25 exciting new trips to book for 2025

Not the kind of person who loves planning a trip out day-by-day, hour-by-hour? Don’t worry, you’re not alone.

Let someone else take care of the itinerary by booking onto one of these exciting new tour operator trips in 2025.

In 2021, a new high-speed railway opened in Laos, linking up a country whose infrastructure had, until that point, largely consisted of an antiquated bus network. Stretching 1,000km between China’s Yunnan Province and the peaceful Laos capital Vientiane, the adventures it opens up are endless. Now Bamboo Travel is making the most of this rail line with its new 16-night China to Laos by Train trip. Starting in Yunnan provincial capital Kunming, guests hurtle towards the tea terraces of Pu’er, once an important stop on the Tea Horse Road trading route. From there, you’ll head south to the Dai and Hani communities of lush Xishuangbanna, then hop the China-Laos border to Muang La, a secluded farming village surrounded by natural springs. The temples of Luang Prabang and cycling trips in the countryside beyond Vang Vieng are the icing on the cake as you finally roll towards Vientiane.

More information: Bamboo Travel. Flexible dates; 16 nights from £4,375pp, including international flights.

Read next: The best new rail routes in 2025

Hanifaru Bay in the Maldives is known for the annual arrival of the largest aggregation of manta rays in the world. Between May and November, a perfect storm of conditions creates a rich plankton soup that draws hundreds of rays, performing displays rarely seen anywhere else. Dive Worldwide’s Maldives Manta Ray Extravaganza takes in not just snorkel trips in Hanifaru Bay – during the full-moon period when manta numbers peak – but this 11-day liveaboard tour also heads to the atolls of Baa, Raa and Lhaviyani for open-water reef dives. An onboard expert from the Manta Trust will explain everything you need to know about these rays and other marine life, as well as the safest way to photograph them. Best of all, there’s the chance to contribute to citizen-science experiments aimed at helping these creatures thrive long after you’ve left.

More information: Dive Worldwide. 2 Sep 2025; 13 days from £3,895pp, including international flights.

Read next: 8 spectacular sustainable places to stay in the Maldives

As a form of travel, there’s something both thrilling and nostalgic about overlanding, as you breeze past borders on roads of every condition. KE Adventure’s small-group Ultimate Overland: Coast to Coast Southern Africa trip sees you cross from the west coast of Southern Africa to the east, passing through five countries and sleeping in lodges, guesthouses and wild camping, on an utterly unique, one-off trip. Stops in some of the wildest corners of the continent offer plenty to look forward to, from the red dunes of Namibia’s Sossusvlei and Botswana’s lily-pad-strewn Okavango Delta to the giant elephant herds of Zimbabwe’s Hwange NP and the Big Five of Kruger NP in South Africa. In between, game drives, rhino walking safaris, island camping, a river cruise and a chance to spend time with the San Bushmen are just some of the perks that will keep you eager to get back on the road.

More information: KE Adventure. 6 Nov 2025; 27 days from £6,475pp, including international flights.

As we all look to reduce the impact of our travels, more people are turning to slow adventures. But the logistics can be daunting, which is why our eye was taken by the new London to Albania Rail and Sea Adventure guided tour by Adventures by Train. Boarding at St Pancras, you’ll be whisked beneath the Channel and across the Alps to Italy by rail, before heading south to catch the overnight ferry to Albania and the Balkans beyond. Highlights include pit stops in some remarkable cities, from the cave-pocked hills of Italy’s Matera to Ottoman-built Berat and artsy Tirana in Albania, to historic Sarajevo in Bosnia and the beautifully preserved citadel of Kotor on the Montenegro coast. Watching the landscapes trickle by in between is every bit as captivating.

More information: Adventures by Train. 18 Apr 2025; 13 nights from £4,795pp, including all ferry and train travel.

Read next: How community experiences are changing the face of travel in Albania

All eyes are on the mansions of New York state in 2025, thanks to the 100th anniversary of F Scott Fitzgerald’s Jazz Age masterpiece The Great Gatsby and a new season of The Gilded Age TV series. America As You Like It’s self-guided Great Gatsby and the Gilded Age trip puts both eras in the spotlight, beginning on Long Island’s ‘Gold Coast’, so named for the industrialists who built mansions there in the late 19th century. By the 1920s, the likes of the Old Westbury Gardens and Glenview estates – both used in filming The Gilded Age – proved fertile inspiration for Fitzgerald. From there, visits to the former home of the artist Edward Hopper and the European-style streets of Albany show a side of the state that few bother to explore further. Explore the peaks, lakes and arts scene of the Catskills Mountains before finishing in New York City.

