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Amazing trekking experience in Nepal - Spiritual Excursion Private Limited

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• Spiritual Excursion Private Limited

Had a great private EBC trek via Gyokio and Cho La Pass with Spiritual Excursion. I will definitely... read more

I highly recommend trekking with the team from Spiritual Excursion. I just finished ABC with my... read more

Amazing trekking experience in Nepal

This was our first trek with Spiritual Excursion to Tilicho lake and Annapurna Circuit and we really found the entire planning and communication very easy. Our guide Chirring was an amazing person who was very helpful all through our journey. We would definitely recommend spiritual excursion to anyone who are planning for any trek in Nepal.

This was our first trekking trip and Spiritual excursion's team made sure we had all the guidance and the trip was well planned. We did the Annapurna trek with Tilicho lake and we had the legend guide Chhirng Sherpa who looked after us very well. He had good knowledge of everything and was very fun to be with, there was never a dull moment with him which made our trekking experience much better. We were also provided with great stays with beautiful views. Thank you team and would recommend this team if any one wants to trek in Nepal.

This is our second trip with Spiritual Excursion. We did the EBC Trek with them last year and now we just concluded our Annapurna Circuit Trek with Tilicho lake Trek with them. Spiritual has become our go to person for any Trek in Nepal. Talking to them and planning our itinerary is fun. They are well organised, cost effective and amazing to talk to. Besides their guides are legendary. This year we got Chhiring Sherpa as our guide. Chhiring has already done Everest summit and a few other peaks, yet he had no ego and was very friendly and traveled with us for the Annapurna Circuit. He was a friend before a guide. The journey became pleasant because of him. He is the best that we have met so far. Looking forward to our other treks ahead.

This was our second trek ( Thorong la pass + Tilicho lake) with Spiritual Excursion. An amazing experience with everything, starting from stay, planning, making everything comfortable for us and a memorable trek. This time we had Cheering Sherpa with us as our guide who is a experienced trekker and motivated us to push ourselves. He took care of everything. I would totally recommend anyone to go with Spiritual Excursion for any treks on Nepal as they had the expertise and experience of handelling everything very smoothly and making your adventure more fulfilling . Big Thanks to the whole team for making our dream turn to reality with completing EBC and Thorongla pass.

What an amazing experience with an amazing organization. Spiritual excursion will support you throughout every moment of your journey from before you book they are available to answer as many questions as you wish to ask. From the moment you land in Kathmandu they are around to assist with anything you need! They have so much expertise and use the very best Sherpas and porters. I was a solo traveler and this was my first time in Nepal I felt supported throughout my 2 weeks with the company, the accommodation was great. Thank you so much for making my trip as memorable as possible! Spiritual excursion are highly recommended from England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 United Kingdom 🇬🇧

I am giving 5* to Spiritual Excursion trekking company and I can fully recommend their service. They are real professionals, always helpful, all well organised. Chhiring Sherpa is my most favorite guide and I am already looking forward my next adventure with them. See you next season!:)

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Spiritual Excursion - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Spiritual Excursion Private Limited

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Spiritual Excursion Private Limited - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024) - Tripadvisor

Sergiev Posad

A town of 100 000 people about 70km north-east of Moscow, Sergiev Posad is really only distinguished by its monastery.

But it is a very impressive monastery, perhaps the most visually striking in Russia and one that has had great importance in Russian history. The Trinity Monastery of St Sergius is one of only four monasteries in Russia designated as a lavra, a lavra being the highest rank of monasteries.

A number of important historical episodes unfolded here. Ivan the Terrible’s 1552 capture of Kazan was partly done under the advice of the monastery’s head, Abbot Bassyan.

The monastery was rewarded with a church afterwards. In the early 17th Century the monastery withstood a 16 month siege by the Poles even after Moscow had been occupied. Peter the Great later took refuge in the monastery during the Streltsy uprising that was targeting him and his family. It also acted as the residence of the Patriarch from the end of World War 2 until the fall of Communism.

The original wooden monastery was founded in 1340 by St Sergius of Radonezh but was destroyed after the Saint’s death by the Tatars.

The oldest building still standing today is the Trinity Cathedral which dates from 1422. This white, gold-domed church houses an iconostasis with many works by Andrei Rublev and the tomb of St Sergius himself. The next oldest building on the site is the 1476 Church of the Holy Spirit, which was built on the orders of Ivan the Great. The single, blue and gold domed church stands near the Trinity Cathedral on the southern side of the main square.

