Conde Nast Traveler's- 32 Trips of a Lifetime

Venice, anyone? In St. Mark's Square.
Meeting baby elephants in Kenya. Getting an in-depth look at Yves Saint-Laurent's private archives with a Parisian fashion historian. Walking in the footsteps of emperors through normally off-limits sections of Beijing's Forbidden City. These are some of the world's most sought-after travel experiences—those that take you behind the scenes, allowing privileged access to people, places, and events that are verboten to most. But you won't read about any of these exploits in the guidebook. Entrée is possible only through the right connections; travel specialists with the inside contacts to transform your fantasies into reality. Ready to be inspired?

AFRICA

RWANDA
Gorillas in the Mist
Visit the regional headquarters of the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP), a conservation program that studies and monitors the health of the endangered mountain gorilla. After a tour of the research facilities and a Q&A session with the staff, go into the mountains for two days of gorilla tracking. On the eve of the second day, Dr. Lucy Spelman, former director of the National Zoo at the Smithsonian, or another senior staff member, will join you for dinner at your lodge. Cost: $10,900, including five nights' lodging, meals, and transfers from Kigali, and a $1,000 donation to the MGVP. Source: Ryan Hilton, Admiral Travel Gallery (941-951-1801; ryan@admiraltravel.com; admiraltravel.com). BEST FOR: Adventurous types who have a true interest in the research the MGVP is doing. BUT BEWARE: This trip is physically taxing—at a minimum, you must be able to climb ten flights of stairs uninterrupted.

KENYA
An Elephant Encounter
Take a tour of Daphne Sheldrick's Elephant Orphanage in Nairobi. Sheldrick was the first person to hand-rear orphaned newborn elephants successfully and release them back into the wild. Most visitors watch the elephants from behind ropes; you'll be able to approach them and talk to their keepers, who sleep side by side with the animals. Cost: $250, as a donation to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Source: Dan Saperstein, Hippo Creek Safaris (866-930-9124; info@hippocreeksafaris.com; hippocreeksafaris.com). BEST FOR: Families, particularly kids. BUT BEWARE: Get ready to be sprayed with red clay and slobber.

THE AMERICAS

ARGENTINA
Dine Around Town
Have a private, progressive dinner across Buenos Aires: Each of your four courses will be served in a different restaurant, opened early just for you. At every stop, you'll have a chance to talk to the head chef about his or her inspiration and philosophy of cooking. Venues will be tuned to your taste but might include such noteworthy establishments as Casa Cruz, Thymus, and Oviedo, as well as several private, closed-door eating societies. Your sommelier guide, a well-known food critic in the city, will choose wines to match each restaurant's signature dish. The night will end at her home with dessert and a late-harvest wine. Cost: $1,320. Source: Vanessa Guibert Heitner, Limitless Argentina (202-536-5812; vanessa@limitlessargentina.com; limitlessargentina.com). BEST FOR: Die-hard foodies and oenophiles who want one-on-one attention from the city's finest chefs. BUT BEWARE: Because it would be prohibitively expensive to close the restaurants during dinner service, you'll be eating in the late afternoon.

COSTA RICA
Rock of Ages
Visit the mysterious, nearly perfect stone spheres that have been found along Costa Rica's southern Pacific coast with Adrian Bonilla, the Palmar Sur site's lead archaeologist, at a location that is accessible only with permission from the community. Hundreds of these spheres, known locally as Las Bolas and ranging in size from bowling balls to 15-ton boulders, have been discovered since the 1940s; Bonilla, who works for the National Museum in San José, found the most recent one a year ago while excavating the remains of a pre-Columbian village. Though early theories speculated that the stones were carved by aliens or by Mother Nature, Bonilla believes they are the work of the native Chiriqui people. Cost: $2,000, including a donation to the project. Source: Richard Edwards, Green Spot Travel (877-891-3539; richard@greenspottravel.org; greenspot.travel). BEST FOR: Amateur archaeologists and conspiracy theorists looking for the straight story. BUT BEWARE: Don't come in September and October, when the rains are so heavy that your charter flight to the site might not even be able to take off.

HAWAII
Seeing Stars
'Imiloa Astronomy Center can arrange for a handful of individuals or couples a year to visit the Mauna Kea Observatories, accompanied by an astronomer. A tax-deductible contribution is requested. Contact Gloria Chun Hoo at 'Imiloa for details (808-969-9705).

