From luscious rainforests to carefully curated gardens, our world is full of natural beauty, mystery, and wonder. If you’re looking to explore, a guided tour is certainly a fantastic way to experience it all.

You might find yourself wandering through historic English estates, admiring cherry blossoms in Japan, or exploring the private gardens of New Zealand.

But if you’ve never taken a garden tour before, planning your first trip can feel a little overwhelming. Where should you go? Who should you travel with? Where should I visit and when? And what should you look for in a tour?

In this guide, we’re going to share some advice on planning your very first garden tour from the USA.

Planning your tour experience

As with any vacation, a little planning always goes a long way. An international garden tour involves more than choosing a destination and booking a flight. You’ll want to think about who you’re traveling with, what you want to see, and the type of experience you’re hoping to have.

A few simple decisions before you book can help you find a tour that fits your interests, schedule, and travel style.

• > Find your favorite destination
• > Plan with family and friends
• > Check tour details
• > Consider the season

These four things are a good place to start. You don’t need to have every detail figured out right away, but having a general idea of what you’re looking for will make it easier to narrow down your options.

Finding your ideal destination

The first step is deciding where you want to go, and this is where the fun really starts.

At Ross Tours, we offer guided tours across some of the world’s most amazing and breathtaking destinations. Every nation has its own horticultural traditions, landscapes, culture, and seasonal highlights.

Here are some of the many places we visit.

Japan

There’s a reason why Japan is such a favorite with travelers from the United States. Beyond the bright lights of Tokyo and the Shibuya Scramble, it is a nation with incredible natural beauty and a long standing horticultural tradition.

Traditional Japanese gardens place an emphasis on balance, simplicity, water, stone, and the surrounding landscape. Add in ancient temples, historic cities, seasonal flowers, and incredible food culture, and you have a destination that offers far more than beautiful gardens. 

Singapore

Image Source: Singapore Tourism Board

A place that truly earns its title as a ‘City in a Garden’, Singapore demonstrates just how creative modern horticulture can be.

The city continues to embrace plants and landscape design on an impressive scale, creating a number of lush public spaces. 

Be sure to read our recent article ‘Orchids and Supertrees: An Expert’s Guide to Garden Tours of Singapore for USA Travelers’ to learn more.

England

England is a natural gathering point for garden lovers, particularly anyone that dreams of visiting historic estates, traditional English gardens, and some of the world’s most famous horticultural events.

From grand country estates to intimate private gardens, there is an incredible variety to discover. You can also combine garden visits with charming villages, centuries old castles, historic cities, and the Chelsea Flower Show.

Scotland

Image Source: Dumfries House

Dramatic scenery is part of what makes Scotland such a memorable destination. Historic estates and beautiful gardens sit against a backdrop of mountains, lochs, coastlines, and rolling countryside.

It’s a great choice if you want your garden visits to be accompanied by spectacular scenery and a taste of Scotland’s rich history and culture. 

Ireland

Ireland’s lush landscapes provide a beautiful setting for exploring gardens.

Expect a mixture of historic estates, colorful planting, woodland walks, and carefully designed private gardens. The relaxed pace and welcoming atmosphere make Ireland an appealing choice for a first international garden tour.

South Africa

South Africa offers an exciting mix of horticulture, wildlife, and dramatic landscapes.

Garden visits can be paired with experiences that are very different from those found on a traditional European garden tour, making this a great option for adventurous travelers who want to combine their passion for gardening with broader exploration.

Italy

Italy brings together gardens, architecture, history, art, and food in one extraordinary destination.

Historic villas and their gardens are a major attraction, while different regions provide their own distinctive landscapes and planting styles. It’s a wonderful option for travelers who want their garden experience to form part of a broader cultural vacation. 

Portugal

Portugal offers a wonderful variety of landscapes, from historic gardens on the mainland to the lush, subtropical environments of Madeira.

The country’s gardens reflect its climate, history, and connections with different parts of the world, creating plenty of opportunities to discover unusual plants and distinctive garden styles. 

