26 exciting new trips to book for 2026

Tropical beaches firmly off the tourist map, swathes of ancient evergreen rainforest and one of the world’s largest populations of Western chimpanzees – Sierra Leone has charm, and plenty of it. But until recently, it’s been somewhat overshadowed; a new 10-year tourism plan introduced by the government in 2024 aims to change that. Direct flights launched from London in 2025, and Tiwai Island, a wildlife sanctuary that’s part of the wider Gola Rainforest National Park, was inscribed as the country’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Intrepid Travel is among those leading the charge here with a new Sierra Leone Adventure: History, Culture & Nature tour. The trip combines a stay at a research centre on Tiwai Island with various one-off experiences; highlights include meeting one of the country’s few female chiefs, dining with diamond miners over lunch and staying on the emerald forested, cerulean-ringed Banana Islands.

More information: Intrepid Travel

Various dates (Oct-Dec 2026); 7 nights from £2,195pp, excluding international flights.

Up to 500 people hike the classic Inca Trail every day, flocking to see the ruins of one of the greatest engineering civilisations in history. Few, however, seem to have heard of the Great Northern Inca Trail. This rarely trekked route passes through the UNESCO-listed Qhapaq Ñan road system – once the backbone of the Incas, stretching from Argentina to Colombia – spanning over 43 miles of it.

The trail has recently been revived in conjunction with local operators; KE Adventure’s Llama Trekking on the Great Northern Inca Trail small-group tour takes adventurous guests on an eight-day trek along it, reaching altitudes of 4,450m with Inca ruins, verdant farmland and snow-dusted Andean slopes en route. There’s also a focus on supporting local communities and helping to preserve cultural heritage, with stops at a textile workshop, village school and more woven in.

More information: KE Adventure

Various dates (Apr-Sep 2026); 10 nights from £2,595pp, excluding international flights.

The mysterious valleys of China’s remote Tibetan Qinghai province have long been difficult to access, but the region is starting to open up. Wildlife Worldwide is capitalising on the opportunity with its new China’s Valley of the Cats tour, which will transport guests into Gouli, a network of five interconnecting valleys that offer some of Asia’s best big cat-viewing.

You’ll traverse the valleys by 4×4 and on foot with the chance to see snow leopards, Eurasian lynx and Pallas’s cats – alongside Tibetan foxes, gazelles, Himalayan wolves, red deer, golden eagles and plenty beyond. Expect snowy, plunging peaks and totally secluded landscapes as you cross this deserted, surreal place.

More information: Wildlife Worldwide

15 Oct 2026; 13 nights from £4,895pp, excluding international flights.

Tour operators have reported rising demand for the ‘Stans in recent years, and Cox & Kings has launched a Colours of Kyrgyzstan group tour in response to the Central Asian furore. Across the 10 days, you’ll get a feel for Soviet history in capital Bishkek, admire ancient petroglyphs at Lake Issyk-Kul and explore the wooden, earthquake-resistant churches of Karakol. From here, highlights include a visit to the Djety-Oguz Gorge to see its immense, ochre-red sandstone slabs, a Kyrgyz stud farm and a hike among the otherworldly copper rocks of the Fairytale Canyon.

There’ll be plenty of snapshots into local life along the way, too – from a carpet-making workshop to a stay in a traditional yurt to learn more about the country’s centuries-old nomadic heritage.

More information: Cox & Kings

Various dates (May-Aug 2026); 9 nights from £2,695pp, including international flights.

One of Europe’s least-visited countries, Moldova certainly doesn’t get the limelight it deserves but that might be about to change, not least as it becomes more accessible with new flights launching. Why go? Well some of the world’s largest wine cellars are found here; not least Cricova, a subterranean ‘wine city’ whose extraordinary labyrinth of limestone tunnels stretches over 75 miles, its cellars holding around 1.3 million bottles of wine. Elsewhere, there’s the curious region of Transdniester – a separatist, narrow strip of land that broke away from Moldova in the early 1990s and retains much of its Soviet history.

Native Eye’s Moldova Explorer group tour will bring you to these off-beat spots and add in leafy capital Chişinău, the 13th-century, cliff-carved Orheiul Vechi monastery complex, and the semi-autonomous region of Gagauzia, known for its rare Christian Orthodox Turkic culture and traditions.

More information: Native Eye Travel

19 Apr and 22 Aug 2026; 6 nights from £1,175pp, excluding international flights.

Costa Rica’s mist-capped cloud forests, smoking volcanoes and exceptional levels of biodiversity have long made the country a go-to for nature lovers. But if you want to veer away from the better-known areas, look to Exodus Adventure Travels’ Signature Costa Rica: Where the Wild Answers tour.

