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Contact us on 1-800-759-7715

Contact us on 1-800-759-7715

Special Offers

To celebrate the launch of Specialist Journeys, enjoy 15% off our 2027 tours with code Curious15. From archaeology and ancient history to remarkable gardens, follow your curiosity somewhere extraordinary. Book by 20 October 2026.

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Gardens beyond your borders

Our overseas garden tours follow horticulture into the climates that shaped it. Japan's gardens change character with the season they are designed to be seen in. Madeira and Mauritius grow what Britain can only manage under glass, and Marrakech's gardens are shaped by the heat rather than the frost. The Italian lakes hold villa gardens laid out for the view, Liguria and the Neapolitan Riviera grow tender exotics alongside the olives and lemons, and the Loire pairs one château garden with the next. Further still, Costa Rica's cloud forest, Barbados, Australia's flowering season, and Namaqualand, where the Northern Cape turns from granite country into a carpet of flowers each spring.

You travel with expert Tour Managers and horticulturalists who know these gardens and the conditions behind them, and love sharing how plants thrive in different parts of the world.

From the careful composition of a Japanese garden to the exuberance of tropical planting, discover how differently the world can bloom.

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The Gardens & Wildlife of Costa Rica

The Gardens & Wildlife of Costa Rica

The term biodiversity may have been coined with Costa Rica in mind, such is the range of different species within its pristine, tropical forests. Throw in some spectacular scenery and resplendently laid-back citizens, and you have all the makings of a life-affirming holiday experience. On this memorable tour, we visit a broad range of gardens both public and private, such as the Else Kientzler Botanical Gardens with its world-class collection of plants. At the Monteverde Cloud Reserve, we see some of the 100 mammals, 400 bird species and more than 2,500 varieties of plants that thrive here, including, if we are lucky, the famously elusive resplendent quetzal.
12 days from $6,970 View Tour
Gardens of Barbados

Gardens of Barbados

Barbados may be small, but it offers pure Caribbean bliss: radiant seas, palm-lined beaches and lush rainforest. Picture gazing across the sweeping vistas of Cherry Tree Hill, watching the lively monkeys of the Andromeda Botanical Garden and exploring the George Washington House, an important remnant of the island’s plantation past. At Hunte’s Garden, we are accompanied by the man himself, owner and creator Anthony Hunte, who introduces us to his multidimensional mix of native jungle and sunny open spaces in one of the island’s top destinations. There is also an optional cruise on a catamaran on offer during this laidback tour.
8 days from $4,915 View Tour
Gardens of the French Riviera & the Menton Lemon Festival

Gardens of the French Riviera & the Menton Lemon Festival

The French Riviera has long attracted artists, gardeners and travellers with its extraordinary combination of sunshine, dramatic coastlines and wonderfully varied landscapes. Here, generations of passionate gardeners have created remarkable gardens where exotic plants flourish in the Mediterranean climate, from botanical collections to elegant estates overlooking the sea. Enjoy a full day at the spectacular Menton Lemon Festival, when the town bursts into colour with elaborate floats, sculptures and displays celebrating the humble citrus fruit. Alongside the festivities, discover the exceptional gardens of the Riviera, including the Fondation Ephrussi de Rothschild with its magnificent sea views, the richly planted Hanbury Gardens just across the Italian border and the Jardin Exotique d’Èze perched above the Mediterranean. From Villa Thuret and Serre de la Madone to the gardens of Monte Carlo and La Mouissone, uncover a fascinating world of plants, design and creativity.
6 days from $2,605 View Tour
Route of the Almond Blossom

Route of the Almond Blossom

This tour travels through the Douro Valley, taking in the stunning almond blossom vistas which are comparable with the more famous cherry blossoms in Japan, but a lot closer to home. Spend some time exploring the vibrant city of Porto with its UNESCO World Heritage Centre – the Ribeira district is home to colourful houses, narrow cobbled streets and a surfeit of Portuguese charm. Departing from the city, we enjoy a scenic train ride through the Douro Valley with its spectacular vistas and ranks of flowering almond trees. Our destination is Vila Nova de Foz Coa, whose almond trees bloom with delicate pink and white flowers into a magnificent sight to behold. We also visit some of the Douro Valley’s notable manor houses, including Casa Mateus and Casa do Campo, as well as some of the area’s fascinating gardens.
8 days from $3,820 View Tour
Galicia's Camellia Route

Galicia's Camellia Route

Follow Galicia’s Camellia Route, a journey through one of Spain’s most atmospheric and greenest regions. Staying in La Coruña and Santiago de Compostela, we explore a landscape shaped by a mild Atlantic climate where historic estates known as pazos sit within lush gardens and wooded valleys. In late winter and early spring, camellias provide vibrant colour across riverside walks, formal terraces and hillside gardens, marking the season in shades of white, pink and red. Visit a carefully chosen collection of estates including Pazo de Mariñan, Pazo de Faramello, Pazo de Oca and Pazo de Santa Cruz de Rivadulla, alongside the dramatic Castillo de Soutomaior. With time in Santiago de Compostela and its historic cathedral, this is a journey where gardens, heritage and landscape are closely interwoven, experienced at a calm and unhurried pace.
6 days from $2,095 View Tour

Overseas garden tours: your questions answered

Climate, mostly. A garden abroad is solving a different problem from a garden in Britain, whether that is heat, drought, monsoon or a growing season that runs the other way round, and the solutions are what make them interesting to anyone who gardens at home. 

Expert Tour Managers and horticulturalists who know these gardens and their conditions. Understanding why a plant thrives in one place and sulks in another is a good deal more useful than being told its name, and it tends to change what you try when you get home. 

Whenever the garden is at its best, which is rarely the British season. Madeira and the Canaries suit the winter months, Japan is timed for blossom or autumn colour, Namaqualand flowers only in the southern spring, and the Mediterranean gardens are at their peak well before high summer

Yes. Most pair the gardens with the architecture, landscape and culture around them, since a villa garden makes little sense without the villa and a Moroccan garden makes little sense without the city it cools. 

Gardens are walked rather than viewed, often on gravel, grass and uneven terraced paths, and heat adds to it on the warmer itineraries. Each itinerary carries an activity level of light, moderate or active so you know what to expect before you book.

Very much so, and many guests travel solo. Shared interest naturally leads to easy conversation, and conversation tends to start with whatever you have just walked round. 

Rules vary by country and are stricter than most people expect. Your Tour Manager will know what applies where you are travelling, and it is worth checking before you buy anything you hope to bring back. 

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