Wondering where to tick off your bucket list next? We’ve got a string of exciting new tours – including one brand-new destination – to help you discover some fascinating corners of the world.

Whether you fancy history and spectacular scenery in Tunisia, seeing iconic landmarks in China, spotting the diverse wildlife of Costa Rica, or uncovering the highlights of Ancient Egypt, there’s a new adventure to tempt everyone. Here’s our pick of our new worldwide tours.

Despite being smaller than Scotland, Tunisia packs plenty inside its borders, and our 15-day tour is the perfect introduction. A brand-new addition to our list of destinations, this captivating country will appeal to those who love other areas of North Africa, such as Morocco.

You’ll find plenty that feels familiar, from the food to aspects of the culture, but Tunisia’s mix of history, beaches and landscapes makes it unique.

Once you’ve walked in the footsteps of gladiators at the 3rd-century Roman amphitheatre El Jem, the largest colosseum in North Africa with space for 35,000 spectators, explore the UNESCO-listed medina in Sousse and the 8th-century fortress at Monastir, which fans of Monty Python’s Life of Brian will recognise.

El Jem's Roman amphitheater, Tunisia

Wander the winding alleys of the medina in the capital Tunis before visiting Africa’s second-largest museum, the Bardo Museum, with its spectacular collection of Roman mosaics and artefacts from nearby ancient Carthage.

A few hours south, Kairouan is the fourth most sacred city in the world for Muslims and its 7th century Great Mosque Okba is one of the oldest places of worship in the Islamic world, constructed using stones from even more ancient Roman and Phoenician buildings.

But you’ll have time away from the cities too, venturing into the Sahara to discover the secrets of the desert. As you voyage through the shifting golden sands, find shimmering white salt lakes, dramatic canyons, palm-fringed oases and cascading waterfalls along the way.

Add in luxurious hotels, delicious Tunisian food and local olive oil, the picturesque blue and white clifftop village of Sidi Bou Said, and otherworldly filming locations from the Star Wars films, and this is unquestionably a trip to remember.

From the days of 13th-century European explorers such as Marco Polo, China has fascinated travellers. And this huge country is no less enticing today, whether you’re hoping to see some of the world’s iconic landmarks with your own eyes or just experience daily life in the Land of the Dragon.

Our new 17-day tour, China: Realm of the Dragon packs in 13 separate excursions as you journey from current capital Beijing to ancient capital Xi’an and second city Shanghai, two high-speed bullet train trips helping to whisk you across the world’s third-largest country.

No trip to Beijing is complete without setting foot inside the Forbidden City, the 500-year home of the emperors, or walking along part of the Great Wall of China. But beyond the big-name sights, you’ll find tight-knit communities and traditional arts in the city’s traditional narrow alleyways or hutongs too.

Terracotta Warriors, Xi'an, China

Step further back in time in Xi’an, famously home to the astonishing Terracotta Warriors, more than 8,000 individual life-sized clay soldiers created two millennia ago to protect the first emperor of China in the afterlife. The unique culture and traditions of the Muslim Quarter have endured for hundreds of years too, after Muslims settled in the Silk Road city in the 7th century.

There’s more unexpected history in Chengdu – now perhaps better known for its panda conservation centres; the Shu civilisation thrived here in the Bronze Age, while the largest Buddha in the world towers 71 metres high above the river at Leshan. In Suzhou, known as the Venice of the East, silk production dates back almost 900 years and cultural heritage is at the heart of any stay, from opera and embroidery to storytelling, cookery and tea making.

Last but not least, history meets modernity in Shanghai, where colonial buildings line the waterfront alongside futuristic skyscrapers, while temples and gardens provide tranquil escapes in the bustling commercial heart of China.

If you love nature, there’s nowhere quite like Costa Rica, with its rainforests, cloud forests and lush untamed landscapes. More than a quarter of the country is protected national park or reserve, home to exotic wildlife ranging from sloths to brightly coloured birds and frogs. Costa Rica is the most densely biodiverse country in the world.

Our new 14-night Costa Rica adventure tour takes you to both coasts of the country, crammed with a string of memorable excursions such as trekking through misty cloud forest, gliding along rivers and marvelling at the richly diverse nature which abounds.

Three different species of sea turtles nest on the beaches around Tortuguero National Park from July to October, with monkeys, toucans, macaws and caimans living in the rainforest here too. Or a little way inland from the Caribbean coast, La Tirimbina Biological Reserve is known for its sloths and porcupines, best spotted on a nocturnal walk.

Tortuguero National Park, Costa Rica

There are more adventures to enjoy as you travel onwards to the country’s Pacific coast, walking around the base of the volcano at Arenal National Park, before relaxing in the naturally-heated hot springs. Then head up into the forest canopy at Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, also home to sloths, armadillos and coatis, while clouds of Blue Morpho butterflies flit at Monteverde Butterfly Gardens.

Spy hundreds of species of orchids and birds as you go, including the spectacular quetzal with its jewel-toned feathers and metre-long tail, or team sloth-filled rainforest and beach at Manuel Antonio National Park. And if monkeys are your favourite, you’ll love Corcovado National Park, where howler, spider and white-faced monkeys leap through the trees around you. Where better to embrace the local philosophy of “pura vida”, or pure life?

With the long-anticipated Grand Egyptian Museum now open, there’s never been a better time to book a trip to discover Ancient Egypt, and our Land of the Pharaohs tour mixes the highlights on land and on the Nile, featuring a four-night all-inclusive Nile cruise.

But before you set foot on board, experience the best of Cairo, including the Pyramids of Giza, the only surviving Wonder of the Ancient World, as well as the impressive new Grand Egyptian Museum. The world’s largest archaeological museum, it houses treasures from Tutankhamun’s tombs such as his famous golden burial mask, while a dozen other galleries are packed with artefacts from many millennia of Egyptian history. Don’t miss King Khufu’s boats, buried at the foot of the Great Pyramid 4,500 years ago and only rediscovered last century.

There’s time to see Cairo’s more recent history before you leave too, including the medieval Citadel and Coptic Cairo, home to one of the world’s oldest Christian communities.

The tomb of the Ramesses pharaohs in the Valley of the Kings, Egypt

As you travel south to Upper Egypt, the Valley of the Kings is honeycombed with more than 60 tombs including those of Tutankhamun and Ramses VI, plus the temple of Hatshepsut. Lose yourself in the time of the pharaohs as you cruise, exploring the temples of Luxor and Karnak, along with the Nile temples of Edfu and Kom Ombo, dedicated to crocodile-headed god, Sobek.

After disembarking, there’s yet another side of Egypt to discover in colourful Nubian-influenced Aswan – alongside not one but two astonishing engineering feats. Once you’ve admired the monumental Aswan High Dam, marvel at the vast temple of Abu Simbel, flanked by colossal statues of Ramses II – the only thing more astonishing than this imposing grandeur is the work involved relocating it, to avoid the site being lost beneath the waters of the dam’s Lake Nasser reservoir.

See our wide range of holiday destinations