Expedition Overview
Expedition Overview
SPECIAL OFFERS
- Disney Vacation Club Member Special Offer: Save Up to $500 on Select 2023 Departures
For a limited time, eligible Disney Vacation Club Members can save on select 2023 Signature Land and River Cruise departures. Book by July 24, 2023 for travel between June 2023 and December 2023 and enjoy savings on trips to amazing destinations throughout the world:
Save $350 per person on select 2023 North America Signature Land itineraries:
Alaska: Denali to Kenai Fjords
- August 30, 2023
- September 6, 2023
Canadian Rockies by Rail and Trail
- September 18, 2023
Costa Rica: Wildlife and Conservation
- October 10, 2023
- November 7, 2023
- December 5, 2023
Grand Canyon, Bryce and Zion National Parks
- June 3, 2023
- September 23, 2023
- October 7, 2023
Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks
- June 10 & 23, 2023
Save $500 per person on select 2023 International Signature Land itineraries:
- September 16, 2023
- December 4 & 28, 2023
Hiking the Alpe-Adria Trail through Austria, Slovenia, and Italy
- June 19 & 30, 2023
- July 21, 2023
Human History: Northern Spain and Southwest France
- June 1 & 8, 2023
- September 14 & 28, 2023
Iceland: Volcanoes, Glaciers, and Whales
- June 28, 2023
- July 20 & 27, 2023
- August 19, 2023
- September 3 & 15, 2023
Ireland: Tales and Traditions of the Emerald Isle
- June 29, 2023
- August 31, 2023
- September 21, 2023
Italy: Renaissance Cities and Tuscan Life
- June 14, 2023
- October 18, 2023
On Safari: Exploring Wildlife Conservation in Kenya
- June 2, 2023
- July 9, 2023
- August 11, 2023
- September 30, 2023
- December 4, 2023
Morocco Photography Expedition
- September 16, 2023
Morocco: Legendary Cities and the Sahara
- October 7 & 21, 2023
New Zealand From North to South
- October 13, 2023
- December 29, 2023
- June 4 & 18, 2023
- July 16, 2023
- August 13, 2023
On Safari: Tanzania’s Great Migration
- August 16, 2023
- September 2 & 20, 2023
- December 27, 2023
Palau: Snorkeling and Kayaking the Pristine Seas
- October 16, 2023
- November 12, 2023
Remembering D-Day: London to the Normandy Beaches
- June 1, 2023
Scotland Hiking Adventure: From the Highlands to Islands
- July 15 & 22, 2023
- August 5 & 19, 2023
Southern Africa Safari by Private Air
- August 30, 2023
- December 28, 2023
Spain: Walking the Camino de Santiago
- June 16, 2023
- September 15, 22 & 29, 2023
- October 6, 2023
Swiss Trains and the Italian Lake District
- June 4 & 25, 2023
- July 2, 16, 23 & 30, 2023
- August 13, 2023
The Holy Land: Past, Present, and Future
- November 11, 2023
- December 30, 2023
Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia: Ancient Temples and Natural Wonders
- October 14, 2023
- December 30, 2023
Save $500 per person on select 2023 River Cruise itineraries:
Danube Christmas Markets River Cruise
- December 9, 2023
Rhine River Cruise: Basel to Amsterdam
- September 18, 2023
Rhine Christmas Markets River Cruise
- December 7, 2023
Take advantage of this National Geographic Expeditions 2023 Offer for Disney Vacation Club Members by calling (877) 728-7282, contacting your Travel Advisor or booking online with the Offer Code: DVCNGE23
Important Information
- Book by July 24, 2023
- Offer is good for select itineraries and dates only
- This is a cash-only offer; Members cannot use Disney Vacation Club Points or a combination of points and cash
- Offer is for new booking only
- Offer availability is limited for each departure
- May not be combined with other offers, discounts or promotions
- Not all stateroom categories are available for booking; not valid for Suites
Between May 23 and July 24, 2023, Disney Vacation Club (“DVC”) Members who book select National Geographic Expeditions itineraries save: (1) $350 off per person on select North America Land departures; or (2) $500 off per person on select International Land and River Cruise departures. Offer valid only for select departures between June and December 2023, and offer availability is limited for each departure. The per-person savings is taken from the non-discounted prevailing rate for each departure as quoted on the date of booking (“Regular Rate”). Regular Rates are based on double occupancy, vary depending on departure date and time of booking, and are subject to change. Travel must be booked 30 - 60 days prior to applicable departure date, depending on the itinerary. Not applicable to deposit, baggage fees, extensions, or airfare. Not all stateroom categories are available for booking, and the offer is not valid for Suites. Availability of the offer is subject to confirmation at time of booking and paying the standard trip deposit. Any courtesy hold, without payment of the standard deposit, will not guarantee availability of the offer for the selected departure date. Offer valid for new, cash bookings only; not valid for bookings with points or a combination of cash and points. Subject to availability at the time of booking. May not be combined with other offers, discounts, or promotions. Offer not transferable or redeemable for cash in whole or in part. Not valid for group bookings. A limited number of staterooms of certain categories are available for the promotion. Offer valid for residents of the U.S. and Canada (except for Quebec where the offer is only available to travel agents). Void where prohibited. Offer is subject to restrictions and conditions and may change without notice. Bookings subject to restrictions and trip standard terms and conditions. Disney Vacation Club Members can book by calling National Geographic Expeditions directly. To receive these discounts, Members must be eligible for Membership Extras. Membership Extras is an incidental benefit subject to change or termination. Members should refer to the Membership Extras Acknowledgement and Disclosure Statement for more information or visit disneyvacationclub.com.