More information: America As You Like It. Flexible dates; 10 nights from £2,375pp, including international flights.

Read next: Exploring the summer capital of the Gilded Age

Until recently, reaching the towns and rural villages along Colombia’s Magdalena River was particularly tricky due to their remoteness. But as a new generation of luxury riverboats hits the water in 2025, they’re suddenly within reach. Journey Latin America’s Magdalena River Cruise: Colombia’s Hidden Gems includes a seven-night cruise along a waterway seen as the heart of the country. In a region once coveted by Spanish conquistadors, stops include the dazzling colonial cities of Mompox and Cartagena. Beyond these lie the carnivals of Barranquilla, the floating village of Nueva Venecia and UNESCO-listed Palenque, where the first ‘free town’ was founded in the Americas by those who had fled slavery. It’s a chance to see a Colombia few discover.

More information: Journey Latin America. Flexible dates with the first departure in May 2025; 12 nights from £4,500pp, excluding international flights.

Read next: Exploring Colombia’s cowboy country

Italy’s Dolomites are well known among travellers. The snow-flecked peaks, mountain trails and earthy Alpine cooking are catnip to those exploring Italy’s rugged north. So our curiosity was piqued by Audley Travel’s new Best of the Dolomites trip, which promises to explore some of its lesser-seen areas and delve into those more familiar spots in different ways. Provincial capital Bolzano is a good example, as guests sample the town’s beer scene before cruising the breweries of a region whose hop culture dates back some 1,000 years. Or perhaps try your hand at creating your own cheese using centuries-old techniques amid the green mountain pastures of Seiser Alm, or explore the language and culture of the Ladin people, who have inhabited this region since the seventh century. It’s a fresh look at a familiar destination.

More information: Audley Travel. Flexible dates; 9 nights from £5,995pp, including international flights.

Read next: Italy’s underrated UNESCO World Heritage Sites

While Norway’s Lofoten islands get plenty of attention, far less is made of Vesteralen, its quieter neighbour. Discover the World’s new Around Vesteralen self-guided road trip crosses an archipelago riddled with great hikes and linked by bridges that arc over whale-filled seas that you can explore on boat safaris. Like Lofoten, it’s filled with craggy peaks and remote villages, from the puffin-stacked cliffs and endless shores of Bleik to the fishing town of Hovden. But the highlight is resilient Nyksund, whose community has been rebuilt after the village was twice abandoned; now it’s an artistic hub filled with galleries. The chance to meet those who rebuilt it and made their lives there or walk the rugged Queen’s Trail to Bø is to be savoured.

More information: Discover the World. Flexible dates (best: May–Sep); 7 nights from £1,451, excluding international flights.

Read next: Must-visit museums in Oslo, Norway

Geared to solo travellers, G Adventures’ Solo-ish Vietnam small group tour ticks off the great north-south sights in a year when the country marks the 50th anniversary of its reunification. As well as an overnight junk-boat trip among the karst outcrops of Halong Bay and stays in bustling Hanoi and imperial Hue, there are chances to explore modern Vietnam. A homestay on the Mekong Delta puts rural life in perspective, while a visit to Oodles of Noodles in Hoi An shows the good work being done by a social enterprise helping at-risk youth develop careers in cooking.

More information: G Adventures. Year-round; 10 nights from £1,149pp, excluding international flights.

While Barcelona and the Costa Brava draw the crowds in Catalonia, there is far more to discover in a Spanish region that includes the flamingo-filled Ebro Delta, the 3,000m-high peaks of the Pyrenees, the vineyards of Priorat and the Roman ruins of Tarragona. It’s something Caminos by Casas Cantabricas knows well. Its Catalonia – Mar y Montaña tour includes all these and more as guests head out on a tailor-made, self-drive road trip that avoid ths overtouristed honeypots and instead takes in a side of the region few normally see. The route stops in La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park with its rich vegetation and varied species, as well as the spectacular Vall de Boí and Val d’Aran valleys with their Romanesque churches. The drive continues inland from the Mediterranean to the Catalan Pyrenees as you savour the incredible food of 2025’s World Region of Gastronomy. The fine wines, hiking and heritage you’ll find along the way are just the aperitif.