Part of the operator’s new Signature Collection, it puts an emphasis is on supporting local communities and conservation; experiences include a bean-to-cup workshop learning about sustainable coffee production and a stay at a luxury eco-camp in the verdant Caño Negro wetlands, where you’ll hear about local jaguar conservation efforts and take part in a tree planting ceremony. Other days will be spent sleeping amid the serene hills of Alajuela, bathing in the thermal waters of Río Perdido, glimpsing the thundering Llanos de Cortés Waterfall and optional zip lining, river tubing and hiking.

More information: Exodus Adventure Travels

Various dates (Apr-Dec 2026); 8 nights from £6,635pp, excluding international flights.

From wildlife-filled national parks to white-as-flour beaches, Sri Lanka is chock-full of reasons to come – and its epicurean lures are no less powerful. Coconut, seafood and locally grown spices all fuse in the cuisine here, taking influence from India, Malaysia, Portugal, the Netherlands and beyond. If you fancy delving into its culinary scene, look to Expressions Holidays’ private Flavours of Sri Lanka Touring Holiday, which travels from Colombo to Galle via the rolling hills of Kandy and the tea country.

Street food market tours, cooking classes, a visit to a spice garden and a stay on a working tea estate are all on the agenda, giving you the chance to sample the likes of kottu roti, isso vade (crispy lentil cakes), jackfruit curry and other specialities as you meander through this scenic country.

More information: Expressions Holidays

Flexible dates (private departures); 8 nights from £3,850pp, including international flights.

A key North African trading port for thousands of years and a flourishing hub during the Roman Empire, Tunisia’s history is a vast one; Greek, Phoenician, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires have all risen and fallen during its time, leaving behind a fascinating mix of cultural influences. Kirker Holidays’ six-night Ancient Tunisia & The Mediterranean group tour traces its past, visiting five UNESCO World Heritage Sites – from the ancient Roman site of Dougga to the holy city of Kairouan, famous for its marble-columned Great Mosque.

You’ll also see El Jem, considered one of the best-preserved Roman Amphitheatres in the world, and stay in the flower-bedecked coastal village of Sidi Bou Said, whose striking blue-and-white architecture inspired European artists such as Paul Klee and August Macke.

More information: Kirker Holidays

16 Nov 2026; six nights from £3,258pp, including international flights.

Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula packs in an impressive slew of attractions, from the legendary, 1,500 year-old ruins of Chichén Itzá to the rainbow-hued streets of Mérida. Journey Latin America’s Quetzal: The Best of Mexico and Guatemala group tour pairs the region with eight nights in Guatemala. Here you’ll embark on a full-day tour of Tikal’s Mayan temple ruins, peeping up from the forest; visit Semuc Champey, whose aquamarine pools dapple a pristine jungle; and stay on the shores of Lake Atitlán, exploring its Mayan towns.

Elsewhere, travel by boat to reach the Ceibal archaeological site and stop by Chichicastenango, synonymous with its huge Mayan market. End your trip in Antigua, where volcanoes form the backdrop to candy-bright, colonial-era architecture and crumbling churches aplenty.

More information: Journey Latin America

13 Apr and 16 Nov 2026; 12 nights from £3,999pp, excluding international flights.

Tibetan Buddhist culture, Islamic influence and spectacular Himalayan landscapes come together in Ladakh, with new boutique hotels luring travellers after an off-the-radar adventure in areas that were once off-limits to visitors. Experience Travel Group’s bespoke Culture & Arts of Ladakh trip has been designed to properly immerse you in the locale, with experiences spanning a farm-to-table picnic in the scenic Nubra Valley, a cooking class making mokmok dumplings, visits to nearby art studios and a royal feast at the Yagbo Palace, hosted by the ‘king’ of Turtuk himself. You’ll stay at independent, sustainably-focused boutique retreats in between – among them Dholkar, built using locally sourced materials and with an emphasis on Ladakhi craftmanship.

More information: Experience Travel Group

Flexible dates (private departures – best: Jun-Sep); 12 nights from £7,000pp, including international flights.

Steaming hot springs, crashing waterfalls and rainforest so vast it carpets nearly two thirds of the island have given 29-mile-long Dominica a nickname as the ‘Nature Island of the Caribbean’. Sunvil’s self-drive Dominica Three Centre – Soufriere, Rosalie and Calibishie holiday takes in the best of it, with four nights in Jungle Bay, where you can snorkel and kayak your way through crystal-blue water; followed by three in the Roseau Valley, the gateway to Morne Trois Pitons National Park.

