Focusing on our five senses while traveling helps immerse us in our surroundings and allows us to connect with and learn about our destinations in unique ways. That’s why so many Odysseys tours offer multi-sensory experiences that intentionally engage our sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing.
Below, you can find a sampling of experiences for each of the five senses, all available on Odysseys Unlimited’s small group tours.
Guests photograph a lion up close while on safari on our Classic Safari tour.
When searching for wildlife, we engage our sense of sight above all else – scanning wide-open plains, examining treetops, and peering through thickets of undergrowth for hints of life. Many of our tours offer opportunities to view animals in their natural habitats, but on our African safari tours, we go on safari in prime game-viewing areas such as the Serengeti, Masai Mara, Ngorongoro Crater, Chobe National Park, South Luangwa, and more.
The Grand Canyon in Arizona is a wonder you must see to believe.
If you’re looking for something a little closer to home, the Grand Canyon in Arizona (which we visit on our National Parks of the Southwest tour) offers truly one-of-a-kind views. It’s difficult for our eyes to fully process the scale of this immense world wonder, with its length of 277 miles and depth of 6,000 feet. The vast canyon displays brilliant shades of red and orange clay in its well-defined layers, thanks to millions of years of erosion.
Seemingly endless lemon groves line the hills of the Amalfi Coast in Italy, growing world-famous Sfusato Amalfitano (or “Limone Costa d’Amalfi”) lemons.
The bright, refreshing, and zesty smell of citrus serves as a worthy representative of Italy. From the lemons of Amalfi to the oranges of Sicily, citrus crops occupy an important role in Italy’s cultural history, which we learn on Southern Italy & Sicily. On this tour, we enjoy a picnic lunch amidst acres of lemon and kiwi orchards on a family-run farm in Sicily.
Bazaars in Central Asia sell wide varieties of foods, clothes, crafts, and more.
On the other end of the scent spectrum, the rich, warm aromas of spices, baked goods, and savory snacks emanating from the bazaars we visit on our Along Central Asia’s Silk Road tour are sure to entice. From Chorsu Bazaar in Tashkent, Uzbekistan to Siyob Bazaar in Samarkand, your nose will delight in the goods available for sale in these traditional Central Asian markets.
An Odysseys guest interacts with a giraffe at a conservation center on our Classic Safari: Kenya & Tanzania tour.
Giraffes use their leathery, muscular, 20-inch-long tongues to reach and remove leaves from plants of all kinds – even thorny ones. We may get to feel one for ourselves on our Classic Safari: Kenya & Tanzania small group tour while visiting the Giraffe Center in Nairobi. Here, endangered Rothschild’s giraffes are given a haven where conservationists can rehabilitate, protect, and nurture them.
An Odysseys guest tries his hand at Japanese calligraphy on our Insider’s Japan tour.
Hands-on experiences create tactile memories, and what better way to immortalize your travel experience than by trying one of your destination’s traditional crafts? On our Insider’s Japan tour, we visit the gallery of preeminent calligrapher Koshun Masunaga, and while here, we have the opportunity to attempt to copy the smooth, precise strokes of ink while learning about the historical and cultural importance of this ancient art.
Odysseys travelers participate in an interactive Vietnamese cooking demonstration on our Journey through Vietnam tour.
Every locale has their own unique foods and flavors, which give insight into the culture and history of the area. In Vietnamese cuisine, combinations of fresh vegetables, sweet-and-spicy sauces, and savory meats create delicious meals such as their signature pho. On our Journey through Vietnam tour, we participate in an interactive Vietnamese cooking demonstration and enjoy the results for dinner.
Odysseys employees Jenna M. and Kaylee P. show off their bottles full of pure glacier water from Athabasca Glacier on our Canadian Rockies Explorer tour.
There’s few tastes as refreshing as ice-cold water taken directly from a natural source: Athabasca Glacier in Alberta’s Banff National Park. During our exploration of this most visited glacier in North America on our Canadian Rockies Explorer tour, we have the opportunity to fill our water bottles with pure water directly from the glacier itself.
Pushkar Camel Fair, which we attend on select departures of our Mystical India tour.
Lively parading, enchanting music, excited cheers, and braying animals – these are all sounds you can hear during the Pushkar and Nagaur Camel Fairs, which we experience on select departures of our Mystical India tour. Part bazaar, part trade fair, and part religious pilgrimage, these events host camel trading, feasts, sports, music, games, dancing, and entertainment – a true feast for the ears (and all the senses).
Vienna Music Society concert hall in Vienna, Austria.
The lilting melodies of classical music have the power to transport us to beautiful, fantastical worlds. On our Journey through Central Europe tour, we visit Vienna – birthplace of Mozart, Beethoven, Strauss, Schönberg, and more – and attend a classical music concert to immerse ourselves in this most melodious of cities.
Countless memorable experiences await on Odysseys Unlimited’s small group tours. We invite you to explore our offerings and find the trip that best appeals to your senses.
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