ASIA/PACIFIC

AUSTRALIA
Aboriginal Artifacts
Take a private tour of Adelaide's South Australian Museum, which has the most comprehensive collection of Australian Aboriginal artifacts—as well as the best opalized fossil collection—in the world. The museum's indigenous-culture expert will show you around, and you'll also visit an off-site warehouse full of items, including thousands of boomerangs and spears from across Australia. Finally, you'll stop at Marshall Arts, a gallery that specializes in contemporary Aboriginal pieces. Cost: $1,415, including lunch. Source: Drew Kluska, Outback Encounter (61-8-8354-4405; dkluska@outbackencounter.com; outbackencounter.com). BEST FOR: Those who don't have the time for a trip into the Outback but who want a taste of Aboriginal life. BUT BEWARE: Gazing at stack after stack of artifacts can be overwhelming if you don't have at least a passing knowledge of (or a passion for) the culture.

CHINA
Challenge a Champion
Play table tennis with Zhang Yining, the current women's team and singles Olympic champion. You'll spend 60 to 90 minutes playing a few rounds, with time for photo ops and a chat about her Olympic experience. Your visit will include a tour of the facility where Olympic badminton and martial arts hopefuls also train, and the chance to meet and speak with the center's staff and coaches. Cost: $16,500; also available is a similar experience with Wang Tao, the '92 Barcelona Olympics doubles champion, for $9,800, and a two-hour lesson with Wang Tao's former coach for $500. Source: Guy Rubin, Imperial Tours (888-888-1970; guy@imperialtours.net; imperialtours.net). BEST FOR: Those who want bragging rights—how many people can claim to have played an Olympic champion? BUT BEWARE: Because of her rigorous training schedule, Zhang Yining has limited availability January through September.

Opera Starring You
Attend a training school to learn about Peking opera, a traditional art form that combines music, singing, mime, dance, martial arts, and acrobatics. Recruited students attend in lieu of junior high and high school, and you'll visit some of their classes, talk with teachers and students, and watch an acrobatics training session before donning a traditional costume and elaborate makeup to try your hand at a musical piece or dance. Cost: $1,100. Source: Gerald Hatherly, Abercrombie & Kent (852-2865-7818; hatherly@abercrombiekent.com.hk; abercrombiekent.com). BEST FOR: Anyone with a flair for the dramatic and the performance bug; to prep, watch Chen Kaige's epic Farewell, My Concubine. BUT BEWARE: Visits are restricted during exam periods (Dec. and late May–early June), the Chinese New Year holiday, and summer break (July–Aug.).

INDIA
A Royal Birthday Bash
Attend the birthday party of Crown Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil, the first openly gay member of India's royal class. Held at the prince's ancestral palace outside Mumbai, the two-day celebration is a festival of India's art, music, and food, with live entertainment and a socially diverse and international guest list—including artists, Indian celebrities, and often several Bollywood actors. You'll also be granted a short visit with the prince himself. Varying with the Indian calendar, the birthday festival is held on a weekend in September or October. Cost: $1,800, including two nights' accommodation and a $500 donation to the prince's charity dedicated to HIV/AIDS education and prevention. Source: David Rubin, DavidTravel (949-723-0699; davidrubin@davidtravel.com; davidtravel.com). BEST FOR: Social, high-energy types who are enthralled with India's culture and want an immersion in it like no other. BUT BEWARE: This experience is not for wallflowers—you'll need to introduce yourself to other partygoers and be comfortable in a crowd of strangers.

JAPAN
Teatime
Spend a morning at a tea plantation in Shizuoka or Uji—two of Japan's most renowned tea-growing regions—with a tea expert and an English interpreter. You'll walk the fields, learning how to select and handpick the leaves. You'll also tour the processing plant to see how the leaves are dried and packed, learn about different grades and types of tea, and, if you like, take part in a tea ceremony. Cost: $2,600, including transportation by bullet train and private car. Source: Ashley Isaacs Ganz, Artisans of Leisure (800-214-8144; info@artisansofleisure.com; artisansofleisure.com). BEST FOR: Passionate tea quaffers interested in learning the fine points of sencha and gyokuro. BUT BEWARE: Though this trip is available year-round, try to time yours to when the leaves are being harvested (late April–early May).

