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I THE UK’S #1 TRAVEL MAGAZINE

UK EDITION // JUL/AUG 2021 // £4.95

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21 adventures U LT I M AT E

BRAZIL • CANADA • CHILE • COLOMBIA GUATEMALA • JAPAN • MEXICO • NEPAL PAKISTAN • RUSSIA • SAMOA • SPAIN • SUDAN TURKEY • VIE TNAM • ZAMBIA • & MORE

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HONG KONG

Sardinia Discover turquoise coves & historic treasures on Italy’s wildest island

Dominican Republic From cigar workshops to surf shacks: life on the dazzling Amber Coast

AUS TR ALIA U TA H

WIN! A LUXURY ISLAND ESCAPE TO RHODES

ALSO: BASEL // COVENTRY // FROME // GIRONA // LYON // JOHANNESBURG// THE NETHERLANDS // NEW YORK

Taste the passion.

This is proper food: made with skill and care, by people who love what they do, in a beautiful place. Real food, real drink, real Wales.

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More than just an extraordinary setting

THE OMNIA is a uniquely wonderful experience.

Come and see for yourself.

30 Rooms including 12 Suites Library with a fireplace Restaurant Lounge Bar Sun Terrace Boardroom Wellness Center

THE OMNIA, Zermatt – Switzerland, Phone +41 27 966 71 71, www.the-omnia.com

BY APPOINTMENT TO HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II SWAROVSKI OPTIK SUPPLIER OF BINOCULARS

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Jul/Aug 2021

Contents

112 70 21 adventures Kayaking off Canada’s wild west coast, walking with giraffes in Zambia, riding the Trans-Siberian Railway and plenty more besides — we bring you a host of unforgettable experiences to inspire your next big getaway

88 Utah Open skies, rocky landscapes and an outdoor cinema make for a road trip of a lifetime

112 Dominican Republic With its paradise beaches, the country’s less-trodden north coast is a Caribbean treasure

102 Australia To follow the winding course of the Murray River is to trace a path through a nation’s past

122 Johannesburg The ‘City of Gold’ has a new allure thanks to a rich cultural scene and mouth-watering food

I N AT I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C T R AV E L L E R I S T H E U K ’ S # 1 T R AV E L M A G A Z I N E B Y S U B S C R I P T I O N S

Issue 94 Hiking in Torres del Paine National Park, southern Patgonia, Chile IMAGE: Getty

Jul/Aug 2021

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Jul/Aug 2021

Contents

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56

146

SMART TRAVELLER

39 The word Everest as you’ve never seen it before

TRAVEL GEEKS

19 Snapshot Beside the seaside in Brighton 20 Big picture Strolling with sheep in Poland 23 Art and soul All eyes on Coventry, the UK City of Culture 25 Heritage heroes Restoring some of our most ancient sites 27 Food The flavours of Singapore’s cuisine 29 On the trail A taste of Lyon’s famous bouchons 31 Rooms The best boutique beds in Girona 32 Family Where to go glamping in Monmouthshire 34 Inside guide Getting cultural in Basel 37 Stay at home Boutiques and bakeries in Frome

40 Kit list The best technology for your travels 43 Competition Win a five-night luxury stay in Greece 45 Author series Craig Taylor on New York City 46 Meet the adventurer Mark Synnott on scaling the world’s summits 48 Online Weekly highlights from the websites INSIDER

50 Weekender: Sardinia Ancient ruins, local crafts and watersports await on an escape to the Italian island 56 Eat: Zeeland Long shaped by the water, the Dutch region’s cuisine goes big on the bounties of the sea 62 Sleep: Hong Kong From smart urban pads to tucked-away retreats, the ultimate hotel guide to the city

130 Travel Geeks The experts’ travel manual 136 Remote working We meet the travellers who have taken their work with them GET IN TOUCH

36 Subscriptions Make the most of our latest offer 145 Inbox Your letters, emails and tweets 146 Your pictures This month’s best travel photos

DON’T MISS

44 Photography Competition 2021 Final call for entries — enter your travel shots to win an incredible grand prize 142 National Geographic Traveller Food Festival Don’t miss our celebration of food and travel this summer

G O O N L I N E V I S I T N AT I O N A LG EO G R A P H I C .C O . U K / T R AV E L F O R N E W T R AV E L F E AT U R E S DA I LY

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Contributors National Geographic Traveller (UK)

Nicky Evans Water is a fact of life in the Netherlands, nowhere more so than in Zeeland. Many of the province’s restaurants were closed during my visit, but eating fresh, barbecued lobster at the roadside was one of those experiences that I’ll cherish. ZEELAND P.56

Editorial Director: Maria Pieri Editor: Pat Riddell Deputy Editor: Amelia Duggan Commissioning Editor: Connor McGovern Senior Editor: Sarah Barrell Executive Editor: Glen Mutel Associate Editor: Nicola Trup Online Editor: Josephine Price (maternity leave) Assistant Online Editor: Nora Wallaya Content Editor: Charlotte Wigram-Evans Assistant Content Editor: Angela Locatelli Project Editors: Jo Fletcher-Cross, Zane Henry, Farida Zeynalova Head of Sub Editors: Hannah Doherty Sub Editors: Chris Horton, Ben Murray, Karen Yates Operations Manager: Seamus McDermott Head of Events: Natalie Jackson

Aaron Millar Taking an Airstream trailer on an American road trip has long been a dream of mine — they’re the perfect match for the vast landscapes of Utah. I expected adventure and incredible views, but the driving itself was just as spectacular. UTAH P.88

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National Geographic Traveller (UK) is published by APL Media Limited, Unit 310, Highgate Studios, 53-79 Highgate Road, London NW5 1TL nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel Editorial T: 020 7253 9906. editorial@natgeotraveller.co.uk Sales/Admin T: 020 7253 9909. F: 020 7253 9907. sales@natgeotraveller.co.uk Subscriptions T: 01293 312 166. natgeotraveller@subscriptionhelpline.co.uk

David Whitley Following Australia’s Murray River turned into a journey that told the story of a nation — I learned about everything from Aboriginal culture and wildlife to wool industry heritage and environmental protection. AUSTRALIA P.102

National Geographic Traveller (UK) is published by APL Media Ltd under license from National Geographic Partners, LLC. For more information contact natgeo.com/info.

Their entire contents are protected by copyright 2021 and all rights are reserved.

Reproduction without prior permission is forbidden. Every care is taken in compiling the contents of the magazine, but the publishers assume no responsibility in the effect arising therefrom. Readers are advised to seek professional advice before acting on any information which is contained in the magazine. Neither APL Media Ltd or National Geographic Traveller magazine accept any liability for views expressed, pictures used or claims made by advertisers.

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International Editions

Exploring the Dominican Republic’s lesserknown north coast enabled me to meet a range of extroverted characters, telling stories of lush natural landscapes and colourful towns and cities, rich in history and adventures. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC P.112

Editorial Director: Amy Kolczak Deputy Editorial Director: Darren Smith Editor: Leigh Mitnick Translation Manager: Beata Nas Editors: CHINA Sophie Huang; FRANCE Gabriel Joseph-Dezaize; GERMANY Werner Siefer; INDIA Lakshmi Sankaran; ITALY Marco Cattaneo; LATIN AMERICA Claudia Muzzi; NETHERLANDS Arno Kantelberg; POLAND Agnieszka Franus; ROMANIA Catalin Gruia; RUSSIA Ivan Vasin; SOUTH KOREA Bo-yeon Lim; SPAIN Josan Ruiz; TURKEY Nesibe Bat

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Jess Nicholson Even a few days in Johannesburg is full of unexpected tales and warm hospitality. No matter what’s thrown at this city, it always seems to remain determinedly resilient.

The streets seem to yearn to welcome travellers back. JOHANNESBURG P.122

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Editor’s letter

Covid-19 The ongoing pandemic continues to affect travel. Please note, prices and travel advice are subject to change. Contact your travel provider for the most upto-date information. For the latest news on safe travel and border restrictions, visit gov.uk/fcdo

I

f there’s one thing that lockdown has deprived us of above all else, it’s adventure. And I don’t mean scaling sheer rock faces or trekking across deserts, just the literal dictionary definition: an unusual or exciting experience. Life since the coronavirus outbreak has been both hard and humdrum, but with more travel corridors set to open and vaccination programmes continuing apace, at least we can start planning in earnest.

Research from Mintel in May found that almost one in five UK travellers is currently gearing up for ‘a trip of a lifetime’ when the pandemic abates — nearly double the number who were making such plans in 2019.

Quite what those trips will be we don’t know, but our cover story this issue (p.70) will hopefully offer you some inspiration for your own post-Covid getaways. We asked our writers for their favourite adventures and, having whittled down the suggestions, we’ve curated a spectacular list that spans the Earth’s four corners.

Whether it’s seeking out Colombia’s Lost City, bush camping in Queensland or cycling along the banks of the Mekong River, these are 21 trips for your wish list — and most require nothing more than a pair of sturdy boots and, yes, the desire for a truly unusual or exciting experience.

DON’T MISS

Reader Awards 2021 It’s time for you to have your say. It’s not been the easiest year, but we’re looking to reward the hard-working heroes of the travel industry. Who’s got your vote? (p.16)

SUBSCRIBE TODAY

PAT RIDDELL, EDITOR @patriddell @patriddell

AWARD-WINNING NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER LATA Media Awards 2020: Online Consumer Feature of the Year Award • BGTW Awards 2020: Travel Feature of the Year — Non UK • Travel Media Awards 2020: Consumer Writer of the Year • Visit USA Media Awards 2020: Best Consumer Travel Magazine Feature • British Travel Awards 2019: Best Consumer Holiday Magazine

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• BGTW Awards 2019: Best Travel Writer • BGTW Awards 2019: Best Europe Travel Feature • Travel Media Awards 2019: Young Writer of the Year • Travel Media Awards 2019: Specialist Travel Writer of the Year • AITO Travel Writer of the Year 2019 • AITO Young Travel Writer of the Year 2019 • BGTW Awards 2018: Best Travel Writer • Travel Media Awards 2018: Consumer Writer of the Year • BSME Talent Awards 2018: Best Designer • British Travel Awards 2017: Best Consumer Holiday Magazine • BGTW Awards 2017: Best Travel Writer • BGTW Awards 2016: Best Travel Writer • British Travel Awards 2015: Best Consumer Holiday Magazine

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THE PRIZES VOTE ONLINE TO WIN ONE OF THESE FANTASTIC PRIZES!

A WEEK’S STAY AT A TRULLO VILLA IN PUGLIA, ITALY You and five friends can spend a week at beautiful Trulli Olea, one of Puglia’s distinctive conical-roof houses, complete with private pool. Set in the countryside near the whitewashed hilltop town of Cisternino, Olea has a gorgeous shady gazebo for al fresco dining, hammock-strung terraces, a farmhouse kitchen and three separate apartment bedrooms decked out with local handicrafts. relaxpuglia.com

A THREE-NIGHT GUIDED UK WALKING BREAK Team up with your favourite walking partner to enjoy a three-night guided walking holiday with HF Holidays, whose trips involve a stay in country houses nationwide. Up to three walks a day, ranging from easy, medium to hard, are led by an experienced HF Holidays Leader. On your return, refuel in comfort with full-board accommodation at your chosen HF country house. hfholidays.co.uk

£300 CITALIA VOUCHER

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Looking back at a year like no other, the 2021 Reader Awards will ask you to vote for the destinations that kept your spirits up — virtually or otherwise — and had you itching to travel again. We want to reward the companies that gained or retained your trust and the travel TV shows and books that inspired you, as well as innovative online visitor experiences, standout attractions and unique stays up and down the country. Head to the website, have your say and help your favourites get recognised.

Cast your votes for a chance to win one of 23 fantastic prizes. Vote today at

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With 90 years’ experience, Citalia’s carefully curated trips span 300 hand-picked hotels, bespoke cultural itineraries, beach breaks, and exclusive train journeys. So, whether you dream of a Tuscan road trip or an indulgent Sicilian beach break, these travel vouchers, and Citalia’s expertise, will help you get there. citalia.com

20 FREE SUBSCRIPTIONS Fancy a year’s worth of National Geographic Traveller (UK) for free? Well, we’ve got 20 subscriptions to give away — so get voting.

THE WINNERS Winners announced in the Jan/Feb 2022 issue. Voting and prize draw close 30 September 2021 at 23:59 GMT and are open to residents of the UK and Ireland aged 18 and over. Prizes subject to availability. Full T&Cs: nationalgeographic.co.uk/reader-awards

Jul/Aug 2021

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SMART TRAVELLER What’s new // Food // On the trail // Rooms // Family // Inside guide // Stay at home // The word

SNAPSHOT

Catriona Bellingham, Brighton, England I met Cat on a cold day on Brighton Beach — it was during lockdown and the beach was quiet, except for Cat (and her dog waiting patiently on the shore). Originally from Glasgow, Cat has lived in Brighton for more than 15 years, working as a community nurse with patients living with HIV. She told me she finds solace in her open-water swims, having graduated from ‘summer-only’ dips to year-round swims with no wetsuit.

HOLLY WREN // PHOTOGRAPHER hollywren.com @holly_wren

Jul/Aug 2021

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SMART TRAVELLER

BIG PICTURE

Maniowy, Poland Shepherds march with their sheep as part of the annual southern Polish tradition of redyk, or the ‘trailing of the sheep’. Each summer, the sheep are taken high into the mountains to graze. The shepherds sleep in small wooden huts without electricity or running water and rely solely on what nature provides to survive. They then return in October, leading their flocks through the villages to music and cheering. The locals are always happy to welcome them back — despite the traffic the flocks cause.

BARTŁOMIEJ JURECKI // PHOTOGRAPHER jurecki.com @bartlomiejjurecki

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SMART TRAVELLER

The Capitals Race 2021

Book your place, call:

01621 744 902 www.premiersailingracing.co.uk

SMART TRAVELLER

A N C I E N T S IT E S

HERITAGE HEROES From Italy to Indonesia, major restoration works are underway to preserve and improve some of the world’s most historic sites TURKEY

IMAGES: GETTY

Ancient artefacts are still being unearthed in the city of Laodicea on the Lycus, and restorations of its 15,000-seat theatre are nearing completion.

Work on the theatre, which dates to the second century BC, is due to wrap up this summer; it’ll be marked with a celebratory art event. goturkiye.com

Italy

England

It’s seen beasts, battles and bloody executions, and now the world’s most iconic arena is seeing… a floor. An architecture company has won a contract to restore the Colosseum’s floor to its former glory and allow visitors to admire the 1,950-year-old edifice from its centre, where gladiators once fought. Set for completion in 2023, the 32,300sq ft surface will be made up of hundreds of wooden slats that can retract to let light and air into the chambers beneath — the same spaces where gladiators and wild animals would wait before entering the arena. parcocolosseo.it/en

Hadrian’s Wall marks its 1,900th anniversary next year and is set to receive £30m in government and charity funding, with the goal of improving transport links and upgrading visitor centres. It’s hoped the wall will become one of the nation’s top landmarks. Key to the strategy is its Game of Thrones connection — the Wall in George R R Martin’s novels was inspired by a visit to the site. english-heritage.org.uk

Indonesia

France

Coral reefs are among the planet’s oldest ecosystems, but they face a perilous future.

At the Sheba Hope Reef, off the island of Sulawesi, 19,000 reef stars, seeded with 285,000 coral fragments, have been planted as part of what’s hailed as the world’s biggest coral restoration project. The scheme is led by cat food brand Sheba, whose aim to ensure a sustainable fish population benefits our feline friends, as well as the 500 million people whose livelihoods depend on reefs. Check out the channel on YouTube, where a percentage of the revenue from adverts helps to fund the project. shebahopegrows.com

After numerous setbacks following the 2019 blaze, the restoration of Notre-Dame cathedral is set to pick up the pace this summer. Charity Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris has set up an appeal for donations to help preserve the church’s treasures. Donors can choose where their money goes — whether it’s on artworks, holy relics or the famous grotesques. restorenotredame.org

A grotesque at the Notre-Dame cathedral, Paris ABOVE: View of Rome’s Colosseum, which will be fitted with a floor for the first time since the 1700s

CONNOR MCGOVERN

Jul/Aug 2021

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C OV E N T RY

ART AND SOUL

IMAGES: ALAMY; NICKSMITHPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

The West Midlands city is embracing its artistic side as UK City of Culture 2021 with a packed programme of events

The self-proclaimed ‘city of peace and reconciliation’, Coventry proudly dons the UK City of Culture crown for 2021, kicking off with COVENTRY MOVES on 5 June — a citywide display of dance, music and visual arts.

Running until May 2022, the city’s programme of performing arts, music and more will affi rm its status as a booming arts hub. Case in point is the esteemed British arts accolade THE TURNER PRIZE — from 29 September, its exhibition of nominated artists will be on show at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum until 12 January, and the winner will be revealed on 1 December. New food hall FACTORY gets ready to move into creative quarter FarGo Village, while the annual BBC poetry and spoken word festival CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE makes its West Midlands debut from 23 to 26 September, with the billing celebrating bright sparks from the city and beyond. theherbert.org fargovillage.co.uk

From October onwards, COVENTRY BIENNIAL presents a four-month-long

programme of visual art and culture, highlighting the legacies of local activism from the 1960s to the present day. Meanwhile, in the same month, SOUND SYSTEMS is a music festival that leans on Coventry’s proud ties with its twinned city, Kingston, Jamaica.

Further music can be found in November as two-week digital arts event RANDOM STRING FESTIVAL , focused on the sights and sounds of the Coventry Canal, provides a series of workshops and performances in association with the Canal & River Trust. coventrybiennial.com randomstring.co Perhaps Coventry’s most poignant event comes on 27 October, as a 11.5ft-tall puppet of a young refugee arrives in the city. Starting its journey at the Syria-Turkey border, Little Amal will arrive in Coventry for THE WALK , which is sure to tap into those reconciliatory values. coventry2021.co.uk RICHARD FRANKS

GET THE GUIDE

111 Places In Coventry That You Shouldn’t Miss is the ultimate guide for uncovering Coventry’s secrets.

Highlights include quirky tributes to city heroine Lady Godiva, the building shaped like an elephant and the Boxing Hall of Fame. (Emons, RRP: £13.99)

DON’T MISS

NEW OPENINGS TELEGRAPH HOTEL Set in the former newsroom of the Coventry Telegraph, this hotel offers 88 1960s-inspired rooms, a restaurant and a rooftop bar. The Lord Iliffe Suite pays homage to the newspaper’s founder. telegraph-hotel.com

BELGRADE CAFÉ & NINETEEN 58 BAR The adjoining cafe and upstairs bar of the listed theatre have both had an extensive refurbishment. Expect a laid-back atmosphere and locally sourced food. belgrade.co.uk

HMV EMPIRE After a move to a city-centre venue with a larger capacity, The Empire is set to continue hosting headline acts.

Look out for City of Culture events here, too. coventryempire.co.uk

Jul/Aug 2021

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All our tours and expeditions are sold in the UK by: Native Eye www. nativeeyetravel.com Undiscovered Destinations www.undiscovered-destinations.com

SMART TRAVELLER

ESSENTIAL INGREDIENT

Belachan is a fermented shrimp paste that’s integral to most Southeast Asian cuisines and usually comes as a block you crumble and toast or roast. It’s pungent and adds a salty, rich, shrimp flavour to dishes like sambal.

A TA S T E O F

SINGAPORE

IMAGE: KRIS KIRKHAM

Whether it’s laksa or kaya toast, Singaporean cuisine is full of flavour.

Elizabeth Haigh selects her highlights

In Singapore it’s very common to greet each other with “Are you hungry?” or “Shall we get some food?” rather than “Hello, how are you?”. We live by our stomachs and are very proud of it, too.

Singapore is a hub for all sorts of cuisines.

The Peranakan Chinese or Straits-born Chinese are the descendants of immigrants from the southern provinces of China, who settled in Malaysia and Singapore. Their unique fusion food combines Chinese with influences from Malay, Indian, Thai, Indonesian, Dutch, Portuguese and, of course, English cuisine.

Peranakan men refer to themselves as ‘Baba’ (Uncle), while women are ‘Nonya’ (Auntie). It’s no surprise the cuisine is called Nonya after the women: the matriarchal recipes are passed down from generation to generation and every woman is expected to master them. Nonya food is tangy, aromatic, spicy and herbal; the curry dishes are more on the fragrant side than just powerful spice heat. Key ingredients are coconut milk, lemongrass, tamarind, galangal and turmeric.

