Tahiti to the Marquesas French Polynesia Adventure French Post-Impressionist Gauguin painted some of his most famous work here, Melville penned his first book, Typee, after an island visit, a highly romanticized account of his life among Polynesians. Gauguin spent his last days in the islands and died in 1903 at Hiva ‘Oa. He is buried at Calvary Cemetery, the main cemetery in Atuona, Hiva ‘Oa, French Polynesia. It is located on a hillside on the eastern edge of town, overlooking the anchorage on Atuona Bay. The cemetery is also the final resting place of Belgian singer and poet Jacques Brel. They both rest facing Taaoa’s Bay under the sweet fragrance of frangipani trees.
“Aha Oe Feii?” (“What? Are You Jealous?”). 1892 Gauguin
Lindblad-National Geographic Orion is a state-of-the-art expedition ship, designed to safely explore the remote regions of the planet. Orion carries 102 guests in 53 cabins, nine of them with balconies. She is equipped with a full complement of cool tools to explore the environment, including kayaks, Zodiacs, an ROV, and the capacity to accommodate scuba divers. Her size and nimbleness offer the perfect combination of safety and the ability to reach out-of-the-way islands and other places where large cruise ships cannot go.
Lindblad-National Geographic Orion
Barefoot casual luxury is the operating phrase on this 10-day cruise from Tahiti to remote islands. Revel in idyllic islands and the allure of the high seas. We will follow in the path of early Polynesian navigators on this epic voyage. From the aquamarine atolls of the Tuamotu Islands to the lush volcanic peaks of the mysterious Marquesas, visiting some of the most remote and compelling sites in the far reaches of French Polynesia. Expedition Highlights • Venture into the lush tropical forest and discover ancient Polynesian sacred sites on the verdant island of Hiva Oa. • Snorkel or dive in the Tuamotus and see abundant fish and thriving coral reef ecosystems. • Learn stand-up paddle boarding in gorgeous turquoise lagoons. • Watch on deck as National Geographic Orion navigates into dramatic Hanavave Bay.
The Expedition Team includes, dive-masters, guest speakers, naturalists, expert photo instructors, naturalists, cultural specialists, in total 16 learned professionals to teach and inspire guests. One of the team members is Tua Pittman, a Cultural Specialist. Internationally acclaimed as a traditional master navigator, Tua has navigated canoes across the great oceans of our planet from the coastlines of Asia through to the shores of the Americas for more than 30 years, without the use of modern instruments. This Cook Islander, also of New Zealand Maori and Tahitian bloodlines, uses an ancient navigational system based upon careful observation of celestial bodies—sun, moon, and stars—as well as using ocean swells, flight patterns of birds, and other natural markers. I’m certain he can explain the midnight skies and point out the Southern Cross.
Lindblad-National Geographic Polynesia Expedition
In preparation, I’m re-reading Melville’s ‘Typee’, his tale of deserting Acushnet, a whaling ship in 1846 when landing at the Marquesas Islands. He believed he had found a South Sea paradise in the mysterious chain of islands, after he and his fellow seaman,Toby, abandoned ship and roamed the deep green valleys. Welcomed by the locals, he then began to suspect his new islander friends were cannibals and he might end up as the entrée in an upcoming feast. As a particularly witty friend advised: don’t accept an island dinner invitation as you may be dinner.
Infinite shades of azure. Secluded atolls.The sultry perfume of Tiare Tahiti (gardenia). To this day French Polynesia and the South Pacific conjure up the romantic notions brought back by the legendary European explorers who discovered it hundreds of years ago. Lindblad-National Geographic has been exploring the “Pearl of the Pacific” since the 1980s and this South Pacific cruise experience is key to helping you truly “get lost” in this tropical paradise.
Lindblad-National Geographic Orion
The Marquesas are so remote that some are untouched since the era of European explorers. A land of dewy and majestic 1,000-foot waterfalls cascade down volcanic cliffs and craggy peaks disappear into the brilliant white clouds hovering above the turquoise seas.
Paradise indeed, Epic Lindblad-National Geographic Journeys deliver comfort, beguiling scenery and deep knowledge on exhilarating authentic adventures. Linblad perfected escapades and the National Geographic alliance is the perfect collaboration of world-renowned scientists, naturalists, and researchers while sailing on a high comfort expedition ship.
I understand first bell is at 7.30 am, exploits are on the horizon every day, this isn’t a snooze escape!
Lindblad National Geographic nurse shark Polynesia Expedition
Due to the extraordinary requests for Journeys to Japan, we have resourced additional exclusives, besides the superb experiences we always offer! This summer and fall is particularly busy in Japan, so plan accordingly.