But perhaps the most striking church on the grounds though is the 1585 Cathedral of the Assumption with its dazzling blue, star-spangled domes. It was built with money donated by Ivan the Terrible. Just in front of this church, to the left of the entrance, is the tomb of the only Tsar not buried either in the Kremlin or in St Peter and Paul’s Cathedral in St Petersburg: Boris Godunov. To the right of the entrance, meanwhile, stands the small, pretty Chapel

at the Well, built over a natural spring said to have appeared during the Polish siege. You can imbibe on the spiritual water for the price of a cup, or for free if you have your own container.

Other notable buildings among the many beautiful sites in the monastery include the stunning baroque bell tower built in the 18th Century and the 1692 Refectory Church of St Sergius. With an intricate and unique multi-colored paint job, this huge building once served as a refectory for pilgrims visiting the site but its function now is as a working church. The Tsar’s Palace dates from the same period and the lush chapel it houses is open to visitors. The orange Gate Chapel of John the Baptist is a pretty little church, while the vestry along the southern wall of the complex houses the treasures that an exalted monastery tends to accumulate from

various benefactors. The white, fortified walls of the monastery date from the 1540s.

Outside the monastery, a little north of the entrance is a statue of St Sergius. A little to the south of the monastery is the Pyatnitskaya Church. Directly across Prospekt Krasnoi Armii stands the Chapel of the Pyatnitsky Well, another place where you can have a refreshing drink of sacred water.

Entry to the monastery grounds is free, as is entry to the churches when they are open. A photography pass costs 100R ($3.70). You can sign up for English-language tours of the grounds and churches at the kiosk just before the entrance gate. Entry to the vestry (Open 10-17:30 except Monday) costs 150R. The monastery grounds are open 10-18 daily.

Directions: Suburban trains run from Yaroslavsky Vokzal. You can take any train going to Sergiev Posad or Aleksandrov. Trains leave every 20 or 30 minutes from 5am and the trip takes about 90 minutes or a little more. To be sure of getting back you should be at the station at Sergiev Posad by 11:30pm at the latest. Tickets cost 79R ($2.90) one way. From Sergiev Posad take the street at the far right hand side of the square in front of you. Take your first right and follow this street until the monastery comes into view. The monastery sits just off Prospekt Krasnoi Armii, the town’s main street.

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Learn Russian in Moscow

Cultural activities & excursions.

A member of our staff will take you for a tour in Moscow or its surroundings in order to show you the city, its secret places, and famous monuments. Tours are in Russian – an excellent way to practice what you learnt during the week! You can also book other excursions right at the student travel office of the MGU , ask our manager. With your Russian student card, you will benefit from substantial reductions on air and train fares , museums in Moscow , and tickets for theater, ballet, circus, and The Bolshoi Theatre – you will actually pay the Russian student price. Don’t miss this opportunity! We also have further travel info on our tips and tricks page.

Some other examples of excursions around Moscow :

Legends and Secrets of Moscow

Jasnaja poljana.

The Jasnaja Poljana – one of the most dear places of the ground Russian. Here was born, veins and great Russian writer L.N.Tolstoy worked. Excursion includes the review on a to Tula, the Kremlin, visiting of the house-museum of L.N.Tolstov

The Novodevich’e Field

Visit the Novodevichy Monastery founded in 1524 by Grand duke Vasily III . On the grounds of this monastery are buried a number of known Russian scientists, writers, public figures, and military leaders. Many rich people of that time paid huge sums of money to be buried there. In due course, the number of tombs increased and it became necessary to open additional territory. Novodeviche Cemetery became a final resting place of many outstanding figures of Russian history and culture.

