Tauck has announced its first-ever tour of Colombia, with an in-depth, nine-day exploration of the South American country set to launch next year. Also new for 2025 is the company’s first-ever Tauck Bridges family travel adventure in Japan.
Tauck’s new “Colombia: South America’s Eternal Spring” itinerary begins with a two-night stay at the Four Seasons in Bogotá, followed by a three-night stay at the Medellín Marriott and a three-night stay at Sofitel Legend Santa Clara in Cartagena. Highlights include a visit to the Gold Museum and a tour of the Botero Museum, dedicated to the work of political critic, artist and sculptor Fernando Botero. The following day, guests travel by train to Zipaquirá to visit the Salt Cathedral.
After flying to Medellín, guests will enjoy a tasting of Colombian coffee before visiting the Normandia Equestrian Center to learn about the region’s Paso Fino horses. Guests will also learn about Colombia’s emergence from its troubled past when they visit Comuna 13, a vibrant community that was once one of Colombia’s most notorious neighborhoods. In Cartagena, guests will enjoy a walking tour of Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas, a visit to a local music school, and tours of San Pedro Claver Cathedral and the city’s popular Getsmani neighborhood. The itinerary concludes with a sunset cruise and reception along Cartagena Bay, followed by a farewell dinner at a local restaurant. Tauck will operate 12 departures of the new Colombia tour in 2025, and included in the price are two on-tour flights, 20 meals, gratuities to all local guides, hotel staff and restaurant servers, all sightseeing and other activities, airport transfers, luggage handling, taxes and more.
The new 10-day Tauck Bridges itinerary, “Journey Through Japan … A Family Adventure,” begins with a three-night exploration of Tokyo with accommodations at the Conrad Tokyo. Travelers will visit the ancient Asakusa Kannon Temple and enjoy a rickshaw ride before learning the ways of the ninja and visiting the Ginza shopping district. Guests will also visit the city’s teamLab Planets interactive museum, tour the Tsukiji Outer Market, enjoy a sushi-making lunch and visit the Meiji Shrine.
Guests next travel by high-speed bullet train to Hakone for a pirate boat cruise across Lake Ashi, a visit to the city’s Open Air Museum, and an overnight stay at the Hotel Indigo Hakone Gora. They will travel to Hiroshima by bullet train the following day and enjoy two nights at the Hilton Hiroshima. Highlights include the city’s Peace Memorial Museum and Park, the Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima island and a hands-on okonomiyaki demonstration and dinner.
The Tauck Bridges family exploration of Japan concludes with a three-night stay at Hotel The Mitsui Kyoto. In Kyoto, guests will visit the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Kiyomizu-dera Buddhist temple and Nijo Castle, as well as the Kinkaku-ji Golden Pavilion, Nishiki Market and the city’s geisha district. They’ll also learn the intricacies of a formal tea ceremony, take a calligraphy lesson and try their hands at traditional Taiko drumming. Tauck will operate nine departures of the new Bridges journey, and included in the tour price are three on-tour trips aboard high-speed bullet trains, 22 meals, gratuities to all local guides, hotel staff and restaurant servers, all sightseeing and other activities, airport transfers, luggage handling, taxes and more.
The addition of the new Tauck Bridges family itinerary comes as bookings for Tauck’s two other journeys to Japan are experiencing rapid growth. Bookings for the 14-day “Cruising the Land of the Rising Sun” itinerary are up by mid-double digits, percentage-wise, over last year at this time. Bookings for the 13-day “Essence of Japan” itinerary have experienced even greater growth, and are up nearly triple digits, percentage-wise, this year over pre-pandemic levels.
For more information, visit www.tauck.com.
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