Watch truffle dogs demonstrate their prodigious skills at finding these underground delicacies and sample a selection of whiskies that reflects the character of Tasmania. The owner of Cradle Country Truffles will show you around her eco-friendly farm, especially its prized grove of oaks and hazelnut trees. Fragrant Perigord truffles grow beneath the soil in a symbiotic relationship with the trees. You will see how the dogs sniff out the valuable black truffles, which are then harvested manually. A lunch of seasonal, truffle-inspired dishes follows, after which you will visit Hellyers Road Distillery. Its owners approach whisky manufacturing with an unwavering commitment to quality similar to Cradle Country’s. During a behind-the-scenes tour of the distillery, you will discover how the single-malt whiskies are produced and exported to more than 20 countries. You will also sample several whiskies that may include a slightly peaty offering and the original single malt that tantalizes the palate with a velvety wave of vanilla.

Enjoy a behind-the-scenes tour of a tea plantation that will depict how this important cash crop is cultivated. Upon arriving at Ingiriya plantation, you will be welcomed with garlands made from tea leaves grown on the premises. You will then see how the tea is processed step by step until it is ready for brewing. You will see the tea being plucked from the plant, dried, fermented and graded according to size. Teas grown in this region are known as leafy grade because the leaves are twisted into long particles. Ceylon tea has been produced in Sri Lanka since the crop was introduced in 1867. Much like wine grapes, tea reflects the climatic and soil conditions in which it is grown. The tea produced here is acclaimed for its inherent unique characteristics. You will have the added treat of being able to taste the distinct flavor by sampling a cup of freshly brewed Ceylon tea in the processing facility.

Spend an enlightening day with a baker in her hometown of Panjim, where she will introduce you to her friends and other business owners to give you a genuine feel for daily life. Your hostess Gletta has spent her entire life in the Latin Quarter of Panjim and knows it well. As she takes you through the maze of cobbled streets, you will pass brightly colored Portuguese villas and an array of restaurants and stores. After a cup of tea with a seamstress friend of Gletta’s, you will drop by the bakery, where Gletta will demonstrate how she bakes traditional items such as Goan leavened bread in a wood-fired oven. You will then head for her favorite markets to buy spices and other essential ingredients. A quick stop at a nearby pub for an aperitif distilled from cashew fruit follows, after which you will sit down for an authentic Goan meal at Cafe Venite, Gletta’s favorite lunch spot.

Experience Oman’s exceptional blend of historic and contemporary sites during this comprehensive tour with lunch at the 5-star Grand Hyatt Muscat. Travel by coach along the Batinah Coast to the centuries-old Nakhl Fort, which perches on a 200-foot-high hilltop with spectacular views, and stroll through the ladies’ sitting room, reception halls, prison, split-level terraces and courtyards. Delight in the Nakhl Springs, a tranquil and photogenic setting framed by majestic mountains, or jebels, and a dense green oasis. Drive through the village of Nakhl before pausing for lunch at the luxurious Grand Hyatt, then rejoin your coach for a photo stop at the Zawawi Mosque, Oman’s most exquisite sanctuary. Admire the splendid Al Alam Palace, which offers scenic vistas overlooking Muscat Bay, and visit Bait Al Zubair, a private museum housing extensive collections of traditional Omani items including photographs, paintings and maps. Wrap up your tour at the vibrant Muttrah Souq, where scents of exotic Arabian perfumes and spices fill the air, and roam among a multitude of shops offering Omani daggers, or khanjars, as well as handmade Omani attire, antiques, traditional silver jewelry and handicrafts made from copper, camel bone, wood and leather.

Observe some of Africa’s most iconic animals on a safari-style drive through the Zulu Nyala Private Game Reserve and then recount your adventure over lunch. Soon after heading into the bush in an open-air, 4-wheel-drive vehicle, you can expect to see a variety of magnificent animals that may include African elephants, rhinos and Cape buffalo. Imagine the thrill of pausing in this natural habitat while a towering giraffe meanders by just a few feet away. Or perhaps you will catch sight of a spiral-horned Nyala, a somewhat shy antelope endemic to the region. There is no telling what you will see as the animals roam freely through the protected reserve. Birds are also abundant and you may spot ostriches, black-headed herons and fork-tailed drongos. Following this wondrous experience in the bush, you will dine at the Zulu Nyala Heritage Safari Lodge, a landmark hotel built in the 1940s.

Travel through the dramatic landscape of central Java to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Borobudur, the world’s largest Buddhist monument. Constructed in the 8th and 9th centuries of gray volcanic stone, it was then mysteriously abandoned and covered with volcanic ash after neighboring Mount Merapi erupted a few centuries later. The temple that stands today was painstakingly excavated starting in 1814. It is a stepped pyramid with three main levels, each representing a stage on the way to enlightenment. While meandering along the pathways of Borobudur, you will see hundreds of carved reliefs, statues of Buddha and bell-shaped monuments known as stupas. It is a spectacular temple unlike any other. After exploring the site, you will be treated to a buffet lunch of Indonesian specialties and a traditional performance. You will then proceed to a workshop where batik and silver jewelry are hand-crafted.

Delve into Japanese culture by visiting an art museum, enjoying a ritualistic tea ceremony and admiring sacred Mount Fuji. The Tokaido Hiroshige Art Museum holds more than 1,000 woodblock prints from Utagawa Hiroshige, a 19th-century master of the ukiyo-e genre, which typically depicts subjects of everyday life. Hiroshige’s genius for landscape composition and color in works such as “The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido” influenced European painters such as Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh. The tea ceremony that follows will be inspirational in a different way. You will be served traditional green tea in a manner that is a ritualistic art form that will elevate the tea to more than a mere beverage. You will then travel to the seaside pine grove Miho no Matsubara. The grove consists of more than 50,000 pine trees, and the view of Mount Fuji from the shore is considered one of the top three vistas in Japan.