Excursions Including Art and Literary Museums of Moscow

• State historical cultural museum “ the Moscow Kremlin “
• State Tretyakov Gallery
• State Pushkin museum of Fine Art
• Moscow History Museum
• State Museum of A.S.Pushkin – the oldest keeper of a literary heritage of Russia

Memorial estates

• Memorial estate “Kolomenskoe” – a country estate of the Moscow tsars
• Jasnaya Polyana. L.N. Tolstoy State Museum
• Kuskovo – a country residence of the Moscow princes, remarkable monument of Russian art culture of XVIII century

The Moscow fountains

• The gushing complex in a garden “Aquarium”
• The fountains on mountain Poklonnoj
• The fountain Soared at the Big theatre
• The Floating fountains at the Marsh area
• The fountain “a singing crane”

Monasteries of Moscow

• Svjato-Danilovskij the man’s monastery build by Daniel Moskovskim in 1282
• the Don monastery build in 1591
• Pokrovsky monastery build in 1635

World religions of Moscow

Moscow many centuries keeps position of the religious center of the country. During excursion you will get acquainted with representations of various faiths in territory of our city.

Imperial palaces of Moscow

• Peter’s I Palace
• Ekaterinas II in Lefortovo
• Alexander I in the Neskuchnyj Sad Park
• the Big Kremlin palace

The Gold Ring cities

The gold Ring Russia since already more than 30 years is one of the most popular tourist routes who unites ancient cities of the Central Russia: Moscow, Vladimir, Suzdal, Kostroma, Yaroslavl, Rostov Great, Pereslavl-Zalesskij, Sergiev Posad. All of them, incorporating roads, build a symbolical circle in which each city shines with the rich history and sights, and together make a treasury of Russian culture. The evident encyclopedia old russian architecture. The cities in northeast from Moscow, storing historical and architectural monuments of Ancient Russia and the subsequent centuries. Suzdal, Sergiev Posad, Rostov, Yaroslavl, Polenovo, Uglich, Pereslavl Zalessky, Zvenigorod, Vladimir.

Spiritual Excursion

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Spiritual Excursion - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

I tried Holland America's 'Have It All' package. For just $55 a day, my cruise felt way more luxurious.

• I tried Holland America Line 's Have It All package on a recent cruise to Alaska.
• For $55 per person per day, we got complimentary drinks, special meals, and other perks.
• The price was so worth it we already booked this package for future cruises. 

Cruise bookings are predicted to reach record levels this year, and travelers are especially interested in luxurious sailings.

But as many of us know, luxury doesn't always equate to value, even when it comes to upgrades and special packages.

So, on our recent cruise to Alaska, my husband and I put one of many cruise packages to the test: Holland America Line's "Have It All" package, which costs $55 per person per day.

It includes perks like a beverage package, ship credit for shore excursions, onboard WiFi, and dinner at specialty restaurants.

Here's why we found it to be such a great value we're going to add it to future cruises.

The beverage package was great, and it included special drinks without alcohol

The biggest perk of the "Have It All" package was the ability to order drinks without worrying about the bill at the end of the cruise.

Our previous cruises had us drinking only tap water, drip coffee, tea, and an occasional glass of wine with dinner to avoid any sticker shock at the end of the trip. We felt restricted in enjoying our vacation.

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But this time, we had the freedom to enjoy ourselves. The "Have It All" package we booked came with 15 drinks a day under $11. If you want a drink over $11, you only pay the difference.

The beverage package also covers non-alcoholic drinks. It was perfect for when we wanted espresso drinks for cold Alaska days or a bottle of water for a shore excursion.

The shore-excursion credit helped push us to have more fun

We knew we had to do a whale-watching excursion in Alaska, but didn't consider booking other excursions due to price. Many of the ones we were interested in cost over $100 per person.

But with the package, we each got credits to use toward shore excursions during our cruise. The value of the credit varies depending on the duration of your cruise — ours was less than 10 days, so we each got a $100 credit.

The $200 worth of credits made us feel more comfortable booking an incredible excursion to kayak the wild waters of Sitka.

We probably would've hesitated to book an excursion and missed an incredible experience if we hadn't felt compelled to use the credits in the package.

Specialty dining helped us celebrate our anniversary

Our "Have it All" packages each included at least one dinner at one of the ship's specialty restaurants. If you're on a longer cruise, this package would get you access to more dinners.

We used our credits to eat at the Pinnacle Grill, known for its premium steaks and intimate dining experience. Our anniversary dinner was extra special because of the access to premium dishes unavailable in the main dining room, five-star service, and a luxurious setting.

WiFi kept us connected

The package included WiFi, which really came in handy as we shared photos with friends and family throughout our trip.

We were able to use the internet to search for whatever we needed and research the highlights to visit at the next port of call.

