Imaginative Traveller, the small group adventure travel specialist, has just launched its 2016 brochure and this year, it's extra special.

As well as celebrating the company's 25th anniversary, there are 95 NEW trips included in the 300 plus strong adventure portfolio in Europe, Asia, Africa, South, Central and North America and Australasia. To view the new brochure, click here. 

Cycle, trek, walk, eat, drink, sail, canoe, cruise or drive your way around the to some of the most exciting and unusual places on the planet; discover which destinations are going to be hot for 2016 and see our top tips for emerging, 'one's to watch' destinations.

What's hot for 2016?

Cuba

Just as Burma went mainstream in 2013, 2016 will be Cuba's year. Sales to Cuba TRIPLED during 2015 and there's a real sense of urgency as travellers want to experience this Caribbean island before it changes too much and, if we're honest, before the American's get there, anticipated to be sometime next year.

For 2016, Imaginative Traveller have added four new trips to its 16 strong trip portfolio meaning you can now cycle through, sail around, trek in and even dance your way through this vibrant island.

New trips include: Trekking Highlights of Cuba, 15 days from £1,379; Cuba: Music and Dance £1,055 for 9 days; Grand Cuba, 22 days from £1,645. Other adventures include: Cycling Cuba, 15 days from £1,699 and Cuba Sailing Adventure, £1,015 for 9 days

Iran

"20 million tourists by 20125", that's the prediction of Iranian officials. According to Mosoud Soltanifar, Iran's vice president and the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organisation chief, Iran is preparing for a "tsunami" of foreign tourists as Western countries lift sanctions in return for curbs on its nuclear program.

Home to ancient sites, magnificent architecture and incredibly welcoming hosts, Iran is a country of profound beauty. For 2016, Imaginative Traveller are offering two new trips there.

Iran Adventure, 15 days from £1,815, where you'll visit Tehran, Isfahan, the sacred Zoroastrian Fire Temple of Yazd, take a guided tour of Persepolis, overnight with nomads, stay in a classic caravanserai, stay with a local family in Kashan and visit the shrine of Imam Khomeini.

Imaginative Traveller will also be operating a pioneering, exploratory departure on 23rd May 2016 for a 15 day Iranian Days and Nights, from £2,200 per person,  details to be announced shortly.

Emerging destinations

Balkan States / Eastern Europe

Most significantly, Imaginative Traveller have tripled their European offering, with 23 new trips, particularly in the Balkan States and Eastern Europe. Romania, Bosnia, Montenegro, Albania, Bulgaria, Georgia and Armenia are all opening up to mainstream tourism, offering untouched landscapes, mountains and lakes, traditional cultures and a melting pot of food and drink.

"Georgia is going to be big news during 2016," says Helen Youngman, Imaginative Traveller Product Manager. "Less crowded than mainland Europe but offering much more bang for your buck, flights are cheap, around the £200 mark, and there's a raft of new routes, with Pegasus, for example, opening up its second Georgian destination, Batumi, enabling much easier access to the Caucasus mountains," she says.  Imaginative Traveller's 14 days 'Highlights of Georgia and Armenia' £1299 per person, is anticipated to be one of the best selling trips in the area.

Walking and trekking holidays to emerging areas like the Rodopi Mountains (£649 for 8 days)  in Bulgaria  or the Carpathian mountains, Romania (£749 for 8 days), home to the highest concentration of bears, wolves and lynx in Europe, are also included.

Gourmet Travel

Imaginative Traveller now offer 16 'Taste' adventures to destinations like Morocco, Peru, Japan, Turkey, Northern Spain, Sri Lanka and South East Asia.

"The demand for gourmet travel has soared in recent years, not just cookery courses where you can learn how to make an authentic pad thai or a tapas tasting menu, but learning more about food and drink provenance from artisan producers at source," says Helen. "Customers want authenticity through and through, from field to fork, to meet the passionate producers who make a region famous for a certain cuisine, as much as tasting a dish either in a restaurant of being shown how to make it from an expert chef," she says.

This year, in keeping with the surge in interest in Central Europe, the latest servings on the Taste Tours menu are trips to Slovenia & Croatia,  (10 days from £1,372 per person) and Montenegro & Macedonia (10 days from £1,048 per person).

Known as 'Little Switzerland', Slovenia's cuisine is surprisingly complex, having been divided into no less than 23 distinct culinary regions by local ethnologists. While perhaps best known for hearty, alpine stews, sausages cutlets, goulash and sauerkraut, Slovenia also lays claims to wonderful cakes and strudels, not to mention the lesser known culinary treasures found in the coastal Karst region, including the teran wine varietal, prsut (air-dried ham) and sensational olive oils. Macedonian cuisine is a beguiling combination of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern influences. Its warmer weather conditions make it a bountiful region for locally grown produce and with a wonderfully sophisticated coffee culture, flavourful, rustic dishes and passionate producers, cooks and winemakers,

For bookings contact Imaginative Traveller on 01728 862 230 or visit www.imaginative-traveller.com 

About Imaginative Traveller

Imaginative Traveller is a sister company of Dragoman Overseas Travel.  It offers small group adventures to 24 European destinations; 24 African destinations; 23 Asian destinations; 20 North, Central and South America destinations and 3 trips in New Zealand. The emphasis is on 'grass roots' travel, getting to the heart of a country, its culture, landscapes and people.

Trip types include: 'Taste' (food and drink) 'Active' (cycle, trek, paddle, kayak, walk, zipline etc.) 'Voyage' (sail, cruise, yacht, felucca etc.) 'Discovery', 'Family' and 'Overland'.

Group sizes are an average of 12 people, although some trips have a maximum group size of 18. Prices include land content, travel, B&B with some dinners and accommodation is mainly hotel based although there is a homestay / nomadic camping element. Prices quoted do not include flights, although they can be organised, as can transfers.