This is the home of the ‘Boiling Lake’, a 60m-wide natural cauldron whose milky-blue water bubbles away beneath the steam. You’ll end your trip in the postcard-pretty coastal village of Calibishie, with more standout snorkelling and diving on the doorstep.

More information: Sunvil

Flexible dates (private departures); 11 nights from £2,713pp, including international flights and car hire.

Hidden away in France’s Hautes-Alpes, close to the Italian border, the Clarée Valley is something of an Alpine secret to all but those who’ve been. Local heroine and farmer’s daughter Emilie Carles championed against the creation of a motorway and ski lifts here back in the 1970s, to successful effect; it’s been a protected area since 1992, meaning only on-foot forays are allowed.

Mountain Kingdoms’ Snowshoeing in the French Alps group tour takes guests on a three-day snowshoe expedition through its pristine, peaceful landscapes – all frozen forests where trees hang with icicles, set beneath the peaks of the Écrins Massif. You’ll stay one night at a traditional, cosy mountain hut in the wilderness; the others will be spent at a family-run chalet hotel in the tranquil village of Névache.

More information: Mountain Kingdoms

14 Mar 2026 (flexible private departures are also available); 5 nights from £1,520pp, including international flights.

Dubai and Abu Dhabi may have long dominated images of the UAE, but there’s more to them than the glitzy image suggests, while the country’s five other emirates offer a different take. Audley Travel’s Hidden Sides of the Emirates: Dubai, Abu Dhabi & Fujairah trip combines alternative activities in its two big-hitters – from a stay at a desert camp in Dubai to lunch at an Emirati home in Abu Dhabi – with off-the-beaten-track adventures in Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah.

In the first, explore the UAE’s only traditional pearl farm and day-trip to the Omani Musandam Peninsula; this unique section of Oman has been referred to as the ‘Norway of Arabia’ for its desert fjords, which you’ll see on a traditional wooden dhow. In Fujairah, visit the country’s oldest mosque, enjoy a day at leisure in the dramatic Hajar Mountains and stay at a hotel formed from a collection of restored, historic mountain homes.

More information: Audley Travel

Flexible dates (private departures); 11 nights from £6,750pp, including international flights.

Central Asia may be trending, but it’s not only Kyrgyzstan tour operators are shining a light on. Regent Holidays has cited growing demand for Turkmenistan after direct flights from Gatwick relaunched in 2024, creating four new itineraries – among them a comprehensive Turkmenistan in Depth private tour that travels from the mountains to the Caspian Sea. The trip wraps in World Heritage Sites including Merv, a crucial trading hub on the Silk Road.

There’s also a stay in a rural village, an overnight sleeper train into the Karakum Desert and a day at the colossal pink, lemon and peach sandstone formations of the Yangykala Canyon. But perhaps the real standout is a visit to the Darvaza Gas Crater, a giant, constantly burning pit of natural gas whose flames light the night desert sky in a spectacle that’s given it a nickname as the ‘Door to Hell’.

More information: Regent Holidays

Flexible dates (private departures); 14 nights from £4,695pp, including international flights.

Svalbard’s main island, Spitsbergen is a wonderland of soaring glaciers, mirror fjords and Arctic wildlife, with polar bears slumping on ice floes and Arctic foxes, reindeer, puffins and beluga whales all found here too. Discover the World’s Spitsbergen and Norway by Sea and Rail itinerary pairs an expedition cruise here with iconic train journeys between Oslo, Flam and Bergen, fusing Zodiac rides to get up close to Spitsbergen’s pack ice with cultural explorations in the cities. Sail beside drifting icebergs, pass rolling mountain slopes by rail and end your trip ambling Bergen’s colourful harbour and quaint cobbled lanes on this once-in-a-lifetime voyage.

More information: Discover the World

Flexible dates (Jun-Jul 2026); 13 nights from £5,832pp, excluding international flights.

From the inimitable salt flats of Salar de Uyuni – sprawled like a carpet of luminescent-white ice and stretching more than 4,000 square miles – to the islands of Lake Titicaca, Bolivia isn’t short on breath-taking sights. Abercrombie & Kent features these and plenty more on its 10-day Ultimate Bolivia 2026 tour, travelling from Santa Cruz to La Paz. Along the way, take in the UNESCO-recognised El Fuerte, an archaeological site dating as early as 2,000BC, and Sucre, known as the ‘White City’ for its snow-bright colonial-era architecture.

