Cape Cod & the Islands ~ a Cultural Walking tour from Boston to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket

DAY 1 
D included  
After meeting in the afternoon at Boston’s Logan airport, we have a short drive into the city to our very comfortable hotel, an elegant brownstone in the fashionable Back Bay district. A Cape Codder (cranberry juice and vodka) breaks the ice before dinner in an upscale brasserie decorated with classic yacht models.

DAY 2 
B, L, D included 
Setting off on foot, we begin our explorations with a guided tour along the Freedom Trail, seeing sites such as Boston Common, America’s oldest park, the Old State House where the Declaration of Independence was read and the USS Constitution, the world’s oldest commissioned warship. A harbour ferry takes us near the site of the Boston Tea Party before we return to our hotel for some free time before dinner.

DAY 3
B, L, D included
The Museum of Fine Art exhibits an exceptional art collection which we visit before an early lunch. Heading onto Cape Cod (2.5 hours’ drive), our first stop is for a walk through pitch pines and wild beach plums onto a saltmarsh and dunes beside the shore, looking out for chickadees, blue jays and shorebirds. We settle into our well-appointed rooms in a former ship’s captain’s house and stroll to dinner in a tavern next door for our opportunity to try local oysters baked in cream or the day’s fish catch.

DAY 4
B, L, D included
From nearby Provincetown, where the Pilgrims first landed in 1620, a fast and stable boat takes us out to the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, one of the world’s best places to watch whales. Naturalists on board interpret sightings of humpback, minke and rare right whales. In the afternoon, we take an invigorating Atlantic beach walk and later explore the village and harbour in picturesque Wellfleet.

DAY 5 
B, L, D included
We drive to Hyannis on the southern shore to visit the John F. Kennedy Museum, filled with evocative photographs and mementoes of the Presidential family. A 2.5-hour ferry ride delivers us to Nantucket (‘far away island’ in Wampanoag), where an orientation walk through the cobbled lanes of Nantucket Town, a National Historic Landmark, brings us to our stylish inn, dating from the 1800s.

DAY 6
B, L, D included
This morning we visit the Whaling Museum, documenting Nantucket’s time as whaling capital of the world, then follow a private walking tour of the Historic district, taking in the Hadwen House, a Greek Revival mansion built in 1845, and the island’s oldest house with its kitchen garden dating from 1686. After lunch, we explore the interior of the island on a walk across conservation land protecting sandplains, where red-tailed hawks hunt, pastures are filled with goldenrod and asters, and we see a photogenic old barn above the Atlantic.

DAY 7
B, L, D included
We visit an unusual museum displaying the baskets traditionally made by Nantucket lightship keepers, then travel the short 7 miles to the island’s east coast. A walk through the picture perfect village of ‘Sconset is a photographer’s delight and we continue along the clifftop path to Sankaty lighthouse, learning about the glacial origins of the island. This afternoon, we sail on the Friendship Sloop ‘Endeavour’, gaining a real insight into Nantucket’s maritime tradition as we sail past Brant Point and out into the Sound.

DAY 8
B, L, D included
This morning we take the ferry back to Hyannis and visit the Maritime Museum with its fine collection of traditional wooden catboats and maritime art, before continuing to the Cahoon collection of American Folk Art. We enjoy a coastal walk before settling into our comfortable hotel and taking dinner in an exceptional Falmouth village restaurant.

DAY 9
B, L, D included
An early ferry delivers us to Martha’s Vineyard for a walk around the Audubon Society’s Wildlife Sanctuary at Felix Neck (very good for birds, salt tolerant plants and migrating Monarch butterflies). We have an intriguing visit to the Island Alpaca Farm – it’s difficult to resist the appeal of these gentle, curious animals! An old red barn contains a first rate art gallery, which we visit before heading to the far west of the island for a stroll around the little fishing village of Menemsha, unchanged since Jaws was filmed here 40 years ago.

DAY 10
B, L, D included
We explore the adjacent lanes lined with delightful ‘gingerbread houses’ before driving south to Edgartown, a gracious patrician town with more than 300 grand sea captains’ mansions. We have a private guided architectural tour of the Carnegie centre, the Old Whaling Church and the richly appointed Dr. Daniel Fisher House before lunch in an atmospheric old pub. Taking a 3-minute ferry to Chappaquiddick island, we stroll through the Mytoi Japanese garden and view the infamous bridge before walking a circular route through coastal heathlands to Wasque Point.

