Compare Cherry Blossom Time by Mayflower Tours vs Hawaii: Ocean and Islands Adventure by Discover Corps

Day 1: Arrive In Washington, Dc

Meals: Dinner

Your tour begins with an included transfer from Washington Reagan National Airport and a welcome dinner at 6:00 p.m. hosted by your Tour Manager.

Day 2: National Cherry Blossom Parade And The Smithsonian

Meals: Breakfast

The beauty and aroma of these blossoming cherry trees will amaze as we enjoy the National Cherry Blossom Parade from reserved seats. Marching down Constitution Avenue, the parade showcases floats, helium balloons, international performance groups and some of the country’s finest marching bands. Later, we enjoy time to visit the Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum complex and research organization. Composed of 16 museums in Washington, DC, the Smithsonian exhibits offer visitors a glimpse into its vast collection. Numbering over 142 million objects, the complex includes the Air & Space Museum and the National Museum of the American Indian. Some of the famous exhibitions include Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis and the command module from Apollo 11.

Day 3: Arlington National Cemetery And Washington, Dc Touring

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Sightseeing in our nation’s capital continues with a visit to Arlington National Cemetery and the John F. Kennedy Memorial. View the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Women in Military Service Memorial. During our touring in DC’s mall area we’ll see the FDR, Vietnam and Lincoln Memorials. We’ll also make a stop at the National WWII Memorial, the first national memorial dedicated to all who served during World War II. During our touring in DC’s mall area we’ll see the FDR, Vietnam and Lincoln Memorials. We’ll also make a stop at the National WWII Memorial, the first national memorial dedicated to all who served during World War II. After dinner this evening, an incredible Illumination tour of Washington, DC tops off this exciting Day as we see the memorials and monuments bathed in flood lights, including the U.S. Capitol and the White House.

Day 4: Shenandoah National Park And Luray Caverns

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

We leave the city behind toDay as we journey to the quiet beauty of Shenandoah National Park. Here, we travel one of the most visited sections of the National Parks System, scenic Skyline Drive. Following this casual, winding road past sweeping valley vistas and diverse displays of flora and fauna brings us to Skyland, where a buffet lunch awaits. Later, we stop at the incredible Luray Caverns, the nation’s largest and most popular caverns. Explore cathedral-sized rooms with ceilings 10 stories high filled with towering stone columns and crystal-clear pools. Also hear the haunting sounds of the world's only Stalacpipe Organ creating music of symphonic quality from stone formations.

Day 5: Mount Vernon And Jamestown Settlement

Meals: Breakfast

No tour of colonial America is complete without a stop at Mount Vernon, the expansive estate of George and Martha Washington. Visit the new Ford Orientation Center and the Donald W. Reynolds Museum where you will have the chance to experience Washington's life through movies and exhibitions. Explore his mansion filled with 18th century treasures and stroll the gardens of this 45-acre estate, taking in the views of the Potomac River from the mansion’s piazza. Later, we arrive at Jamestown, the site of America’s first permanent English colony. Explore life at the dawn of the 17th century inside the palisade of a re-created colonial fort and discover the world of Pocahontas in the Powhatan Indian Village.

Day 6: Colonial Williamsburg

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Colonial Williamsburg is the largest living history museum in the country and one of America’s most popular attractions. Stroll streets dating back to the 1700s. Converse with residents playing the roles of their ancestors as they go about their daily activities exactly as they did more than 200 years ago. It’s an exciting glimpse into the early Days of our nation. A traditional Colonial tavern dinner sets the mood for our stay in historic Williamsburg.

Day 7: Washington, Dc And Home

Meals: Breakfast

We travel back to Washington, DC toDay as our tour ends with a group transfer to Washington Reagan National Airport for flights out after 2:00 p.m.

Day 1: Arrive in Honolulu and Meet the Group

Meals: Dinner

Upon arrival in Hawaii’s capital, Honolulu, you’ll be be met at the airport and taken to your hotel just steps from the world famous Waikiki beaches. After a relaxing welcome dinner together, we’ll get to know one another and discuss the schedule for the week ahead.