More information: Caminos by Casas Cantabricas. Flexible dates; 14 nights from £1,600pp, excluding international flights.

The game reserve and wildlife conservation area of the Masai Mara in Kenya, a vast plain that covers 1,510 sq km, is home to lion, elephant, giraffe, buffalo, cheetah, zebra and more. The chance to see them up close is not to be missed. Exodus Adventure Travels’ Kenya Safari Adventure offers a chance to spend a week with some of Africa’s most iconic wildlife. Multiple game drives afford plenty of opportunities for sightings, with specially adapted 4WDs giving each guest a window seat on the action. East of the Masai Mara, you can take a boat safari on the hippo-filled waters of Lake Naivasha, famed for its hippos and 400 bird species, while a trip to Amboseli National Park reveals giant herds of African elephants stomping the plains in the shadow of Kilimanjaro. The trip also includes a visit to Hemingway’s Bar at Amboseli Sopa Lodge, built by the author himself in 1960, as well as time with the Maasai community, allowing you to learn more about their way of life.

More information: Exodus Adventure Travels. Various dates (Jun–Nov 2025); 7 nights from £2,615pp, excluding international flights.

Read next: Five ways to experience Indigenous culture in Kenya

Bhutan is filled with towering mountains, cliff-hugging Buddhist temples, fortified monasteries (dzongs) and remote villages. For hikers, it’s a dream destination. But for those who want more than a solitary plod, Mountain Kingdoms has designed a new two-week Temple Trails & Homestays in Bhutan trip to offer a unique insight into traditional Bhutanese life by including stays with local families. By day, you’ll walk between villages and temples in some of the lesser-known valleys and take an overnight trek across the high Sagala Pass (at 3,597m) to the atmospheric ruins of Drukgyel Dzong. During the homestays, you can tuck into family meals and try your hand at a cookery class, archery, milking a cow or having a hot-stone bath.

More information: Mountain Kingdoms. 3 Mar & 26 Oct 2025 (guided); flexible dates (private departures); 15 nights from £4,560pp, including international flights.

Read next: Living on the edge: a trek to the Himalayan monasteries of Bhutan

The vast wetland wilderness of Botswana’s Okavango Delta is famed among wildlife lovers and is home to everything from giraffe, zebra and hippo to African buffalo, chacma baboons and Nile crocodiles, as well as hundreds of bird and fish species. Llama Travel’s Delta Mobile Safari in Botswana offers a deep immersion in this Southern African wilderness, with overnight stays in tented camps surrounded by nature and wildlife. Daytime game drives take you to untouched wilderness where you can track animals on foot, spy a kori bustard in the lower reaches of the Mababe Depression or ride a mokoro canoe on the Khwai channels. This trip can also be extended to include a visit to Victoria Falls in neighbouring Zimbabwe.

More information: Llama Travel. Various dates (Mar–Nov 2025); 11 nights from £4,799pp, including international flights.

Czechia has a rich musical heritage, having gifted the world composers such as Martinů, Dvořák, Janáček and Mahler. On Kudu Travel’s Musical Exploration of the Czech Republic (Czechia) through its Composers, guests have the chance to see the birthplaces and legacies of some of these cultural icons on foot, as well as explore the landscapes that inspired them, roaming the regions of Bohemia and Moravia. Visit historic towns, grand estates, Gothic cathedrals, spa towns and medieval castles along the way as you take in Janáček’s birthplace museum and the Dvořák opera house, then savour a live performance on the final evening.

More information: Kudu Travel. 3 Sep 2025; 11 nights from £3,321pp, excluding international flights.

The USA’s Rocky Mountains are home to two of the world’s most popular national parks, Yellowstone and Grand Teton, but there are ways to escape the masses even here. Journeyscape’s Yellowstone Wildlife Adventure takes you away from the crowds and beyond the parks’ popular sites to lesser-explored wilderness areas, accompanied by a wildlife expert along the way. In Yellowstone, trips take you out to the vast Hayden Valley to look for bison, elk and the park’s famous grey wolf packs, before setting off into the mountains on horseback or a guided hike on one of the park’s many lesser-trod trails. In Grand Teton, you’ll enjoy a raft down Snake River, keeping an eye out for eagles and moose; then, as night falls, you can stargaze beneath perfect ink-black skies.