ELIZABETH HAIGH is head chef

and founder of Mei Mei in London, and author of Makan. meimei.uk

I adore this cuisine because it really plays on your tongue with multiple sweet and sour notes.

Singapore’s hawker centres are home to the best food stalls in the world. These Aunties and Uncles each specialise in one dish, and make and sell it until they retire.

Some of the hawkers specialise in barbecue dishes, such as belachan fish wrapped up in aromatic banana leaves or otak-otak (fish cake) or satays.

When visiting Singapore, we order satays by the dozens — of mutton, chicken or beef — and sit outdoors for hours eating them with buckets of beers, until the mosquitoes start to pinch. Satays to me are the most satisfying bite from a barbecue because you can slather them with sticky, rich peanut sauce or have them plain with a good squeeze of lime juice (go for calamansi lime, if you can get hold of them). For me, it’s pure happiness on a stick.

This is an edited extract from Makan: Recipes from the Heart of Singapore, by Elizabeth Haigh, published by Bloomsbury Absolute (RRP: £26).

MUST-TRY DISHES NONYA LAKSA

This spicy noodle soup packs a punch. Variations include asam curry or Nonya laksa; the latter is usually made with chicken bones and topped with prawns.

KAYA TOAST BREAKFAST

Kaya is a coconut jam/curd that’s spread on toast along with plenty of butter. It’s traditionally served with soft-boiled eggs, a dash of soy sauce and ground white pepper.

CHENDOL

This dessert comprises a mountain of ground shaved ice topped with coconut cream, gula melaka (coconut palm sugar) and chendol (green mung bean jelly).

ABOVE: Chicken satay, a mainstay of Singaporean barbecues

Jul/Aug 2021

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4 3

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6

ON THE TR AIL

LYON

ILLUSTRATION: MARTIN HAAKE

The bouchon — a rustic restaurant serving hearty local fare — is a true symbol of Lyon. Loosen your belt and take in some of the city’s best. Words: James March

3 CAFÉ DES FÉDÉRATIONS

5 LES FINES GUEULES

Tucked away down an alleyway, this rustic restaurant is something of a local institution, its wood-panelled exterior and white curtains unchanged for decades. Equally timeless is the menu, which features dishes that span generations. The extensive wine list could come in handy when summoning the courage to order the tête de veau (calf’s head). restaurantcafedesfederations-lyon.fr

Cross the River Saône and amble into the backstreets of Lyon’s old town, Vieux Lyon. Here, you’ll find the sumptuous Les Fines Gueules, the brainchild of chef Joël Salzi, which offers excellent regional cooking in a touristcentric part of town (it’s next door to an English-style pub); finish a meal here off in style with Salzi’s colourful ice cream and meringue vacherin dessert. fines-gueules.fr

1 DANIEL ET DENISE CRÉQUI

2 LE BOUCHON DES CORDELIERS

4 LE BOUCHON DES FILLES

6 CAFÉ COMPTOIR ABEL

Start in the Part-Dieu neighbourhood, where the distinctive red awning of Daniel et Denise Créqui marks one of the finest bouchons in town.

There’s a certain homely charm to this restaurant with its hanging copper warming pans and elegant wood panelling, and as for the food — Viola’s awardwinning pâté en croûte is one of many enticing reasons to stop by. danieletdenise.fr

Head across the Rhône on Pont Lafayette to the Presqu’île area and follow your nose to Le Bouchon des Cordeliers.

With a contemporary interior, this is a bastion of traditional bouchon fare that’s packed with classics like quenelle lyonnaise au brochet (a pike dumpling in a creamy Nantua sauce, made with crayfish) and tarte aux pralines (a tart made with pink praline). bouchondescordeliers.com

A short walk north lies the female-owned Le Bouchon des Filles, keeping up a centuries-old Lyon tradition of professional kitchens run by women. Having first met while waitressing at the Café des Fédérations, Laura Vildi and Isabelle Comerro teamed up to open a bouchon of their own. The menu is authentic but not as calorie-heavy as those of the more traditional spots. lebouchondesfilles.com

Follow the Saône south to what might be the city’s most revered bouchon. With its antique wooden furniture, waxed floor and vintage bric-a-brac, the Café Comptoir Abel makes claims it dates back to 1726 seem entirely plausible. The menu showcases the best of Lyonnaise cuisine, including some of the finest quenelles to be found in the city. maisonabel.fr lesbouchonslyonnais.org

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SMART TRAVELLER

PALAU DELS ALEMANYS

Set within a medieval annexe to the Roman city wall, close to the cathedral, the location of this inner-city sanctuary is hard to beat. Stone arches and beamed ceilings meet pared-back design and individually styled suites. Admire the surrounds from Jimmy’s Bar — named after the jazz trumpeter Enric ‘Jimmy’ Rosell — which features a section of the Roman wall.

From €170 (£147). allotjamentsingular.com MONTJUÏC BOUTIQUE B&B

This neoclassical villa, perched on a hillside above the old town, is home to just a handful of guest rooms, whose terraces have views of the city and Pyrenees. Breakfasts highlight the produce of local farmers, and guided experiences range from ‘gastro-botany’ walks to yoga. Don’t miss the saltwater pool.

From €125 (£108), B&B. montjuicbb.com MAS CARRERAS 1846

A 15-minute drive from the city, this 11-room former farmhouse retains original elements, including the old cellar. Rooms pair exposed stone walls with fresh interior design and painted frescoes. There’s also a large lounge area and a kitchen, which spills out onto a terrace and pool garden. From €159 (£137), B&B. mascarreras1846.com LAUREN JADE HILL

W H E R E TO S TAY

ALL RATES QUOTED ARE FOR STANDARD DOUBLES, ROOM ONLY, UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED IMAGES: ANDREAFERRÉSCLAVERÍA; JOAN PUJOL-CREUS

GIRONA A tribute to chocolate leads the Catalan city’s boutique hotel offering CASA CACAO

Part chocolate factory, part hotel, Casa Cacao is the realisation of chef Jordi Roca’s dream of opening a site dedicated to a bean-to-bar chocolate experience. Opened in February 2020 on a quiet street off Plaça Catalunya in Girona’s old town, the hotel is a temple to the dark stuff.

From the street, passersby peer into the glass-fronted chocolate factory. Inside, is a shop-cum-cafe where you can sample chocolate from six different places of origin, as well as colourful bonbons with imaginative fillings and drinking chocolate on tap.

Spread across three floors upstairs are 15 spacious suites, as well as indoor-outdoor rooftop lounge La Terrassa, which overlooks the old town. Each suite is, naturally, decked out in cocoa tones, and features ceramics and furnishings made by local artisans. The indulgent breakfast, meanwhile, features regional ingredients that champion Catalonia, such as goat’s cheese, ibérico ham and black truffle. Snacks including brioche and cold cuts are offered with vermouth late into the evening. Sweet dreams. From €250 (£215), B&B. casacacaogirona.com

FROM TOP: Exposed stone walls at Mas Carreras 1846; El Far Junior Suite, Montjuïc Boutique B&B; Junior Suite Cacao Bean, Casa Cacao

Jul/Aug 2021

31

SMART TRAVELLER

FA M I LY

TAKE IT OUTSIDE Pick a quirky campsite in South Wales this summer for outdoor cinema screenings and nights spent in castle grounds Is your back-to-basics family camping trip in need of an upgrade? You’re not the only one. The trend for glammedup camping has taken off since the first yurts started popping up in the early noughties — so much so that ‘glamping’ (a portmanteau of ‘glamorous’ and ‘camping’) was officially added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2016. As for where to go, head to the picture-perfect glamping hotspot of Monmouthshire, on the WalesEngland border. Accommodation can range from vintage shepherd’s huts with fitted kitchens to grand safari tents with four-poster beds or high-end treehouses with wraparound balconies. And that’s only half the fun: a glamping getaway is mainly about the experiences that come with it, whether those are sunrise yoga sessions or wild swimming.

Away from the glampsite you’ll discover a county of historic woodland, rolling hills and crumbling castles.

Many of the latter are free to visit, too, including Abergavenny, Caldicot, Chepstow, Monmouth and Raglan Castles. Pick of the bunch is the former Middle Ages stronghold of Caldicot Castle. This summer, it’s hosting outdoor cinema experiences, and you can catch the likes of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (22 July) or Mamma Mia! (23 July) on large screens at the medieval fortress. Run in collaboration with outdoor cinema events specialist Adventure Cinema, it’s part of a nationwide tour of iconic venues.

Elsewhere around the country, a number of operators, including Quality Unearthed and Original Cottages, have added flexible Covid-19 terms to their bookings, and with adventure playgrounds, stream-paddling and enchanting boltholes in the mix, the kids are sure to love their stay, too. qualityunearthed.co.uk originalcottages.co.uk adventurecinema.co.uk HELEN WARWICK

An Iranian alachigh tent at Penhein Glamping ABOVE: Interior of an alachigh tent, Penhein Glamping

CASTLE KNIGHTS

HIDDEN VALLEY YURTS

PENHEIN GLAMPING

Admire the ruins of Usk Castle from any of seven different cabins. These range from the Shepherds Cabin (sleeping two) to the Yurt and the fortress-like Glyndwr Fort (both sleeping four) and include cosy beds and furniture.

There’s also a communal kitchen and hire bikes.

HOW TO DO IT: From £80 a night. castleknights.co.uk

Set in a wooded valley amid wildflower meadows are five yurts — three sleeping seven, two sleeping five — and a spruced-up cricket pavilion that’s now a two-bed bolthole.

All have proper, sturdy beds. There’s also a campfire nook and a wood-fired-pizza oven.

HOW TO DO IT: From £375 for three nights. hiddenvalleyyurts.co.uk

A working farm near Chepstow sets the scene for this glampsite and its clutch of Iranian alachigh tents. Inside the dome-like pods are beds, mini kitchens and stargazing windows.

Natural springs supply the sink and there’s a wood-burning stove for al fresco dinners.

HOW TO DO IT: From £140 a night (minimum stay two nights). penhein.co.uk

32

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IMAGES: RORY LINDSAY

TAKE THREE: MONMOUTHSHIRE GLAMPSITES

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SMART TRAVELLER

INSIDE GUIDE

BASEL Sitting on the banks of the Rhine, the Swiss city champions ingenuity in art, architecture and food, and thrums with a vibrant cafe culture

LIKE A LOCAL

HOLZPARK KLYBECK

URBAN ART – BASEL

ARTSTÜBLI

Crammed with colourful

CITY TOUR

Located in Basel’s

studios, bars, food pop-

This urban art and graffiti

historic Market Hall,

ups and workshops, this

tour is led by artists and

my gallery is a platform

Philipp is the

temporary-use island

experts from the scene. I

for showcasing the

founder and owner

hosts theatrical, musical

recommend seeking out

many contemporary

of Artstübli, a Basel

and cultural events. A new

the 25 ‘Space Invaders’

facets of urban art and

exhibition and project

arts space set in a 1950s

dotted across the city

culture — from graffiti

space. artstuebli.ch

ship is set to open there.

by French street artist

to street art. It also

holzpark-klybeck.ch

Invader. basel.com

hosts events.

Philipp Brogli’s arty highlights

34

border, the trail skirts the town of Weil am Rhein, ticking off 24 public art installations by German sculptor Tobias Rehberger. The final destination on the route is FONDATION BEYELER . Overlooking wooded hills and lilyfilled ponds, the low-slung, light-drenched Renzo Piano building displays a private-turned-public collection of works by artists ranging from Miró to Ernst, Pollock to Lichtenstein. 24stops.info fondationbeyeler.ch Back in the centre near the station, the revived 1920s MARKET HALL offers hungry lunchtime crowds the world on a plate under its domed roof — stalls dish up everything from Ethiopian tibs (a stir-fry-stew hybrid) to Venezuelan arepas (maize patties) and Italian gelato. Wash it down with a regional beer from HausBAR. altemarkthalle.ch The Rhine is Basel’s lifeblood, and jumping in for a swim is something of a rite of passage. At the tourist office on Barfüsserplatz, get yourself a Wickelfisch, a fish-shaped waterproof bag to keep your kit dry, then head to the riverbank in Kleinbasel and go with the flow as you float downstream. If you prefer to stay above water, you can rend standup paddleboards by the hour or join a tour with BIRS73. Part of the fun is washing up at a riverside bar for drinks, snacks and socialising. birds73.ch Speaking of drinks, this is a great city for an aperitif.

Try lavishly muralled bar GRENZWERT for craft beers, antipasti and a chilled courtyard garden. As the evening wears on, the moodily lit, boho-flavoured RENÉE entices with good vibes, gigs and DJ sets. grenzwert.ch renee.ch Dinner? You’re spoilt for choice. With a riverside terrace, retro-hip UFER7 pairs Basel brews and Swiss wines with its own spin on regional dishes like pizokel (buckwheat dumplings) with speck, savoy cabbage, raclette cheese and onions. Or for a spot of fine dining, book ahead at Michelin-starred ROOTS, where chef Pascal Steffen delights with dishes that include poulard, fig and mushroom, or duck, pumpkin and quince. ufer7.ch roots-basel.ch basel.com KERRY WALKER

nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel

IMAGES: 4CORNERS; SVEN KETZ; GETTY; AWL IMAGES

Bold architecture, avant-garde art and a raft of worldclass galleries — Basel is a city equally busy making cultural waves as it is at the helm of the country’s biotech and pharmaceutical industries. Given its riverside location, at the point where Switzerland, Germany and France converge, it also embraces the great outdoors and has a food scene that dives into creative waters.

Before all that, however, a freshly roasted coffee is order of the morning at retro-flavoured CAFÉ FRÜHLING in the riverfront Kleinbasel neighbourhood. Near here, the medieval MIDDLE BRIDGE leaps across the Rhine to Altstadt Grossbasel, where history is writ large across the BASEL MINSTER , with its spires and chevron-tiled roof. Just south is the red sandstone BASEL TOWN HALL , giving way to arcades festooned with frolicking cherubs. cafefruhling.ch The Altstadt is pretty, but it’s the future, not the past, that marks Basel out. Set to host the ART BASEL fair in September, the city muscles in on the global contemporary art scene in a big way. You could devote a weekend to browsing the city’s best galleries, but high on any itinerary should be the phenomenal KUNSTMUSEUM BASEL , straddling two modernist buildings and harbouring a collection swinging from Holbein’s Renaissance masterpieces to works by Van Gogh, Picasso and Paul Klee. artbasel.com kunstmuseumbasel.ch Heading east reveals a trio of big-hitters. First up, set in a Mario Botta-designed edifice of rose-pink sandstone, is MUSEUM TINGUELY, showcasing Swiss painter and sculptor Jean Tinguely’s madcap creations. A 20-minute tram ride north of Basel Bad station (across the German border) brings you to the VITRA DESIGN MUSEUM, where architect Frank Gehry has left his deconstructivist imprint in metal and white plaster. The boundarypushing exhibitions zoom in on architecture, industrial and interior design. tinguely.ch design-museum.de If the sun’s out, walk the three-mile REHBERGER-WEG .

Switching back and forth across the Swiss-German

SMART TRAVELLER

Museum Tinguely CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: Basel Minster;

a dish at Roots restaurant; boating next to Middle Bridge

Jul/Aug 2021

35

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SMART TRAVELLER

S TAY AT H O M E

FROME

IMAGES: SHUTTERSTOCK; GETTY; MARSTON PARK

A thriving creative scene, hiking trails and eclectic local markets await in the Somerset town near the Mendip Hills

Why go

Where to eat

Follow the creative crumb trail across the South West and it’ll lead you to Frome (rhymes with ‘room’), a market town packed with independent shops, start-ups and small galleries. But it’s not just what’s within Frome’s listed buildings that draws visitors to its hilly streets. Half an hour’s drive from Bath, Frome is the ideal jumping-off point for exploring the Somerset scenery, whether it’s kayaking on the River Frome or walking in the Mendip Hills. Linger in town a little longer, though, and you’ll find new restaurants and exhibitions set to make this one of England’s coolest enclaves. discoverfrome.co.uk

Head to Rye Bakery, set inside a former chapel, for an almond croissant or pizza with seasonal toppings like pumpkin and sobrasada sausage. Alternatively, try for a table at Moorish tapas bar The High Pavement, which reopened in May after a refurbishment. Small plates include aubergine rolls with Afghan yogurt. rye-bakery.com thehighpavement.co.uk

What to do Frome is full of enticing indie shops: slip into rustic florist Bramble & Wild for fresh bouquets before heading to Ground, a working studio selling handmade ceramics. Grab a cuppa in Moo And Two, where loose-leaf teas are sourced directly from growers in South India, or a speciality coffee at Frāmā. Hunting Raven Books, meanwhile, is the place to go for the latest paperback. Don’t leave without a walk up the deceivingly named Gentle Street — the leg-shakingly steep road lined with 16th-century stone houses is anything but.

We like The Mendip Way Trail is a 50-mile-long walking route across limestone hills, split into two sections. The East Mendip Way (19 miles) starts in Frome and winds its way to the cathedral city of Wells. The overzealous can connect to the West Mendip Way (30 miles), passing Cheddar Gorge and the Somerset Levels wetlands. ldwa.org.uk

Where to stay Marston Park opened in May on Frome’s outskirts. A secluded series of bell tents fringe a lake and woodland, each one a ‘Canvas Studio’ complete with a guitar and an easel. Don’t miss the yoga classes and live performances from a stage in the lake.

From £120 per night, based on two sharing. marstonpark.co.uk STEPHANIE CAVAGNARO

DON’T MISS

The Frome Independent Market is held on the first Sunday of each month from March to December.

It has everything from antique maps and peacockprint ottomans to birch soap, recycled sterling silver rings, sheep’s ricotta and even birthday cakes for the dog. Booze and live music make for a fun, festival-esque atmosphere. thefromeindependent.org.uk

ABOVE FROM LEFT: View up the cobbled Catherine Hill; savoury pies for sale at a market stall in Frome; a luxury bell tent at Marston Park

Jul/Aug 2021

37

Discover your secret paradise for your next holidays in

CYPRUS

Atlantis Gardens is located at a quiet and secluded beach in Larnaca region, Cyprus. Just 10 min from the airport, the guest can enjoy safe and relaxing holidays, explore the island at his own pace, taking advantage of the resort’s central location. There are a common pool, kids pool, snack bar, gym, Spa facilities and villas with private pools and direct access to the beach. The spacious 3-bedroom apartments & villas are waiting for you to come and fall in love with Atlantis, as we all do.

www.atlantis-gardens.com use the voucher code: IL21ATL to get an extra 10% discount for any reservation of 2021 10 Lefkadas str., 7577 Mazotos, Larnaca // Cyprus Tel.: +357 24 3339 34 // email: info@atlantis-gardens.com

SMART TRAVELLER

John Noel, official photographer to the 1922 & 1924 expeditions, 1922

T H E WO R D

THE BEST OF EVEREST

IMAGES: ©RGS-IBG FROM THE FOLIO SOCIETY’S EVEREST: FROM RECONNAISSANCE TO SUMMIT, 1921 TO 1953

Complete with exclusive archive photographs, a new book celebrates 100 years since the first British reconnaissance climb of Mount Everest This year marks a century since the first British mountaineering team made an ascent of Everest — one of five key expeditions that took place between 1921 and 1924 to tackle the summit of the world. Despite the bulky photography equipment of the time, these climbs brought back the most heart-stopping mountain photography ever seen.

Everest collates 268 photos of frozen gorges, glaciers and pinnacles, illustrating the story of these and subsequent expeditions. Commissioned exclusively for The Folio Society, it features seldom-seen archive photos from The Royal Geographic Society (RGS) — among them close-up shots of pioneering ascents, including the tragic 1924 expedition that claimed the lives of Mallory and Irvine. The triumphant, official climb of Hillary and Tenzing in 1953 is also documented, with commentary by award-winning mountaineering writer, Peter Gillman.

While Edmund Hillary’s shot of Tenzing Norgay on Everest’s peak ranks as one of the most famous news photographs of the 20th century, other scenes have barely seen the light of day since they were taken.

Accompanying A Photographic History, the second volume of this edition, An Eyewitness History, brings together first-person accounts from those who made the ascents. It’s all introduced by former National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, Wade Davis, with a preface from Jan Morris, the last surviving member of the 1953 expedition, who submitted her piece to The Folio Society prior to her death in 2020.