We've already booked the package for future cruises

For less than what a few drinks cost per day, the package helped us relax, have fun, and enjoy each port of call with a shore excursion. Plus, we got to indulge in the ship's specialty restaurants.

We loved it so much we've already purchased this same package for three future cruises.

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• Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Best of Moscow by high speed train

By shuguley , February 15, 2014 in Regent Seven Seas Cruises

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Sure would appreciate someone who has taken "Best of Moscow by high speed train" from St. Petersburg could please share their impressions of this shore excursion. From the description this sounds like a very long day.

Wondering how the 4 hour train trip was in terms of accommodations, etc. Also what time did you leave the ship and what time at night did you return? Were both legs of the trip on the high speed rail (I read that slower trains also travel the same tracks)?

My wife and I are considering this excursion. We thought that if we are making all the effort to go to Russia then how could we pass up going to Moscow, walking in Red Square, seeing St. Basil, etc.

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If you are considering this on the 2015 June Baltic cruise on Voyager; my suggestion is don't. There is so much to do in St. Petersburg and although a train is one of my favorite ways to travel the time would be far better spent in St. P.

Thanks for the advice. Yes, this would be on the Voyager during the 2015 season but not yet sure exactly which cruise.

We did the Moscow excursion "on a different luxury line", but from your brief description it sounds very much like the same trip, so I will operate on that assumption. It is a VERY long day! We left the ship at 5:30 AM and returned at 12:30 AM. The highspeed train trip is comfortable, and while they call it "Business Class" it does not compare well to the equivalent class on say Rail Europe. When we did it in 2011, we did have highspeed both ways, and the trip back seemed much longer as the adrenaline and excitement had worn off!:D

Moscow itself is not that terribly different from any other big city in the world, but this Cold War kid never thought he would ever stand in Red Square, never mind walk the grounds of The Kremlin, or tour The Kremlin Palace, or see (but not visit) Lenin's Tomb, or visit The Armoury. But he did, and he loved every minute of it! Yes, it is a long day, and you barely scratch a scratch on the surface, but it is worth it. There is a tremendous amount to see in St. Petersburg, but every Baltic cruise goes to St. Petersburg, so you can go back if you choose to. Not every cruiseline offers you the chance to see Moscow.

I have not personally done this tour, but our last time in St Petersburg, the private guide that we hired for a day was leading the regent tour to Moscow on the high speed train the next day. He said it was way better than the previous alternative, which was flying to Moscow and back. He said that you actually got to Moscow faster because you didn't have to deal with airline checkin etc. it did seem like a very long day to me, and there is so much to see and do in st. Petersburg that I didn't consider doing it.

countflorida

We toured to Moscow from St. Petersburg via the hi-speed SAPSAN train last September, from a Baltic cruise on the Oceania Marina. You need to have a two-night, three day port call in St. Petersburg to take this tour because the tour typically leaves the ship around 5:00 - 5:30 AM and doesn't return until after midnight the next day. We didn't take the ship's tour; we made private arrangements with TravelAllRussia for three days of touring, the first and third days in St. Petersburg and the second day the tour to Moscow by train. Our cost for the private tour for three days was about the same as what the ship charged for the excursion to Moscow alone. There are a number of private tour agencies that operate in St. Petersburg and offer the Moscow train tours; we would strongly recommend them over the ship's tours.

All three days had private guides with car and driver. The second day, the driver picked us up at the ship and took us to the train, but we were alone on the train, and met in Moscow by the guide on the station platform. After our tour and dinner, we were brought back to the train and after the return train trip met by the driver and taken back to the ship. Because you are alone on the train you must have your own Russian visas.

If this is your first visit to St. Petersburg, I would agree there is much more to see there. We found Moscow somewhat a disappointment, particularly Red Square. The Kremlin and the cathedral in Red Square were also worth seeing. But the best thing we saw was the Moscow subway! I worked for the Washington Metro system back in the 1980s as it grew from 40 to 80 miles and although I was in the computer area, I learned a lot about the challenges of running a subway system. We used the Moscow system to get across the city from where we had dinner to the train station, and I was amazed at the cleanliness', speed of operation, the short headways maintained, and the courtesy of everyone involved. A very impressive experience!