Available Departures- Jun 1-10, 2023
- Jun 8-17, 2023
- Sep 14-23, 2023
- Sep 28-Oct 7, 2023
- Limited Time Offer – Returning Guests Save on Select Trips!
For a limited time, past National Geographic Expeditions travelers can save on their next exciting trip! Book by May 31, 2023 and save $500 per person on select departures. Take advantage of this special offer by calling (877) 728-7282, contacting your Travel Agent or booking online with code BPOSL24.
Available Departures- Jun 1-10, 2023
- Sep 28-Oct 7, 2023
- Take a guided tour of Atapuerca, where Europe’s oldest known hominin fossils were unearthed.
- Meet a local expert on the famed Lascaux cave on a specially arranged visit to the newly opened International Centre for Cave Art.
- Enjoy a lecture from Christine Desdemaines-Hugon, one of the world’s leading experts on Paleolithic art.
- Discover Castel-Merle’s complex of prehistoric stone shelters, and savor a “prehistoric” meal made with ingredients used by Neanderthals thousands of years ago.
Itinerary
Itinerary
Trace the footsteps of early humans as we explore the cradle of civilization in southwest France and on Spain’s northern coast. On an expedition designed with paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson, examine carvings and cave paintings that illustrate life up to 40,000 years ago. From the Dordogne to Basque Country, stay in beautiful medieval towns that dot these long-inhabited landscapes.
Arrive at Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suárez Airport (MAD) in Madrid and settle into our hotel. On a walking tour, visit the National Archaeological Museum and El Retiro Park. Gather this evening for a welcome dinner.
Journey to the Cantabria region on Spain’s northern coast and visit Atapuerca, where the oldest known hominin fossil remains in Europe have been unearthed. Later, transfer to our charming hotel, a manor house situated in the heart of the medieval village of Santillana del Mar.
Come face-to-face with some of the oldest artistic representations in human history on a visit to the caves at Puente Viesgo, part of the Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain World Heritage site. Recently identified as the oldest cave artwork in the world, the paintings in El Castillo Cave date back at least 40,800 years. Explore the nearby Las Monedas Cave—the longest in Puente Viesgo. Continue our exploration of Cantabria’s UNESCO World Heritage–listed cave art at El Pendo, situated in the heart of the Camargo Valley. El Pendo is home to a magnificent “frieze of paintings,” which dates from around 20,000 B.C. The panel—measuring more than 80 feet in length—depicts deer, a goat, a horse, and other intriguing symbols.
Begin the day with a visit to the Altamira Museum and delve deeper into the prehistory of the region. After our visit, drive to San Sebastián and enjoy a walking tour before having the rest of the day at leisure in this lively culinary capital of the Basque Country.
Cross into France and travel through the Bordeaux region to Saint-Émilion, a medieval village surrounded by centuries-old vineyards and a designated World Heritage site. Tour the village’s Monolithic Church and catacombs, which were carved out of a limestone hill in the 12th century. Continue to the beautiful Dordogne region—still commonly known by its pre-Revolutionary name, Périgord. Here, rivers have carved up the limestone landscape, leaving cliffs and caves where prehistoric humans created beautiful and mysterious artworks for tens of thousands of years. Settle into your country hotel in the Vézère Valley.
This morning, venture into the spectacular natural galleries of Pech Merle, an enormous cave system filled with prehistoric art and artifacts dating back 25,000 years. See rare representations of human figures, engraved and spotted animals, and a mammoth drawn using the natural contours of the rock. The cave floor displays children’s footprints set in the ancient clay more than 12,000 years ago. Later, stroll the charming lanes of Saint-Cirq Lapopie, and end the day with a lecture by Sandrine Geraud, an expert on the Lascaux Caves.
Enjoy a lecture from Christine Desdemaines-Hugon, one of the world's leading experts on Paleolithic art and author of Stepping Stones: A Journey Through the Ice Age Caves of the Dordogne then set out on a guided tour of the National Museum of Prehistory. After lunch on your own in the nearby town of Les Eyzies-de-Tayac visit Font-de-Gaume, home to more than 200 polychrome paintings.
On a specially arranged visit to the International Centre for Cave Art, meet with a local guide and prehistoric cave expert. The center was opened in December, 2016 and houses Lascaux IV, the most complete recreation of the original Lascaux Cave system, whose famous paintings have been off-limits to visitors since 1963 to prevent deterioration. A team of scientists, technicians, and artists have painstakingly recreated the hundreds of paintings and engravings in great detail utilizing cutting-edge laser imaging and 3D-printing technology. Later, join archaeologist Isabelle Castanet for a visit to Castel-Merle, a complex of prehistoric stone shelters more than 300 feet long, excavated and preserved by several generations of the Castanet family. See a flint knapping demonstration and try your hand at spear throwing using prehistoric techniques. Gather for a unique “prehistoric” meal made with the ingredients once used by Neanderthals. End the day with a visit to the majestic sculpted frieze of horses and bison in the shelter of the cliffs at Cap Blanc.
Explore Rouffignac Cave, known as the “cave of a hundred mammoths,” then continue to Bordeaux, a thriving port town since the Roman era. Set out on a walking tour of the city and enjoy free time to explore the city before gathering for a farewell dinner.
After breakfast, transfer to the Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport (BOD) and catch your flight home.