Stephens Alumnae Travel Program
A visit to the Chateaux des Milandes while in Dordogne, France, October 2011.
Pictured (L-to-R): Leigh Cool ’64, Suze Ferguson Douglas ’77, Ann Hicks ’54 and Doris Bessette ’68.
2012 and 2013 Trips
Several trips in 2012 and 2013 are being planned by Kathleen Fung ’67 (of Far Fung Places LLC) and Suze Ferguson Douglas ’77 (of France Ever After Tours at a discounted rate as part of the Stephens Alumnae Travel Program. Stephens Alumnae must make a new $300 donation to Stephens College in order to participate. For more information on the trips, please call (800) 410-9811 (Kathleen) or (480) 473-2076 (Suze).
The Silk Road from Central Asia (Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan) through China
September 22–October 22, 2012
Join Kathleen Fung on a sweep of history, retracing the footsteps of Alexander the Great, Tamerlane, and Chang Chien on the Silk Road from Turkmenistan to Xian. Raisa Gareyeva a renowned expert on Central Asia will offer personal insights into the indigenous cultures from Turkmenistan to Kygyzstan. Land price: $10,750 per person, double occupancy. Central Asia land only: $6875 per person, double occupancy. Plus airfares, $2100 approximately.
Pictured: Central Asia Karakoram Highway. Photo credit: Far Fung Places LLC
Escapade to the French Countryside
September 23-October 2, 2012
Join Suze on an exploration of the Dordogne Valley of southwestern France and discover the rustic charm, dramatic landscapes, and wonderful cuisine of this enchanting region. This culturally rich province traces its civilization to prehistoric Man, who left his most impressive mark in Europe in the Dordogne’s cave of Lascaux. More recently, in medieval times, the area was the hub of castle & châteaux construction and today boasts more than 1000 fortresses, which dot the landscape above the Dordogne River. Limited to 6 people with a minimum of 5. Land price: $4,395 per person, double occupancy; single supplement: $420. Plus airfares, $1400 approximately.
Pictured: The medieval Château de Castelnaud in the foreground with the Château de Beynac in the distance
- By Invitation Only - Cuba Visual and Performing Arts
Experience
November 2–11, 2012
Land price: $3,660 per person, double occupancy, includes upgrade to the Parque Central Hotel in old Havana for four nights; single supplement: $550. Charter fare: $490 from Miami.
- Eastern Bhutan – with the renowned Trashigang and Drametse drum dance (with optional wildlife safari in Assam)
November 17–December 2, 2012
Join Kathleen Fung for the annual Trashigang Festival and the compelling Drametse drum dance of UNESCO fame. The dramatic dance starts with a fire blessing ceremony followed by 21 dances performed by lay monks wearing distinctive animal masks while in meditation. Highlights also include staying in a quiet valley close to a practicing Buddhist monastery where you attend morning prayers with the monks and a two-night stay in Trashiyangtse close to the border of Tibet, where we hike the Bondeling Trail to see the black-necked cranes. Land price: $5200 per person, double occupancy based on ten people. Plus airfares: $1475 approximately. Single Supplement $490. Assam extension: December 2-5, 2012; $1305 per person, double occupancy.
- Northern Ethiopia with the Timkat Celebration (with optional trip to South Ethiopia and the tribes of South Omo)
January 13-25, 2013
Join Kathleen Fung for an adventurous cultural and visual experience in eastern Africa. The annual Timkat celebration in the primarily Orthodox Christian North will be a solemn and moving event. Visits to 12th-century churches, some carved below ground, and 17th century castles and palaces are some of the highlights, along with the Simien mountains. South Ethiopia is mostly animistic and tribal, and we will visit the Mursi, known for the women's practice of inserting large clay plates behind their lower lips once they reach puberty. Land price: $5707 per person, double occupancy based on ten people. Plus international airfares: $2000. South Ethiopia extension: January 25-February 3, 2013; Land price: $3750 per person, double occupancy based on six people. Plus airfares: $1800 approximately. Single Supplement $1600.
- Madagascar (with optional trip to Diego Suarez)
May 20-June 6, 2013
Madagascar - the world's fourth largest island full of plants and animals found nowhere else on earth. Kathleen Fung will be your guide for this amazing adventure. Highlights include the capital of Antannanarivo in the Highlands, the Horombe Platateau which supports zebu herds and Berenty, known for its "dancing lemurs". Land price: $6,598 per person, double occupancy based on ten people. Plus airfares: $480 regional; approximately $2000 plus taxes international. Single supplement $1165. Diego Suarez extension: June 6-10, 2013; $1746 per person, double occupancy.
- Peru, Machu Picchu, Galapagos Islands (with extenstion to the Amazon at Ceibu tops)
October 2-13, 2013
Peru - the land of the Incas with Machu Picchu at the exclusive Sanctuary Lodge, Cuzco with its well preserved Incan mounments, Trujillo to visit Chan Chan, the largest pre-Columbian mud city in the Americas, and the Lord of Sipan at Chiclayo, royal burial site dating to the 2nd century. This will be a fascinating historical journey with luxury hotels led by Kathleen Fung for seven Stephens alumnae. Land price: $6193 per person, double occupancy. Plus airfares: $1200 (international and regional) approximately. Single supplement $2073. Amazon extension: October 12-15, 2013; Land price: $1105 per person, double occupancy. Plus airfare: $250. Kathleen joins the Amazon extension if the group reaches seven participants.
View images from the Bhutan trip in October 2010.
To learn more about the Stephens Alumnae Travel Program, please contact the Office of Philanthropy at (573) 876-7110 or alumnae@stephens.edu.
