Cultural Treasures: Around the World by Private Jet (May 5 – 27)

Arrive in Seattle and transfer to your accommodations at the Four Seasons, where you meet your tour leadership team and fellow guests over cocktails and dinner.

Set off on your private jet for Guam, crossing the International Dateline en route. Explore Guam the next day with an expert guide or enjoy your resort’s amenities before departing for Siem Reap, Cambodia. Begin your exploration the next day with the activity of your choosing, with options that include a guided visit to Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm, a visit to Angkor Museum or a spa treatment. This evening, enjoy a private gala dinner at a thousand-year-old Hindu temple, complete with Apsara dancers. The next morning, watch the sunrise over Angkor Wat as your day-long guided visit commences. Tonight includes a Dine Around opportunity that allows you to sample the restaurant of your choice. For your final day in Cambodia, venture beyond Siem Reap for a private tour of a local monastery, where you receive a blessing from the monks. Afterward, explore Banteay Srei, known as the “lady temple,” and visit an A&K Philanthropy-supported project that supplies clean drinking water to rural communities.

Upon arrival in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, you are welcomed by a special panchakanya ceremony, said to bring good luck. Attend a lecture presentation by a Mount Everest summiteer and hear a firsthand account of the determination it takes to summit the world’s highest peak. Your talk serves as a prelude for an awe-inspiring helicopter flightseeing excursion to Everest. Take in spectacular views of Everest Base Camp and the mountain itself, as well as other peaks such as Lhotse and Ama Dablam. Also, view the Khumbu Glacier, the first major obstacle climbers face in making their ascent. Design Your Day from an assortment of tempting activities: Explore an open-air market and enjoy a rickshaw ride; visit Pashupatinath Temple, the oldest Hindu temple in Kathmandu; or enjoy a guided shopping excursion. The next morning, journey to the hilltop monastery at Kopan and meet a senior monk who introduces you to Tibetan Buddhism. Proceed to Bouddhanath Stupa, the center of Buddhism in Nepal. After lunch, experience a Dashain Festival hosted exclusively for you by the local Jyapu community of Patan, and then explore this heritage-rich city. This evening, hear a talk by a local expert on the restoration of sacred sites damaged in the 2015 earthquake.

Reboard your private jet this morning and, after a brief stop in Jaipur to clear immigration, fly to Agra, India, arriving at the Oberoi Amarvilas to a festive welcome befitting a maharajah. Settle into your room and take in a stunning view of the Taj Mahal right from your own private balcony. If you choose, visit the Taj Mahal and see the sun setting behind the iconic marble mausoleum. This evening, don traditional dress for an exclusive dinner inspired by the local bazaar. Begin the next day with a sunrise visit to the Taj Mahal itself. Perhaps the world’s most perfectly proportioned monument, this stunning mausoleum was built by artisans from neighboring Islamic countries to immortalize Shah Jahan’s last wife, Mumtaz Mahal, as the “light of the palace.” No photograph does the Taj Mahal justice — it looks as if it were painted onto the sky and is both strikingly simple and graced with fine details, particularly the pietra dura (inlaid stonework) of the cenotaph. With dawn’s stillness hanging in the air, marvel as the luminous marble skin of the Taj Mahal’s façade assumes the pink and orange hues of sunrise. After your unforgettable encounter, return to your hotel for brunch, and then drive to Agra’s airport to rejoin your private jet.

Arrive at your hotel in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, welcomed by a throng of local musicians and flower-bearing children. The following day, explore Samarkand’s Silk Road heritage as you visit Registan, a trio of striking, majolica-clad madrasas. Continue on to the grand mausoleums of Gur-Amir and Shakhi-Zinda, architectural treasures dating back to the 13th and 14th centuries. Pause for lunch at a local teahouse, where you learn to make one of the region’s signature dishes. Then, take in a regional music and folk-dancing performance at a neighboring caravanserai (roadside inn). The next morning, take in the grandeur of Bibi Khanym, one of the largest and most magnificent mosques of the 15th century. Reduced to ruins by the 20th century, original remains and restored sections of its architecture tell its history. Next, glimpse local daily life as you stroll through bustling Siab Market, the labyrinthine Jewish Quarter and historic Gumbaz Synagogue. Enjoy a traditional lunch followed by a private performance of street acrobats. This afternoon, visit local artisan workshops and enjoy free time at Tashkent Street. This evening, attend an open-air concert in Registan Square, complete with an orchestra, calligraphy demonstration, fire jugglers and fashion show.

Arrive in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, a modern city with a strong sense of Emirati heritage. After settling into your hotel, head to the Yas Marina Circuit, home to the annual Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, for a cocktail and dinner, followed by a sensational auto race put on just for you. The next day, discover the Louvre Abu Dhabi, home to a vast collection of artifacts and a modern architectural marvel in itself. Then, visit Qasr Al Watan, known locally as the Palace of the Nation, to gain a rare insight into Emirati governance and culture through the palace’s exhibits. Enjoy a private lunch served inside the palace. This evening, venture out into the dunes for a sunset cocktail reception and dinner in a romantic tented oasis beneath the desert stars. The following day, choose from a host of Design Your Day options: Discover Dubai by land and air and participate in an exciting camel-back polo match; play 18 holes at the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club; or explore Qasr Al Hosn, a historical landmark and the oldest stone building in Abu Dhabi. The next day, pay a visit to the magnificent Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, widely renowned as Abu Dhabi’s crown jewel. The mosque accommodates the world’s largest Persian carpet, seven crystal chandeliers and some 41,000 worshipers. Return to the airport and board your private jet.

Fly to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, a country with outstanding ancient history and beautiful desert landscapes. The next day, discover Jordan’s most iconic treasure, the ancient city of Petra, built between 800 BC and AD 100 by the Nabatean Arabs. Meet with an archaeologist and enjoy a private lunch in a cavern on the site. On your last evening here, enjoy a special candlelit dinner at “Little Petra” (Siq el-Barid), among the temples, enhanced with dramatic lighting and traditional music. Siq el-Barid is a classical temple that stands guard outside the miniature siq, which appears to have been an important suburb of the city of Petra. The narrow file, only some 380 yards long, is crammed with tombs, temples, houses, water channels and cisterns. The next day, explore Wadi Rum, known as the Valley of the Moon, the largest and most magnificent of Jordan’s desert landscapes. Enjoy an exhilarating 4x4 experience as you explore the vast sand dunes and rose-tinted mountains where Bedouin tribes still camp. Return to Aqaba’s airport and rejoin the crew of your private jet.

Spectacularly perched on the side of a mountain, Taormina, Italy, offers a vibrant taste of the Sicilian dolce vita. Hit the road and take in the nearby artisan villages as you drive your own vintage Alfa Romeo or Fiat 500, stopping to see a traditional opera dei pupi (marionette performance), play a traditional mouth harp and visit a local Sicilian cart-decorator workshop. Meet a local historian who delves into the history and realities of the Mafia in Sicily. Explore the ancient Greek theater of Taormina, built in the third century BC. Discover the charming town of Taormina on a privately guided walking tour, then journey to the heart of Mount Etna in 4x4 vehicles. Cap off your time in Sicily with a gala farewell dinner held in a town square opened just for your group. Experience the atmosphere of a 19th-century Sicilian wedding, complete with folk dancing, music and traditional delicacies. The next morning, board your private jet for the flight back to Boston, U.S.A., where you bid farewell to your private jet crew and connect with your homebound flight.