The Folio Society’s Everest: From Reconnaissance to Summit, 1921 to 1953, compiled and edited by Peter Gillman with an introduction by Wade Davis and preface from Jan Morris, is available exclusively from foliosociety.com/everest, RRP: £199. SARAH BARRELL

THREE MORE: BOOKS ON BEAUTIFUL BUILDINGS INFINITY HOUSE: AN

STONE AGE: ANCIENT

STAY WILD

ENDLESS VIEW

CASTLES OF EUROPE

This new book is a gloriously green ramble through Canopy & Stars’ most spectacular rural getaways, from tents to treehouses. It also celebrates the joy of nature, with tips on how we can embrace our wild side. (Gestalten and Canopy & Stars, RRP: £35)

Expect serious living room envy in this showcase of beautiful abodes around the world. There are also profiles from architects and designers, who share their insights into building these high-class homes.

(The Images Publishing Group, RRP: £35)

Photographer Frédéric Chaubin has turned his lens to the castles of Europe in this new book.

It also highlights how the fortresses’ simple geometry went on to shape much of Europe’s architectural heritage. (Taschen, RRP: £50)

Jul/Aug 2021

39

SMART TRAVELLER

K IT LI S T

The latest travel kit comes with tech to make your journeys smoother, safer and synched up Words: Kate Russell

TRAVEL TECH 1 RIUT EASY-CLEAN 15-INCH

4 ANKER POWERWAVE

LAPTOP BACKPACK

& WATCH HOLDER

Created by a small British designer, this laptop bag is the perfect place to store your gadgets. For security, all the zips are against your back when worn, and it’s also designed for easy cleaning inside and out. It even has shoulder strap clips for your mask and hand sanitiser.

RRP: £129. riut.co.uk

More and more devices are being built with wireless charging capabilities. This smooth, buttonshaped charging pad has an LED indicator that lights up blue if the connection to your device needs attention. There’s also a handy peg on which to hang your watch while it’s charging. RRP: £29.99. uk.anker.com

2

3

2 LOGITECH K780 MULTI-DEVICE

5 GOPRO HERO 9

WIRELESS KEYBOARD

This palm-sized camera captures video up to 5K resolution, with the option of 240fps (x8) slow motion and burst photography you can save as RAW fi les.

Turn on GoPro colour mode and the scene will really pop, and with enough lighting, the HyperSmooth stabilisation is like having the camera on a gimbal. RRP: £329.98. gopro.com

Planning to work while travelling? Laptops can be cumbersome, but a wireless keyboard that connects with Bluetooth-enabled devices is a great compromise. There are three Bluetooth channels, so you can connect multiple devices at once for easy switching.

RRP: £79.99. logitech.com

4

3 AMAZON FIRE HD 8 PLUS – 32GB

6 RADO CAPTAIN COOK

The latest tablet from Amazon adds wireless charging. The 2.0 GHz quad-core processor and 3GB of RAM make it swift enough to handle all your entertainment apps and basic communications needs. For an extra £10, you can order it to be configured without ads, which is a battery and data saver.

RRP: £109.99. amazon.co.uk

HIGH-TECH CERAMIC

5

6

The Captain Cook is an automatic watch for adventurers and explorers with 80 hours’ power reserve and water resistance up to 300 metres.

The timepiece is also resistant to magnetic fields from other gadgets that might affect the accuracy of a mechanical watch.

RRP: £3,065. rado.com

THREE MORE

SOUND & VISION

JBL CLIP 4 This Bluetooth speaker packs quite a bass punch

40

WF-1000XM3 WIRELESS NOISE CANCELLING EARBUD HEADPHONES

APPLE WATCH SERIES 6 As well as all the navigation, communications

for its size. It’s waterproof and dustproof and

These comfortable, dual microphones earbuds

and fi tness-tracking functions you’d expect,

will stream audio from your phone for 10 hours

deliver impressive noise-cancellation on the go.

the Series 6 also has a blood-oxygen saturation

between charges. RRP: £49.99. uk.jbl.com

RRP: £220. sony.co.uk

monitor. RRP: £379. apple.com

nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel

#wornbyadventurers

Chosen by professionals.

Built and tested like no other watch, so you'll never need to ask, "will it cope?"

Since 1948 Land Rover has been manufacturing authentic vehicles that represent true breadth of capability. In keeping with the new Defender’s ability and reductionist approach, this fit-for-duty watch has carefully considered design cues at it’s core. elliotbrownwatches.com

Tested at 200m in water. 316L stainless. Anti reflective gunmetal PVD. Anti-reflective 2mm sapphire crystal. Swiss Ronda calibre 715. Movement shock protection. High grip timing bezel.

COMPETITION

WIN

A FIVE-NIGHT LUXURY STAY FOR TWO IN RHODES National Geographic Traveller (UK) has teamed up with Gennadi Grand Resort in Rhodes to offer a five-star getaway to the Greek island

IMAGES: HARRY ZAMPETOULAS; STATHS BOUZOUKAS

THE DESTINATION

The diamond of the Dodecanese, Rhodes is an island with a rich cultural heritage, whether it’s in vestiges of Ancient Greece at the Colossus of Rhodes or in the winding streets and brightly hued Byzantine domes of the UNESCO-listed old town. There’s plenty more to while away the days, from hiking in wooded valleys and nature reserves to tucking into seafood or basking on some of the best beaches in Greece.

FROM TOP: Main pool at Gennadi Grand Resort; double room at Gennadi Grand Resort

ENTER NOW, TRAVEL LATER

TO ENTER Answer the following question online at nationalgeographic. co.uk/competitions: ON WHAT ISLAND IS GENNADI GRAND RESORT? Competition closes on 31 August 2021.

The winner must be a resident of the UK and aged 18 or over. Full T&Cs at

THE PRIZE

nationalgeographic.co.uk/competitions

The winner and a guest will spend five nights at the Gennadi Grand Resort in a Sea View Suite on a B&B basis, with return transfers to and from Rhodes airport. Two complimentary dinners are included, as well as two complimentary spa treatments at the Kozeen Spas by ThalassoSpa, and an excursion arranged by the hotel. Return flights are provided to the value of £300. gennadigrandresort.com

Jul/Aug 2021

43

PHOTOGRAPHY

THE PRIZES GRAND PRIZE

COMPETITION 2021

One grand prize winner will receive a NIKON Z 6II MIRRORLESS CAMERA WITH A 24-70MM F/4 LENS worth £2,549. Professional-grade features include a massive 24.5MP FX-format CMOS image sensor, dual card slots and 4K video capacity. nikon.co.uk

SPONSORED BY

For the 10th year running, National Geographic Traveller is searching for the UK and Ireland’s next great travel photographer. Submit your images in up to six categories before 4 July to be in the running for incredible prizes and the chance to see your work in our pages

Use it to capture the spellbinding scenery on a four-night NORTHERN LIGHTS TOUR OF SWEDISH LAPLAND

with DISCOVER THE WORLD. Flying from the UK, this adventure for two combines three nights in a cosy wooden cabin at Brändön Lodge with one night at the iconic Treehotel. discover-the-world.com RUNNERS-UP

Five runners-up will each receive a NIKON D3500 DIGITAL SLR CAMERA AND AF-P 18-55MM VR LENS worth £419, great for on-the-go shooting.

THE CATEGORIES PORTFOLIO WILDLIFE PEOPLE LANDSCAPE

LAST CHANCE TO ENTER

FOOD & TRAVEL URBAN ENVIRONMENTS

Whether you shoot on your mobile or with a DSLR, abroad or in the UK, our judges are looking for colourful and creative submissions in any of six categories. Have you got what it takes to win?

SPONSORED BY

With a proven track record of photography innovation and impact stretching back over a century, Nikon empowers creators to become the best photographers they can be.

ENTER NOW

NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.CO.UK/COMPETITIONS 44

nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel

Competition closes on 4 July 2021 at 23:59 GMT. The winner must be a resident of the UK or Ireland and aged 18 or over. Photographs should have been taken between 1 January 2020 and 4 July 2021. Judges to be announced. See full T&Cs online.

SMART TRAVELLER

NOTES FROM AN AUTHOR // CRAIG TAYLOR

NEW YORK CITY If a city could speak, what would it say? In the case of the Big Apple, it would be both a cry of mourning for times past and an invocation of wanting more

IMAGE: ANNAPURNA MELLOR. ILLUSTRATION: JACQUI OAKLEY

W

hen I moved to New York I was surprised by how many residents of the city told me they could teach me something. The lessons started on the day I arrived in 2014. I’m still receiving daily tips. During the time I spent researching my book, New Yorkers, I received a lot of practical New York lessons: how to recycle cans, how to steal a car, how to walk along the crowded sidewalks without bumping into anyone.

But often the lessons were more profound: how to be compassionate, how to live artfully, how to lead an uncompromising life.

The advice may have been particular to this city, but a life lived well in New York was an accomplishment like no other.

Many of my interviewees told me I’d missed the real New York — by a couple years, or by a decade, or by several decades.

“New York was better before,” they’d say, or “you should have known Avenue C when it was...” (with a waggle of his hand, noting its former notoriety). Or “you should have known Jackson Heights when it was...” (and then a thumbs-up). “This is good,” said one woman while gesturing to the noodles on her plate, “but Flushing isn’t what Flushing was.”

And the place that made the good pupusas in the Bronx? Of course, that beloved hub for stuffed central American flatbreads was long gone by the time I arrived.

“It’s just a playground for the rich.” Nearly everyone I spoke to said something similar, like a forlorn chorus resounding across the boroughs, as if a nurse in Inwood and an old Irishman in the Rockaways made a pact to speak the same phrase with the same amount of venom. It’s just a playground for the rich — until you take the private elevator and step into the scented apartment and the smart man says, “You know, it’s not even that great a playground for us these days.”

The New Yorkers I spoke to thought their city was slipping into extinction. It was happening within their lifespans. They were witnessing deforestation of their shops, the loss of diverse shopkeepers. One mentioned “air people” — those you used to see walking the streets of Manhattan whose presence made you think: How do they earn enough money to be here? What do they live on, air?

New Yorkers were often defined by their desire: I’m going to get it, or at least I’m going to try. I saw a man fresh from prison, asking for the city’s forgiveness: Let me back in, New York, let me return to who I was, let me experience more of you again

Change in New York cut deep; it reshaped.

Change pushed people further out.

“This stop,” one guy said in Forest Hills, “is where you get on the E at 5am and all the guys working in kitchens in Midtown are bundled up and sleeping.” And then I was told that change was the only continuing attribute: “Don’t listen to them. Part of loving New York is just mourning the hell out of it.

The mourning is the love.”

The people I talked to were also full of vigour, gall and drive. New Yorkers were often defined by their desire: I’m going to get it, or at least I’m going to try. It was a place so powerful I saw a man fresh from an upstate prison, asking for the city’s forgiveness: Let me back in, New York, let me return to who I was, let me experience more of you again.

For a while I lived near Grand Street, close enough to hear the rush of the Williamsburg Bridge. It was a building where neighbours were always accosting each other — at the front door, in the laundry room, in the hallways. In the autumn one year, my father visited from Canada. One afternoon, my downstairs neighbour negotiated her walking frame into the elevator just as my father and I were about to ascend to the ninth floor. She looked him over, inquired about his health, where he was from, what he did before he retired. When the elevator hit the fourth floor, she said, “I’ve had the nicest time talking with you. Would you mind if I carried on up to the ninth?” She did, and one day the next week, I heard the clink of her long necklace. “Craig,” she said, “I had the most wonderful time speaking to your father the other day. Now, tell me, is he single?”

It seemed fitting that a city that always had more to offer seemed so often to leave its people hungry for more. The word was repeated to me again and again: more. New York was — and is — inexhaustible. It’s a trait no pandemic will change. Whatever you want, there is always the possibility for more.

That’s the lesson I learned.

New Yorkers: A City and Its People in Our Time, by Craig Taylor, is published by John Murray Press (£25).

Taylor is also the author of Londoners, published

by Granta Press. @cdltaylor

Jul/Aug 2021

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SMART TRAVELLER

MEET THE ADVENTURER

MARK SYNNOTT The veteran American climber discusses his mission to solve a century-old mystery on Everest’s North Face, now the subject of his latest book you had a lot of money and wanted the trophy, you could buy your way up — even if you didn’t have the chops.

It turned off an entire generation, and so I never gave Everest its fair due.

But when I finally did, what hit home, powerfully, was the legacy of that earlier era of Everest climbing, especially the mystery surrounding George Mallory and Andrew ‘Sandy’ Irvine [the two climbers disappeared without a trace in 1924]. It’s a story that gets under people’s skin. It certainly got under mine.

How did you go about researching your book, The Third Pole: Mystery, Obsession, and Death on Mount Everest?

The real genesis was when my dad bought me a poster of British climber Paul Ross. In the picture, he’s dangling over an overhang with just a rope tied around his waist.

I remember staring at it daily in my bedroom. Eventually, a friend and I went to a tool shed, got a clothesline and made for the local cliffs to try to figure it out.

I flew to the UK and visited the Royal Geographical Society to sift through its Everest archives. I was able to look at Mallory’s boots and the rope that had been tied around his waist. I visited Merton College in Oxford, too, to see the Irvine archives, and I went to the Alpine Club [one of the country’s oldest mountaineering clubs, established in 1876].

During my ascent of Everest, I couldn’t stop thinking about those guys in leather hiking boots and wool and gabardine clothing, carrying homemade oxygen sets.

Here I was, in 2019, with all this equipment and pretty close to a lifetime of climbing under my belt, and I was still getting my butt kicked. The technology of their day wasn’t ready for such a feat, but they went for it anyway.

I felt a deep respect for their courage. [Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay would become the first men to summit Everest nearly 30 years later, in 1953].

Where was your first adventure and how did you prepare for it?

What advice would you give to somebody wanting to follow in your footsteps?

I travelled to Yosemite National Park in the late 1980s, determined to climb its two iconic cliffs, Half Dome and El Capitan. But as soon as I saw them, I knew instantly I had no business climbing these — not yet. After that, I started training hard. Some older climbers took me under their wings and I climbed as many cliffs as I could in New England and New Hampshire before returning to Yosemite the following year. I managed to scrape my way up Half Dome, barely making it. That first climb was probably the most sublime experience I’ve ever had in my career, and I’ve been chasing that feeling ever since.

In a perfect world, you’d find someone skilled who could be your mentor, which was how it used to be. Nowadays, a good place to start is at the gym, and when you’re ready to go outside, if you can’t find a mentor to hold your hand, then hire a guide. At my mountain guide school in New Hampshire, we teach hundreds of people every year. It’s all about the apprenticeship, working your way through progressive challenges. In climbing, there’s an imaginary line you don’t want to cross. As you get better, you push that line further and further out, but you have to go through all those years without stepping over it.

What first inspired you to become a climber?

I’ve always been a student of exploration and mountaineering. Everest has been the sole domain of experienced and skilled climbers who’d paid their dues and earned the right to try to climb it. But in the 1990s, when I came of age as a climber, there was a sense that if

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Mark Synnott’s latest book, The Third Pole, is published by Headline, RRP: £20. Mark’s Everest climb features in the critically acclaimed National Geographic documentary Lost on Everest, filmed by Renan Ozturk. He’s been part of the North Face Athlete Team since 1997. marksynnott.com @m_synnott

RE AD THE FULL INTERVIEW ONLINE AT NATIONAL GEOGR APHIC. CO.UK/ TR AVEL

IMAGE: THOM POLLARD

INTERVIEW: NORA WALLAYA

What was it that drew you to climbing and writing about Everest?

SMART TRAVELLER

W H AT ’ S O N L I N E

DJ DON LETTS ON LONDON’S ECLECTIC MUSIC SCENE The Grammy Award-winner rose to fame in the 1970s with his electrifying fusion of punk and reggae. Here, he discusses the capital’s musical heritage. Interview: Nora Wallaya

When the dub-reggae scene collided with the punk movement in 1970s London, a subculture was born whose influence reverberates through the city to this day.

And filmmaker and DJ Don Letts is widely credited as one of its pioneering figureheads.

In his own words, bass and reggae are “Jamaica’s greatest gifts to the world”. It’s a gift that Don — a punk fanatic, too — famously brought to London through his regular sets, mashing together the contrasting sounds at the then-eminent nightclub, The Roxy.

In his new autobiography, There and Black Again, Don documents his childhood as a British-born son of Jamaican parents, part of the Windrush generation, through to his friendships with music heavyweights including Joe Strummer and Bob Marley.

WHAT’S IN STORE FOR LONDON’S LIVE MUSIC SCENE, POST-PANDEMIC?

Until we can return to anything like the events of the past — if indeed we ever can — we have to find alternative ways to operate. Who wants to be rubbing up next to a sweaty person anyway? We have to embrace the situation and come up with more crowd-friendly gigs.

ARE THERE PARTICULAR LONDON VENUES YOU’D LIKE TO CHAMPION RIGHT NOW?

London’s rising rents have taken a devastating toll on a lot of great venues. One that’s managed to keep its head above water is The 100 Club on Oxford Street. It’s got a tremendous heritage in jazz, rock and roll, and reggae and it’s very intimate. There’s something about it — the acts that have

played there have seeped into the very walls of the building itself. I also love Brixton Jamm and The Prince of Wales, both in Brixton.

WHAT’S A PERFECT DAY IN LONDON?

Experiencing London’s cultural clash in its multicultural neighbourhoods. You could do no better than just travelling around London, whether it be through Brixton, Ladbroke Grove, Dalston, Hackney or Golborne Market.

In London you have a genuine creative crossover, and I think that’s why the city has the reputation it does. We’re not just physically living in a city together, we’re actually interacting with each other and turning each other on.

READ MORE ONLINE NOW AT NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.CO.UK/TRAVEL

TOP STORIE S Here’s what you’ve been enjoying on the website this month

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NATURE

RESTAURANTS

TRAIN TRAVEL

How travellers can help save Britain’s songbirds

Where to dine outdoors in Glasgow

How to plan a rail journey across Europe

The fight is on to preserve the songsters’ populations

The city has seen its restaurants adapt to cater to al fresco diners

Book an intrepid adventure for 2021, the European Year of Rail

SMART TRAVELLER

A G U I D E TO E T H I C A L W H A L E TO U R I S M I N T H E 2 1 S T C E N T U RY

B E YO N D T H E T R AV EL S EC T I O N

The more we learn about whales, the more fascinating they appear to be. But what role can whale-watching play in their conservation? Words: Emma Gregg

Despite the conservation successes of the 20th century, humans are still hounding some cetaceans to the brink of extinction, either by hunting or carelessness. Six out of the 13 great whale species are classified as endangered or vulnerable. It’s common for beached carcasses to bear scars from collisions with ships, and it’s estimated that more than 300,000 whales and dolphins are killed each year as a result of fisheries’ bycatch.

Unlike most megafauna, whales regularly cross international boundaries as they migrate. As living examples of interconnectedness, it’s apt that nations should unite to protect them and advocate for responsible tourism practices. This is the thinking behind the Whale Heritage Sites, a programme launched by the World Cetacean Alliance in 2016. Its aim is to recognise places where whales, dolphins and porpoises are celebrated and protected through art,

education, research, cultural events and sustainable working practices, including wildlife-friendly whale-watching.

The first places to meet the standards required for certification were Hervey Bay in Australia and The Bluff in South Africa. They were joined in 2021 by Dana Point in California and Tenerife-La Gomera in the Canary Islands.

At these locations, guidelines are in place to minimise disturbance to the animals and their habitat. For example, skippers approach whales slowly, without hemming them in, and limit each sighting to a maximum of 20 minutes.

Whale-watching fees typically include a donation to a conservation fund. Some outfits also contribute to scientific research: crews and guests add ID photos to a database, expanding knowledge of whale populations and their movements.

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S C I E N C E

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From hovering ships to cities in the sky: a short, strange history of the mirage An image of a ‘flying’ tanker off Cornwall recently went viral.