More information: Journeyscape. Flexible dates; this private guided trip operates all year round but May – October is best for certain wildlife viewing while winter is amazing for wolves too and you are transferred in and out of the national park by snowmobile; 7 nights from £10,500pp, excluding international flights.

Read next: Real-life Yellowstone: 5 outdoor adventures in Montana

 There are mysteries about the ancient Egyptians that most visitors to Egypt will never come close to understanding. If you’re curious enough to delve deeper, Corinthian Travel lets you explore its ancient sights with your own Egyptologist in tow. Its Private Egyptologist Tour: Carnarvon’s Egypt takes in not just the pyramids of Giza, Saqqara and Dashur, but the distant Temples of Ramses II at Abu Simbel, whose four great statues are second only to the Great Pyramid when it comes to sheer architectural drama. In between, you’ll get the chance to experience a relaxing four-night Nile cruise to the temples of Edfu and Kom Ombo as well as visit the tombs and temples on Luxor’s West Bank. But the real highlight arguably lies back in Cairo where you spend a full day at the recently opened Grand Egyptian Museum admiring its inexhaustible treasures.

More information: Corinthian Travel. Flexible dates; 10 nights from £4,995pp, excluding international flights

Read next: Grand Egyptian Museum to fully open this July

Tiny Montenegro belies its size to offer visitors an incredible wealth of history and nature. To see it in a way that few others will ever experience, join a cruise in a traditional wooden gulet (Turkish-style sailing ship) along the coast with Peter Sommer Travels. Highlights of the new Cruising the Coast of Montenegro trip include a visit to the historic streets of Budva, exploring Lake Skadar National Park, wandering the winding streets of Ulcinj’s old town and fortress, and strolling the magnificent stone citadel of Kotor. Along the way, you’ll glimpse far-off headlands, islands and bays from the water, stopping off at Baroque churches, Ottoman mosques and Roman mosaics. It’s a heady mix, elevated by the incredible food and wine you’ll be treated to every day.

More information: Peter Sommer Travels. 15 Sep, 22 Sep and 29 Sep 2025 (private trips also available on other dates); 7 nights from £3,895pp, excluding international flights.

Read next: 10 of the best things to do in Montenegro

Alderney, the northernmost of the inhabited Channel Islands, is just 5km long and 2.4km wide, yet the history and nature it packs in is remarkable. The scarcity of cars also makes it particularly good for slow travel, and Naturetrek’s Alderney – Wildlife by e-Bike tour, led by a local wildlife and history expert, is currently the only guided e-bike tour on the island. Highlights include butterfly and bird cycling trips, seabird cruises and a nocturnal search for Alderney’s rare leucistic (‘blonde’) hedgehogs. You will also learn about a history that dates back to Roman times, leading all the way up to the Second World War, when Alderney was occupied by German forces and locals were evacuated. As 2025 marks the 80th anniversary since its liberation, now is the perfect time to learn about a period that few non-islanders know much about.

More information: Naturetrek. 8 Jun 2025; 7 nights from £1,995pp, including international flights or ferry from the UK.

With its beaches, forests, dramatic clifftop plateaus and bird-rich barrancs (gorges), the Spanish island of Menorca is a hiker’s paradise. Pura Aventura’s Solo Travellers: Walking on Menorca’s Coastal Trails trip connects the best stages of the Camí de Cavalls, a 14th-century network of coastal paths originally created for knights to patrol on horseback. Swim off golden beaches, enjoy the region’s best locally produced food and wine, and stay at farmhouse B&Bs and boutique hotels along the way. Although this is a self-guided solo trip, you will be there on the same dates as other guests, so you can always find like-minded hikers to chat to in the evening or stroll with during the day.

More information: Pura Aventura. 28 Sep 2025; 8 nights from £2,470pp, excluding international flights.

The tall white dunes and freshwater lagoons of Lençóis Maranhenses National Park are like nothing else you’ll see in South America. Yet it’s just one of many treats on Abercrombie & Kent’s 12-night Northeast Beach Adventure, which allows time to wander the feather-fine sands and turquoise pools before exploring the coast beyond. A trip along the Beira River to Pequenos affords the opportunity to spot the lesser-seen guariba monkey in the wild, while Jericoacoara is an eco-paradise of beaches, dunes, lakes and pools, packed with opportunities to windsurf, kitesurf and canoe. This trip mixes exciting speedboat and 4WD rides with relaxing sunsets on the dunes, as well as plenty of hammock time to recuperate.

