Spice Route Journey - From Aqaba to Venice by Private Jet

Your private jet tour begins when a chauffeur arrives to drive you from your home to the private jet terminal at Stansted Airport. Here you’ll be greeted by your dedicated tour managers, operations director and cabin crew who’ll look after you throughout your tour.
We fly first to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, where spices were offloaded in Aqaba to continue their journey overland to the Mediterranean coast. Landing this evening, we’ll head straight to our hotel on the shores of the Red Sea, where there’s time to freshen up before we gather for our first dinner together.

Waking to panoramic views over the glittering Red Sea, you might be tempted to stay all day at this beautiful hotel with its luxurious spa and private sandy beach. But there are adventures to be had on today’s choice of included tours that offer a glimpse into the lives and achievements of the ancient Nabateans. The spice trade brought immense wealth to this nomadic tribe who charged taxes to the travelling caravans bringing spices from Asia to the Mediterranean coast.
You can rise early for a visit to Wadi Rum, where we’ll jump into 4WD vehicles to drive through the red sands and chiselled canyons and enjoy lunch in this otherworldly desert landscape. Or take the desert highway to the Nabateans’ own Rose Red City of Petra and relive the stories behind its palaces, temples and tombs on a guided walking tour. Two unforgettable excursions to kick off our spice route tour in style.

For our next stop, we visit Zanzibar, the fabled ‘Spice Island’. Touching down in the late afternoon, we’ll head to the coast where our deluxe hotel is surrounded by white sand beaches and coral-rich seas. After time to settle in we enjoy dinner in the hotel’s restaurant which specialises in ethnic Swahili dishes rich with exotic spices and local ingredients like coconut and plantain.

The spices traded in Zanzibar came from all over Asia, bringing Oriental and Indian influences we can still see today. This morning’s visit to Stone Town reveals a city infused with stories and echoes from Zanzibar’s colourful past. At Darajani Market we’ll hear buyers and traders haggling as they have for centuries, as we weave our way past stalls piled high with fragrant spices.
Returning to the hotel, this afternoon is all yours - relax on the palm-fringed beach, splash out on a spa treatment or laze beside one of several ocean-view infinity pools.

This morning we’ll take a closer look at Zanzibar’s spice trade. First, we’ll meet the CEO and founder of a fairtrade spice company, then we’ll head out into the fields to talk to the farmers who work with them to plant and grow authentic, organically produced spices to meet a growing global demand. This fascinating tour gives us a unique insight into the challenges and opportunities faced by local farmers and businesses, and shines a light on Zanzibar’s spice trade throughout history up to the present day.
After a free afternoon, we’ve organised a memorable last night in Zanzibar as we gather on the beach for a private, specially prepared dinner served under the stars accompanied by local music and dancing.

Today we’ll swap palm-fringed Zanzibar for the rainforests and baobab trees of Madagascar, where 80% of the world’s vanilla is produced. We’ll board our private jet late morning, and if there’s time after arrival this afternoon, we’ve arranged a visit to Lemurs' Park for those who wish to go. Most of the lemurs at this private reserve were pets or rescued from the wild, and they all roam freely in the 5-hectare park.
After meeting and observing these characterful creatures close up, we’ll return to the hotel in time to freshen up before for dinner.

Ships laden with spices once passed by the island of Madagascar. But when the world got a taste for Madagascan vanilla, everything changed. Today we’ll explore the story of vanilla on Madagascar, taking an early domestic flight to the north-east of the island to visit a vanilla plantation and see the painstaking method of hand pollination and harvesting which makes it the second most expensive spice in the world. After a day on the plantation, with time to taste and buy the vanilla if you wish, we’ll take a domestic flight back to Antananarivo, arriving in time for dinner at the hotel.

Back on our private jet this morning we fly to Kerala on India’s Malabar Coast. This region changed the spice route forever when Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama landed at Kochi in 1498. Until then, spices had been transported from Asia to Europe by land, but his arrival opened up a new, direct trading route by sea. It was a seismic change: empires fell, colonisation followed, and doors were opened to the New World. Landing in the early evening, we’ll head to our waterfront hotel where there’s time to freshen up and relax before dinner.