But the optical phenomenon of the mirage is no stranger to astonishment, doubt — and superstition

READ THE FULL STORY ONLINE NOW

IMAGES: GETTY; KENNETH KEIFER/ALAMY; DON LETTS; THE RUM SHACK; JAY WILLIAMS; NIC CRILLY-HARGRAVE; OX AND FINCH

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E N V I R O N M E N T

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For young climate activists, the pandemic is the defining moment for action Can the urgent global response to Covid-19 be repeated to address climate change? Youth activists think it can be

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A N I M A L S

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Sharks can navigate via Earth’s magnetic field, study confirms for the first time Scientists have long suspected the fish can travel by sensing the magnetic field, but no one knew how — until now

S E A RC H F O R N ATG E OT R AV E LU K FAC E B O O K I N S TAG R A M T WITTER BOOKING AHEAD

ADVENTURER

NEW OPENINGS

Top tips for a more sustainable getaway

Meet veteran mountaineer Robin Hanbury-Tenison

Seven restaurants to watch in 2021

Greener itineraries for the world’s most iconic destinations

The explorer looks back on the journeys that shaped his life

From a Syrian restaurant to a cheese barge on the Thames

Jul/Aug 2021

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WEEKENDER

SARDINIA Wild and windswept, Italy’s second-largest island offers a weekend of active adventures, archaeological sites and some of the finest beaches in the Mediterranean. Words: Adrian Phillips

S

ardinia has a wildness about it. The Italian island’s north-east corner has craggy mountains and granite cliffs, and in the heat of summer its landscape feels dry enough to shatter beneath your feet like pane carasau, a crispy local flatbread. The wind can blow hard, whipping through the corridor between the northern tip of the island and nearby Corsica. And it’s not difficult to find isolation: Sardinia’s population density is just a third of the national average.

All this makes for a special break. The windy bay of Porto Pollo attracts watersports enthusiasts from all over the world, while the Maddalena archipelago offers stunning coastal hikes. And, for all the wildness, there’s culture, history and relaxation to be found here, too. The atmospheric towns of San Pantaleo, La Maddalena and Tempio Pausania are perfect for a drink. The sun shines, the food is good, there are scores of tiny islands and some wonderful beaches. People live for a long time here — Sardinia has the highest percentage of centenarians in the world — and with this quality of life, it’s easy to see why.

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TOP 3

Island excursions FOR NATURE: SPARGI This island in the Maddalena archipelago has granite coves and dense vegetation.

There’s also good diving (including a Roman wreck) and rich birdlife on the islet of Spargiotto. Take the boat from Palau or La Maddalena.

FOR THE BEACH: BUDELLI This tiny isle is home to the striking Spiaggia Rosa, whose pink sands are created by fragments of red coral. In the past, so many tourists collected sand that the hue began to fade; now you have to follow a footpath behind the beach. Take the boat from Palau or La Maddalena.

FOR HISTORY: TAVOLARA In the early 1800s, the Bertoleoni family declared this a separate kingdom. The cemetery contains the grave of ‘King Paolo I’. Today it’s a marine reserve popular with divers. Take the ferry from Porto San Paolo.

IMAGES: GETTY; 4CORNERS

DAY ONE BEACH LIFE & ISLAND-HOPPING MORNING

AFTERNOON

EVENING

First things first: this is an island in the Med, so you’ll want to get acquainted with a beach or two, and there’s no shortage of options. If you’re after the spray on your skin and the wind in your hair, make for Porto Pollo, a world-class location for watersports, catering to novices and beginners alike.

For something more sedate, the Costa Smeralda (Emerald Coast) — a 10-mile bump of coastline between the Gulf of Arzachena and the Gulf of Cugnana — has a host of beaches and high-end resorts, from the sandy sweep at Cannigione to the millionairemagnet of Porto Cervo, with its many luxury yachts. When lunchtime approaches, head to the harbour town of Palau for a bowl of al dente spaghetti with fat mussels and baby tomatoes at Il Ghiottone.

Palau is itself a pretty spot, sitting in a cove between promontories, with a hilltop fortress that can be visited on a guided tour. Palau’s port is where you can join a car ferry (€60 [£51] return, with departures every half an hour) for the 30-minute crossing to the archipelago of La Maddalena.

Made up of seven main islands, most uninhabited, the archipelago is a national park.

On alighting at La Maddalena, drive across a bridge to Caprera, where you can spend the afternoon hiking through pine forests, snorkelling in protected coves or just lazing on the beach and enjoying the fabulous sea views. Giuseppe Garibaldi, the famous Italian general, spent the last 26 years of his life on Caprera, and the simple, whitewashed house (Casa di Garibaldi) where he lived and died is now a museum.

As the afternoon fades, drive back to La Maddalena, the archipelago’s ‘capital’. This is the place to rent boats to visit some of the other islands (such as Razzoli, where you might see turtles and seals, or Spargi, the most isolated of all), and its coastal road offers a very scenic drive.

It’s an elegant and vibrant town that deserves time in its own right, however, with pastel-coloured buildings set along quaint streets, and characterful shops selling clothes, jewellery and craftworks with a nautical theme. You’ll find plenty of ice cream parlours, cafes and restaurants, as well as atmospheric bars that are perfect pitstops for a glass of wine or mirto, the local liqueur. This is a place with a pleasant buzz — and you can take your time because ferries back to Palau run through the night.

FROM LEFT: Close-up of the entrance door to the Cala Scilla bay in Palau; shoppers in the old town of La Maddalena

Jul/Aug 2021 51

SEEK MORE.

“Travel is the best education. Being immersed in new surroundings and different cultures spark ideas and creativity. Our travel specialists look forward to ensuring your next trip is an experience of a lifetime and is full of inspiration.”

- Angela Adto, Founder of AZA Luxury Travel

Visit azaluxurytravel.com for more information

WEEKENDER

TOP 5

Historical sites CODDU ECCHJU Built to hold the dead of the nearby village of La Prisgiona, the ‘Giants’ Tomb’ of Coddu Ecchju dates as far back as 1800 BC. A series of upright stones with slabs laid across the top form a burial corridor, and a centrepiece stele — a sort of huge headstone — has a small opening where offerings were placed.

LA PRISGIONA This complex contains the extensive remains of La Prisgiona village, first occupied in 1400 BC. Craftsmen’s huts are set around the nuraghe, a central keep with two towers that probably formed the fortified residence of village leaders.

CHURCH OF SAN SIMPLICIO The 11th-century Church of San Simplicio in Olbia stands The mountain village of Aggius, around an hour’s drive west of Olbia

on the site of an earlyChristian church that was said to mark the spot where the bishop Simplicius was killed with a lance. The granite facade has a bell tower and

DAY TWO HISTORY & HANDICRAFTS

a triple-mullioned window,

IMAGE: ALAMY

while inside, beneath the

MORNING

AFTERNOON

EVENING

Start the day with a rummage into Sardinia’s past. Much of the island’s rich archaeology dates to the Nuragic people, who lived here from 1500 BC until Roman occupation in 238 BC. There are 7,000 Nuragic sites in total, ranging from burial sites to mysterious conical towers called nuraghe, whose function isn’t known for sure, but which experts believe were temples, fortifications or rulers’ homes.

You’ll find seven sites at Arzachena (combined ticket €25 [£21] or €7 [£6] per individual site), including an extensive complex of buildings at Nuraghe La Prisgiona, and the Giants’ Tomb of Coddu Vecchiu, where the dead of La Prisgiona were buried. You can even touch the stones, enter the towers and walk in footsteps that ring through the millennia. Go early to avoid the heat of the day.

Four miles to the east is San Pantaleo, a gem of a town surrounded by jagged mountain peaks. At its heart is a square with blossom trees and a honey-stoned church, while the surrounding lanes contain shops selling artisan jewellery and paintings by local artists. There’s a buzzy cafe-bar in the square but it’s pricey, so head for a lunch of pizza or pasta at nearby Ichnos.

After lunch, it’s a 45-minute drive west to the hilly village of Aggius, which is renowned for its weavers. MEOC, the ethnographic museum, includes centuriesold looms, and explains the painstaking process of creating a carpet or wall-hanging decorated with traditional motifs. If you’re after a memento, you can buy one from the nearby workshop of Gabriella Lutzu, who’s been weaving for 35 years.

The town of Tempio Pausania lies just a few minutes away through the hills. Three-quarters of Italy’s cork comes from Sardinia, and the area around Tempio Pausania — with its vast cork oak forests — is a major centre of production.

Many shops in the town sell items made of cork, from purses to keyrings, and you can even see a collection of old cork-making equipment at the Museo Storico delle Machine del Sughero (the Cork Machinery Museum).

Tempio Pausania has elegant granite architecture, and there are several historical churches to admire (including the Purgatory Church, built in the 17th century by a local nobleman seeking absolution from the Pope for committing a massacre). For dinner, try Al Vecchio Corso, where there’s a homely vibe and simple Italian food.

altar, lie Simplicius’s relics.

OLBIA ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM The extensive collections of Olbia’s archaeological museum chart the history of this region from prehistoric times to the 20th century.

The exhibits feature many finds from craft that sunk around the coast, and include a unique medieval shipwreck.

MALCHITTU TEMPIETTO This hilltop Nuragic temple at Arzachena was built from boulders around 3,500 years ago. It contains niches and a shelf where offerings were presented to the deities.

Ceramic artefacts were discovered in 1964, though broken by the roots of a tree growing through the floor.

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WEEKENDER

THREE MORE MAKE A SPLASH

RAISE A GLASS

Sunny, sandy and windy, north-east Sardinia is one of Europe’s watersports capitals. The place to go is Porto Pollo, a huge bay of white sand divided by a narrow spit. Planet Travel can organise everything from accommodation in the area to equipment hire, group or individual lessons (including for children as young as four) or refresher courses.

Mirto is a popular local liqueur in Sardinia. Made from the myrtle plant, the fragrant elixir comes in two varieties: the sweeter mirto rosso (made from the darkberried plant) and mirto bianco (from white berries).

WINDSURFING & SUP

KITESURFING

BELOW THE SURFACE

You’ll find a distinct east-west divide at Porto Pollo. The bay’s eastern part sees side-offshore winds and calm water, and as such is popular for windsurfing.

If you’re a beginner, rent a wide, super-steady board and arrange a lesson or two. You’ll start on a ‘simulator’ (a board set into the beach itself) and should quickly get the hang of how to steer, tack and jibe. If you’d prefer something even simpler, rent a stand-up paddleboard (SUP), which is perfect for hunting for hidden coves along the coastline.

The western section of Porto Pollo is broader and hit by sideonshore winds, which can make the sea a little choppy, but it’s those swells and ripples that make it such a perfect playground for kitesurfers. Harnessed to kites, adrenaline-junkies use the waves as ramps to launch their boards many metres into the air. If you’re new to it, allow for at least two or three morning lessons to learn how to assemble and control the kite; you’ll be issued with a radio helmet to keep you in contact with an instructor.

There are some excellent snorkelling and dive sites here, and the team from Orca Dive Club in Santa Teresa Gallura can take you to them in their Zodiac.

The underwater landscape in this part of Sardinia is one of granite boulders, caves and waving meadows of Neptune grass. You’ll see red anemones and shoals of damselfish darting among banks of mermaid’s wine glass, a sea plant with flowers the shape of cocktail glasses. Keep your eyes peeled for sea stars, mullet, cuttlefish and octopus. orca-diveclubs.com

MORE INFO Il Ghiottone. Via Don Occhioni 10, Palau Casa di Garibaldi. garibaldicaprera. beniculturali.it Ichnos. Via Zara 54, San Pantaleo MEOC. museodiaggius.it Museo Storico delle Machine del Sughero. Via Limbara 9, Tempio Pausania Al Vecchio Corso. Via Roma 96, Tempio Pausania Olbia Archaeological Museum. Via Isola Peddone, Olbia Tempio di Malchittu.

Località Malchittu, Arzachena

Windsurfers take to the waves at Porto Pollo, a hub for water sports

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IMAGE: ALAMY

HOW TO DO IT Planet Travel Holidays offers trips to north-east Sardinia.

A one-week package, including accommodation near Porto Pollo and instruction, is available from £620 per person, excluding flights. EasyJet flies from Luton, Manchester and Bristol to Olbia. planettravelholidays.com easyjet.com

VIAREGGIO CITY OF THE SEA, ART AND CULTURE Relax on a glorious Tuscan beach, then enjoy romantic evenings watching Giacomo Puccini’s greatest operas beneath the stars. Nestled between the sea and the Apuan Alps, Viareggio is a stylish, pine-fringed resort noted for its art and culture, gastronomy and top fashion stores. The big summer attraction is the Festival Puccini, held at the open-air lakeside theatre in nearby Torre del Lago, which delights opera buffs and first-timers alike. Viareggio’s creativity is also celebrated at its Carnival, a seafront extravaganza of colour and fun, with a parade featuring some of the world’s best floats.

puccinifestival.it Viareggio.ilcarnevale.com puccinilands.it

E AT

ZEELAND

I

t’s early morning and I’m looking out at the flat, silvery waters of the Eastern Scheldt, waiting to meet fisherman Gerrie van den Hoek. Despite the spring sunshine and the calm surface of the estuary, the wind deals me a body blow when I get out of the car to greet him.

As we walk to the water’s edge, Gerrie’s 19-year-old son, Robin, approaches in his motorboat, the mirror-smooth water breaking as if for the first time. It’s only the second day of the Eastern Scheldt lobster fishing season, which runs from the last Thursday in March to 15 July, and for now we’re the only people on the water. “It used to be a race,” Gerrie tells me. “At 9am on the first day of the season, all the boats would be lined up ready to claim the best fishing spots.

People bought the biggest, fastest boats they could to beat the others. Now the fishermen in the co-operative can draw lots, so it’s much more relaxed.”

On these waters — and those of the North Sea beyond them — fishermen from around 30 companies spend six days a week on the

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water from March to January, first catching lobster and then fish such as eel, sole and Atlantic wolffish. Getting a good spot is vital — with Eastern Scheldt lobsters fetching €55 (£47) a kilo wholesale, this is the most lucrative season in the local fishing calendar.

We motor to the first of the men’s four ‘lines’ and I watch as they heave the 10 cages out of the water one at a time to retrieve their catch, working their way along the rope connecting them. It’s rhythmic, efficient work. Soon eight lobsters are shuffling around the boat’s floor, claws aloft. Crabs go into a box, while everything else — even whopping great fish — is hurled overboard.

The traps are re-baited and dropped, one by one, back into the water as the boat reverses.

With seagulls wheeling overhead, Robin expertly bands the lobsters’ claws and measures the smaller catch. Young lobsters and crabs are thrown back into the sea.

“There’s always next time,” says Gerrie.

At one point, he shows me the underbelly of a large female lobster, berried with eggs.

She, too, will be released “for the future”.

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: Fishing for lobster in the Eastern Scheldt during the lobster season, which runs from March to July; visitors enjoy free trips on fishing boats as part of the annual Day of the Mussels event in Yerseke; oyster ponds in Yerseke, where the oysters are held after being harvested from the Eastern Scheldt; Atlantic jackknife clam shells on the beach, GoereeOverflakkee

IMAGES: GIJS VERSTEEG FOTOGRAFIE/HOLLANDSE HOOGTE; ALAMY; JAN BIJL; AWL IMAGES

This coastal Dutch province — its name translated as ‘Land on Sea’ — is a place where local producers have an intense connection to the water, making the most of its natural bounty. Words: Nicky Evans

Jul/Aug 2021 57

EAT

A TASTE OF

Zeeland

INTER SCALDES, KRUININGEN

IMAGES: ALAMY; ADRIAAN VAN LOOY

Fine de Claire oysters served on the half shell, Yerseke RIGHT: Lobster with black truffle, spring vegetables, chervil and tarragon, served at Inter Scaldes

The fishermen know this restraint and respect for nature will ultimately keep them in business, but it must be hard to set a twokilo creature free, given its value, the short season and high demand. Still, with a haul of 25 lobsters now confined to a water tank, plus a boxful of brown crabs, today’s been a good day.

The Eastern Scheldt is the largest national park in the Netherlands; as well as birdlife and seals, it’s also home to porpoises, more than 70 fish species, hundreds of different types of aquatic plant, vast beds of shellfish and, of course, the famed crustaceans.

Thanks to the large population of shellfish filtering the tides that wash over the sandbanks, the water is naturally clean and clear, with a unique mineral, plankton and algae content. It’s one of the reasons medieval Zeeland was a leading producer of salt, then a luxury commodity. Salt-making was eventually banned here because the medieval method, which involved burning waterlogged peat in the dykes to extract the salt, increased the risk of subsidence and therefore flooding.

Fascinated by this history, local entrepreneur Christian Clerx decided to try making salt himself, in a sustainable way.

In 2018, he carried a jerry can of saltwater to his mother’s house, boiling the contents and drying the resulting crystals in her

kitchen. That first triumph was enough to convince him to establish Zeeuwsche Zoute, the country’s only artisan saltworks, in the fishing village of Bruinisse.

I drive with Christian and his right-hand man, Wim Jumelet, to the water’s edge to collect saltwater. The men unwind a long blue tube attached to a tank on the back of their flatbed van, stick it into the water and start the pump attached to this homemade device. After a week of heating, evaporating, filtering and drying back at the factory, this container of water will yield 35kg of salt crystals. The artisanal approach Christian and his team take — hand-skimming the calcium from the harvested salt, drying it slowly at a low temperature — results in snow-white, pyramid-shaped flakes with a pure flavour that expresses their terroir.

Wim joined the company when Christian was still using a giant bunsen burner to boil his saltwater; he too became immediately hooked on salt. “I remember my children’s concern about me getting involved with someone who makes white powder,” grins Wim. “Our approach may be hobbyist, but we’re continuously devising ways to make our processes more efficient.”

These innovations include heating the saltwater using solar power and recycling waste produce: distilled water is donated to a local window-washing company, while that

Not only has chef-patron Jannis Brevet scaled the heights of haute cuisine (Inter Scaldes holds three Michelin stars), he’s also an artist.

His paintings and sculptures decorate this manor house hotel and restaurant, which he runs with his wife — and maître d’ — Claudia. Picture-perfect dishes include Dutch shrimp with sea buckthorn, mandarin and hazelnut, and octopus carpaccio with sea banana, lavender and green apple. His motto: nothing is as difficult as simple cooking. interscaldes.nl BRASSERIE VLUCHTHAVEN, BRUINISSE

Dirk-Pieter Arkenbout’s seafood restaurant, housed in a former ferry house, has waterside views from its vine-covered terrace and a homely feel. The emphasis is on simple, organic ingredients (many foraged locally) and pure flavours.

Try specialities such as razor clams, oysters and — of course — Eastern Scheldt lobster. Zijpe 1, 4311 RK Bruinisse RESTAURANT HECTOR, ZIERIKZEE

This restaurant is in Zierikzee, a tiny walled city with cobbled streets. The arresting murals on the bare-brick walls, leather banquettes and low lighting make dinner here a hip affair. The elegant dishes include swordfish with langoustine foam and seasonal vegetables, and juicy flank steak with sweetbreads and chimichurri.

After an indulgent dessert, cross the town square to stroll around the pretty port or check into one of Hector’s stylish rooms for the night. hector.nl/zierikzee

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EAT

Five food finds

SMOKED SEA SALT

One of four varieties Zeeuwsche Zoute produces. Its intense smoky flavour lends a barbecue aroma to dishes such as baba ganoush.

BOLUS

Don’t leave without trying one of these sweet and sticky delicacies: a local twist on cinnamon rolls.

KIBBELING

The Dutch version of fish and chips — you’ll find these fresh, lightly battered fish pieces on sale in Zeeland’s seaside shacks.

SEAWEED CRISPS

Jan Kruijsse’s moreish seaweed crisps combine the texture of prawn crackers with the briny flavour of the sea that Zeelanders seem to love.

MUSSELS

In season from July to April, mussels are big in Zeeland — over 90 million tonnes of this ‘black gold’ leaves the fishing town of Yerseke annually.

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skimmed calcium is used as plant food by samphire farmers. It’s another example of Zeelanders’ ingrained respect for nature — a sense of give and take that comes from co-existing with the sea.

Christian isn’t the only Zeelander to see the business potential of his province’s natural resources. Ten years ago, cockle fisherman Jan Kruijsse noticed Japanese companies marketing a familiar product: seaweed. “I thought: hey, we’ve got that,” he says. Jan set about procuring a licence to hand-cut seven of the 150 varieties of seaweed growing on the banks of the Eastern Scheldt nature reserve — among them sea lettuce, sea oak and even wakame (which had originally arrived here as a stowaway on the bottom of boats). His customers now include Zeeland’s eight Michelin-starred restaurants (more than any other province in the Netherlands).

Of course, visitors can also forage for their own meal, as Dirk-Pieter Arkenbout (known as DP, chef-patron of Brasserie Vluchthaven) shows me. He takes me to the Tholen, peninsula, just west of Sint-Annaland, and we walk the coastline at low tide in search of native pullet carpet shell clams and immigrant palourde clams. As we walk, we nibble on sea oak and shuck oysters straight off the rocks; they’re small, sweet and taste of the sea.