We had been to St. Petersburg before, and so had the time to take a day and go to Moscow. Also, I really like trains, and the SAPSAN is a German train set running on Russian rails. Seats are like first class domestic air, spacious but not too plush or comfortable, but with enough room. Not too much recline, and almost 8 hours on the train in two shots is a lot for an old man. They come through and sell drinks, candy, etc. but the sellers don't speak English and no one around us helped, so we had just poor coffee once coming, and brought stuff with us for the trip back. Not too much to see from the train either, particularly on the return when it is night the whole way.

If you decide to go, take a private tour and avoid the overly expensive ship's tour. I'm glad we did it, but wouldn't bother to repeat the tour; we've seen Moscow.

Thanks so much to all of you for the thorough and thought insight. Yhe information you have provided is most helpful.

countflorida: Your detailed post is very helpful. We are not quite ready for a Baltic cruise but should do so within a year. Time enough to do our pre travel research, bookings and visa gathering.:) Thank you!

Emperor Norton

Sure would appreciate someone who has taken "Best of Moscow by high speed train" from St. Petersburg could please share their impressions of this shore excursion. From the description this sounds like a very long day.   Wondering how the 4 hour train trip was in terms of accommodations, etc. Also what time did you leave the ship and what time at night did you return? Were both legs of the trip on the high speed rail (I read that slower trains also travel the same tracks)?   My wife and I are considering this excursion. We thought that if we are making all the effort to go to Russia then how could we pass up going to Moscow, walking in Red Square, seeing St. Basil, etc.

I did this on Seabourn. IMO DONT. Take Aeroflop (er Aeroflot). The train has non folding seats where you are literally knee to knee with your fellow passenger (facing each other). Further they don't believe in air conditioning. It's also the worlds slowed bullet train. I think I would have found more enjoyment wandering around the St. Petersburg and Moscow airports.

Countflorida,

This is a little off topic,, however we had planned a river cruise in Russia but decided we would rather stay on land and have booked about two weeks with Travel-All-Russia using the private guide and driver. I'm curious as to how you found them as a tour company.

The guides they provided were fine. We had a different guide each of the days in St. Petersburg, but both were flexible, pleasant, knowledgeable and spoke English very well, as did the guide in Moscow, incidentally. She was a bit aloof, distant, not too friendly, but otherwise fine. In fact, she was the one who suggested taking the Metro, which unexpectedly became one of the highlights of the Moscow excursion. If I have a complaint with AllTravelRussia, it is with their plan and its execution (more later).

I had requested emphasis on World War II (in Russia, the Great Patriotic War) sites and info. In scheduling us, they weren't careful about dates and a couple of the sites we wanted to see were scheduled on the third day, after we'd been to Moscow. But both sites were closed that day of the week, and that info was readily available, right on web sites describing them. Also, the included meals (lunches in St. Pete, dinner in Moscow) were not what we asked for: light meals with some choices, so we could avoid things we didn't like and choose things we did like. My request was ignored; we were given full Russian meals with a fixed menu, no choice. On the first day, a fish dish was the entre, but I am allergic to fish. Fortunately, I had the e-mail I'd sent with me and showed it to the guide, and she was able to change my entre to chicken, which was very good actually. But we didn't want a 3-4 course lunches or dinner (in Moscow). We had the guide drop the lunch the third day, although we never got any credit or refund. But, particularly in contrast to the ship's tours, the prices were so reasonable we didn't worry too much about it.

The people who were on the ship's tour to Moscow saw us boarding the same train for which they were forced to queue up and wait on the way back, and asked us what we had done. I was candid and open so they were not happy when I explained what we had arranged and particularly what it had cost. Also, when we returned to the ship, we found they had laid on a late supper for those who had gone to Moscow, so up we went and had something. Well, it turns out the late supper was supposed to be just for those on the ship's tour, but we and others on 'independent' tours, there were a dozen or more of us, crashed the party, actually got there first, and they didn't realize it until the larger group arrived and there weren't enough tables/places set. By that time, the 'independents' had all gotten served and were eating; what could they do?

A couple from the larger group sat down with us and asked us about our tour, and they were the ones I told about our arrangement and its cost. They turned to others who’d been with them and announced the details, loudly enough so the whole room heard, which started a lot of bitching and complaining. I gathered they weren't very happy with the ship's tour to begin with, and this was the straw that broke the camel's back. We finished up and beat it out of there, but overheard later that one of the excursion staff came to check on something and ran into a real mess. I caught a cold on the trip, which forced me to bed the second day following in Tallinn, so by the time we reappeared we heard about the contretemps' but apparently no one recalled who started it, thankfully.

