May the Fourth Be With You!
That’s right! It’s Star Wars Day, and the Star Wars fans here in the Contiki office are buzzing with excitement as the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens is slated to hit movie theaters. Alright, admit it – you’re geeking out too!
In honor of this day, we collectively chose the top 5 mystical cities featured in the Star Wars universe that we would love to visit on a Contiki trip. While the closest thing we’ll get to visiting these lands are through watching the movies (or taking a spin on our neighbor Disneyland’s Star Tours attraction) – the Force might be strong enough that our dreams will become reality one day!
Check out our list – then sound off and let us know your favorites!
Yavin IV
Who wouldn’t want to visit The Great Temple of Massassi, which serves as the Rebel Alliance’s main military base in the original Star Wars film, A New Hope? I think we’ve all wanted to be Luke Skywalker in an X-wing plane, taking down the Death Star and saving the Rebel Alliance from complete destruction. WIth it’s lush jungle and rainforest landscape, this moon is certainly one we’d like to stop on during a Contiki trip!
Did you know? The Great Temple scene in Star Wars: A New Hope was actually filmed in the Mayan city of Tikal in Guatemala – a place you can actually go to with Contiki – so it’s the closest thing to being in Yavin IV, right?
Bespin Cloud City
There are beautiful cities in the clouds, and then there’s Cloud City – our second desired stop on our fantastical Contiki tour. This perfect sanctuary suspended high above the sky is a galaxy far, far away that we’d definitely like to visit – if only to find out who made Lando Calrissian so stylish with that cape!
Naboo
Homeworld to notable figures in the Star Wars universe (Queen Amidala and Emperor Palpatine), the picturesque landscape of Naboo and its capital city of Theed would be one of our coveted stops on a Contiki trip – if it existed. Filled with lush greenery and stunning architecture, Naboo would be reminiscent of an old European city. If we’re so inclined, we might take an underwater dive and visit the underwater Gungan settlements (but we’ll leave the Jar Jar Binks voice at home).
Fun fact: The Royal Palace of Caserta in Italy is where many of the scenes featured Queen Amidala’s palace were filmed. If you’re looking for Amidala’s lakeside retreat, look no further than Lake Como in Italy.
Planet Hoth
For those of us who love all things snow, Planet Hoth is where we want to be. If anything, I think we all want to ride a tauntaun (but not freeze so much we have to use its innards to keep warm).
Fun fact: The image above is actually of Finse, Norway, but the town’s icy frontier is identical to its fictional counterpart – it’s a true testament of art imitating life, and life imitating art. This is where Planet Hoth exists in imagination, so grab your snowshoes and get going!
Endor
Cuddly Ewoks, epic speeder chases through dense forests – the moon of Endor looks like the perfect spot for nature lovers who want to frolic in the treetops. (OK, I’ll admit it – I always wanted to have a friend like Wicket).
Fun fact: The forests that became home to those awesome Ewoks were filmed in the Redwood National Park in California.
—–
Which planets, moons, or extended worlds in the Star Wars universe do you want to see?
Happy Star Wars Day!
