Popular River Cruises

Amazon River - winding through dense and biologically diverse tropical rainforest, the Amazon is the world's largest river by volume. You can explore its mysterious waters on river cruises in Brazil and Peru.

Danube River cruises sail into classic Old World cities like Budaest and Vienna. One of the world's most romantic waterways. Danube itineraries wind through Germany and Austria, and often to Slovakia and Hungary as well. A few travel all the way to the river's end at the Black Sea.
Rhine River sailings are among the most popular river cruises in Europe. Some itineraries focus solely on the Rhine, while others combine the Rhine with additional waterways in Germany, Austria, Hungary or the Netherlands.
Douro River cruises sail through the wine growing regions of Portugal.  Itineraries usually start in Lisbon, where guests spend one or more nights in the city and visit such landmarks as the stately Monastery of San Jeronimo and the ornate, waterfront Belem Tower.
Saone River cruises meander through France’s Burgundy region. These sailings often are combined with cruises of the Rhone River, which flows through Provence to the south.

Seine River cruises usually travel between Paris and the Normandy coast. Sightseeing tours in Paris take in the iconic sights of the "City of Light," such as the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and the glittering Champs-Elysées.
Volga River vacations spend time in Moscow and St. Petersburg. These itineraries also venture into the Moscow Canal and other Russian waterways, like the Neva and Svir rivers.


Yangtze River - China's famous sights on a cruise of the Yangtze River, which flows for nearly 4,000 miles across the country. Yangtze River sailings typically travel between Beijing and Shanghai and include hotel stays in both cities.

Nile River cruises are incorporated into longer land tours that nearly always include excursions to the Sphinx and te Pyramids at Giza. The Nile is the world's longest river, traveling more than 4,000 miles through northeastern Africa and emptying into the Mediterranean Sea at Egypt's coast. 

Hudson River cruises from the scenic Adirondack Mountains and emptying into Upper New York Bay in the heart of New York City, the Hudson River has been immortalized in everything from art history to pop culture. Cruises along this historic waterway glide past famous city spots while offering breathtaking vistas of the state’s landscape.

Mississippi River cruises glide through America’s heartland. True historic treasures on a cruise of the Mississippi River and its tributaries. This 2,320-mile waterway flows through 10 states, from northern Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. Its name comes from the Ojibwe word Misi-ziibi, meaning "Great River."

Rio Sambadrome 2013

The 2013 Rio Carnival festival is set to take place February 8-13, 2013 in the Marvelous City of Rio de Janeiro. With all the excitement surrounding Rio, the Sambadrome during Rio Carnival 2013 will play host the biggest party on the planet! On RIO.com you’ll find everything you need to make the most out of your trip to the 2013 Carnival in Rio de Janeiro: from the legendary Rio Carnival 2013 Balls to the glorious Samba Parades, in which 12 of Rio de Janeiro’s most elite samba schools parade on the “special days” of Rio Carnival — Carnival Sunday and Monday, February 10 and 11, 2013 — to the Access days — Friday, February 8th and Saturday, February 9th – when the other 19 samba schools parade down the runway of the official home of Rio Carnival, the Rio de Janeiro Sambadrome.

 

How it all started

There are many theories as to the origin of the Carnival with stories of it being a pagan celebration in ancient Rome. Carnival balls became popular in Rio in the nineteenth century with legendary balls held at the Copacabana Palace Hotel and the Municipal Theater. The inevitable influence of Afro-Brazilian culture in the form of the samba heralded the beginning of the Samba Parade in the 1930s. It is the ethnic melting pot of Rio that makes this festival unlike any in the world. The combination of the cultural diversity and Brazilian swing rhythm is what makes the Carnival in Rio so unique.

  
Samba Schools and the Sambadrome

The center of attraction is, of course, the Sambadrome in downtown Rio, where the Samba Parade has been held since 1984. As tourists begin to arrive, the city virtually comes to a halt for all four days leading up to Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. While the Sambadrome may be the focus of the Carnival, the focal point is undoubtedly the samba schools and their vivacious women samba dancers, who are a quintessential part of the Carnival.

Rio Samba Parade: The biggest attraction on earth

The samba parade held to celebrate the Rio Carnival is undoubtedly the biggest attraction on earth, with visitors from around the world flocking to Rio for a week of dancing, singing, and partying. To vibe with the rhythm of the samba the only place to be is the Rio Carnival. The Carnival is celebrated in just about every state in Brazil. While each celebration is exciting and wonderful, none of them can equal the amazing extravaganza that is the Carnival in Rio. In all likelihood, the quest to experience the Carnival once could turn out to be an annual habit for any tourist. The Carnival is the best time to experience the best of Brazilian culture, for this is one occasion that truly sums up the carioca way of life. Since 1984, the parade is held at the Sambadrome where twelve of the top samba schools vie for the prestigious championship title every year.

Packages to Rio Carnival

5 Days/4 Nights From $1,488* Includes: 4 nights Plaza Copacabana Hotel, breakfast daily, airport transfers and sightseeing.

 

 

Machu Picchu, South America

Machu Picchu was built around 1450, at the height of the Inca Empire. The Incas built the estate around 1450, but abandoned it as an official site for the Inca rulers a century later at the time of the Spanish Conquest. Although known locally, it was unknown to the outside world before being brought to international attention in 1911 by the American historian Hiram Bingham.

Most of the outlying buildings have been reconstructed in order to give tourists a better idea of what the structures originally looked like. By 1976, thirty percent of Machu Picchu had been restored, and the restoration work continues to this day.

