Nexion Canada's Blog

Teesta River, Sikkim

Eight hours east, along the wormy roads is Sikkim's capital, Gangtok with an altogether different personality. The drive is educational. Outside the car window, endless mountain-sides and alpine forests pass, while inside, our guide explains Sikkim's inner-workings: how monks (or lamas), spend three years, three months and three days in solitary confinement before they are fully-fledged holy men; how a young boy's greatest honor is to be packed off to a monastery for life.

So start planning your trip now!

Photo Credit

Argentina is renowed for its excellent and diverse selection of wine - Malbec, Mendoza - there are many rich varieties. The terrain seems to complement the European grade varietals with interesting notes not present when produced in other climates.

That's why you should definitely do some wine tasting when you visit. You can always try new bottles out during dinner, but we recommend taking a tasting tour towards the beginning to guide your palette throughout  your trip. 

One such tour is the Wine Tour Urbano - from their website:

"It is a different way of tasting wines. If you're looking for the best Argentina has to offer, you can miss it. Wineries in shops, you walking around with a glass, poured in each spot."

Sounds incredible! Check out their Spring schedule here. 

And when you're ready to take your next trip, be sure to travel with Nexiin Canada Professionals!

See Brazil from the eyes of our agent, Latin America specialist Johanna Turres.

Looking for something exotic?

Nicknamed the "Spice Island" for good reason, this beautiful archipelago off the coast of Tanzania is a hotbed of spices and fruit. Take a tour with Zanzibar locals to see and experience first-hand the unique farming culture.

Know

Spices found growing on Zanzibar include cardamon, ginger, nutmeg, anise, cinnamon, jack fruit, kukurma, vanilla, tamarind, and menthol, in addition to henna and soap berry trees, and much more.

The island once produced 3/4 of the world’s cloves, the clove industry being the foundation of the golden age of development in Zanzibar. Cloves are still cultivated today. The island is also one of the few places in the world that saffron - long the world’s most expensive spice by weight - is produced.

Guides will describe in detail uses for the various plants. While some are for flavoring, others are curative: the neem tree, once used as a cure for malaria and indigestion, and the iodine tree, that produces red sap used to fight infection.

Tour

Tours are about $10-$15 USD/CAD. Visit plantations, private gardens, and forests, where you have the opportunity to visit local farmers and speak with them about traditional spices and fruits.

Most tours are by dala-dala - pick-up trucks converted into buses.

Other places of interest include the old Sultan Rest House to view the Persian Baths built in 1850 by Seyyid Said bin Sultan (the first Sultan of Zanzibar) for his wife Princess Shehzard, as well as the Maruhubi Palace Ruins.

Most tours provide lunches of seafood or Zanzibar curry, coconut milk and fresh fruit. 

Be Careful

Avoid buying a spice tour on the street. The “guide” may very well just take your money without a booking. Another common scam is when “guides” act like club promoters, meaning they follow you into (or give you directions to) the office, and the tour price changes from $10 to $15, with you paying the commission.

Check Out

Overland Africa: Spice Tour

Zanzibar Magic Spice Tour: Spices and Fruits of Zanzibar

Zanzibar Quest

Zanzibar.com

Remember

No matter how exotic your next trip is, we can take care of all of the arrangements. Our knowledgable and experienced staff loves adventure and can make your dream trip a reality. Just contact us for more information.