Further along the coast, DP finds a tidal pool and starts digging into the clay-like sand. “If you hit a rich seam, you’ll find

bucketfuls,” he says. By law, anyone can gather up to 10kg of shellfish from the beach for personal use. But our bucket remains virtually empty. On we trek, the wind whipping away DP’s words. “We’ll follow the birds,” he tells me. “They know where to look.”

After two more digs, and with the tide rising, we abandon our quest with just a handful of clams. Back at the van, DP has a treat in store: an Eastern Scheldt lobster, which he slices in half and pops onto a makeshift barbecue. A few minutes later, I’m standing by the van, scooping the sweet meat from its shell with my fingers.

In 1953, DP tells me, a storm caused the sea to breach the dyke we’re standing next to, claiming 1,836 lives and destroying whole villages. Although the dyke is now higher and a fortified storm barrier protects the Eastern Scheldt, events such as these remind locals the land here belongs to the sea (all around us, water inches onto fields and mudflats, trying to reclaim it). It’s Zeelanders’ connection with the sea that will keep the region’s natural larder stocked for future generations.

HOW TO DO IT: British Airways flies from London City Airport and Transavia flies from Edinburgh Airport, both to Rotterdam The Hague Airport. From there, it’s an hour’s drive to Zierikzee. Double rooms at Hector Zierikzee hotel cost from €69 (£60), B&B. ba.com transavia.com avis.co.uk hector.nl MORE INFO: holland.com

IMAGES: ZEEUWSCHE ZOUTE/SANDRA SCHIMMELPENNINK; ELS ZWEERINK

Chef Dirk-Pieter Arkenbout plates up at Brasserie Vluchthaven in Bruinisse LEFT: Smoked sea salt, produced in Zeeland since the Middles Ages

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HONG KONG

Political unrest, protests and a pandemic — it’s an understatement to say that Hong Kong has had a difficult time lately. But the city is waiting with open arms: hotels have been gearing up for tourists to return, adding new restaurants and revamping facilities, and there are stacks of new attractions, too, from micro-parks to gigantic museums. Thanks to its excellent and affordable transport system, Hong Kong’s puzzle of scenery and skyscrapers is a breeze to get around, but each neighbourhood has its own distinct identity: financial districts Central and Admiralty are all glitz and glamour, while nearby Wan Chai retains a gritty, urban feel. North Point, meanwhile, feels like the Hong Kong of 40 years ago and is a top spot for food-lovers. Kowloon, too, has no shortage of great places to stay, from five-star sky palaces to art-led hotels with rooftop pools. Venture further to the more peaceful Outlying Islands, and you’ll discover a whole other world again.

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ALL RATES QUOTED ARE FOR STANDARD DOUBLES, ROOM ONLY, UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED. IMAGES: GETTY; MANDARIN ORIENTAL HOTEL GROUP

Between the steely skyscrapers and lush greenery, Hong Kong’s hotels are some of the finest in Asia, and with new openings and revamps across the city, the hotel scene is more spectacular than ever before. Words: Lee Cobaj

Best for social butterflies MANDARIN ORIENTAL, HONG KONG

There are many reasons the Mandarin Oriental has been topping the world’s best hotels lists for nearly seven decades, but one is its location in Central, where it sits at the heart of the city, both geographically and socially. The lobby is a spectacle: lashings of black marble, opulent chandeliers, magnificent artworks, smart businesspeople brokering deals and others clip-clopping to the superb spa. Rooms exude contemporary Asian luxury — thick Chinese rugs, golden silks, rosewood panelling — and, this year, there’s a slick new club lounge. Also new is The Aubrey, a madly exciting bar with maximalist interiors inspired by the 19thcentury European craze for Japanism.

ROOMS: From HK£4,000 (£370). mandarinoriental.com

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Best for the stylish set THE UPPER HOUSE Head through an unassuming door in Admiralty, up 49 floors and out into one of the most spectacular spaces in Hong Kong: a glass-topped atrium strung with a sky bridge linking a mountain view lounge and new city-view restaurant Salisterra. Downstairs, rooms range from airy studios with big limestone tubs set in the window to the fabulous new André Fu suite. There’s no pool or spa (although in-room treatments can be arranged), but the elegant atmosphere, design and meticulous attention to detail are why the high-fliers scramble to stay here.

ROOMS: from HK$5,016 (£464), B&B. thehousecollective.com

Best for location ISLAND SHANGRI-LA

IMAGES: THE UPPER HOUSE; HYATT

The Island Shangri-La has long been one of Hong Kong’s most consistently brilliant hotels. Situated above the Pacific Place mall with Hong Kong Park and the Peak Tram on its doorstep, the hotel is perfectly placed for shopping, sightseeing and socialising.

Most of the rooms are classically decorated, but a few floors of Horizon Club rooms have recently been updated, with gorgeous handpainted screen doors, daybeds and cocktail trolleys. The Summer Palace is a top spot for dim sum, and there’s an outdoor pool too.

ROOMS: From HK$2,227 (£206), B&B. shangri-la.com

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Best for gilded glamour THE MURRAY A former government office block refashioned by Foster + Partners, The Murray is flanked by Hong Kong’s financial district on one side and Hong Kong Park and Victoria Peak on the other. The views from the rooftop bar and restaurant, Popinjays, are fabulous.

Elsewhere, there are three more restaurants, a lobby bar, an indoor swimming pool and a small spa. The spacious rooms are a marriage of mid-century and up-to-the-minute, with a white, gold and black colour scheme, lowslung velvet sofas and sleek bathrooms.

ROOMS: From HK$2,800 (£259), room only. niccolohotels.com

Best for harbour views HYATT CENTRIC VICTORIA HARBOUR HONG KONG It’s almost impossible to find a smart hotel on Hong Kong Island for less than £100 a night, never mind one with a view of Victoria Harbour. But even the entry-level rooms at the Hyatt Centric have eyefuls of the sparkling eastern waterfront. Just 10 minutes from the city centre, it’s also in the thick of North Point, one of Hong Kong’s oldest neighbourhoods, best known for colourful 1960s architecture like the Monster Building, and a wealth of restaurants. The terrace at rooftop bar and restaurant Cruise, meanwhile, is the place to be at sunset.

ROOMS: From HK$951 (£88), room only. hyatt.com

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Best for hipsters THE HARI

IMAGE: THE HARI HONG KONG/DENNIS LO

This new arrival is smack-bang in the middle of Wan Chai, one of the city’s liveliest neighbourhoods, packed with shops, outlets, markets, foot massage joints, traditional cha chaan teng (cafes), restaurants and bars. Inside, warm velvety furnishings are paired against timber panelling, brass accents and digital artworks. The rooms are small but equally stylish — and are the first in Hong Kong to have voice-activated command systems.

There are few facilities (no pool, no spa) but the restaurants are a highlight.

ROOMS: From HK$1,287 (£119), B&B. thehari.com

Best for city slickers CORDIS HONG KONG

Hotel club lounges are a big deal in Hong Kong and Cordis has one of the most generous. For about £40 extra for two you’ll get a bigger room, breakfast, afternoon tea, evening snacks, beer and wine for most of the day, plus spirits, liqueurs and cocktails. There’s also a well-priced spa, a rooftop swimming pool with a tiki bar, three restaurants and an outdoor lounge serving booze from vintage Citroën vans. The hotel also has one of the world’s largest hotel art collections.

ROOMS: from HK$1,243 (£115), B&B. cordishotels.com

Best for village life TAI O HERITAGE HOTEL

Hong Kong is skyscrapers and neon, but it’s also fishing villages, rambling mountains and golden beaches. For a taste of the latter, hop on the MTR to Tung Chung and then the ferry to Tai O on the far reaches of Lantau Island. A meticulous restoration of the former Marine Police Station, this nine-room hideaway is the ideal base to explore Tai O. The rooms’ crisp white decor and clever layout adds to the sense of tropical escape.

ROOMS: From HK$2,108 (£195), B&B. taioheritagehotel.com

Best for sky-high living THE RITZ-CARLTON HONG KONG

One of the world’s loftiest hotels — occupying the top 16 floors of the 1,588ft International Commerce Centre — it’s worth the splurge for the views alone. Below the hotel is the new West Kowloon Cultural District, which features a multilevel public park, waterfront promenade and the new M+ Museum of contemporary art and visual culture. Or stay in and visit the hotel’s attractions, which include the world’s highest outdoor bar, the world’s highest swimming pool and the world’s highest spa.

ROOMS: From HK$3,190 (£295). ritz-carlton.com

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Best for culture vultures EATON HONG KONG Hong Kong’s pricey members-only clubs wish they were as half as cool as this four-star hotel in blue-collar Yau Ma Tei. Along with a riveting location (opposite Temple Street Night Market), 1970s-inspired rooms and a rooftop pool, the hotel offers thoughtful cultural experiences, from free tai chi classes and film screenings to appointments with an astrologer. Eaton is also rooted in the community, promoting local artists and providing coworking spaces to charities.

During the height of the pandemic, the Hong Kong Ballet gave a socially distanced performance across the terrace of the hotel’s trendy outdoor bar Terrible Baby, with rooms acting as viewing boxes. Don’t miss the inhouse food court, and Yat Tung Heen Chinese restaurant is also worth the splurge.

ROOMS: From HK$1,287 (£119), B&B. eatonworkshop.com

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A DV E NT U R E S

BIG TRIPS FOR THE YE AR AHE AD

WORDS J U L I A B U C K L E Y, AMELIA DUGGAN, EMMA GREGG, J A M I E L A F F E R T Y, BEN LERWILL, AARON MILLAR, ADRIAN PHILLIPS & EMMA THOMSON COMPILED BY SARAH BARRELL

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IMAGE: AWL IMAGES

Seeking inspiration for your next big adventure?

Then look no further. From paddling through the wilds of western Canada to riding the rails through Siberia, dipping a toe in the Amazon and sleeping in the shadow of Sudan’s great pyramids, our thrill-seeking travel writers have selected their favourite adventurous forays. The only thing left for you to do is to decide which unique experience should be next on your travel hitlist

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21 ADVENTURES

CLOCKWISE: Red cherry blossoms in the remote mountain village of Yunomine in spring, home to what’s thought to be the oldest onsen in Japan; a Shugendo Yamabushi monk, dressed in traditional suzukaki robes; the Nachi-no-Otaki waterfall and Kumano Nachi Taisha shrine at the end of the Kumano Kodo PREVIOUS PAGE: To-Sua Ocean Trench, Apia, Samoa

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JAPAN

WA LK I N G TH E K U M A N O KO D O Follow the ancient pilgrimage path that cuts through the silent, mossy mountains of Kii, south of Kyoto, to discover Shinto shrines, steaming hot springs and sacred waterfalls — a landscape where nature, body and spirit commune in harmony. Words: Aaron Millar

IMAGES: GETTY; AARON MILLAR

The Shugendo monk stands on the last summit ridge of the Kumano Kodo and blows his Hora conch shell to the wilds. He’s dressed in immaculate white Suzukaki robes, straw sandals and a woven cypress Minachi-gasa hat.

The sound is earthy, like an animal call, but hollow, too, like wind passing through the forest. He’s a Yamabushi, a holy man of the mountains. The sound lasts only an instant, but I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.

I’m here to walk the Kumano Kodo, a 54-mile path that cuts through the Kii Mountains of Japan, south of Kyoto. This network of pilgrimage trails has been walked for thousands of years, by emperors and peasants alike, to make offerings at the three Grand Shrines of Hongu, Hatayama and Nachi along the way.

But this isn’t your average boots-in-the-dirt hike. This is the land of Shugendo, an ancient off-set of Buddhism which holds that enlightenment is to be found through physical excursion in the natural world.

“You do the training,” Ryoei Takagi, a Shugendo master, would later tell me, “until nature and your body and your heart are all mixed together into the same thing.” And when that happens, practitioners believe, you’ll also be granted magical powers.

It might just work, too: experienced Yamabushis, like Ryoei, have been recorded meditating under the freezing waters of the Nachi Otaki, Japan’s largest and most sacred waterfall, for up to 45 minutes at a time. Most of us wouldn’t last a minute. If there’s such a thing as hiking Nirvana, the Kumano Kodo is it.

I begin in Takijiri-oji, the gateway shrine to the sacred lands of Kumano, and hike for three hard days to the first Grand Shrine, Hongu Taisha. It’s like entering a living museum. I pass monoliths etched with mantras, statues

“Enlightenment is within us already,” Ryoei told me.

“You just have to make space to feel it.”

of dragons covered in moss and small wooden shrines where sutras (sacred scriptures) written by emperors are buried underneath.

The going is steep and hard, long cobbled paths winding through dense bamboo forests. But it’s tranquil, too. The region is known for its hot springs, and each night after I stumble into one of the small local guest houses, or ryokans, which are spread out among the villages that dot the trail, I collapse into one, soaking tired legs and breathing hot steam.

After the Hongu Grand Shrine, a mountain complex of stark red temples with curved cypress bark roofs, golden lanterns, prayer flags and monks bowing in devotion, it’s two more days in the forest to Yunomine, the 1,800-yearold hot spring thought to be the oldest in the country.

And it’s a hot spring with a novel dual purpose. As I stop for a rest, beside a bubbling well in the town centre, an old man sits beside me and drops a net filled with sweet potatoes and eggs into steaming water below.

Some 10 minutes later, dinner is cooked and the best egg of my life is sitting happily in my stomach. It turns out they boil their food in Yunomine as well as their bodies.

The next day, now just a few miles from the end, I catch sight of the Pacific Ocean and hear that earthy animal call of the Yamabushi blowing his conch shell to the wilds. Below us is the Natachi Otaki, a spectacular 436ft waterfall, surrounded by golden temples and sweet cedar smoke on the breeze. I hike down, thinking about the legends of Shugendo, the magic of these mountains, and the pilgrims who still pass through to this day.

“Enlightenment is within us already,” Ryoei tells me, at my journey’s end. “You just have to make space to feel it.”

After 54 miles through steep, undulating mountains, I feel exhausted, but peaceful, too. Perhaps that’s the point — much of human history that’s been lived intimately immersed in the outdoors. If enlightenment is to be attained at all, perhaps it makes sense to look outside of us, rather than within.

Oku Japan offers guided and self-guided walking itineraries along the ancient Kumano Kodo from £1,020 per person. okujapan.com

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RIDE THE CALIFORNIA Z E P H Y R B E T W E E N C H I C AG O & S A N F R A N C I S C O, U S A

This 2,400-mile east-west link proves that despite the US’s limited choice of rail routes, it doesn’t stint on quality. Over the course of 50 hours, the Zephyr travels through three time zones and seven states, traversing Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska before ramping up to the blockbuster landscapes of Colorado, Utah, Nevada and California. You’ll cross the Mississippi, climb the Rockies and snake along the Colorado River, starting and ending in two of the country’s finest cities. A state-funded Amtrak service, the Zephyr isn’t Uncle Sam’s Orient Express, and overseas travellers are in the minority, but that’s the joy of it. There are sleeper compartments, a dining car and an observation lounge-cum-bar where you and fellow riders can share the joys of Utah’s rose-tinted, mesastudded plains on day two, and VIP views of the Sierra Nevada on the approach to San Francisco.

But just spending three days watching the great American outdoors spool past the window is a luxury in itself. amtrakvacations.co.uk BL

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H U N T F O R FA I R I E S I N PA K I S TA N ’ S H U N Z A VA L L E Y

Deep inside a great cauldron of eight mountains, in north-eastern Pakistan, the Hunza Valley was cut off from the outside world until the completion of the Karakoram Highway in 1978.

Famed for its 32 varieties of apricots, spring is the best time to visit when valley air flutters with blossoms. A three-hour hike from the village of Tato leads travellers to Fairy Meadow National Park — a 10,800ft-high alpine idyll, at the base of Nanga Parbat. The sight of the snow-dusted peaks mirrored perfectly in the clear mountain ponds is mesmerising. Take strolls across the juniper- and pine-scented plateau and keep an eye out for blue-eyed fairies. Local legend has it this area is paradise for these mystical creatures.

Whether you’re a believer or not, a visit definitely contributes to Pakistan’s blossoming tourism renaissance. wildfrontierstravel.com ET

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H I K E T U R K E Y ’ S LYC I A N WAY

Few hiking routes have it all — mountains, sea, forest and beach — but the Lycian Way’s pine-clad forests edge vertiginous cliffs that drop into lapis-blue waters, lapped by bay after bay of white sand. Old Roman roads and mule paths comprise this 335-mile hiking route from Ölüdeniz to Geyikbayırı in southwestern Turkey. Designed by British amateur historians Kate Clow and Terry Richardson in the 1990s, it’s named after the Lycian League, a 2,500-year-old civilisation that established one of the world’s first parliaments here, at Patara. The twisting trail passes through olive groves and rustic villages, temple-like Lycian tombs hewn into the hillsides, the remains of Pinara’s amphitheatre and azure seas. Days end at guest houses with cold beers and sunset views. cultureroutesinturkey.com ET

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IMAGES: GETTY

21 ADVENTURES

Navigating the turquoise waters of Attabad Lake, Karakoram Highway, Hunza Valley, Pakistan LEFT, FROM TOP: San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge from the water; hiking a forest trail on the clifftops of the Lycian Way, Turkey

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Susan’s Kitchen in Rose Harbour, Haida Gwaii, a wildlife-rich archipelago off the west coast of Canada; sea kayaking in Haida Gwaii; a cedar long house with traditional totem pole, Haida Gwaii

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CANADA

TH E ‘ G A L Á PAG O S O F TH E N O R TH ’ Kayaking through Haida Gwaii, a string of weather-pummelled Pacif ic islands cast adrif t from the western coast of British Columbia, reveals biodiversity on a giant Canadian scale. Words: Aaron Millar

IMAGES: AWL IMAGES; GETTY

The kayak cuts through the velvet water like a knife.

Giant forests of moss-draped spruces and cedars line the shore, the scene reflected in perfect symmetry below.

The dawn has brought mist. Colours emerge slowly, pastels on grey like a magician’s trick.

Then, in the distance, I see a ripple on the surface, an arched wet back, the hiss of a blow hole. “Stay back,” says our guide, Jordan Ackerman. “We don’t want to disturb them.” I clutch my paddle, white-knuckling my salty wet hands. The whales are coming.

We’re in Haida Gwaii, a string of more than 150 weathertorn Pacific islands located some 60 miles off the northern coast of British Columbia. I’ve come here because it’s one of the world’s best destinations for sea kayaking — but the appeal of this archipelago is far greater.

The islands are known as the ‘Galápagos of the North’ for their remarkable levels of biodiversity: the bays swell with herring and salmon; the skies squawk with millions of nesting seabirds; and gray whales, orcas and humpbacks pass through the waters. Kayaking Haida Gwaii isn’t just a fun paddle, it’s one of the most unique wildlife experiences on the planet.

The plan is to spend three days circumnavigating Alliford Bay and the Skidegate Inlet, camping out on deserted island beaches along the way. There are four of us: me, a city-dweller seeking refuge in nature, local guide Jordan and a mother-and-daughter pair seeking adventure. They won’t be disappointed.

We set off from the docks of Queen Charlotte, a tiny village on Graham Island — the archipelago’s largest and most populated island, home to around 5,000 mostly native Haida people, who have made their home here for millennia. From there, we paddle 10 miles west to Burnt Island, our camp for the night, passing bald eagles by the dozen; there are more per capita here than

“The sprays come closer, the ripples grow stronger and my kayak begins to rock”

anywhere else in the world. Curious sea lions tail us, their dark eyes and whiskers popping up above the surface.

“Anyone hungry?” asks Jordan at lunchtime, picking kelp straight from the sea and stuffing it into his mouth.

It’s rubbery and salty and dissolves in my mouth like ocean-flavoured jelly.

Dinner may have started on a challengingly slimy note, but Jordan, it turns out, is a sea kayaking gourmand.

We cook over campfires each night — candied salmon, cod roasted in red wine — taking turns with chores, watching the day fade to dusk and listening to crabs scuttling around the inter-tidal zone. Slowly, the city lifts from me, as though taking off a heavy coat I hadn’t known was there.

