After an early breakfast we transfer to the airport to connect with our commercial flight to Lhasa. Upon arrival, we transfer to our hotel. After lunch at the hotel, we have time to relax and acclimate to the high altitude. This afternoon we visit Jokhang Temple, one of the oldest buildings in Lhasa. Covered with Tibetan Art, and lit by many candles, this is the holiest of Tibet’s temples.

After breakfast, we transfer to the Siem Reap airport to board our flight to Chengdu, China. After a three hour flight we will board a bus to deliver us to our hotel for the night. On the way to the hotel we will stop at the Panda Research Center. 

Early this morning, enjoy an optional sunrise visit to Angkor Wat, with breakfast outside a Buddhist temple. Or, after breakfast at the hotel, transfer to Angkor Wat to explore this magnificent complex, also known as “the city which is a temple.” Angkor Wat is the world’s largest religious structure built in stone.

Most of today will be spent in air with our 8 hour flight from Australia to Cambodia. Once we arrive we get to choose a restaurant at the hotel to have dinner at. The rest of the night is ours to relax and prepare for upcoming adventures. 

After breakfast we depart by coach for the Port Douglas Marina for a cruise out to the Great Barrier Reef. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system, composed of roughly 3,000 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 1,600 miles. The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s biggest single structure made by living organisms.

This morning we go snorkeling along Samoa’s coral reefs. We take a short boat ride to the nearby reefs for an underwater tour of our island paradise. We get to explore the diverse coral ecosystem of the South Pacific as we swim among schools of colorful fish such as the parrotfish, angelfish and pipefish.

This morning we have an opportunity for a sunrise photo shoot with National Geographic photographer Massimo Bassano near some of the island’s moai. Later we have options to hike to see farmlands, remote moai, village ruins, or lava tubes and caves. We may also choose to go shopping in town.

Today we depart from Cusco, and pass through Lima once again on our way to Easter Island. Total flying time will be about seven hours. Once we arrive in Easter Island we settle into our hotel and enjoy a festive New Year's Eve celebration.

Breakfast is at our hotel this morning. Afterward, we travel outside the city to the charming Andean village of Chinchero, which features exceptional expressions of Inca stonemasonry and a population that has maintained its ancestral customs. The colorful local market here is one of the most traditional markets in South America. Continue on to Moray, which boasts three amphitheater-like terraces made by the Inca. These terraces, which are carved deep into the earth in a bowl shape, were thought to be used to determine the optimal conditions for growing crops.

Our first flight of the day takes us from Orlando, to Lima, Peru. Flying time is approximately six hours. From Lima, we hop on a charter flight to Cusco. It is a short flight lasting roughly 90 minutes. Arriving in Cusco, we transfer to our hotel for check-in and dinner. 

Tonight kicks off our trip with a welcome cocktail reception and dinner. It is our opportunity to meet our National Geographic experts, fellow travelers and expedition staff. 

There is no better way to kick off the New Year than a trip around the world. We are excited to have the opportunity and look forward to sharing moments from our trip with you. Check back each day to see our itinerary for the day and perhaps highlights from the day before.