Escorted Tours 2022-23 2nd Edition

11 Hundreds more escorted tours are available on our website www.mercuryholidays.co.uk Southern and Central Asia 4 6 5 4 Munnar Kerala Neatly sculpted emerald hedges, lush rolling hills and misty mountain peaks make up the breath-taking landscape of Munnar. Teeming with bustling tea plantations, exotic wildlife and spectacular natural beauty, Munnar is home to the rare Neelakurinji flower, a beautiful purplish-blue flower which only blooms once every 12 years! • See pages 18-21 & 32-33 5 Anuradhapura Sri Lanka A sprawling collection of crumbling temples, ornate palaces, and grand monasteries, the ancient ruins of Anuradhapura is one of South Asia’s most evocative sites. Home to the sacred Bodhi tree, believed to be a cutting from the ‘tree of enlightenment’, the Bodhi tree is the oldest authenticated tree in the world. • See pages 16-17 3 Meenakshi Temple Madurai, India Adorned with over 1500 brightly coloured divine figures and towering over the city of Madurai, Meenakshi Temple, known as the ‘Taj Mahal of the South’ due to its religious and historical significance, is said to be the place where Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati (Meenakshi) got married. • See pages 18 & 20-21 6 Darvaza gas crater Turkmenistan Over 50 years ago, the ‘doors of hell’ opened in the Turkmenistan desert. Still burning to this day, Darvaza’s smouldering gas crater sits at an incredible 225ft wide and 99ft deep, and its continuous crimson glow can be seen for miles! • See pages 42-43