For the next two days, we cross southeast through open water and ocean storms, making our way towards Maude Island and the ancient Haida village of Haina. Sites like this populate these remote islands, where little more than a century ago, bands of families would make their homes — collecting seashells for beads, gathering plants for medicines and building totem poles carved with faces and animals looking out to sea. Much of this old way of life has faded now, but as we step through the mossy forest into a small clearing, I can see the foundations where a long house once lay, as well as the holes that held the totems.

Everything is dissolving back into the land, back from where it came, as is the Haida way.

We’re not done yet, though. On the last afternoon, we hear that hiss of a blow hole and stay back to give the whales space. But the sprays come closer, the ripples grow stronger and my kayak begins to rock. Then, suddenly, a 50-foot gray whale breaches less than five metres away. I can smell the ocean on its skin, feel the spray from its breaching body. It circles me, and my hands tremble as I take in its size and power — a monster of the deep, big enough to swallow me whole. But it’s gentle, too, and curious, and for just a moment our two worlds, land and sea, are connected. Just like the Haida Gwaii itself.

Green Coast Kayaking has a three-day guided tour, including all meals and equipment, from £350 per person. gckayaking.com

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S E E I N G S TA R S I N S U DA N Scattered across the sands of the Nubian Desert, Sudan’s constellation of ancient pyramids are home to celestial deities, pharaohs and queens — and very few visitors. Words: Emma Thomson

The night is salted with stars. Orion reclines on his side, and across the vast black blanket streaks a dusty comet.

I wriggle an arm out of my sleeping bag and run my fingers across the sands of the Nubian Desert beneath me. The surface is cool, a little crunchy and dimpled with fox prints, but digging my fingers into the sand uncovers softer, warmer depths. These things haven’t changed for millennia, and suddenly I feel intimately connected to all that has gone before. Across these sands paced the ‘black pharaohs’ — Kushite rulers who conquered Egypt in around 747 BC and, for nearly a century, controlled an empire that stretched from Khartoum to the Mediterranean Sea. Its leaders revived the old Egyptian tradition of constructing pyramids as burial chambers for their kings, queens and noblemen with such gusto, they ended up leaving a legacy of some 255 towering edifices — more than twice the number found in Egypt.

Some can be found in the necropolises of el-Kurru and Nuri, around 250 miles north of the capital, Khartoum. Here, the steep pyramids are clustered around Jebel Barkal, a sandstone butte that looms unexpectedly from the endless flatness of the desert.

Centuries before the pyramids were constructed, while the area was still under Egyptian rule, the mountain had been chosen as a holy site.

“See that,” says Hitam, my guide and a nubiologist, pointing to a weathered column of rock that has slowly eroded away from the main mass. “They chose this site because it looks like the cobra that gilded the pharaoh’s crown. When Egyptian pharaoh Thutmose III saw the mountain, he said: ‘This is the house of my father, Amun’

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(their chief deity). And after that, all pharaohs came to visit it. The Temple of Amun he had built beneath is a copy of Karnak in Egypt — they were almost equal in status, so in texts, the glyphs for each are virtually indistinguishable. It just shows how important it was.”

The temple ruins are best seen from above, so when the sun’s fierce bite softens, setting the russet rock aglow, I hike to Jebel Barkal’s summit. A warm wind rakes my hair as I walk to the rocky edge. Below, I can make out pairs of giant stone rams, their eyes and ears worn away by time, and rows of cracked and crumbling pillars that lead the eye to the green banks of the pewter River Nile — the same water that ferried Kushite kings to their coronations inside this holy temple.

But what has been eroded by sand and sun above ground glistens below. Hitam leads me to the western side of the cobra-shaped pinnacle and crouches to enter a collapsed stone doorframe built into the rock. I follow him into the dark interior and stop in my tracks. We’re in the Temple of Mut, goddess wife of the Amun. A few spotlights, suspended from gnarled wooden scaffolding, illuminate scenes of exquisite beauty. Above us, in colours of white kaolin and ochre against a background of deep blue, is the lion-headed Mut, paying tribute to the pharaoh Taharqa.

We drive a few hours south to the site of Meroë, once the Kushite capital and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, home to the country’s best-preserved cache of pyramids. More than 200 are spread across the sands that sip hungrily at their granite-and-sandstone bases. Inside, the walls are carved with cartouches, whose designs are as numerous as the stars. In the cool hours just after dawn, we meet only a handful of archaeologists who are painstakingly restoring the crumbling corners. I had yearned to feel the glow of Golden Age archaeological exploration and to see an ancient site without the crowds.

I had found it in Sudan.

Explore offers a 12-day Discover Sudan tour from £3,190 per person, excluding flights. British nationals must purchase a £75 visa prior to arrival. explore.co.uk

IMAGE: AWL IMAGES

SUDAN

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C O N Q U E R F I E RY VO L C A N O E S I N G UAT E M A L A

Guatemala’s Western Highlands are home to a spectacular spine of volcanoes: 37 thrust skywards before the land tapers away to the shimmering Pacific. They loom over the colonnades and chapels of Antigua Guatemala, their peaks snagging passing clouds and encircling market towns home to communities of indigenous Maya. Local adventure outfits have sprung up in recent years, hoping to tempt travellers to explore the peaks with seasoned guides. There’s quick-to climb Chicabal, with its sacred, high-altitude lake; San Pedro, a tough half-day scramble; and Tajumulco, Central America’s loftiest summit at 13,850ft, best tackled in one gruelling day.

To immerse yourself in the elemental nature of the land, pitch a tent on Acatenango — a forested peak pinned between the volcanoes of Agua (‘Water’) and Fuego (‘Fire’) — and watch fiery-red volleys of rocks and ash streak the star-studded night sky. viaventure.com AD

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G O OV E R L A N D TH R O U G H H U N G A RY ’ S G R E AT P L A I N

This was once a place of bandits and outcasts, where cowboys roamed and legends were made. The Great Hungarian Plain is at the heart of the country’s cultural identity: goulash was popularised here, cooked by herders in cauldrons hung over open fires, and the flat grasslands and big skies have inspired countless landscape artists. Route 33 offers a thrilling road trip through the area, with various options for breaks along the way. Stop off at Lake Tisza for a spot of kayaking and a bowl of local fish soup, or head to Hortobágy National Park for impressive birdlife and mesmerising cowboy shows, with csikós (herders) performing breathtaking acts of skill on horseback. hnp.hu/en AP

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A camel and rider pass the pyramids of Meroë, Sudan

D I S C OV E R T R E A S U R E I S L A N D I N S A M OA

It’s no coincidence that Robert Louis Stevenson, author of Treasure Island, chose Samoa as the place in which to spend his final years — this is a Polynesian paradise with an edge. For the chance to spot the sperm whales and spinner dolphins that pass between Upolu and Savai’i (the two main islands), join a boat trip from Apia, the nation’s capital. Visit in June, and you might catch a fautasi race, which sees islanders compete in traditional long boats that can accommodate crews of up to 50. There are plenty of yearround activities, too, such as hiking remote trails in rainforest-filled volcanic craters, testing your nerve with a 100ft plunge into the To-Sua Ocean Trench and watching jets of water burst from the Alofaaga Blowholes. samoa.travel AP

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WHERE FAMILY FUN KNOWS NO BOUNDS! Moments of pure inspiration and family fun await you at OZEN LIFE MAADHOO - your sanctuary of Refined Elegance. Relish exotic dine-around options, champagne breakfasts, and premium spirits amidst magical lagoon views. With the fully inclusive IndulgenceTM Plan, enjoy access to the kids’ club and daily activities, an overwater gym, relaxing spa treatments, snorkelling, water sports, Indian Ocean excursions, ultra-speciality underwater dining, and unparalleled indulgences.

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GO BUSH CAMPING IN QUEENSLAND

An hour-and-a-half drive from Brisbane brings you to the Scenic Rim, an arc of mountains where you’ll find a 5,000-acre private nature reserve offering luxurious, safari-style camping. No private cars are allowed at Spicers Canopy — you’ll be picked up at the gate in a four-wheel-drive — and there are no computers or TVs on site.

This is an opportunity to commune with nature, exploring grasslands, eucalyptus forests, creeks and mountain trails. Treks along the Scenic Rim Trail range from two days to a full week, with local guides teaching you bushcraft secrets en route: learn which plants to eat, how to locate honey and the best way to catch yabbies. spicersretreats.com AP

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J O IN THE WAC K Y R AC E S ALON G C E NTR AL A S IA’ S S ILK ROAD ROUTE

Since its launch in 2012, the route of the Central Asia Rally has changed many times, but now offers an approximate Silk Road adventure in reverse. The 4,000-mile car rally kicks off in Astrakhan, Russia, with participants taking two weeks to travel east through Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan before finishing in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Second-hand cars are typically used, and for many it’s a one-way journey, with old bangers sold off at markets in Kyrgyzstan.

For those unsure of what to drive, the Travel Scientists, who pioneered the race, can make arrangements in Astrakhan. centralasiarally.com JL

IMAGES: ALAMY; GETTY

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Spicers’ Eco Cabins, set on the edge of the rainforest in Main Range National Park is used exclusively for those hiking the five-day Scenic Rim Trail, Australia BELOW: A carpet weaver makes a traditional silk carpet in Itchan Kala, Uzbekistan

R I D E R U S S I A’ S T R A N S S I B E R I A N R A I LWAY

Only in Russia can you board a train that’s timetabled to take around a week to reach its final destination. Covering 5,772 miles from Moscow to Vladivostok, the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway is the world’s longest continuous passenger route.

While there’s something inherently thrilling about crossing a continent by train, you don’t choose the Trans-Siberian Railway for its speed — it typically trundles along at around 50 mph — or its views, which are mostly of vast, open landscapes and birch forests. This is a cultural adventure, taking in remote towns such as Perm and Irkutsk while sleeping in what amounts to a mobile guesthouse.

The dormitory-like platzkart (third-class) carriages offer the best opportunities to mingle, perhaps by sharing meals of homemade black bread, cured meat, smoked fish and blueberry waffles bought from vendors on the platforms. trains.realrussia.co.uk/transsib EG

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BR A ZIL

BAC K WATE R B R A Z I L A short hop from the city of Manaus, the tea-black waters of Brazil’s Rio Negro, a major tributary of Amazon River, of fer the perfect taster experience for those seeking an accessible rainforest adventure.

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become bushy pompoms; dead stumps are stretched to infinite spears. Cleaving through the mirror in a kayak feels like entering an Escher drawing.

Heading into the archipelago, we take a small boat downriver, before climbing into kayaks to navigate a shallow creek. During the dry season, says guide João, much of this would be walkable — not that you’d want to walk, what with the caimans sunning themselves on the beachy banks. I scour the water for eyes amid the tendrils and trunks of a half-submerged forest. Are there caimans here, I ask? “Not now – but there are anacondas,” grins João, brandishing a machete. We glide through the water — he paddles, I watch for suspicious ripples — but there’s nothing, just an ethereal stillness.

Wildlife here doesn’t give itself up easily — neither the jaguars nor the anacondas that, at different times of the year, nest under the floating bar deck. For now, with João’s assent, we jump in and swim, and it’s as warm as a bath. Here in the Rio Negro, it’s all about the detail: the lobster-clawed beetle at check-in; the speckled toad sitting outside my jungle-swaddled cabin; the supermodel-slim snake dangling from the restaurant terrace, where we gorge on feijoada bean stews and the fleshy white pulp of the cupuaçu fruit. On a moonlit boat trip, João’s torch picks out a slow-blinking sloth, an Amazon tree boa, wrapped around a branch, and a pinktoe tarantula with eight hairy legs and eight tiny paws, each seemingly wearing a dainty pink shoe.

And finally, drifting between islands, frogs croaking like a kazoo chorus, I see two cold eyes flashing red in the torchlight, apparently levitating above the water.

“It’s a caiman,” whispers João, turning the boat. The Rio Negro is silky still. The full moon sparkles silver on the water. And, just like that, the eyes disappear.

Anavilhanas Jungle Lodge has three-day, all-inclusive packages from £456 per person. Humboldt Travel has four nights at Anavilhanas as part of a nine-night Brazil trip, from £3,620, including internal flights and transfers, most meals and activities, but excluding international flights. anavilhanaslodge.com humboldttravel.co.uk

IMAGE: AWL IMAGES

“Jack!” call my companions. “Jack, are you here?” I turn and see the sign: ‘Dear visitors, for your safety, do not hang your arms or legs outside the boat.’ Jack may not be home, but it seems he might be in the area.

Jack’s full name is Jacaré — Portuguese for ‘alligator’ — and he’s one of the black caimans resident in Brazil’s Anavilhanas National Park. Jack is usually partial to the company of humans — he sleeps below a monitoring post here on the Rio Negro — but he’s not the kind of guy you want to get too close to. At up to six metres long, these are the Amazon’s biggest reptiles, and they divide their time between basking on the baked-mud banks and bathing in the world’s largest blackwater river.

Often, Jack pops his snout above the plant-darkened waters and meanders over to size up new visitors. Today, it’s not to be — and I’m not unhappy about that. I’ve spent the past 48 hours kayaking in anaconda-inhabited waters and hiking through the jungle in snake-proof gaiters, and today is our rest day — boating along the Rio Negro to swim, grill giant tambaqui fish, doze in hammocks and, with any luck, spy pink river dolphins.

That we’ve done all this in just three days is all thanks to our hotel, Anavilhanas Jungle Lodge. We’re only 120 miles — a three-hour drive — upriver from the Amazon hub city of Manaus, but we’ve been plunged into a fullon jungle experience. Downriver, near Manaus, the Rio Negro’s black waters swirl into the lighter Solimões River at the famous Meeting of Waters, joining to become the Amazon proper.

But this is the Amazon in all but name; one of the many tributaries that run like veins through the Amazon Basin. Anavilhanas is an archipelago of more than 400 islands dotted about the wide river, all perfectly reflected in the super-still, opaque-glassy water. Lush-leafed trees

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P I C K YO U R WAY THROUGH ‘THE TEETH’ IN CHILE

One of Patagonia’s great treks begins just outside of Puerto Williams, rising steeply through a pine forest before reaching a high pass where Ushuaia and the Magellan Strait, and its cruise ships to Antarctica, are visible.

Dientes de Navarino (‘dientes’ means ‘teeth’ in Spanish) is the southernmost trekking route for the White Continent. Typically taking four days, it requires good levels of fitness and a basic knowledge of wild camping.

Porters and guides are recommended, given the challenging terrain, lack of signage and unpredictable weather. The serrated mountains that give the route its name stretch skywards above lakes and waterfalls; the route cuts through the peaks, before heading over the Virginia Pass. The final, dramatic descent passes a sapphire lake en route back to Puerto Williams. chilenativo.travel JL

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S A I L A TA L L S H I P THROUGH THE CANARIES

Off the west coast of Africa lie the Canary Islands, which have a rich history as a seafarers’ stopover. Board a tall ship in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria to embark on an Atlantic sailing adventure, learning how to navigate, set the rigging and unfurl sails.

The Santa Maria Manuela, a four-masted gaff schooner, spends a week cruising around Santa Cruz de Tenerife, La Gomera and El Hierro before heading back to Las Palmas. Keep your eyes peeled: the nutrient-rich waters between the islands are great place to spot cetaceans.

Short-finned pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins often leap through the waves, while migratory species such as spotted, striped and rough-toothed dolphins sometimes appear. sailtraininginternational.org EG

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A fisherman casts his net into the Rio Negro, Brazil

F I N D C O L O M B I A’ S LOST CIT Y

It may not reach the same altitudes as its Peruvian rival, Machu Picchu, but the five-day Ciudad Perdida trek is just as challenging. Rain can make trails muddy and energise the humid jungle’s mosquitos, too.

But, as the route doesn’t attract anywhere near the number of hikers that Machu Pichu does, expect rewardingly quiet moments of reflection once inside the ruins themselves.

Archaeological work is ongoing at Ciudad Perdida — built around 650 years before Machu Pichu — and has already uncovered 169 terraces carved into the mountainside, all accessed via 1,200 stone steps. And, having made it all the way to the 1,200-year-old ruins, hikers return the same route, traversing mountain and rivers back to Santa Marta. gadventures.com JL

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TAKE ME TO

HOVIMA.COM COSTA ADEJE · TENERIFE

THE OCEAN THE SUN TENERIFE

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S A FA R I O N F O O T I N T I G E R C O U N T RY, N E PA L

Since 2010, conservation efforts in Nepal have led to the country becoming the first in the world to double its tiger population, which now totals around 450. This has doubled the chance of seeing one of the world’s largest cats in the wild — an even more exciting prospect when exploring jungles on foot, as part of a guide-led tour.

Around 350 miles west of Kathmandu, Bardiya National Park is one of Nepal’s tiger strongholds.

With abundant fresh water, an ample number of deer, and little in the way of human development, the cats thrive here. Nature drives and walks are offered every day from lodges such as the excellent Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge, where sightings of Asian elephants and endangered one-horned rhinos are common, even if the naturally elusive feline predators remain far from a guaranteed encounter. tigertops.com JL

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SPOT R ARE GIR AFFES IN ZAMBIA

Africa’s giraffes are fascinating to observe, and they’re scarcer than you might think. While South African giraffes are thriving, habitat loss has caused a sharp decline in subspecies in countries to the north.

If you’re keen to see such a rarity, you can do no better than the Thornicroft’s giraffe. Recent genetic research suggests the species is closely related to East Africa’s Masai giraffe — closely enough, perhaps, to interbreed. Zambia’s South Luangwa Valley National Park is home to their sole population, numbering around 600. Here, informative guides lead tours run by ethical-minded bush camps where you will spy Thornicroft’s giraffe, distinguished by its jagged spots. Look closely, and you’ll see the animals travel with an entourage: red-billed oxpeckers, plucky little birds that keep them tick free and sometimes reach right inside their ears, as if whispering a secret. bushcampcompany.com EG

IMAGES: GETTY

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SNORKEL WITH WHALE SHARKS IN MEXICO

Becoming a citizen scientist adds depth and purpose to a snorkelling adventure.

Spend a week on Mexico’s Caribbean coast, with wildlife operator Aqua-Firma, and you can head out to sea on day expeditions with whale shark researchers, marine biologists and camera operators whose job it is to study the world’s biggest fish.

The team operates in July, the busiest month for sightings, when aerial surveys count up to 200 whale sharks near the research boat, many surrounded by remora fish. As well as collecting whale shark data, the team is trying to determine if the local giant manta rays are a new species.

Most whale shark encounters are in clear water where, by free-diving down, you can marvel at these gentle giants looming overhead, blocking out the light. aqua-firma.com EG

Divers swimming with a whale shark, near Cancún, Mexico ABOVE: Thornicroft’s giraffe, South Luangwa National Park, Zambia

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A fruit seller rows into a floating marketplace in the Mekong Delta region, Vietnam

Encompassing the dramatic, dragon-spine peaks of the Drakensberg, and grasslands rolling out to meet the Indian Ocean, the eastern province of KwaZuluNatal offers wilderness in excess. It’s the perfect adventure playground; hike the ’Berg — tackling the multi-day Giant’s Cup Trail, or sheer-sided Cathedral Peak — or spot rhinos in Africa’s oldest reserve, Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park.

But the greatest treasure of this land is its enigmatic living culture. Over 10 million Zulu live across the state, proudly preserving ancient traditions that had been cultivated during the 19th century when legendary warrior Shaka Zulu built an empire across Southern Africa.

Arrive in Durban and meet guide Thoko Jilli, of Wisdom Tours, who eschews the oft-staged cultural dances and buffets of local lodges in favour of tours into the undulating, emerald region known as the Valley of a Thousand Hills. Just an hour from the city, experience daily life in a rural hamlet with which Thoko has close ties.

Here, you can break bread with local women in a rondavel (a thatched building shaped like a drum); hear poetry in the sonorous isiZulu language; and learn about spirituality, exploring sacred stone Shembe circles and meeting with a sangoma (ancestral healer) or inyanga (medicine man).

Or try custom-built tours that dive into Durban’s warren-like Markets of Warwick, home to beadworkers; stalls selling local dishes like bunny chow (meat curry in a bun) or roasted cow head; and vendors touting charms and traditional cures. Or make for the atmospheric Anglo-Zulu War battlefields of Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift in the state’s north. wisdomtours.co.za marketsofwarwick.co.za AD

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P E DA L A L O N G T H E M E KO N G I N VIETNAM & CAMBODIA

The sweltering banks of the Mekong River may not seem like the easiest cycling route, but bike tour specialist Grasshopper Adventures offers a series of manageable day-cycles along Southeast Asia’s bestknown watery artery. Pedal for a few hours each day, then rejoin the company’s liveaboard boat as it meanders north from Vietnam into Cambodia.