The location of the city was a military secret, and its deep precipices and steep mountains provided excellent natural defences. The Inca Bridge, an Inca rope bridge, across the Urubamba River in the Pongo de Mainique, provided a secret entrance for the Inca army. Another Inca bridge was built to the west of Machu Picchu, the tree-trunk bridge, at a location where a gap occurs in the cliff that measures 6 metres (20 ft). It could be bridged by two tree trunks, but with the trees removed, there was a 570 metres (1,870 ft) fall to the base of the cliffs.

In 2005 and 2009, the University of Arkansas made detailed laser scans of the entire Machu Picchu site and of the ruins at the top of the adjacent Huayna Picchu mountain. The university has made the scan data available online for research purposes.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Machu Picchu is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and should be seen to be believed! 

 

 South American Adventure & Amazon Cruising (Lima - Rio de Janeiro, 2013) - Duration 25 Days from $16,295 per person twin share.  Contact us for further details.

  

America's Favorite Boat Ride!

Carnival of Venice, Italy

The Carnival of Venice is an annual festival, held in Venice. The Carnival starts around two weeks before Ash Wednesday and ends on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday.

The Venice Carnival is now world famous - it always takes place during the ten days leading up to Shrove Tuesday. Carnival, being a pre-Lent festival, means 'farewell to meat' and is celebrated throughout Italy.
It was first held in Venice in the 11th century and consisted of over two months of revelry, until it fell into decline during the 18th century. It was revived in 1979 with great success and nowadays it is a great excuse to don a mask and costume, parade around the city, enjoy the live music in the main squares of the city, the events organised by the tourist board and is a wonderful open-air festival where everyone can join in. Fantastic costumes are displayed in St Mark's Square and Venice is the perfect back-drop for amazing photographs.

Carnival in the 18th century began with a series of balls in St Mark's Square, as can be seen on the fresco on the walls of the famous café Quadri's. Fortunes were squandered every night of Carnival in the Ridotto Gambling casino, whatever the social status all the people wore costumes and masks, many connected to the Commedie del'Arte, Harlequin, Columbine, the Plague Doctor and of course the courtesans.

Masks have always been a main feature of the Venetian carnival. Traditionally people were allowed to wear them between the festival of Santo Stefano (St. Stephen's Day, December 26) and the start of the carnival season and midnight of Shrove Tuesday. They have always been around Venice. As masks were also allowed on Ascension and from October 5 to Christmas, people could spend a large portion of the year in disguise. Maskmakers (mascherari) enjoyed a special position in society, with their own laws and their own guild.

Venetian masks can be made in leather, porcelain or with the original glass technique. The original masks were rather simple in design, decoration, and often had a symbolic and practical function. Nowadays, most of them are made with the application of gesso and gold leaf and are all hand-painted using natural feathers and gems to decorate.

Today, approximately 3 million visitors come to Venice every year for Carnivals. One of the most important events is the contest for the best mask, placed at the last weekend of the Carnival. A jury of international costume and fashion designers votes for "La Maschera più bella".

NEW YORK CITY. CELINE DION So this is Christmas JOHN LENNON ! Gabriel Ma...

Anzac Day 2013

With over 20 years of experience in operating Anzac Day programmes, Tempo Holidays is proud to be associated with the 98th Anniversary of Anzac Day in 2013. Tempo Holidays has 5 packages available this year reaching from 3 to 13 days that enable you to combine the Dawn Service at Gallipoli with a selection of Turkey’s touring highlights.

Anzac Day
3 days
Enjoy a guided Gallipoli Anzac Battlefield Tour, visit Brighton Beach, Beach Cemetery, Anzac Cove, Ariburnu Cemetery, the Lone Pine Australian Memorial and Cemetery, the Chunuk-Bair New Zealand Memorial and Cemetery, the trenches at Johnston's Jolly and the 57th Regiment Turkish Memorial

 
Turkish Delight with Gallipoli
13 days 
The Anzac Day special departure of this tour combines the essential highlights of Turkey and the Anzac Day Dawn Service on 25 April, followed by service at the Lone Pine Australian Memorial and the Chunuk-Bair New Zealand Memorial. Continue touring Turkey with highlights including Ephesus, Pamukkale and the magical region of Cappadocia


Contact us for further information, price and availability.

Antartica - The Experience

Since 1994, Antarctica Sightseeing Flights, in conjunction with Qantas, has taken thousands of passengers on memorable sightseeing flights over East Antarctica, Australian Antarctic Territory and New Zealand’s Ross Dependency. We invite you to join us this southern summer for an unforgettable and rare travel experience to this magnificent continent departing from Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.
The flight provides a full day of Antarctic experience.

Flights aboard a privately chartered Qantas 747 are included and last approximately 12.5 hours. This is not classed as an international flight so it is not necessary for you to have a passport, however you will be required to provide government approved identification at check-in.






Approximately three hours south of Australia, passengers will usually see the first scattered ice followed by dozens of icebergs and ice floes. We then cross the South Magnetic Pole where you will start to view the rugged mountainous topography of the Antarctic Mainland. Weather will play a large part in what we are able to see and Qantas has over 19 routes planned to take advantage of the best sightseeing conditions. You can expect to have around 4 hours of sightseeing on our flights depending on the conditions. The aircraft will fly 'figure 8's' over various points of interest so that they can be viewed on both sides of the aircraft. This will be a flight unlike any other that you have been on.

New Years Eve Party Flight

Those lucky enough to be aboard our New Year's Eve Party flight will be treated to a live jazz band and one of the most unique experiences in the world as we host the highest and coolest New Year's Eve Party in the world!

Contact us for further information, price and availability.