Camellias have been known for centuries in the Far East. Camellia sinensis, the "common tea plant", was used as a beverage by the Chinese as early as 500 B.C. The early history of the camellia was passed down by word of mouth for thousands of years. Its origin is claimed by both China and India. This unique group tour seeks to combine visits to some of the world’s greatest camellia gardens and nurseries, with some of China’s loveliest rural scenery in North Guilin and Yangshuo, and the dazzling, futuristic metropolis of Shanghai. Read full itinerary

The Harbin Ice Lantern and Sculpture Festival runs from January to March each year. Harbin is in Manchuria - the most northern part of China and just across the border from Russian Siberia. Ice sculptures - made from blocks of ice chainsawed from the Songhua River - have represented such things as castles, towers, the Statue of Liberty, the Great Wall of China, and an onion-domed Russian church. The sculptures fill the city square and glow from the neon tubes of purple, pink, blue and green that shine from inside. View itinerary

A Journey to the Kingdom in the Sky - Escorted Tour to Bhutan 15 October, 2008. The Kingdom of Bhutan lies east of Nepal and west of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. It is south of the Tibetan hinterland and north of the Indian territories of Assam and West Bengal.