Stop by the indigenous Quechuan village of Puka Puka to meet local Aymara residents and visit Potosí, known for its silver mining history. Expect a handful of other cultural inclusions too, from a lecture by a local historian on Bolivian history to a folkloric show over dinner in Sucre.

More information: Abercrombie & Kent

Various dates (Apr-Nov 2026); 9 nights from £7,610pp, excluding international flights.

Moorish, azulejo-tiled palaces, winding mountain roads, fragrant orange blossoms and tapas in spades – Andalucía is about as quintessentially charming as it gets, and Great Rail Journeys’ new Paradors of Andalucía: Granada to Seville trip takes in five of its most remarkable towns and cities. You’ll tour Granada’s Alhambra palace complex, an architectural feat set against the Sierra Nevada mountains, marked out by its brightly coloured mosaics. Visit the beautiful town of Ronda, dramatically perched high on the cliffs, see Córdoba’s iconic red-and-white-striped Mezquita Mosque-Cathedral and sip a local sherry in Seville. Atmospheric accommodation takes centre stage, with stays at two of Spain’s heritage-filled Parador hotels – including one built on the ruins of a 14th-century Moorish castle in the picturesque walled town of Carmona.

More information: Great Rail Journeys

Various dates (Apr-Sep); 6 nights from £2,499pp, including international flights.

With its 17,000-plus islands and 700-plus languages, Indonesia is a melting pot of cultures, and Travelsphere’s Spirit of Indonesia: Java, Komodo & Bali tour has been designed in conjunction with the Royal Geographical Society to showcase its diverse heritage. The 16-day trip starts in Jakarta; from there you’ll travel by train to reach Yogyakarta, visiting its many masterpieces, including Borobudur, the largest Buddhist temple in the world.

Embark on a sunrise trip to Mount Bromo to see its lunar-like volcanic landscape, then spend three nights in Flores, where you’ll set sail to Komodo Island to see these infamous creatures in their natural habitat. End with two days in Bali, and pay a visit to Senang Hati – a non-profit, Planeterra-backed organisation in Ubud that runs training programmes for adults living with disabilities.

More information: Travelsphere

17 Sep 2026; 15 nights from £3,599pp, including international flights.

Alongside the Ottoman-era architecture, Silk Road remnant and minaret-topped mosques, Türkiye boasts some of Europe’s most diverse birdlife – thanks in part to its strategic position bridging east and west. Naturetrek’s Eastern Turkey – Wildlife & History zooms in on its many species, giving guests the chance to see the likes of blue-cheeked bee-eaters, Caucasian grouse, Caspian snowcocks, Dalmatian pelicans, Mongolian finch and many other breeds.

The tour ventures into the northerly Kackar Mountains, stops at various high-altitude lakes for optimal birding opportunities and visits Erzurum and Ani – two former Silk Road hotspots – alongside the intricately decorated Ishak Pasha Palace. A local ornithologist and separate history guide will be on hand to bring it all to life.

More information: Naturetrek

11 May 2026; 7 nights from £3,695pp, including international flights.

Interest in the land of K-pop has boomed in recent years, meaning now’s the time to go if you still want to experience its sights without the crowds. Dig beneath the surface on Wildlife Frontiers’ South Korea: Secrets of the Peninsula tour, which starts in vibrant, tech-forward Seoul and strings together an impressive number of activities, from a cycling excursion in the coastal city of Gyeongju – former capital of the ancient Silla kingdom – to a food tour and cooking class in coastal Busan and a walk among the ethereal trees of the Juknokwon Bamboo Forest.

Among the more unusual inclusions, though, is a stay at an active temple where you’ll get a first-hand insight into Buddhist life, and a semi-private tour of the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) – one of the world’s most renowned and heavily fortified borders, separating North and South Korea.

More information: Wild Frontiers

Various dates (Mar-Oct 2026); 12 nights from £5,590pp, excluding international flights

If you want to see a side to Indonesia few do, look to lesser-visited Sulawesi. Rice paddies, jungles and mountains lace this underrated isle, whose Tana Toraja region has long been home to the Toraja people. This indigenous group is known for holding elaborate, multi-day funeral ceremonies, which guests on Bamboo Travel’s private Highlands & Islands of Sulawesi trip have the opportunity to learn about (and potentially attend).

Other activities include cycling between the lime-green rice terraces, watching the sun rise from a crater rim in the northern highlands, spotting macaques and other wildlife at the Tangkoko Nature Reserve and exploring the UNESCO-listed Bunaken Marine Park, where dugongs, stingrays and turtles dart among crystal-clear water.

More information: Bamboo Travel

Flexible dates (Mar-Oct 2026); 17 nights from £4,950pp, including international flights.