The tour starts in Ho Chi Minh City, bordering the mighty Mekong Delta region, close to the mouth of the world’s 10th-longest river. From here, it leads up through small villages and towns, often with the Mekong in sight, but sometimes leaving it far behind as participants cycle through dragon fruit farms and rice paddies, perhaps passing local festivals or weddings, where mutual astonishment is shared by Lycra-clad riders and revellers.

Riders will want to regularly refuel — the topography is mercifully flat, but the humidity is relentless, — and thankfully roadside fruit and juice stands are plentiful.

Pedalling north, across the Cambodian border, new bikes await.

Historical and cultural lessons are offered by guides along the way, and at the final stop, in Siem Reap, a day can be spent cycling around the mighty temples of Angkor.

Unconquerable on foot in a day, the 72 ruins that once stood as a vast Khmer city, crowned by the temple of Angkor is surprisingly easily navigated by bike, and freewheeling around the UNESCO World Heritage Site, often described as the finest archaeological site in South East Asia, makes for a spectacular reward at the end of a week of cycling up the Mekong. grasshopperadventures.com JL

IMAGE: GETTY

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E X P L O R E S O U T H A F R I C A’ S ZULU HEARTL AND

THE ROAD Prospectors, outlaws and early Mormon settlers all carved their way through the dramatic topography of Utah, each group leaving their mark on the story of America. Centuries later, this is still a land of discovery, best explored in the classic comfort of an Airstream trailer — a silver bullet snaking between national parks seeped in local myths

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OUT WEST AARON MILLAR

IMAGE: JORDAN BANKS

WORDS

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UTAH

Here is the American West, all its aspects, every possible feature in a single glance: soaring monoliths, steep-cut gorges, firecoloured mesas, the Colorado River green and slow, reflecting the sky like a mirror.

Everything untouched, desolate, burning and wild.

I’ve come to drive this road. The breeze whips up from the canyon and whets my lips with the anticipation of adventure.

Keys jangle excitedly in my pocket as I walk. American road trips are the stuff of whispered legend. They’re part of the psyche of the country, written in novels, sung about in music and immortalised in film. You’re not just driving here — you’re following in the footsteps of great American writers like Jack Kerouac; you’re breaking free with rebels like Easy Rider and Thelma & Louise. The scenery feels wilder with every bend you take, unfolding like the backdrop of a classic Western.

In many ways, that’s exactly what it is.

Some of America’s most iconic films were shot in Utah, from Stagecoach (1939) to Rio Grande (1950). Road tripping here isn’t just a pleasant cruise, it’s like starring in your own movie — and the leading lady in this one is a shiny silver trailer that sparkles in the sun like a hundred disco balls.

The Airstream has been America’s most iconic piece of campervanning kit since

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1929, when its founder Wally Byam’s wife complained she hated camping so much that he built her one of these instead. Since then it’s gone by many names: the silver bullet, the retro rocket, the toaster-on-wheels. In truth, it looks more like a starship from a 1970s sci-fi flick than anything you’d see on the road today. But none of that matters. The Airstream trailer is to campervan holidays what John Travolta is to flares. It makes them cool.

I have 10 days driving through southern Utah’s canyon lands before me, a shiny Airstream behind and nothing but the freedom of the open road ahead. I look back out across that shimmering red desert and want to blow a kiss to the breeze. This is the stuff of which driving dreams are made.

Mine begins in Cassidy country. In 1889, after liberating the San Miguel Valley Bank of $20,000 (£14,000) — about $575,000 (£407,000) in today’s money — Butch Cassidy, one of the West’s most notorious outlaws, came to what’s now Capitol Reef National Park to hide out from the law.

He chose a beautiful spot. Early settlers called it the ‘land of the sleeping rainbow’ for the way the sandstone walls and soaring pinnacles of red rock change colour with the shifting light. I drive past enormous sandstone cliffs towering above me like the walls of a giant’s castle and down into deep chasms of burgundy red, like tapestries of

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: An Airsteam trailer stands in front of a view of the Henry Mountains, near the Hogsback Pass on Route 12, a road that runs 123 miles between Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon national parks; a cow in Capitol Reef National Park’s Cathedral Valley, home to sculptured monoliths with intriguing names such as the Temples of the Sun and Moon; a road running through Capitol Reef National Park in south-central Utah PREVIOUS PAGE: The view across Monument Valley from mile marker 13 on Utah’s Highway 163 is one of America’s most iconic

IMAGES: AARON MILLAR; GETTY

The road is shimmering in the heat. From where I stand, on the edge of Glen Canyon in the heart of Utah’s untameable high desert, it snakes through the valley to an inf inite horizon, the landscape too vast to contain it.

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IMAGES: AWL IMAGES; GETTY; ETTA PLACE CIDERY/AUSTEN DIAMOND

I sit outside the farm store, horses grazing in the f ield, an old barn and smokehouse ragged brown with age, and take a bite of one — red cherries oozing from flaky pastry and dripping across my lips

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: A hiker stands atop a rocky ‘toadstool’ in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument; an old, red gas pump in Cannonville, home to one of the visitor centres for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument; historic orchards of heirloom produce near Capitol Reef National Park date back to the settling of the town of Fruita in 1880

stone, turning a fiery orange as the sun drops its last rays.

At the end of a winding narrow canyon road, I strap on my boots and hike into Capitol Gorge, a steep ravine etched in petroglyphs of suns and antlers, carved by the Fremont people who made this area their home more than 1,000 years ago.

Further down, inscriptions from the first prospectors and explorers that passed through begin to appear too. For nearly a century, up until the highway was built in 1964, this was the principal route for Mormon pioneers seeking a way through the Waterpocket Fold, an enormous ripple of the Earth’s crust that pushed up a 100-mile knuckle of rugged cliffs and canyons. It was an arduous passing and many of those who made it were drawn to leave their mark: ‘M Larson 1888’, ‘John Rich 1893’. I trace my hands on the letters as I walk: dozens of lives and memories, overlapping like crossword puzzles, etched in stone and faded in time.

But those first settlers weren’t just good at graffiti. On my way back I stop at the Gifford Homestead in Fruita Valley, a historic 1908 farm and recreation of early Mormon life. Fruita is well-named. The farm is surrounded by orchards of apples, apricots, pears and plums. In season, you can pick them yourself; out of season, they bake the stored fruit into sweet pies that have become famous across the region. I sit outside the farm store, horses grazing in the field, an old barn and smokehouse ragged brown with age, and take a bite of one — red cherries oozing from flaky pastry and dripping across my lips. The great Western writer Wallace Stegner described this desert oasis as ‘a

sudden, intensely green little valley — opulent with cherries, peaches and apples.’

Life was hard here, but it was also sweet.

Between a rock and a hard place I had planned a roughly circular route, which would begin here in Torrey, on the outskirts of Capitol Reef, and then head south to Grand Staircase-Escalante and the soaring monoliths of Bryce Canyon, before cutting back east. But I wasn’t in a hurry.

Utah Scenic Byway 12, which connects these three national parks and monuments, is without a doubt one of the most jawdroppingly beautiful roads in America.

However, it’s also one of the most exposed.

Gleaming in the rear-view mirror behind me, the silver bullet and I cruise an hour south, rising some 9,600ft through groves of aspen that are still shouldered in spring snow, to a narrow ridge known as the Hogsback; there’s no other road like it in America. Balanced almost impossibly on a knife-edge ridge, with a drop of thousands of feet on either side and no safety barrier, it feels more like flying than driving. I traverse the razor in equal parts awe and terror, nothing but the vertiginous lightness of sheer air all around. If the Airstream looks like a starship, I think to myself, this is as about as close as it’ll ever get to taking off.

I’ve abseiled with less exposure.

But it’s worth the white-knuckle ride.

On the other side of the Hogsback is Grand Staircase-Escalante, a Delaware-sized stretch of sedimentary rock that steps gradually upwards for a 100 miles, preserving millions of years of Earth’s natural history in its upturned stone.

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out into daylight, knees bloodied, elbows scratched, covered in dust and sweat, but I can’t get the smile off my face. If this is claustrophobia, then box me up.

But not before a night of luxury, because here’s the truth. Sitting beside your Airstream, sipping beers and roasting marshmallows, is the epitome of camping cool. Inside is another matter. Yes, it’s funky — cylindrical metal walls curve above you like the inside of a piece of retro art.

But, like all campervans, things break, the shower isn’t great and you have to empty your own waste.

Yonder Escalante is the answer. This new glamping site, just past the town of Escalante, is like the love child of camping and a trendy vintage boutique hotel: bathrooms straight out of a luxury spa, a pool, cosy cabins, a communal lodge with vintage record player and cocktail hour.

“It’s camping for people that don’t love to camp!” manager Hayley jokes, passing me a gourmet barbecue feast — proper steaks, roast potatoes, carrots bathed in butter and garlic, all served in a chuck-it-on-the-firepityourself kit. Later, wiping the remnants of the best camping meal of my life from my chin, I have to admit that I’d happily forgo the Bear Grylls school of camping any day for this Gordon Ramsay-esque experience.

Especially if there’s a drive-in movie for pudding. Yonder Escalante was built on the grounds of an old outdoor cinema. They restored it, parked a dozen classic cars in front of it — 1950s Pontiacs and Cadillacs, a shiny red Corvette — built a snack kiosk in an Airstream and now show classic films to guests most nights of the week.

This new glamping site is like the love child of camping and a trendy vintage boutique hotel: bathrooms straight out of a luxury spa, a pool, cosy cabins, a communal lodge with vintage record player and cocktail hour

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Yonder Escalante’s campground has an authentic refurbished 1950s drive-in movie screen complete with a dozen vintage cars parked permanently in front; a hiker explores the curious geological formations of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument; Yonder Escalante offers prepackaged meal kits, which come complete with cooking, serving and dining utensils and can be prepared at each unit’s private firepit

IMAGES: GILLIAN MILLAR; GETTY; ALEKS DANIELLE BUTMAN

This was the last piece of the map in the Lower 48 to be filled in and it still feels like it. I hike among petrified sand dunes, not a soul around, find ancient ruins of the Anasazi, the Ancestral Pueblo People who inhabited the area for thousands of years, and then follow another old Mormon wagon road, still rattly and dirty, for 27 bumpy miles to one of Utah’s most unusual geological formations: slot canyons.

These dramatic tunnels of stone are caused by storm water cascading into cracks in the easily erodible sandstone plateaus, and it’s thought Utah has the largest cluster of them anywhere in the world. By definition, a slot is any canyon that’s deeper than it is wide. Some, like those named Peek-a-Boo and Spooky Gulch, take that to the extreme.

I hike down to a narrow hole in a seemingly impassable wall of rock, scramble about 12ft or so up a vertical slab of slippery, smoothed-out stone and enter the slot. It’s like nowhere I’ve ever been before. Rock walls race up on either side of me to a thin slit of sky far above; waves of red and orange streaks swirl the rock like a tie-dye painting.

It feels like I’m walking through an abstract sculpture garden.

But it’s also a kind of contortionist masterclass that seems closer to an abandoned amusement park ride than a pleasant stroll. I climb over boulders and slick rock arches, through narrowing slits thin enough to scrape my hands on either side. At one point, after descending a 10ft rope to a 50ft-deep vertical canyon, the path narrows to 10 inches across. I can’t even straighten my head. After two hours, I’m spat

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UTAH

A vintage American experience, in the middle of an iconic American trip.

IMAGE: GETTY

Star-spangled sky

ABOVE: Horses in a corral near Capitol Reef National Park

The campsite’s location is perfect, too, right in the heart of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, but also just a short drive from the spectacular ‘hoodoos’ (a local term for statue-like rock columns) of Bryce Canyon National Park, which has more of them than anywhere on Earth.

“My Grandpa always said,” our horsetrekking cowboy guide Christian informs me as I arrive, “You need to experience two things in life: getting bucked off a horse and being punched in the face.”

Thankfully, neither comes to pass. What I do get, after a short half-hour ride to the rim, is the best view in the park. The landscape somehow makes more sense rolling under the trot of hooves. “Native American legends say these hoodoos were giants,” Christian tells me. “They got turned to stone because they took more than they needed from the land.” In this surreal place, where stones rise from the ground like enormous stalagmites and bright orange pinnacles cut the cliff walls like shark’s teeth, it feels like that might just be true.

And if it is, the Bristlecone pines would have seen it. Tucked away at the end of the

20-mile scenic drive, vast views opening on every bend, these seemingly humble trees are in fact the oldest living organism on the planet.

I hike a mile through the forest to Yovimpa Point, a pinnacle overlooking the southern end of the canyon, sentinels of red, orange and white rocks fading into the distance. Then I see them. Bristlecone pines, the most ancient of which are close to 5,000 years old, survive only in a few places in the world. Yet here they’re mere youngsters in comparison — about 1,600 years old. But it still makes you pause. Their roots predate Christopher Columbus by more than 1,000 years. They stood here as Rome fell and as Norman invaders won the Battle of Hastings. I touch their bark, gnarled and twisted by the ages, battered by millennia of wind and storm, and wonder what world they’ll be looking at 1,600 years from now when the giants of our age have turned to hoodoos and dust.

The days race past. In the Monument Valley Park, I take a tour through the backcountry. “We use yucca for shampoo,” my Navajo guide, Carol Tallis, says, showing me the land through her eyes. “Buffalo grass for brushes and sheep’s wool for yarn.

Everything is used.” We hike up to Tear Drop Arch together and see the shadowed outline

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LEFT: Hikers on the Navajo Loop Trail in Bryce Canyon National Park, famously home to ‘hoodoos’ — a local term for statue-like rock columns

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Getting there & around Delta Air Lines flies from Heathrow to Salt Lake City via several different US hubs. Direct flights from Heathrow to Las Vegas with airlines including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic also offer convenient access to southern Utah. delta.com ba.com virginatlantic.com Average flight time: 13h30m.

Airstream trailer and truck rental available via Utah Caravans of Salt Lake City. airstreamrentals.com

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Perhaps, that’s the point. On my last night, in Canyonlands National Park, I hike away from the crowds at the Green River Overlook, scrambling on rocks above the cliff until there’s no one else around. Shafts of sunlight beat through a stray rain cloud like search lights, dazzling the snaking ravines in sudden bursts of colour below. Some views, I realise in that moment, are too vast to comprehend. Like watching stars, or standing on a mountain top, they’re a feeling, an emotion, rather than something you see with your eyes. They make you feel small, but at the same time part of something bigger than you’d ever imagined before.

That’s what Utah does to you. That’s what the West is all about. That’s why you come.

The road is shimmering still, but it’s stretching out behind me now. The Airstream, my leading lady, is there too.

Did she play her part perfectly? Of course not. Things broke, things went wrong. But that’s all part of the adventure. It’s a small price to pay for driving the most beautiful roads in America in its most iconic camping piece of kit. Kerouac, the ultimate chronicler of the great American road trip, sums up this ethos best: ‘There was nowhere to go but everywhere,’ he wrote in 1957, ‘so just keep rolling under the stars.’ And there are certainly plenty of them here.

When to go Temperatures in July and August can reach close to 40C. Campsites also book up quickly and popular national parks will be crowded. Spring and autumn are pleasant and warm, especially in May, June and September.

But April and October, although often pleasantly mild, can bring cold temperatures and even snow.

Where to stay Wonderland RV Park, Torrey. capitolreefrvpark.com Fruita Campground, Capitol Reef National Park. nps.gov/care/ planyourvisit/fruitacampground.htm Yonder Escalante. stayyonder.com Natural Bridges Campground. nabrinfo@nps.gov Needles Outpost Campground. needlesoutpost.com

More info visitutah.com/uk

How to do it AMERICA AS YOU LIKE It offers a Utah

Airstream fly-drive including return flights from Heathrow to Salt Lake City and a 14-night rental of a truck and 16ft Bambi Airstream from £1,770 per person based on four people travelling together. americaasyoulikeit.com

IMAGE: GETTY. ILLUSTRATION: JOHN PLUMER

of distant, table-like buttes framed by an eye-shaped hole in the rock, like a dark iris.

“There’s Eagle Mesa, the Sleeping Bear, the Hen,” she says, pointing out each distant rock formation in turn. In Navajo legends, these rocks were formed from the slain carcasses of defeated monsters. The closer I look, the more stories I can see hidden within.

A few hours north, I bathe in stars.

Natural Bridges National Monument is the world’s first International Dark Sky Park, a designation granted to only a handful places around the world where the quality of the night sky is exceptional. Out of a list of 90 dark sky parks worldwide, 21 are in Utah — the state has the highest concentration of them anywhere on the planet.

I cook out by the fire and then hike down in the dark to the 180ft-long Owachomo Bridge, a natural stone arch spanning a deep valley, my eyes slowly adjusting to the moonlight, stones bathed in blue and silence.

I lie down at the base of the bridge and look up. Light pollution is a problem all over the world; many of us who live in cities have never seen the true magnitude of the stars.

As the Milky Way unfurls above me, a river of stardust spreading across the sky, I think to myself — that’s why places like this exist, to remind us there’s more to nights than Netflix. It’s hard to believe it’s real.

Travel Insurance with you in mind Travel insurance designed by travellers Up to £10M medical expenses One Way cover at no extra cost Extend cover whilst away Extreme sports and activities covered, including trekking, volunteer work and scuba diving to 50M

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P A I D C O N T E N T F O R K E N YA T O U R I S M B O A R D

KENYA

The call of the wild Kenya’s nature reserves show a country as diverse as it is extraordinary, where lions stalk through ancient lava flows and flocks of bubble gum-pink flamingos skim vast, silent lakes. From camel-riding to mountain climbing, these six reserves each offer something different for travellers

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WITNESS OTHERWORLDLY LANDSCAPES T S AVO E A S T & W E S T Tsavo East is an arid expanse, recognisable for its paprika-red volcanic soil. The section below the Galana River is a great place to listen to the twitter of the Tsavo sunbird, among 500 other avian species.

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MEET THE MA ASAI MAASAI MARA Known globally for their distinctive red and multicoloured robes, the Maasai have retained most of their traditions and culture. They’re a nomadic people, moving around each season to allow grass to regrow.

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SEE THE SKY TURN PINK LAKE NAKURU Home to the greatest bird show on the planet, Lake Nakuru is the place to see both the lesser flamingo, with its deep red bill, and the taller greater flamingo. Up to a million gather around the shore, creating a spectacular sea of pink.

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CLIMB ABOARD A CAMEL LAIKIPIA & SAMBURU Join a camel safari to get close to the likes of zebras, elephants and giraffes. Each safari is led by tribespeople, who use their intimate knowledge of the land to avoid big cats.

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WALK WITH GIANTS AMBOSELI Amboseli National Park is known for its elephants, with more than 1,600 roaming the savannah and woodland. They benefited from a baby boom when tourism dropped due to the pandemic and rainfall was high.

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SCALE SUMMITS MO U N T K E N YA The highest mountain in the country, Mount Kenya is located 90 miles north of Nairobi. It’s made up of layers of magma and last erupted 2.6 million years ago. Its ragged peaks are capped with snow while its slopes are dense with forest.

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GO ONLINE for more photos of

Essentials: British Airways and Kenya Airways fly

Kenya’s magical reserves.

daily between Heathrow and Nairobi. Average

nationalgeographic.

flight time: 8h40m. Transfers from Nairobi to the

co.uk/travel

IMAGES: GETTY; KENYA TOURISM BOARD

reserves differ hugely, and can be done by either car or an internal flight.

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Au s t r a lia’s l o n ge s t r i ve r c u t s a s l ow c o ur s e f r o m t h e r e m o t e S n ow y M o un t a in s o f N ew S o u t h Wa l e s t hr o u g h t h e O u t b a c k to t h e S o u t h e r n O c e a n . M o r e a m e a n d e r t h a n a m ig h t y wa t e r way, t h e M ur r ay ’s b a n k s ar e n o n e t h e l e s s lin e d w i t h m o n um e n t a l s to r ie s t h a t h ave s h a p e d t h e c o n t in e n t — p l u c k y t a l e s o f im m ig r a t io n , d e te r m in e d ir r ig a t io n a n d v i s io n ar y a g r ic ul t ur e t h a t to d ay in c o r p o r a t e s s o m e o f t h e n a t io n’s f in e s t v in eyar d s WORDS

DAV I D W H I T L E Y

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“ The less you paddle, the more you enjoy,” the kayaking guide calls out from across the water.