This morning we’ll learn more about Kochi and its place in spice history on our tour of Fort Cochin, the oldest part of the city. With its ancient mosques and synagogues and European colonial architecture, we’ll see how centuries of traders and explorers left their mark. On the north shore we’ll stop to see the iconic giant, spider-like Chinese fishing nets and we’ll visit St Francis Church, original resting place of Vasco da Gama, who died here in 1524.
Later this afternoon we’ve arranged something very special: a snake boat regatta, staged exclusively for us. We’ll take our seats and soak up the passion and excitement as these long war canoes are powered through the water by teams of rowers spurred by rhythmic drumming and traditional boat songs. Exhilarated by the spectacle, we’ll return to our hotel for dinner.

Spices like nutmeg and allspice are grown all across Kerala, so we’ll start today with a visit to a local farm. After a private tour we’ll head out to Kerala’s famous backwaters, whose tranquil waterways feel a million miles from the rest of India. Here we’ll spend a gentle afternoon on a traditional coir houseboat, sailing slowly past lush forests and paddy fields fringed by tall palm trees.
Returning to Kochi in the late afternoon, there’s time to relax before we celebrate our last evening in India in traditional style. After a specially prepared dinner of delicious heritage dishes, we’ll watch a performance of Kathakali, a centuries-old art form where dancers in elaborate make-up and costumes act out myths and spiritual stories.

Leaving Asia, we board our private jet and fly to the Sultanate of Oman on the coast of the Arabian Sea. Oman linked northeast Africa and India on the old Spice Route, bringing flavours like ground cumin and coriander to the western world. Arriving in the afternoon, we’ll be whisked to our modern, upscale hotel which has views across the Gulf of Oman from its serene infinity pools and private sandy beach.

Today we get our first taste of the scale and beauty of Oman, passing desert landscapes and green oases en route to Nizwa, the ‘Pearl of Islam’. We’ll tour curved, crenelated Nizwa Fort with a local guide, and then head to UNESCO-listed Bahla Fort and finely sculpted Jabrin Fort, perhaps the most beautiful of them all.
After lunch in a local hotel restaurant we’ll head into the foothills of the Jebel Akhdar or Green Mountains, to walk through the atmospheric ruins of ancient Birkat Al Mauz village and take a shaded stroll under the trees in the surrounding date palm plantations.

Staying in Muscat today, we’ll turn our focus to the architecture, history and flavours of Oman. Starting with the gleaming, marble-clad Grand Mosque, we’ll continue for a privately guided visit to the Royal Opera House, a beacon of modern architecture whose bright white arches, towers and colonnades reflect a distinct Omani style.
We’ll return to the hotel via the Bateel date store where you can buy everything from date-filled biscuits and sparkling date fizz to premium, gourmet dates packaged in hand-painted boxes.
After a free afternoon, we’ll head to the marina this evening and board a privately chartered wooden dhow to cruise along the coast at sun set. After watching the sun sink into the Arabian Sea, with the twinkling lights of Muscat reflected on the water, we’ll share our last dinner in Oman at one of Muscat’s finest restaurants.

Today we fly to Europe to complete our Spice Route Journey in one of the world’s most romantic cities: Venice. Landing this afternoon, we’ll board a private water-taxi and cross to our hotel on the banks of Giudecca Island. This grand old Venetian building was once a flourmill and offers breathtaking views across the famous lagoon.

In the 15th century all spice routes led to Venice, and spice still plays a major part in the city’s cuisine. This morning we’ll learn about Venice’s centuries-old gastronomic traditions, in particular street food, on a walking tour with a local food expert.
This afternoon you can choose from several included excursions. The first is a walking tour of St Mark’s Square and Basilica, an iconic Venice experience. We also have a visit to a gondola workshop to learn how these unique boats are made, after which you can take a Venetian-style rowing lesson or join a gentle walk through the Dorsoduro neighbourhood with its picturesque palazzi and quieter canals. Another walking tour traces the history of fine art in Venice, or why not get creative and make your own souvenir at a Carnival Mask workshop?

This morning we board a water taxi and cross to the island of Murano, where fine artisan glass has been produced since the 13th century. During our private tour of one of the best factories on the island, we’ll watch master craftsmen shape the molten glass and learn why Murano glass is still prized, collected, and passed down through generations today.
After free time for lunch in Murano, we’ll head back to our hotel for a leisurely afternoon. Tonight we’ll gather for our final - and perhaps most memorable - gala meal. A fitting finale, we’ll take our seats for a farewell banquet in one of Venice’s finest palazzos.

Our spice route tour comes to an end this morning, as we board a private water taxi and head back to the airport where our jet will be waiting to fly us to the UK. Arriving at London Stansted, your private VIP vehicle will be waiting for the journey home. Jordan, Zanzibar, Madagascar, India, Oman and Venice by private jet - what an adventure.