuries to produce colorful cloths.
• Swim with seals, come face-to face with blue-footed boobies, and other animals that led Darwin to his theory of the evolution.
• In the Andes mountains, enjoy historic accommodations and traditional local food.

Southern Patagonia: The Bottom of the Earth.

Published in: “inTravel Magazine.” January 01, 2013

“Eviactive planned a wonderful holiday for my husband and I in Peru. All the hotels and tours were recommended from personal experience so I knew I could trust each place and operator. Eva made a lot of personal recommendations as far as hotels, restaurants, and things to try. The private guided Lares Trek was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that we will never forget. Eviactive worked hard to accommodate our dates, and planned a logical, packed but not too-packed, fascinating itinerary. I would recommend her services to everyone and definitely use her for my next holiday planning.”

-Naomi Wohl, Toronto, Ontario