Here are some dates to keep in mind: Rugby World Cup: September 20 – November 2 (various locations). Setouchi Triennale 2019: September 28 – November 4 (Setouchi region). Tokyo Motor Show: October 24 – November 4. (Tokyo)Autumn Leaves: Late September – Early December (best dates depend on region). Imperial Enthronement Ceremony: October 22. The above events in particular, and especially since they all fall together this year, have put availability for many services at a premium as said availability dwindles.
Fine Dining & Theater Underground Tokyo Waiting an eager audience’s arrival, a luxurious space has been crafted, hidden away under one of Tokyo’s more luxurious business districts, and fine tuned from the dishes served to the decor to the nightly performers. Serving up some of Tokyo’s best sushi along with hand-crafted cocktails just name a few items from the menu, here guests are also treated to traditional performances of noh or geisha song and dance in an intimate but unassuming setting of finely selected grandeur, making it an excellent space to reserve in its entirety for a private event.
Fine Dining & Theater Underground Tokyo
Home of a Master Noh Performer Kyoto
A VIP experience awaits fans of traditional theatrical performance. A master of noh, an ancient performing art known for its fantastical masks and flowing robes, has created a contemporary and well-designed space dedicated to the craft. A private theater in the master’s own home is the venue where discerning travelers fascinated by performance arts can be treated to the viewing of treasured costumes, the trying on of hand-carved masks, and of course, a performance of noh.
Home of a Master Noh Performer Kyoto
Michelin Dinner with a Geisha Kyoto Movies and books strive to capture the essence of geisha, yet only by speaking with one can one understand the dedication, the talent, the people that make up all that is beautiful about Japan’s geisha. Over a Michelin-starred meal, be treated to a performance that has been refined through years of schooling and apprenticeship. Our personally-selected geisha and guides make this private evening even more memorable as they remove communication and cultural barriers, inviting participation in a few of the geisha games of old, and encouraging conversation about the geisha lifestyle and culture.
Michelin Dinner with a Geisha Kyoto
Calligraphy in the Modern Age Kyoto Kanji, the Chinese characters that make up part of the Japanese written language, are intensely versatile. The characters can change a word’s meaning, as well as the atmosphere in a given room depending on the artist. Be introduced via private meeting to an artist who can convey the meaning and philosophy that lies between and inside of each brush stroke as its laid to paper. Through the artist’s efforts, see meanings beyond the set definitions for each character written, and discover the zen influence incorporated into the art’s balance.
Calligraphy in the Modern Age Kyoto
Sumo Through the Eyes of a Fighter Tokyo Sumo tournament season is an exciting time for wrestlers and spectators alike, and we make it more so by making it possible for guests to attend a tournament with an experienced, former professional wrestler who knows the sumo world like no other. Watching the bouts one by one, the wrestler will explain the calls, dress, ceremony, history and more. During the off-season, guests can be taken on a tour inside one of Japan’s sumo stables where they can witness the training, living quarters and lifestyle of Japan’s famous fighters. As the wrestler makes his way through the stable offering advice and sometimes even admonishments to his juniors, guests will get a truly in-depth feel for what daily life can be like for Japan’s historical rock stars
Sumo Through the Eyes of a Fighter Tokyo
Gardening with a Master Designer Kyoto
With a keen eye for detail, even though the blossoms and trees are more likely to catch visitors’ eyes, the keepers of Japan’s gardens take care to maintain the poses of the barest branches and the placement of the simplest stones. We invite guests into Kyoto’s famed and little-known gardens with a master garden designer who comes from a centuries’ long lineage of acclaimed gardeners, and is currently entrusted with numerous palace and temple gardens in Kyoto. Guests will see how the master and apprentices work to keep gardens accurately intact for future generations to enjoy, and also have time to create a miniature garden, making a bowl of authentic Japanese beauty of their own using techniques explained during garden walks.
Gardening with a Master Designer Kyoto
Shigaraki Pottery with a Specialist Kyoto & Shigaraki, Koka Meet and travel to the area of Shigaraki with an avid collector, well-connected with potters of note and well established kilns. Learning about the development of different types of pottery, enjoy in-depth discussions about this prominent art directly influenced by Japanese Zen, tea ceremony traditions, and strongly connected to Japanese wabisabi aesthetics. Visits to local workshops and kilns, entering the studios of artists, followed by a summary and conclusion at the specialist’s own collection provides a well-rounded day of travel, learning, and art.