JAPAN
Mastering Manga
Take a two-hour private lesson with a master of manga (Japanese comics, the print version of anime), a passion of Japan's pop culture. You'll learn to draw the cartoon figures' expressive eyes and distinctive hair with an instructor from Kyoto Seika University, and have a private tour of the Kyoto International Manga Museum with a curator and translator. Cost: $1,200. Source: Ashley Isaacs Ganz (see also "Teatime," Japan). BEST FOR: Families with kids in their early teens, who are likely already fascinated by manga and anime. BUT BEWARE: This is not Manga 101—you should have some familiarity with the art's aesthetic before you attempt to draw your own.

MONGOLIA
Power to the People
Spend two days with Tsetsegee Munkhbayar, the winner of the prestigious 2007 Goldman Environmental Prize and a 2008 National Geographic Emerging Explorer. Just a few years ago, Munkhbayar was a yak herdsman on the steppes of Mongolia when he founded the Onggi River Movement, a grassroots environmental organization working against 37 gold mining companies with operations in the Onggi Basin. Thanks to his work, all but one of the companies have shut down operations, and the once-dry river is now flowing again. You'll drive along the Onggi with Munkhbayar and visit the reseeding projects he's initiated to prevent erosion along the banks. Cost: $7,000, including a donation to the Onggi River Movement. Source: Jalsa Urubshurow, Nomadic Expeditions (609-860-9008; jalsa@nomadicexpeditions.com; nomadicexpeditions.com). BEST FOR: Greenies who want one-on-one time with a true hero of the grassroots environmental movement. BUT BEWARE: The river and reseeding projects are much more impressive in spring and summer.

MONGOLIA
Birds of Prey
Spend two days with a Kazakh eagle trainer as he prepares for the annual Golden Eagle Festival. You'll learn how the hunter improves his bird's speed and accuracy and will spend time with his family as they tend livestock and construct a ger (you can even stay in one). Cost: $4,500. Source: Jalsa Urubshurow. BEST FOR: Travelers who want a glimpse of the routine of daily life for traditional Turkic people. BUT BEWARE: Accommodations are fairly basic.

NEW ZEALAND
The Art of War
Spend a day learning about Maori warfare and weaponry. Your guide, a descendant of a legendary Maori war chief, will take you to a historic fortified village (where you'll tour some private homes) to learn about the 5,000 Maori who lived at the site—and about the times of war and the tactics used to defend it against rival tribes. Next, you'll visit the Auckland Museum, where an expert in Maori art will show you different kinds of weaponry and explain the designs on them. After lunch, your day will end in a sea-cliff cave, where you will undergo a traditional wero challenge (to ascertain whether you, the visitor, came for war or for peace) and will have the chance to learn how to use the rakau (fighting stick). Cost: $1,050. Source: Donna Thomas, New Zealand Travel (215-741-5155; nztravel@aol.com). BEST FOR: Travelers who have some knowledge of Maori culture and want an in-depth exploration of it. BUT BEWARE: You must be able to walk 30 minutes—on sand—to reach the cave where the wero challenge takes place.

CROATIA
Costume Party
Score an exclusive invite (attendance is by invitation of the mayor only) to the Grand Masquerade Ball in Rijeka during Carnival. Each year, the mayor symbolically hands over the keys to the city to the master of ceremonies, who leads Rijeka in outrageous revelry for several days before Lent. At the ball, held in the seventeenth-century Governor's Palace, you'll mingle with heads of state, politicians, ambassadors, and representatives from around the world. The next day, watch from the City Hall balconies as the parade of colorful delegations from around Croatia and as far away as Japan goes by. Cost: $3,400, including three nights' accommodation, breakfast, airport transfers, and a donation to the Grand Ball Charity of the Year. Source: Wanda S. Radetti, Tasteful Croatian Journeys (718-932-6893; wandasradetti@visitcroatia.com; visitcroatia.com). BEST FOR: Party people who want an upscale, old-world alternative to New Orleans or Rio. BUT BEWARE: You'll need to have elaborate costumes and masks made that relate to the year's theme.