India

India provides an opportunity to experience gardens alongside a rich and fascinating cultural heritage.

From historic gardens and palaces to colorful landscapes and botanical collections, there is a huge amount of variety. The experience extends well beyond horticulture, with architecture, food, history, and local traditions all forming part of the journey. 

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s tropical climate creates the perfect environment for lush gardens and extraordinary plant life.

A visit can take you through beautifully maintained gardens, tea-growing regions, historic sites, and spectacular countryside. It’s an excellent choice for anyone looking for a garden tour with a distinctly tropical character. 

Borneo

Home to lush rainforests and an abundance of wildlife, Borneo takes you into the heart of one of the world’s greatest natural environments.

Rather than focusing exclusively on formal gardens, the experience is about discovering extraordinary tropical plant life and biodiversity within the rainforest. It’s an especially appealing destination for gardeners who are fascinated by plants in their natural habitats. You may even get to see a few Orangutans along the way. 

Australia

Venture to the ‘Land Down Under’, where Australia’s enormous size and varied climate have produced one of the world’s most unique gardening cultures.

From Kangaroo Island to Melbourne, Perth, and Tasmania, there’s so much to explore and discover. It’s also an opportunity to learn the fascinating historical significance of the land, and witness how gardeners have adapted traditional ideas to incredibly varied growing conditions. 

New Zealand

New Zealand combines spectacular natural scenery with an impressive collection of private and public gardens.

It’s an ideal destination for travelers who enjoy seeing how gardens interact with their surroundings. You can move from carefully cultivated landscapes to mountains, lakes, coastlines, and native bush within the same journey. 

French Polynesia

Love tropical islands? Located far away in the Southern Pacific Ocean, the islands of French Polynesia are a tropical wonderland that offer an experience that truly is one-of-a-kind.

Lush vegetation, exotic plants, dramatic mountains, and azure blue waters create a setting that feels a world away from the gardens of North America and Europe. It is also an opportunity to slow down and appreciate the relationship between gardens and the surrounding natural environment.

Benefits of joining a guided garden tour

Planning a solo trip can be challenging, stressful, and tiring, especially when it’s your very first time in the country. This is where guided garden tours really earn their keep. As a tour guest, you’ll receive all of the following benefits and more:

Comfort and Convenience

Flights, hotels, transportation, restaurant reservations, entrance fees, and daily logistics can quickly add up. With a guided tour, the majority of the planning is already handled for you.

You can settle into your trip knowing where you’re going each day and how you’re getting there, without spending your evenings figuring out the next train or rental car route.

Well-Planned Itineraries

The best garden trips aren’t about cramming as many gardens as possible into a week.

A specialist tour can plan visits around seasonal highlights, opening dates, local events, and the gardens that are worth making the trip for. You also get a better sense of how much time you’ll have at each stop, rather than trying to piece everything together yourself.

Expert Tour Guides

A knowledgeable guide can change the way you see a garden.

Instead of simply walking around admiring the flowers, you can learn about the people who created the garden, the history behind the property, unusual plants, and the ideas that shaped the landscape.

For a keen gardener, having someone who knows the destination inside and out can add a whole new layer to the experience.

Shared Experiences

There’s something particularly enjoyable about traveling with people who get just as excited about gardens as you do.

You can swap gardening stories, compare favorite plants, share photos, and chat about the gardens you’ve visited throughout the day. Many travelers also find that the friendships made along the way become one of the best parts of the trip.

Your Next Garden Adventure Starts with Ross Tours

Born from a love of exploring with friends, our tours are crafted to deliver unforgettable experiences. Led by expert guides and featuring deluxe accommodation, every journey is relaxed, inspiring, and full of fun.

Ready to start your adventure? Explore our upcoming International Garden Tours and join the Ross Tours family on a journey you’ll never forget. From Asia to Australia, Africa, Europe and South America, we run unforgettable tours across the world.

Get in touch with us today and start your next gardening adventure with Ross Tours.