Day 2: Journey to Oahu’s North Shore & Experience the Aloha Spirit

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

After breakfast, we’ll set out for Hawaii’s iconic North Shore, famous for its big waves and stunning landscapes. Spend the morning in the historic Waimea Valley with a local organization helping to preserve the valley’s cultural heritage and rainforests. Assist with a reforestation initiative, swim in waterfalls, and see why the ancient Hawaiians deemed the valley sacred centuries ago. In the afternoon, we’ll continue to Na Mea Kupono, an eco-farm that is home to Hawaii’s staple crop, taro. We’ll be hosted by this local family for a Hawaiin-style paina, or gathering, for our dinner as we learn more about their role in farming on the island.

Day 3: Climb Diamond Head & Sail out to Sea on a Catamaran

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Hawaii’s South Shore is crowned by the now extinct Diamond Head volcano. We’ll take a hike this morning to the top of the rim to get a panoramic view of Waikiki from above. For those who opt not to hike, we’ll have the option to visit the Bishop Museum, home of the royal Kamehameha family and now housing an array of artifacts covering Hawaii’s vast Polynesian heritage. After lunch in Waikiki, we’ll hit the sea on a catamaran ride over the turquoise Pacific waters.

Day 4: Fly to Maui & Explore the Tropical‘Iao Valley State Park

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Enjoy a free morning to explore Waikiki. Head to the beach for a surf lesson with the Waikiki beach boys, check out the area’s cafes and shops or simply relax on white sand beaches only steps from your hotel. We’ll take a short mid-day flight across the Hawaiian archipelago to the Valley Isle of Maui. After landing, we’ll head over to the towering emerald peaks of the ‘Iao Valley on Central Maui for a guided hike of the state park. A location revered by the ancient Hawaiians, the valley also served as the site of one of Hawaii’s most important battles as King Kamehameha I tried to unite the islands in the 1700’s. Later in the evening, unwind at our Kaanapali beachfront hotel.

Day 5: Snorkel off Lana’i & Lend a Hand Protecting Sea Turtles

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

We’ll have an early breakfast before cruising to the scenic coastline of Lana'i island with the Pacific Whale Foundation. Spend the morning with breakfast on the boat (expect large boat with other travelers) and then 1.5 hours of snorkeling. Scout for wild dolphins, including acrobatic spinner dolphins, friendly bottlenose dolphins, and curious spotted dolphins. Conservationists from the Foundation will narrate your journey and take about everything from whale migration to plastics in the ocean to reef health.

We’ll return to Maui and, after lunch, spend our first afternoon volunteering alongside the Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute. Home to one of Hawaii’s largest sea turtle rescues and land based coral nurseries, we’ll join their staff on beach and marine debris cleanu , specifically collecting coral fragments. Take these pieces of coral back to the research center and aid in cutting them into smaller pieces to be grown at the center for a period of 8 months - something that would take the reef 20 years to regenerate! This coral is eventually placed back into the reef to bring back areas that are dead or dying.

Day 6: Maui Ocean Center Volunteering & Farewell Luau

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

After breakfast, we’ll spend another morning helping the conservation team at the Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute. On Maui and other Hawaiian islands, sea turtles are being threatened as their habitat is increasingly depleted. Green turtle populations are being impacted by events such as the 2018 hurricane that washed out the most important nesting beach for this species in the entire archipelago. We’ll continue to lend a hand on our projects while learning about some of the initiatives in place to preserve the fragile ecosystem both on land and underwater, including going out with the team to find turtles and tag them for research purposes.

Later in the afternoon, we’ll head back to the hotel where you’ll have some free time to enjoy the beach, swim in the ocean or venture into the coastal town of Lahaina. Tonight, we’ll enjoy a special farewell dinner together along with a traditional island luau.

Day 7: Depart Maui or Continue on for the Post-Trip Extension

Meals: Breakfast

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel and check-out of your rooms. The rest of the day is free to relax at the beach or explore nearby Lahaina until your flight home, or continue on to our optional post-trip extension along the gorgeous road to Hana.