More information: Abercrombie & Kent. Flexible dates (best: Jun–Nov); 12 nights from £6,670pp, including international flights.e

John Thomson (1837-1921) was a Scottish photographer and traveller who captured some of the first high-quality images of China, Vietnam and Cambodia, documenting its people and landscapes. He became a trailblazer in travel photography and later taught photography to explorers (including Isabella Bird) at the Royal Geographical Society. Jon Baines Tours’ John Thomson in China – A Photographic History takes you to China to walk in the footsteps of this pioneering photographer and geographer. Travel from Guangzhou along the coast to Beijing, via Xiamen, Fuzhou and Shanghai, with Deborah Ireland, an expert in the history of photography, visiting some of the sights Thomson photographed while learning about Chinese society back in his day.

More information: Jon Baines Tours. 11 Oct 2025; 15 nights from £2,860pp, excluding international flights.

Madagascar, off the south-east coast of Africa, is a biodiversity marvel. It’s home to around 200,000 species of plant and animal life, of which 80% to 90% are endemic to its shores. There is little else like it on Earth. The coral-filled waters, remote forests and hidden beaches also afford lots of opportunity for off-the-beaten-track adventures, and Fleewinter’s A Wild and Wet Madagascar – on a Shoestring trip offers a mix of land and sea to explore. Visits to forest parks such as Andasibe and Maromizaha, as well as the private reserve of Vakôna, reveal incredible sightings of lemurs, including the indri, Madagascar’s largest lemur, known for its haunting call, and the ‘dancing’ sifaka, famed for its shuffling gait. But the highlight is arguably a four-day catamaran cruise to several nearby isles, whose coral reefs offer plenty of opportunities for diving and snorkelling.

More information: Fleewinter. Flexible dates; 9 nights from £2790pp, excluding international flights.

The Guianas – French Guiana, Suriname and Guyana – have a complex history that plays out against a backdrop of colonial cities and incredible wilderness. On Latin Routes’ History and Cultures of the Guianas trip, guests start in Georgetown, Guyana’s vibrant capital, for a market and city tour that introduces its cultures and customs, followed by a boat trip on the river to see the historic waterfront and watch scarlet Ibis, herons and egrets roosting in the mangroves at sunset. In the following days you will take a catamaran to the volcanic island trio of the Îles du Salut in French Guiana, known for its infamous penal colony on Devil’s Island and the remarkable escape of Henri Charrière. There is also the chance to spend a night at a former coffee and cocoa plantation on the Commewijne River in Suriname, visit a traditional Saramaccan Maroon village and witness the roar of Guyana’s great Kaieteur Falls, the highest single-drop waterfall in the world.

More information: Latin Routes. Flexible dates; 12 nights from £9,799pp, including international flights.

As the Mediterranean’s second-largest island, Sardinia is known for its beautiful sandy beaches and turquoise waters, but it also has a rich culture and heritage that too few take the time to contemplate. It even has its own language. Kirker Holidays’ The History and Culture of Sardinia tour skips the usual hot spots to explore the island’s ancient Nuragic civilisation, with visits to archaeological sites such as ruins and monuments adding real-life colour to the history. The enigmatic megalithic nuraghe structures that are found all over the island certainly capture the imagination. Guests will also visit well-preserved medieval towns such as Alghero and Cagliari, as well as explore the Orgosolo region, once infamous for its bandits and now smothered in political murals. And don’t forget the mouth-watering food and wine!

More information: Kirker Holidays. 7 Apr and 15 Sep 2025; 6 nights from £2,889pp, including international flights.

China is home to some 40,000km of high-speed rail lines. In recent years, these have opened up this vast country, inviting travellers into some interesting corners. TransIndus’ Essential China trip makes the most of this as it ticks off plenty of the big sights you’d expect (The Great Wall, Forbidden City, Terracotta Army) on a route that goes from Beijing to Shanghai via Xi’an, Chengdu and cruises on the Yellow River, But what caught our eye were some of the more off-beat destinations it takes in. The opportunity to glimpse the 50,000 or so statues of the Dazu Grottoes is a rare treat, as is a chance to pedal the ramparts of Xi’an on a bicycle tour or wander the canal-side streets of the water towns surrounding Shanghai.

More information: TransIndus. Flexible dates; 13 nights from £3,995pp, including international flights.