Because of what happened to us, I would probably not use AllTravelRussia if I were to go again, or if I did, I would be sure to get confirmation of every detail of the tour. They do have good reviews generally, and we were certainly helped by their visa department and liked the guides and drivers. Their weakness, I say now with full 20:20 hindsight, is that once the sales person who plans the tour, sells it to you and collects your money, he (or she) transfers the plan to their Russia office for implementation; there is no follow-up to make sure it gets done right. And that is where our problems arose; we paid for a custom tour but got a standard package with a few destinations switched, and no one checked them out, even to see when they were open the day we were scheduled to go. If you check every detail that’s important to you, it should be OK, but that’s a hell of a way to have to do business, in my opinion.

Thank you for the 20/20 hindsight observation on your Russian tour operator, and better priced than the ship's excursion cost.

Thanks very much for the feedback.

We had the same experience as you so far as price. We originally booked a Viking Cruise but, hearing some things about the river cruises that made us unhappy, looked into other options. T-A-R cost the same or less than a cruise and had us in hotels for 11 days. We opted for the private tour. They have three tour levels, based on hotels. We originally opted for the four star as it did not cost much more than the three star hotels. Finally we decided to throw it all in and upgraded to five star. In Moscow we will be at the newly opened Kempinsky which is two blocks from Red Square. In St. Petersburg it is the Grand Hotel Europe, one of the most vaunted luxury hotels in Russia. Location is important for us as the tours use up only part of the day so being in the center of everything for our independent touring is important. As with many other cities, the less you pay, the farther out of the center of town you are.

We have been working with our salesman in D.C. and he seems to get back to us with the changes we want. He recently returned from Russia so is up on everything. When I asked they said they paid the full TA commission if I wanted so I got my usual TA on board so he is watching our back and giving us that extra level of comfort. He also set up our air, which I know pays him little or nothing, and got us business class for much less than T-A-R wanted for economy, though it took working for a while with a consolidator. He's happy to get his 10 percent on this trip without having booked it. He also took care of the trip insurance. We've been doing a lot of research on the CC sister site Trip Advisor and will write a report there. We will, I guess, become a source of info for CC members after having spent 5 days in Moscow and 6 in SP.

• 4 months later...

scubacruiserx2

Anybody considering a day trip to Moscow from St. Petersburg on the Sapsan may want to look at our travelogue filled with pictures.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1927687

Very informative. Thanks dor sharing. Jeff

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Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace

By Hank Shteamer

April 11, 2024

Shabaka Hutchings ’ tenor saxophone shows up exactly once on this album. Around 10 minutes before the LP ends, he summons the fierce momentum and sandpapery grit that have powered beloved bands like Sons of Kemet , the Comet Is Coming , and Shabaka and the Ancestors , and helped to make him one of the most celebrated jazz musicians of the past decade. As is usually the case when Shabaka—now billed by first name only—picks up what he has called the “big, loud, shiny horn,” the solo is thrilling. But this brief, incendiary statement carries a special weight in the wake of Shabaka’s announcement— made on New Year’s Day 2023 and clarified that summer —that he would be taking an indefinite hiatus from the tenor and his groups that feature that instrument.

It’s easy to admire Shabaka’s stated reasons for putting down the horn: a feeling of burnout stemming from a heavy touring schedule that has kept him “on the road consistently treating the performance of a spiritual practice as a commodity to be sold repeatedly”; a quest to generate “energy without tension,” which has led him instead toward various flutes, including the Japanese shakuhachi and the clarinet, his original and, in his eyes, principle instrument. But could a Shabaka album with almost no tenor really have the same impact as his prior output? The answer is yes, absolutely, and that’s primarily because on Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace —the artist’s first full-length statement in this vein, following a 2022 EP, Afrikan Culture —Shabaka hasn’t just subbed out one signature instrument for another; instead, he’s remade his music from the ground up.

