Cruise for six nights aboard MS Volga Dream along the scenic rivers, lakes and canals that link Russia’s cultural capitals. Spend three nights in St. Petersburg and one night in Moscow in deluxe accommodations. Visit the State Hermitage Museum and Catherine Palace. Explore Russia’s heartland in 10th-century Uglich and medieval Yaroslavl. Discover the open-air museum of Kizhi Island. Optional Moscow post-tour extension.

Journey through eight countries, discover old-world capitals and charming villages along the Danube River. After three nights exploring Prague, embark the MS Amadeus Star for an eight-night river cruise. Visit Passau, Melk and Dürnstein, the Wachau Valley, Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest. Wander through Kalemegdan Citadel in Belgrade, and sail through the Iron Gate Gorge. Disembark for two nights in Sofia.

Explore Tehran’s palaces and view the spectacular Crown Jewels. Visit a contemporary art gallery to learn about artistic expression. Explore Shiraz, city of poetry and gardens. Marvel at the magnificent ruins of Persepolis. Discover Yazd, the country’s center of Zoroastrianism, and the most traditional Persian architecture. Experience Isfahan’s brilliant blue-tiled buildings and majestic bridges.

Experience Tokyo’s ancient Shinto Meiji Shrine and modern Ginza district. Visit Mt. Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, and spend the night at a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn. Explore Takayama’s ancient streets and Kanazawa’s famed Kenrokuen Gardens. Attend a traditional Japanese tea ceremony and embark on a cycling tour through the grounds of Kyoto’s Imperial Palace. Optional Hiroshima post-tour extension.

Cruise for seven nights aboard Le Bougainville from Rome to Valletta. Visit seven UNESCO World Heritage sites. Marvel at Italy’s stunning Amalfi Coast and the superbly excavated town of Pompeii. Discover Sicily’s storied Taormina and the seaside town of Sorrento. See legendary Syracuse and Agrigento’s majestic Valley of the Temples. Learn about the rich history of Malta. Rome pre-tour and Malta post-tour extensions.

Journey to the Qatar, Oman and United Arab Emirates. Visit Doha’s Education City, the Al Jazeera Headquarters and the Museum of Islamic Art, designed by I.M. Pei. Explore the ancient oasis town of Nizwa and the Oman National Museum in Muscat.Explore Dubai and ride to the top of world’s tallest building, the Burj Al Khalifa. See Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, with a capacity of 40,000 worshippers.

Experience Cairo’s Egyptian Museum, the necropolis at Saqqara, the enigmatic Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza. Relax during a 3-night cruise on Lake Nasser. See the temples at Abu Simbel and sail down the Nile on a 4-night cruise from Aswan to Luxor. Visit the Valleys of the Kings and Queens and Karnak. Optional 5-day/4-night Jordan post-tour extension.

Explore the spectacular Maya ceremonial centers of Mexico's Yucatan—Chichen Itza, Uxmal, Tulum and Coba—and more remote sites such as Labna, Sayil and Mayapan with an expert educational team. Learn about Mayan art, architecture and mathematical and astronomical systems. Visit Merida’s Sunday market and discover the rich natural world of the Maya at the Sian Ka’an Biosphere.

Explore Earth’s last frontier aboard m.s. Le Boreal one of the finest vessels in Antarctica featuring private balconies in 95% of the ocean-view staterooms. Experience fantastically shaped icebergs, turquoise glaciers, bustling penguin rookeries and breaching whales. Join an expedition team of world-class naturalists and board sturdy Zodiac craft for excursions. Enjoy two nights in Buenos Aires. Optional extension to Iguazú Falls.

Visit dynamic Queenstown for two nights then board the 57-cabin Caledonian Sky. Enjoy up-close access to the towering granite cliffs and tumbling waterfalls of Doubtful and Milford Sounds and remote Stewart Island. Experience Rotorua’s spouting geysers, bubbling mud pools and volcanic crater lakes. Spend time with Maori elders for a welcome ceremony and traditional hangi lunch. Observe some of the world’s rarest birdlife on Ulva Island. Walk the beginning of the Queen Charlotte Track.