FINLAND
Husky Helper
Spend a day at a husky breeding and training farm in Saariselkä, 150 miles above the Arctic Circle. You'll get to follow the caretakers as they feed and groom the farm's 250 dogs, and drive a team of six huskies. Cost: $1,800, including one night's accommodation and all meals. Source: David Rubin (see also "A Royal Birthday Bash," India). BEST FOR: Those with some prior large dog experience—although you will of course get husky instruction. BUT BEWARE: You'll be outdoors in frigid temperatures.

FRANCE
Art on the Riviera
Take a VIP tour of the art scene in St-Paul-de-Vence, a famous artists' colony outside Nice. You'll start at the private home of the owner of Angle Gallery, one of the most respected sources of modern and contemporary art in town. Here you'll see pieces by Warhol, Cézanne, Miró, and David Lachapelle. After lunch at La Colombe d'Or, the restaurant's owner will show you his own art collection and explain how his grandfather and father acquired the pieces from Picasso, Matisse, Utrillo, and other artists. Cost: $750, including a three-course lunch with wine. Source: Anthony Bay, Abercrombie & Kent (33-4-92-35-59; france@europe.abercrombiekent.com; abercrombiekent.com). BEST FOR: Lovers of twentieth-century art who want to admire works without being pressured into buying. BUT BEWARE: This experience is available only from April through October.

Looking Good
Take a private tour of the Paris fashion world with a guide who specializes in the history of fashion. You'll start with a VIP visit to an haute couture fashion house such as Chanel (the exact boutique will vary based on availability), where you'll be greeted by the manager and given a behind-the-scenes tour. Then you'll visit the Pierre Bergé–Yves Saint Laurent Foundation and have access to the private archives of the famous designer. The final stop will be Louis Vuitton's flagship boutique. Cost: $3,020, including afternoon tea. Source: Anthony Bay (see the preceding). BEST FOR: Fashion addicts who care about today's styles and where they came from. BUT BEWARE: Dress appropriately (no sneakers); many shops close in August.

HUNGARY
Bohemian Rhapsody
Dine with Fürstin (a princess in Hapsburg nobility) Suzanne Lobkowicz, who lives on her family's lands near Sopron, just across Lake Neusiedl from Austria. Her Szechenyi ancestors (the Fürstin's maiden name) famously led the Magyars against their Turkish occupiers in the seventeenth century; the beautiful Szechenyi Bridge in Budapest is named after them, and there are statues of family members in many Hungarian towns. Her former husband, Fürst Ottokar Lobkowicz (now deceased), came from another famed Bohemian family with a castle north of Prague. The Fürstin can tell you about her years in Geneva while the Communists ruled Hungary, her work as a horse trader and farmer, and her son's Ludmilla winery, as well as centuries of aristocratic family history. Cost: From $1,025. Source: Ellison Poe, Poe Travel (800-727-1960; epoe@poetravel.com). BEST FOR: Aficionados of the much-celebrated House of Hapsburg. BUT BEWARE: Do your homework so that you sound reasonably knowledgeable in the presence of this elegant princess.

ITALY
A Feast of Flowers
Participate in the town of Spello's Corpus Domini celebration. Each year on a designated date in late spring, the feast is marked by laying extravagant floral carpets (infiorate) over the streets. Floral artists create larger-than-life depictions of religious themes or re-creations of sacred art using only the petals and seeds, laboring all night on the eve of the Infiorata, when the Host is carried through the streets in a procession. On Saturday night, you will be able to work on the murals with the flower artists, and on Sunday morning, you will watch the procession from the private palazzo of one of Spello's most respected families. Cost: $2,200. Source: Maria Gabriella Landers and Brian Dore, Concierge in Umbria (212-769-4767; info@conciergeinumbria.com; conciergeinumbria.com). BEST FOR: People who respect and are intrigued by ancient traditions in Italy's villages. BUT BEWARE: Participating in the entire experience means going to bed late and rising early the next day—don't plan on getting a good night's sleep.