Shabaka’s prior work was as much dance music as jazz. You couldn’t help but move to the heady electro-funk of the Comet Is Coming, the mighty Afro-Caribbean grooves of Sons of Kemet, or the richly layered intercontinental exchange of Shabaka and the Ancestors. Perceive Its Beauty , on the other hand, focuses on tranquility, a sense of meditative communion with a variety of guest vocalists and instrumentalists. Of course, Shabaka is hardly the only musician thinking along these lines lately. New Blue Sun , André 3000 ’s own flute-pivot LP, which featured a Shabaka cameo on shakuhachi, signaled the mainstream arrival of a wave that’s been building steadily across the past decade or so wherein various questing sounds of the 1970s—from Alice Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders to Steve Reich , Brian Eno and private-press New Agers like Iasos — have swirled together in a plume of incense, wafting across the decades to inform artists working in and around jazz, electronic music, and more.

But, despite a significant overlap in personnel between Perceive Its Beauty and New Blue Sun —André himself appears on one track here, as does his New Blue Sun collaborator Surya Botofasina, while that project’s creative catalyst Carlos Niño turns up throughout—the two albums have little in common. Whereas New Blue Sun offered sprawling sonic environments, Perceive Its Beauty presents more focused episodes, thoughtfully sequenced to move from abstract and spacious to pulsing and upbeat and back again. (Also, it must be said: As an instrumentalist, André 3000 is a proud novice , while Shabaka is a classically trained practitioner with years of professional experience and a deep dedication to craft .)

The album’s parade of guest stars might feel like a distraction if each of these artists weren’t so well integrated into Shabaka’s overall vision. Opener “End of Innocence” and fifth track “The Wounded Need to Be Replenished” feature different piano luminaries (respectively, Jason Moran, known for his brilliant reimaginings of jazz history, and Nduduzo Makhathini, the South African bandleader and sometime member of the Ancestors), but each achieves a similar kind of pensive beauty. On the former, Shabaka’s clarinet traces liquid arcs over Moran and drummer Nasheet Waits’ somber, abstract textures, while on the latter, the leader’s flute floats wisp-like among Makhathini’s spare phrases, with Niño’s percussion and Botofasina’s synth heightening the feeling of aqueous suspension. In both cases, as much as Shabaka’s tone on these instruments differs from his steely projections on tenor, the artful poise of his phrasing remains fully intact.

Of the album’s many vocal tracks, the most transporting are those that treat guest singers more like fellow instrumentalists. On “Insecurities,” Moses Sumney seems to channel the timbre of Shabaka’s flute as he joins the leader and harpist Charles Overton with wordless lines. On “Kiss Me Before I Forget,” Lianne La Havas melds her voice with Shabaka’s clarinet, creating a lovely braiding of tones, and on “Living,” Eska Mtungwazi’s multi-tracked singing unites with the strings of Miguel Atwood-Ferguson to create a lush, orchestral feel.

Tracks featuring the poets Saul Williams (who contributes a serene monologue to “Managing My Breath, What Fear Had Become”) and Anum Iyapo (Shabaka’s father, who declaims tenderly on album closer “Song of the Motherland,” referencing the title track of his own 1985 album ), and rapper Elucid (who brings incisive verses to “Body to Inhabit”) feel a bit less interactive, with vocals sitting out in front of the ensemble. But each piece makes room for compelling interplay between Shabaka’s flute and Charles Overton’s harp, with Brandee Younger , a fellow harpist who has brought the instrument a fresh wave of attention in jazz in recent years, adding to the richness of “Body to Inhabit,” along with Esperanza Spalding , who contributes an insistent bassline. On “I’ll Do Whatever You Want,” André 3000’s flute ends up making less of a discernible impact than producer Floating Points , who gives the track its psychedelic synth pulse, and ambient trailblazer Laraaji , who adds droll vocal excursions and a signature laugh at the end.

Amid the ever-shifting personnel, it’s the confidence of Shabaka’s vision and the potency of his playing that leave the strongest impression. Throughout Perceive Its Beauty , we hear him confidently stepping outside the boundaries not just of jazz but of any easily defined genre and finding a firm footing. Taking in a category-defying track like “As the Planets and the Stars Collapse”—another standout instrumental, with its lush bed of harps and strings, and Shabaka blowing his flute over top with as much muscle as grace—you don’t miss the big, loud, shiny horn, or the in-your-face ensemble sound of a band like Sons of Kemet, in the slightest. The incarnation may be new, but the music’s underlying spirit, its animating force, is very much the same.

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