Shigaraki Pottery with a Specialist Kyoto & Shigaraki, Koka
Japanese Fusion Jazz Performance Kyoto Enjoy a performance of unique jazz sounds as traditional Japanese instruments combine with the genre’s sound. Led by a well-beloved band of musicians who have traveled the world, including an award-winning Japanese music composer and performer, this performance will be held just for guests and their fellow travelers alone at a privatized performance venue. If done while staying in Kyoto, we can reserve the Miho Museum, with its amazing architecture by I.M. Pei as the stage for the performance.
Japanese Fusion Jazz Performance Kyoto
Moments with a Zen Monk Kyoto This is a chance to look deeply into the world of Zen Buddhism through the eyes of a revered monk who will open windows into the way of thinking, practice, and day-to-day life of Zen practitioners in one of the most significant Zen monasteries in Japan. This experience offers fascinating insights to Zen Buddhism, its art, as well as to a life and mind of a person who has devoted his existence to the practice of Zen Buddhism, making it his mission to introduce this path of enlightenment to others.
Moments with a Zen Monk Kyoto
River Views, Art & Poetry Kyoto
Overlooking the Katsuragawa River in the most picturesque district of Arashiyama Kyoto is a space well designed dedicated to Japan’s historic art and poetry. With the museum made private just for your visit, an enthusiastic director looks forward to personally leading you, regaling the stories and history of and around Japan’s famed collection of 100 poems, and how this collection started an era of artistic style and education that continues to reverberate. Offering an event space 100 tatami in size, with large windows that look out upon the sparkling Katsuragawa River, this fine establishment can also be arranged for private events, allowing for such as unplugged music, performance, and even viewing of the ukai cormorant fishing, which is a traditional event held in Japan’s sultry summer months. Should the wish arrive to delve deeper into the traditions surrounding the 100 poems of note, a private lesson of the karuta card taking game, which still has vibrant competitions held today, can also be arranged.
River Views, Art & Poetry Kyoto
Wine & Private Collection of Baccarat Kyoto
Opening their studio and private collection of antique Baccarat crystal glassware, vases and more just for you, enjoy a welcome, mid-trip, or farewell party of wine and light fare using glasses from the collector’s unique, if not only, stash of its kind in Japan. While taking part in decadent delights as you walk through your host’s private museum, the collector will likely inform his esteemed guests about how Japan’s traditional cut glass from the Edo Era (1603-1868) inspired the art of Baccarat crystal. Truly an event for those into the finer things in life.
Wine & Private Collection of Baccarat Kyoto
Walk with a Living Buddha Otsu
A private meeting with a saintly personage, a living Buddha awaits you in this rare experience. Your host, a practicing monk of the sacred mountain temple complex of Enryakuji, has been one of the few to go through the rite of kaihogyo and survive to obtain his current high status. Kaihogyo requires one to walk roughy forty-thousand kilometers of mountain terrain, stopping to pray at specific sites, within seven years. The pace starts at thirty kilometers each day, moving to sixty kilometers each day in the seventh and last year of practicing the rite, with a string of nine days of no food, drink, or sleep in between, dedicated only to prayer. Your host today will take you for a comparatively much shorter walk (about five kilometers) along sacred trails, sit with you over a lunch of shojinryori Buddhist fare, and lead chants of empowerment before parting ways. Truly a once in a lifetime experience..
Dining & Performance at a Historic Estate Kyoto
A historic residence awaits you and yours to be a superb private venue for a grand afternoon or evening. Our connection has allowed us to offer her ancestor’s abode, turned high-end restaurant, as a place of fine wining and dining, with options to include performance by musicians, geisha, or even samurai and ninja performers. Located in the Fushimi district of Kyoto, complete with a magnificent landscape garden and teahouse, this venue makes for an excellent mid-day retreat, or evening finish after exploring Fushimi’s grand Inari Shrine and its lesser travelled sake district.
Dining & Performance at a Historic Estate Kyoto
An Evening of Time Travel & Spectacle Kyoto Enjoy a private evening in Kyoto and enter a world where professional actors and actresses bring the Edo era of Japan to life. In a privately chartered film studio park, over 100 professional actors, actresses and stunt performers will put on a private show, traveling through time back to when the Shogunate ruled Japan in the 1600s. Dress in era-appropriate garb, take up the challenge of a bit of sword training, meet geisha, ninja, and samurai. Enjoy the performances, pyrotechnics, and a dinner fit for royalty in a hall decorated in traditional Japanese festival style, with taiko drum music and more. A film team will capture the evening’s best moments, and edit them all into a real historical drama, making a truly unique gift to show at home.