The Bag Lady
Design your own leather handbag with Laura Gori, president of the Leather School of Florence. Once you've chosen the leather (options include calf, lambskin, deer, ostrich, python, and alligator), colors, threads, pockets, closings, and decorations for the bag, your creation will be handcrafted by a master artisan. Cost: From $1,100, depending on the materials. Source: Giuseppe Massa, Tuscany by Tuscans (39-0572-70467; info@tuscanybytuscans.it; tuscanybytuscans.it). BEST FOR: Fashion enthusiasts with a real appreciation for artisanal traditions. BUT BEWARE: Brand-name snobs need not apply; a custom-made creation costs at least as much as a Prada but lacks the bragging-rights hardware. And don't expect instant gratification—your finished bag will be mailed to you and might take up to six weeks if the desired materials are not in-house. This experience is not available on weekends in August.

Fashion House
Tour the Pucci Palazzo, the family home of the late designer Emilio Pucci and the current residence of his brother, Puccio. The palazzo, by the same architect who designed the facade of the Pitti Palace, has been lived in by the Pucci family since its construction in the sixteenth century—one of a very few Florentine palazzi still owned by the original family. The charming Marchese Pucci will greet you and may join you on your tour of his home, during which you'll view the antiques-filled common areas and the family's personal effects, as well as art that stemmed from the Puccis' patronage of Florentine artists since the fifteenth century. Cost: $1,485, including guide and driver. Source: Maria Gabriella Landers and Brian Dore, Concierge in Umbria (see also "A Feast of Flowers," Italy). BEST FOR: Italian art and architecture buffs. BUT BEWARE: Those more interested in fashion than in architecture may be disappointed; the focus is on the palazzo itself rather than its famous former resident. Also, the elderly marchese's health will determine whether he's able to join you for the tour of his home.

Insider Politics
Take a private behind-the-scenes tour of the Campidoglio (City Hall)—the center of Rome's political life—accompanied by both a historian with extensive knowledge of Roman history and art and a uniformed Campidoglio official. You'll spend half a day visiting the mayor's private offices and rooms in the Campidoglio, which are furnished with rarely seen art from across the centuries, and admiring the view of the Roman Forum from the mayor's private terrace. Your visit also includes a guided tour of the Campidoglio Museums, where some of ancient Rome's most prized art is housed. Cost: $2,400. Source: Maria Gabriella Landers and Brian Dore (see also "A Feast of Flowers," Italy). BEST FOR: Politics junkies, but the visit is worthwhile for the view of the Forum alone. BUT BEWARE: This is available only on days when the mayor is not in his office and no ceremonies are being held; it can be confirmed only a couple of days in advance; and maximum group size is four people.

RUSSIA
Boys to Men
Visit the Maltese Chapel at the Suvorov Military Academy, Russia's equivalent of West Point. The academy is part of St. Petersburg's Vorontsov Palace, built by the famous Italian architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli in the mid-eighteenth century. The chapel was added by fellow Italian Giacomo Quarenghi in 1800 for Czar Paul I. Since 1810, the Suvorov has admitted talented 13-year-old boys and trained them to become the country's military elite. Although the academy is closed to the public, you'll be ushered through as a guest of the chaplain, Father Alexandr. Cost: $1,000 as a donation to the Children's Hospice (founded by Father Alexandr, it provides support for terminally ill children and their parents). Source: Greg Tepper, Exeter International (800-633-1008; greg@exeterinternational.com; exeterinternational.com). BEST FOR: Families—especially those with precocious teenage boys—interested in a living piece of Russian history that survived the Soviet era. BUT BEWARE: Large sections of the academy are inaccessible in August, when the cadets are on summer break.

TURKEY
Art of the Ottomans
Take a private class with Leman Dinçtürk, the country's leading miniaturist. This Turkish art was most prevalent in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and few artists continue to produce it today. The style involves straight lines, bright colors, and—in opposition to Islamic tradition—human figures. (The name refers to the details in the paintings, not to the size of the works themselves.) The main characters in Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk's novel My Name Is Red are miniaturists in the Ottoman Empire. You'll spend several hours watching Dinçtürk work and learning about the tradition; then you'll try your own hand at watercolors rather than the more difficult inks that she uses. Cost: $1,540. Source: Earl Starkey, Sophisticated-Travel (212-409-9587; earls@protravelin.com; sophisticated-travel.com). BEST FOR: Ottomaniacs—this is one of the few aspects of the secretive Ottoman culture that is still in existence. BUT BEWARE: Easel newbies need not apply; the lesson, which lasts five hours, will be exhausting for those without some prior art training.