DAY 11
B, L, D included
A 45-minute crossing on an old-fashioned ferry brings us to Woods Hole, home of the internationally renowned Oceanographic Institution. A visit to the Discovery Centre gives us a fascinating insight into the research work done here before we travel east along the old King’s Highway to the charming town of Chatham on Cape Cod’s ‘elbow’. We walk along Hardings Beach to the old lighthouse, before settling into our antique-filled historic hotel, set in attractive gardens and with a heated outdoor pool.

DAY 12
B, L, D included
On a guided boat trip this morning, we observe large numbers of seals and learn about the recent influx of great white sharks that prey upon them, then visit the Marconi Station where news of the Titanic’s sinking broke and which played a vital secret role in intercepting Enigma coded messages in WWII. A casual picnic at the Fish Pier, watching the fishing fleet unload, is followed by an afternoon walk in the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge, a wild and beautiful shoreline that is a major part of the Atlantic Flyway.

DAY 13
B, L, D included
We spend the morning walking the trails and boardwalks of the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, looking out for migrant waders, blue herons, fiddler crabs on the mudflats and kingfishers on Goose Pond. We have a guided tour of the Truro Vineyards and sample their wines, then round it all off with an organic chocolate tour! This evening we enjoy a farewell lobster dinner.

DAY 14
B, L included 
After a final morning walk to visit the Atwood House Museum and indulging in free time exploring Chatham’s galleries and upscale shops, we transfer by road to Boston’s Logan airport for evening flights home (or trip extensions in New England or New York).

Double rooms for single use are available on this trip. Please note that this supplement is imposed by the hotels and not by Kudu Travel. If you are willing to share but no other suitable guest books on the trip, we regret that the supplement will be payable.

• Accommodation for Days 1 through 14, on a twin shared basis

• Meals (with beer and juices at lunches and wine at dinners), as listed in the daily notation

• Ferry passage from Hyannis to Nantucket return, Woods Hole to Martha’s Vineyard return and Martha’s Vineyard to Chappaquiddick and return

• Harbour tour by ferry in Boston

• Seal and whale watching trips as described

• Sailing trip on board the classic wooden sloop ‘Endeavour’

• Land transportation in a private vehicle as described, except during free periods

• Entrance, sightseeing and guiding fees as described, except during free periods

• Gratuities for hotel and restaurant staff, local guides and drivers (appreciation for the tour guides is discretionary)

• Flights to and from Boston

• Trip cancellation, medical or other insurance

• Immunisations, prescriptions or other medical requirements

• Passport, visa and health documentation

• Personal expenses (laundry, alcohol other than wine/beer with group lunches and dinners, free time activities, etc.)

• Transport and transfer of excess baggage

VALUE FOR MONEY - SO MUCH IS INCLUDED
On Kudu trips, you will only need money for postcards, presents to take home, the odd G & T or an irresistible ice cream. Festival and opera tickets, museum and gallery entrances, National Park fees, all meals (with a very few exceptions specified in individual itineraries), wine with lunch and dinner, access to specialist books carried by the guides, gratuities for porters and hotel and restaurant staff, boat rides, train trips, internal flights, wine tastings, 4WDs with drivers, the services of skilled local guides and trackers etc are ALL INCLUDED in the cost of your holiday. 

We are confident that, like previous very satisfied guests, you will discover that our tours give you excellent value for money.

• 2 nights in Boston, in an elegant brownstone in the fashionable Back Bay district

• 2 nights in Wellfleet, in a former ship’s captain’s house

• 3 nights on Nantucket, in a stylish inn dating from the 1800s

• 1 night in Falmouth, in a comfortable hotel with a lakeside garden

• 2 nights on Martha’s Vineyard, in a charming small hotel

• 3 nights in Chatham, in an antique-filled historic hotel set in attractive gardens

Visitors from EU countries currently require a valid passport and a prior authorisation to enter the United States, either through a visa or the Visa Waiver Programme. Please see https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en.html  for the latest information. If you are a national of any other country, please check visa regulations with your nearest Embassy of the USA.

Normally there are no specific and compulsory health requirements for entry to the USA. You may also wish to check the advice given to travellers by the Department of Health and the FCO. 

Insurance
It is essential, and a condition of booking, that you protect yourself with a suitable travel insurance policy as soon as you book a trip. Follow this link for a quote for a policy available to UK residents.

If you are already insured or a non-UK resident, please inform us of your policy at the time of booking.

Size of party 
This trip will run with a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 14 guests.