It is the stuff of dreams: riding a camel across the Egyptian desert, a cloudless sky above you, the Nile winding behind you … gazelles bowing to lap at a glassy pool in the Serengeti as the vast sky turns purple with night … the tiered splendor of the Himalayas, rising behind a Tibetan monastery. Dreams like these are everyday realities for OAT travelers, thanks to the principles which ground every OAT adventure: value, choice, discovery, and carefully paced itineraries.
Our VALUE puts your travel dreams within reach
OAT can help you realize your travel dreams for a lot less than you thought possible. Together with our regional offices located throughout the world, we’ve been able to establish long-term relationships with many local vendors and hotels. Buying direct brings down our costs—and allows us to pass the savings on to you. And negotiating directly for hotel space also allows us to secure as many single room allotments as possible for our solo travelers. That way, we can also extend our great value to solo travelers. In fact, we offer the best value for solo travelers, guaranteed.
The CHOICE is yours
You’ll always have plenty of choices with OAT. We offer you a breadth of awe-inspiring travel destinations—from the peaks of the Andes to the sweeping desert sands of the Sahara to the rugged natural beauty of Iceland. You’ll also enjoy more trip extension choices than ever before—like tracking rare Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda or exploring ancient ghost towns in Syria. You have plenty of choices within each adventure, too, including several interesting optional tours. And the free time we’ve woven into our itineraries allows you plenty of opportunities for independent exploration. You can shop, unwind, perhaps linger at a sidewalk café, visit an interesting gallery or museum, or explore a cobbled street that caught your eye earlier in the day. You can do as much or as little as you want on an OAT adventure—the choice is yours.
DISCOVERIES that enrich and inspire
Being part of a small group allows for far more enriching and inspirational discoveries throughout your journey. You’ll experience local culture in a meaningful and personal way—breaking bread with an Egyptian family in their home, dancing with a roomful of children at a Tibetan school, or learning the secrets of the rain forest from a spiritual healer deep in the Amazon. Our small group size brings you much closer to nature and wildlife, too—to the very edge of thundering Iguassu Falls or eye to eye with a giant sea tortoise in the Galápagos. You’ll also get to try some unique and fun ways of traveling. Hop aboard a raft and float down the Urubamba River in Peru. Saddle up for a lofty perch on the back of a camel in Tunisia. In Vietnam, board a traditional junk for an overnight cruise of Halong Bay. And since we’re not restricted to the main roads like the big tour buses, we can veer off the well-worn paths for spontaneous discoveries. Gaining personal insights from your hosts and sharing impressions with your small OAT group, you’ll emerge with a more meaningful perspective.
Well PACED adventures, with an emphasis on comfort
You don’t have to be a thrill seeker, marathoner, or mountain climber to enjoy an OAT adventure. You do, of course, have to be in good health and possess a reasonable level of fitness. After all, a lot of our exploring is done the old-fashioned way: on foot. But we carefully pace our adventures to allow people of many different ages and fitness levels to travel with us. And we always balance any steep hikes or lengthy city walking tours with plenty of ‘down time’ to allow you to refresh and rejuvenate. Sure, you may get your hands dirty on an OAT adventure—hopping on an elephant’s back in Thailand or paddling a canoe in the Amazon—but that’s all part of the fun. You may even have to “rough it” a bit on occasion, but when you can do things like warming yourself by the glow of a riverside campfire in Nepal, that’s a small price to pay. And you can always rest assured knowing that your safety and comfort are our top priority. Plus, with a resident Trip Leader along, and our local staff in a regional office nearby, we’re right where you are.
It’s included with OAT …
- Travel in a small group of 10-16 on our Land Adventures, guaranteed, and 16-25 on our Small Ship Adventures, guaranteed
- The services of an expert, resident OAT Trip Leader who speaks fluent English as well as the native language
- Most meals, including all meals during the cruise portions of our Small Ship Adventures
- Accommodations, often at distinctive lodgings chosen to enhance your experience
- Daily small group activities and unique cultural activities
- All internal transportation
- And more