WILTON, CT — Tauck is well on its way to recovery, with operations in Europe and Africa officially resuming.

The company plans to reopen in stages, beginning with select departures of its ‘Iceland’ and ‘Treasures of the Aegean’ small-ship ocean cruises in June and July. Also scheduled for July are the resumption of the company’s cruises in the Galapagos Islands, as well as its Tauck Bridges family adventure in Costa Rica.

Tauck’s guided safaris in eastern and southern Africa will resume in August, as will its land tours in Spain, France and Portugal.

August will also mark the resumption of Tauck’s European river cruises, with departures sailing on the Rhône and Seine in France and the Douro River in Portugal. Although no firm date has been set, the company plans to restart its cruises on the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers – and the bulk of its remaining European land tours – in early fall as border openings permit. Those itineraries will be added to an ‘Open for Travel’ page on Tauck’s website as they return to the company’s active roster.

Tauck’s August sailings on the Douro will mark its first-ever journeys on the river, as well as the debut of its new ms Andorinha riverboat. The Andorinha will accommodate just 84 guests versus up to 112 passengers on other Douro ships of approximately the same size. 

The company’s return to Europe coincides with its 30th anniversary operating tours in the continent. Said CEO Dan Mahar: “Our chairman Arthur Tauck Jr. first brought Tauck guests to Europe in 1991 and after the events of the past year, restarting our operations there is an especially meaningful way to mark our 30th anniversary. We’re absolutely thrilled to be back and we can’t wait to share the incredible wonders of Europe with our guests once more.”

Tauck has already resumed operations in the U.S., its second-most popular destination, with 90% of 2021 departures nearly completely sold out. According to Mahar, 2022 has the strongest advance bookings of any year in the company’s 96-year history, and April was its strongest booking month since 2007. While there’s still space available, Mahar can’t say how long it’s going to last.

“One thing we’ve learned time and again over our 96 years is that travel denied is really travel deferred,” he said. “When people are unable to travel, it only fuels their desire and determination to do so. And now – with 97% of our guests having been vaccinated – we’re seeing demand come roaring back.” 

Tauck will resume its safaris in eastern and southern Africa with the Aug. 2 departure of ‘Mountain Gorilla Safari: Kenya, Tanzania & Rwanda’ and the Aug. 4 departures of ‘Kenya & Tanzania: A Classic Safari’ and ‘South Africa: An Elegant Adventure.’ All of the company’s safaris are small-group journeys with as few as 18 guests per departure.

For the latest travel updates go to https://www.tauck.ca/travel-and-health/travel-updates.