Travel to the Ends – and Beginnings – of the Earth 

If 2022 was the year of returning to travel, 2023 is the year of making those travel plans count. 

To that point, London-based GeoCultura LTD is launching some 19 tour departures in 2023 that will take curious and engaged travelers through the deserts, prairies and forests of North America to the rocky crags of Scotland to the hidden highlights of Southern England in small groups led by scholastic leaders in the fields of archaeology and geology. Travel that counts is travel that adds wisdom and experience to those who venture, and brings that much more understanding about the world we inhabit. 

Consider a tour that moves beyond the bounds of Outlander to revisit the amazing history and conflicts that shaped the DNA of the North West Scottish Highlands. From the geology and profile of the land to the foundations of the Jacobite uprising, small groups of 12 to 14 people visit seminal sites in Scottish history associated with battles and castles as they learn how geology influenced the Scottish landscapes as well as the events of the Second World War. 

Or it may be travel that is focused on the influences at play in the shaping of what is now the United States. For instance, a GeoCultura tour that runs through Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and western Massachusetts looks at American Revolutionary War locales where geology played a role in the outcome of events. Places such as Independence Hall, Valley Forge, the two Washington Crossings, the Dey Mansion, the Great Falls at Paterson, the Hamilton/Burr dueling grounds and the route of Cornwallis’s pursuit of Washington up the Palisades are in focus with stories and context offered by respected authors and experts in Revolutionary War history. 

But the tides of history are also the stuff of art and culture. The geological and historical that played upon the land also influenced artists, especially the Hudson River School’s Thomas Cole and Frederic Church, and later Edward Hopper – all covered with visits to homes and museums on this tour. 

A particularly poignant and timely journey for 2023 happens in May as the world witnesses the first coronation of a British sovereign in more than 70 years.  London, Stonehenge, Bath, and the Jurassic Coast: A geo-culture tour of Southern England starts out with these historic events as King Charles III is crowned and takes the coronation oath, and ends in London as well. The tour links Victorian and Georgian history with the pre-history and landscapes of Southern England: Stonehenge, the Georgian destination of Bath and the splendors of Jurassic Coast sites, such as Lulworth Cove and Chesil Beach. Guests immerse the rolling landscapes of Thomas Hardy’s novels while going on fossil hunts, visiting cathedrals and castles and taking in the magical waters. 

Then, there is the rich geology, culture and gastronomy of the Catalan Pyrenees that is explored through the subsurface presence of salt throughout the rolling terrain. Salt became a commodity of trade and prosperity and influenced culture throughout this eastern Spanish enclave – all expressed in the arts, architecture, cuisines, migrations and conflicts that shaped these ancient lands. It’s all wrapped into stunning stories told by connoisseurs of the culture in tours that run from Barcelona to Girona in Spain. 

GeoCultura tours range from three nights and four days to eight nights and nine days, and every tour is steeped in eye-opening tales that show how the earth, the land, the people and the pervading influences of various eras and time connected to bring us to where we are today. 

“The first germ of an idea for GeoCultura started when a group of friends got together to plan a trip. We wanted something that allowed us to visit spectacular landscapes and rocks while also enjoying the best the region had to offer. And GeoCultura was born,” said Rob Knipe, Chairperson at GeoCultura. An Emeritus Professor of Structural Geology at the University of Leeds, Knipe founded Rock Deformation Research Ltd, a leading structural geological consultancy and has concentrated is work around the Scottish Highlands over the past four decades, winning prestigious awards from the Geological Society of London. Currently, he is putting his focus on Energy Transition, and works with local and national groups promoting changes towards a carbon neutral society. 

Also on the team’s board is Neil Harbury, a former senior lecturer at University of London and founder of Nautilus – the industry’s premier training business, working with over 80 companies world-wide. His ongoing area of passion remains creating and leading geoscience tours.

Tour managers work hand in hand with regional focus experts to assure that while groups and individuals are being looked after with care, no topic goes unexplained, no question goes unanswered. Thus, these eye-opening experiences offer effects that are long-lasting and often sea-changing for tour guests with wisdom and understanding that lingers well beyond the bounds of the tour. GeoCultura tours bring a robust roster of scientists to the planning and execution of each tour, maintaining an “earth-first” focus for every itinerary to reveal how life as we know it sprang and continues to be shaped by the events of this planet. 

Tours start at around $2,000 per person (double), including meals, fees and transportation. A modicum of fitness is required, although walking distances are reasonable and terrains are clear and well maintained. A reading list for each tour is available for those whose interests extend beyond a surface glint. Accommodations are chosen for their historic significance or qualities that complement tour themes. 

Featured Tours to Check Out:

21-24 March 2023 – Jurassic Coast

23 April – 1 May 2023 – Desert Adventure, South-eastern Utah

11-18 June – Rio Grande Rift of Colorado and New Mexico

6-12 Sept – NW Highlands of Scotland

24-30 Sept – Wisconsin Rocks and Art

15-21 Oct – Geology and Archaeology in the Gulf of Corinth (includes 3 nights in Athens)

**Pls Note: Travel Agents receive minimum 15% Commissions