There’s something very humbling about Scotland’s far-flung islands, where seabirds often outnumber people and you can have the windswept hills, cliffs and Neolithic ruins almost entirely to yourself. But the likes of St Kilda – Scotland’s most remote archipelago – can be notoriously difficult to reach, making an expedition cruise here one of the best ways to see it. Just You’s Scottish Islands Explorer is an excellent option if you’re travelling alone; you’ll join up with a group of other solo travellers aboard G Adventures’ expedition ship, docking at various secluded islands by Zodiac, from St Kilda’s main island, Hirta, to Unst, the most northerly inhabited island in Britain.

Beyond these, key ports of call include the Isle of Lunga, where you can get up close to one of Scotland’s largest puffin colonies; Iona, the ‘cradle of Christianity’; and Papa Stour, home to a grand total population of 15.

More information: Just You

15 May 2026; 10 nights from £6,399pp, excluding travel to Glasgow and from Edinburgh.

This Gujarati adventure with Asia specialists TransIndus explores the colourful tribal heartland of one of India’s wildest states. As you travel an ecological and cultural corridor from the arid Aravalli hills to the waterfall-dotted Dangs forests in the Western Ghats, you’ll meet Indigenous Adivasi communities and experience their animistic beliefs, artistic traditions and sustainable practices.

The Tribal Culture & Traditions of Gujarat tour includes sights such as the carved wooden facades of Ahmedabad’s pol courtyard houses and UNESCO-listed Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park, but the real highlight is witnessing rarely glimpsed tribal rituals. Along the way you’ll encounter clay horse ceremonies, mountain worship, deeply spiritual Pithora wall paintings and a healing forest experience.

More information: TransIndus

Flexible dates; nine nights from £2,300pp, including international flights.

For many travellers, the Congo River bordering the Republic of the Congo (aka Congo-Brazzaville, the smaller of the two Congolese nations) is a final frontier, bringing to mind Joseph Conrad’s famous Heart of Darkness (1899). The Majestic Congo cruise gives a fuller picture of the Central African waterway and one of world’s least visited countries, introducing the exceptional flora and fauna of the vast Congo Basin forest massif.

You’ll soon see why this sprawling tropical rainforest is known as the ‘lungs of Africa’ and compared to the Amazon on an immersive journey aboard the modern Princess Ngalessa riverboat. As well as bivouacking on a sandbank in the N’keni islands, trying your hand at line-fishing and spotting hippos and birdlife, you’ll meet the Congolese people – from sharp-dressing Brazzaville sapeurs to masked Kebe-Kebe dancers.

More information: The Small Cruise Ship Collection

Various dates (May, Jun and Aug 2026, and Jan 2027); eight nights from £3,980pp, excluding international flights.

With its pastel medieval towns, picturesque islands and landscapes laced with olive groves, Croatia knows how to charm – and Peter Sommer Travels’ Exploring Istria fuses some of its best treasures. You’ll spend four nights in the Roman city of Pula and three in the historic town of Buzet, heading out on daytrips to explore the likes of Monkodonja, a hilltop Bronze Age settlement marked out by its 3,000 year-old stone ramparts; and Rovinj, a strikingly colourful baroque town criss-crossed with narrow cobbled lanes and craft shops.

Travel on to the Brijuni Archipelago, whose islands are scattered with Roman villas and Byzantine basilicas; mosey the streets of Poreč, whose Euphrasian Basilica is renowned for its golden mosaics; and discover inland Istria, where you’ll embark on a truffle-hunting trip in the forest with the chance to sample the goods afterwards.  

More information: Peter Sommer Travels 

29 Sep 2026; 7 nights from £3,895pp, excluding international flights.

From the world’s largest rainforest to some of the most idyllic coastline on the planet, Brazil isn’t short on USPs; but if you want to truly get under its skin and meet the people that call it home, look to Pura Aventura’s Brazil’s Hidden Highlights tour. Across two culture-filled weeks, you’ll experience a carnival workshop in Rio, learning how its giant, colourful floats and costumes are created, then stay at a farm in the Atlantic Rainforest, embarking on mountain hikes as capuchin monkeys swing from the canopies.

Experience life at a coffee estate in the Vale do Café, taste cachaça at an artisanal distillery in the countryside and enjoy four nights in Paraty – a postcard-pretty, Portuguese-built UNESCO town that flourished in the country’s gold rush, where you can kayak, hike and wander between whitewashed cobbled streets.

More information: Pura Aventura

Flexible dates (private departures); 14 nights from £6,280pp, excluding international flights.