“Just stay in the middle of the river and let the current take you.”

There’s a cost to not following this simple advice: I find myself drifting towards the riverbank, getting tangled in the snagging branches of overhanging willow trees and capsizing while trying to battle free. The kayak overturns. The camera in my shirt pocket takes a fatal dunking. The flailing struggle to get back on board is considerably complicated by duplicitous currents and teeth-chattering water temperatures that bear no resemblance to the warm spring day outside the murky soup that is the Murray River.

This unsolicited swim pierces the serenity somewhat.

Until that point, the drift downstream towards the centre of Albury had been a magical slice of Australiana: kangaroos standing to attention on the riverbanks; a platypus coming up for air after scurrying along the riverbed in search of tasty yabbies (small freshwater crayfish); and tiny turtles sliding off logs for a dip.

Australians call their country’s longest river ‘the mighty Murray’, although in truth its 1,570-mile course deals in meek, apologetic meandering and stoic survival rather than ferocity and grandeur.

The source of the Murray lies high in the Australian Alps, in a wilderness area that’s nigh on impossible to access without the assistance of a helicopter. The closest road to it is the Alpine Way, a narrow, twisting, rockfall-prone route laced through the mountains that eventually settles into something flatter alongside highcountry lakes and forests. Any settlements are hardy, token hamlets, until you hit the city of Albury, 179 miles downriver, the first place European settlers managed to cross the waterway. Since that initial conquest, the Murray has been thoroughly bullied, browbeaten and harangued. Just outside Albury is the Hume Dam, the first project of many in man’s crusade to harness the great river. Lake Hume, the giant reservoir created by the dam, has six times the capacity of Sydney Harbour, and water is released when needed.

This is why, if you fall out of a kayak on the Murray near Albury, it’s so profanity-provokingly cold. The water is released from the bottom of the dam, where lack of sunlight makes it 10C colder than it would naturally be.

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Canoeists near Albury, a city on the northern banks of the Murray CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: A stretch of Lake Hume, the reservoir created by the Hume Dam; sign pointing to the Walls of China in Mungo National Park PREVIOUS PAGE: The historic river port of Goolwa, near the mouth of the Murray

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This doesn’t just affect idiot paddlers grappling with willow branches; it affects the native fish populations, too. And the temperature drop is just the start of the dam’s environmental impact. Irrigation demand requires higher flows in summer — the reverse of the natural state of affairs, where winter and spring floods play a critical part in the surrounding landscape.

Along the length of the Murray, which is punctuated by several dams, the story is similar. A push and pull of agricultural irrigation and natural vegetation sees lakes and billabongs dried out, trees growing where they ought not to and environmental protection measures in the form of elaborate systems of culverts and regulators trying to repair the damage. Even a cursory exploration of the Murray quickly reveals that a journey along this waterway is as much about its natural landscape as it is about the people who have shaped the river, and along with it, Australia itself.

Murray migration One jolting, often-forgotten human tale is set in the shadow of the Hume Dam. “Between 1947 and 1971, over 300,000 people passed through Bonegilla,” says Diana Johnston, who runs tours of the Bonegilla Migrant Experience, on the site of what was once the Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre.

Australia’s largest and longest-operating migrant reception centre in the post-war era, it comprised 24 blocks and had its own churches, bank and sports fields; today, just one block remains.

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It was here that migrants underwent health checks, learned English, were taught the ‘Australian way of life’ and awaited employment that only rarely matched their skill set. “One in 20 Australians today has a family link to someone who stayed in the camp,” Diana adds.

The centre was part of a ‘populate or perish’ scheme that changed the make-up of the Australian population after the Second World War. Migrants from all over Europe were lured Down Under with promises of Bondi Beach and Sydney’s Royal Botanic Garden.

Then, on arrival at the Port of Melbourne, they would be shunted onto a seven-hour train journey to the middle of nowhere and, once at Bonegilla, would disembark to be met by tanks and military personnel. Given that some had only recently left refugee camps, this must have been an utterly terrifying bait-and-switch.

Initially, migrants who were deemed to ‘look’ Australian were preferred. The first influx was from the Baltic States, then the English and Dutch, who were assigned huts with better facilities. Soon enough, though, it was a free-for-all.

Today, the displays at the Bonegilla Migrant Experience feature tales from the people who went on to be a part of the Greek, Italian and Yugoslav communities in Australia’s major cities. Bonegilla is brimming with stories, and life in this bizarre half-way house is made vivid through a cascade of written anecdotes, diary entries and photographs. A Slovenian tells of being terrified of possums and snakes. A German chap moans about the repetitive diet (many swore they’d never eat lamb again after being subjected to so much boiled mutton).

AUSTRALIA

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The Port of Echuca Discovery Centre has an outdoor museum and visitor centre; a costumed guide at the Port of Echuca Discovery Centre; the century-old PS Alexander Arbuthnot paddle steamer in Port Echuca, originally built as a logging barge

A Dutchman speaks of how easily his children fitted in.

“The kids are speaking English. They pick it up so easily, unlike us,” he says. “At 40, we just can’t get the hang of it.”

Bonegilla — pronounced by Aussies as ‘Bone-gilla’ and by the newcomers as ‘Bon-e-gilla’ — was chosen partly because it was already the site of an army camp and partly because of the Murray River’s political function. For most of its length, the Murray acts as the border between the states of New South Wales and Victoria. Before federation occurred in 1901, they were two separate, self-governing colonies, with surprisingly divergent laws, systems and, crucially, rail gauges.

The mismatched railway tracks were a hangover long after federation, and basing migrants at the state border meant it was easier to send them onwards — north or south — as the demand for labour required.

Before railways, however, there were the riverboats.

Over 1,000 miles from the mouth of the Murray, and a twoand-a-half-hour drive from Albury through modern wine country, lies Echuca. From the river, the town looks like a set from a period drama. The huge wooden wharf is spread over several levels, designed to allow paddle steamers to be loaded however high the water levels. There are still plenty of those paddle steamers moored outside, although none have been built for over a century. The PS Alexander Arbuthnot, the last to be constructed, was originally designed as a logging barge in 1916. The vessel’s eventful life has included sinking; being raised, restored and put on display at a local theme park; and being put back into action on the Murray for tourist cruises.

It’s not alone. Several dolled-up old war horses putter and chug along this handsome stretch of the river.

For the engineer down below, heaving logs into the boiler, this is hot, sweaty work. But for those on deck, it’s a delightful opportunity to take in the sleek, creamy trunks of the area’s ubiquitous river red gum trees — the surrounding Barmah-Millewa Forest forms the world’s largest river red gum forest. Among the most iconic of Australia’s eucalypts, the trees can stand in water for months on end, stretching their limbs high above the surface.

Listen beyond the clumping engine noise, and there’s a cacophony of birdsong. Without binoculars, an amateur twitcher on board is reduced to speculative whimsy.

One bird sounds as if it’s hiccupping, another like a DJ scratching on the turntable; a third has a very wet whistle, and one is seemingly blowing bubbles underwater.

Echuca wasn’t always such a gentle idyll. Back in the riverboat days of the mid- to late 19th century, it was all illegal drinking dens, fruity language on the wharf and whirring sawmills. Dot Hammond, president of the Echuca Historical Society, says its location led to Echuca becoming Australia’s biggest inland port. “Echuca is the closest settlement to Melbourne along the Murray River, and at the time it had the only river-crossing punts. After 1864, when rail came from Melbourne to Echuca, a line ran directly to the wharf,” she explains.

“The paddle steamers would often unload goods directly onto the train at the wharf for the journey to the markets at Bendigo or Melbourne.”

Echuca became the hub for not just the Murray, but the entire Murray-Darling Basin, the vast system of rivers and surrounding pastoral lands that covers around one-seventh of the Australian continent.

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While there was money to be made in timber, real fortunes were created off the back of sheep. The antipodean colonies were originally a few isolated coastal settlements, reliant on funds sent from Britain.

It all started to morph into something much grander when pioneers struck out inland to stake out enormous, sprawling sheep stations. The wool was sent down the rivers in barges before being exported overseas.

The scale of the Australian wool industry hits home in Yanga National Park, around three hours’ drive north west of Echuca. Here, the woolshed of the former Yanga pastoral station sits on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River, which flows into the Murray. It’s a behemoth of a place, over 300ft long and built to accommodate 3,000 sheep for all-weather, continuous shearing.

Slightly dog-eared displays go into the history of shearing technology and the superhuman feats of the top shearers.

Scoreboards of personal bests line the gates; utmost respect is due to the bloke who got through 218 sheep in one day.

Yanga was once a powerhouse. The average shearing season — which usually fell in August and September, when the river was high and paddle steamers could easily navigate — produced 2,000 bales of wool, equivalent to at least 220,000kg. And now, with Australian wool no longer a licence to print money and Yanga left to the wind, there is nothing. The woolshed was built in 1896, and the most moving thing within it is the photograph of the team from the final shear in 2005. The wooden floors still smell of lanolin, and the wind howls around, shaking the corrugated metal walls and whipping dust over the maze of pens outside. Stand inside the woolshed, alone, and the ghosts of the industry rattle and rage around you.

A network of nations While sheep stations harnessed the Murray to send wool around the world, an altogether more thorough exploitation began in Mildura. The two-hour drive here from the Yanga woolshed is hugely revealing.

Stray more than a few miles from the river and the land is largely repetitive mallee scrub. Here, low-density, multistemmed, stubby eucalypts punctuate an unrelenting horizon of flat infertility under a giant, blazing blue sky.

It’s where the grey kangaroos of the bush meet the big red fellas of the Outback.

Explore further, however, and you’ll soon see that this is, in fact, a country of almonds, raisins, wine grapes and stone fruit. Mildura and its surrounds provide a bounty that goes a good way to feeding Australia.

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In 1886, William and George Chaffey came over from California and built the first large-scale irrigation scheme along the Murray. It was the precursor to the environment-transforming agricultural capitalism that today sees allocations of river water priced and traded for surrounding irrigation.

Chateau Mildura, set up by the Chaffeys in 1888 and now owned by Lance Milne, kickstarted the region’s wine industry — today, more than half of Australia’s total grapevine area is in the Murray-Darling Basin.

“I had my eye on it for a long time,” says Lance, as he wanders around the winery’s highly idiosyncratic museum, featuring grape crushes, cobweb-coated barrels and centuries-old collector’s-item wine bottles.

“When it came up for auction, I thought it’d be the only chance I’d ever have.”

So now, as then, Chateau Mildura is a small, plucky winery, often selling much of its output to individual buyers in China. And now, as then, experimentation is the name of the game — you’d be hard pushed to find anything like The Troitsa’s blend of Carménère, Petit Verdot and Saperavi (“it’s from Georgia,” says Lance, proudly) anywhere else in Australia.

Thus far, the journey along the Murray has unveiled the stories of post-war migrants, wool barons and ambitious irrigators. But, of course, people were here long before them — and all along the Murray’s islandand lake-riddled floodplain are signs of indigenous occupation. In the Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, south of Mildura, Peter Kelly from Murray Offroad Adventures stops by a gnarled, rumpled tree. “It’s all knots and circles,” he says. “Indigenous groups would bend the branches of the trees to give directions and create boundaries [between territories]. This would have been a meeting place, where different groups would meet at the boundary.”

A complex network of nations lived along the river’s path, but the river tied them together. “Each Aboriginal group tells its own version of the Dreaming story,” say Peter of Aborginal creationist beliefs. “But all involve the cod being chased by a mighty hunter, carving through the landscape on the way.”

Elsewhere among the national park’s thirsty, mostly dried-up lakes are scar trees — trees whose bark was removed by Aboriginal Australians for various purposes, such as to create canoes or temporary shelters. This may have happened hundreds of years ago, but the marks are still visible.

Human intervention in the riverlands isn’t a new thing.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP:

Fishermen explore the Murray River near Mildura; Lance Milne, owner of Chateau Mildura, where the region’s wine industry was kickstarted in 1888; a goanna in HattahKulkyne National Park

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ESSENTIALS SOUTH AUSTRALIA

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NEW SO UTH WALES YANGA N.P.

CANBERRA Albury

BONEGILLA MIGRANT EXPERIENCE HUME DAM

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ILLUSTRATION: JOHN PLUMER

Melbourne

And it may have been going on for a lot longer than once thought.

Seventy-two miles north east of Mildura, along an often bone-crunching dirt road into Australia’s cruel, parched interior, is Mungo National Park. It’s centred around Lake Mungo, which dried up around 14,000 years ago, and is now a vast, sand-blown crater of stunted bluebush, strutted across by hardy emus. On the eastern edge is a series of multicoloured, crescent moon-shaped sand dunes, known as the Walls of China. Every day, the shifting sands expose or cover up something new, from 20,000-year-old calcified tree stumps to the skeletons of small marsupials.

“The National Park guys come up every morning and put three sticks around finds as a marker,” says Steve Farrow of Mungo Guided Tours. “If it’s something significant, a red flag goes up and no one’s allowed to come within 150 metres.”

And there have been hugely significant finds here.

In 2003, the world’s largest set of Ice Age human footprints was found on the lakebed. But the discoveries of Mungo Lady and Mungo Man, in 1969 and 1974 respectively, were truly revolutionary. Before these human remains were unearthed, it had been thought that Aboriginal people had only arrived in Australia around 12,000 years ago. Various dating techniques have been used, but current consensus is that the remains of Mungo Lady— the oldest example of ritual cremation discovered anywhere on earth — and Mungo Man are approximately 40,000 to 42,000 years. For perspective, this is when Neanderthals were still alive in Europe.

Some more controversial studies put Mungo Man’s age at over 60,000 years old, which fits the beliefs of timescales held by many local Aboriginal people.

The top of the dunes, offering vast views of endless nothing in every direction, is a spot for quiet contemplation. I stand here in silence, just one unimportant human looking out on a place that makes him reassess what humanity is.

The Murray, bullied, harried and chivvied all along its course, finally reaches its end in South Australia. It limps and trickles through man-made barrages into the Coorong, a lagoon separated from the Southern Ocean by two long, spindly sand peninsulas.

It’s enough to tempt a battle-scarred veteran back into a kayak. Here, the paddling is lullingly, dreamily serene.

Pelicans strut in formation along the Younghusband Peninsula, switching from comic relief on the ground to streamlined elegance in flight. The sun gently cooks the scene, giving the brackish water a twinkle and allowing a sense of slow-drifting, clock-discarding bliss to descend.

Sandpipers, having completed their epic migratory journey from Siberia, rest and feed on the sand bars.

And the Murray, all its fight gone, and its journey done, embraces its peace.

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200 Miles

Getting there & around Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific are among the airlines offering flights from Heathrow and Manchester to logical start points Sydney and Melbourne and end point Adelaide. qatarairways.com, singaporeair.com, cathaypacific.com Average flight time: 24hrs.

A fortnight’s car hire, from Sydney to Adelaide, will cost from £350. rentalcars.com

When to go September to November (spring) and March to May (autumn) see pleasant temperatures averaging 12-22C, while summers can be uncomfortably hot.

Places mentioned Canoe the Murray. canoethemurray.com.au Bonegilla Migrant Experience. bonegilla.org.au Port of Echuca. portofechuca.org.au Chateau Mildura. chateaumildura.com.au Murray Offroad Adventures. murrayoffroadadventures.com.au Mungo Guided Tours. mungoguidedtours.com Canoe the Coorong. canoethecoorong.com

Where to stay Mantra Albury Hotel. mantra.com.au Quest Echuca. questapartments.com.au Quality Hotel Mildura Grand. milduragrand.com.au Beach Huts Middleton. beachhuts.com.au

More information australia.com visitnsw.com visitvictoria.com southaustralia.com CLOCKWISE FROM TOP:

The Walls of China, a series of sand dunes in Mungo National Park; an emu, spotted near Mungo Lodge; a red kangaroo, the world’s largest marsupial

How to do it ABERCROMBIE & KENT offers a 10-night

self-drive from £5,790 per person, taking in Albury, Echuca, Mildura and the Coorong. Includes accommodation, car hire and international flights. abercrombiekent.co.uk

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Dominican Republic Nicknamed the ‘Amber Coast’ for the rich deposits of amber once found here, the Dominican Republic’s northern shores are an idyllic, lesser-trodden stretch of the country. They also offer a vibrant snapshot of island life: one of dancers and rum masters, fishermen and fine cigar makers, colourful surf shacks and lush mountain scenery WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHS FRANCESCO LASTRUCCI

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Lapped by bright-blue waters and whipped by Atlantic winds, Cabarete has made a name for itself as a hub for surfing, windsurfing and kitesurfing.

It’s developed a Caribbeanhippy identity over the years, blessed as it is with paradisiacal beaches fringed by lush forest.

Further along the coast is the laid-back town of Río San Juan, with its mangroves and secluded coves. Rich biodiversity and relatively limited tourism development have helped make it one of the country’s foremost eco-destinations.

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On the border of the Puerto Plata and Monte Cristi provinces, Punta Rucia is sheltered by a sandbank, overlooked by mountains and has a rich submarine ecosystem.

The beach here is relatively uncrowded, save for the cluster of kiosks serving fresh fish in the shade of the palms. At sunset, people often gather to play sports or while away the evening over plates of boiled crab. Punta Rucia is also the main docking point for Cayo Arena, a tiny slick of sand encircled by what might be one of the most beautiful stretches of coral reef in the Caribbean.

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Since time immemorial, people on Hispaniola (the island shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti) have cultivated tobacco leaves. Indeed, the Dominican Republic produces some of the highest-grade tobacco in the world and, along with rum and merengue, cigars have become a symbol of the country. At his restaurant and cigar factory in Cabrera, Babunuco Cigars, Juan Alberto Martínez shreds and trims tobacco with his wife, rolling the dried leaves into bespoke cigars presented in original wooden humidors.

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On the sands of Punta Rucia, a boy takes a swing during a ball game, while a fisherman returns to shore from a day at sea.

The quieter scenes of the north stand in contrast to the bustle of the south, where much of the country’s tourism is centred.

Santo Domingo, the capital, is the oldest continually inhabited European settlement in the Americas and hosts a grand trove of historic treasures, notably in the Zona Colonial neighbourhood.

Between the district’s leafy parks, an array of 16th-century buildings overlook handsome plazas.

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PA I D C O N T E N T F O R T R O P I C F E E L

1 The ultimate

UK adventure matchmaker While overseas travel remains largely off the cards, the UK offers outstanding opportunities for outdoor adventures.

Here are three activities across Scotland, Wales and England, plus the essential bits of Tropicfeel kit that will see you through in comfort and style

MOUNTAIN BIKING IN GALLOWAY Explore Galloway Forest Park with a ride along the Big Country Route, a 36-mile circuit that takes 3.5 to 7 hours. It runs along minor public and forest roads, with long climbs and sharp descents. Rewards include views of hills and lochs, including Loch Trool and Loch Dee. Start at the Glentrool Visitor Centre (which serves good food year-round), then head towards the southernmost point at Minnigaff, then back around in a loop.

TO TACKLE THIS, WEAR: Tropicfeel’s Jungle Shoes, which have both a strong grip and sock-like feel, making them ideal for swapping between cycling and forest walks.

They also dry quickly, so you can even take a dip in a loch. (From £88)

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HIKING IN SNOWDONIA At 3,600ft above sea level, Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales. There are six main routes to the summit for hikers of all abilities, the easiest (and longest) being Llanberis Path, a nine-miler with a steady gradient that takes about six hours. You’ll start and finish at Victoria Terrace, off the A4086. The higher you climb, the better the views of Snowdon’s lakes and valleys.

TO TACKLE THIS, TAKE: Tropicfeel’s Shell backpack, with lots of space for snacks and sunscreen, plus an in-built ‘wardrobe’ so you can pack by compartment. It shrinks or expands according to your needs and is completely weatherproof. (From £195)

IMAGE: GETTY

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ROCK CLIMBING IN PORTLAND Connected to the Dorset mainland by Chesil Beach is Portland, a climber’s paradise with great weather, low rainfall, spectacular coastal views and opportunities for all abilities. Beginners should head to Blacknor Beach for seaside routes such as the Fallen Slab Arete, an 82ft climb jutting out of the ocean. At the island’s southern tip is Portland Bill, with the photogenic Pulpit Rock, a must for experienced climbers.

TO TACKLE THIS, WEAR: Tropicfeel’s Canyon Shoe, with its tough technical outsole sturdy enough to protect you from Portland’s limestone but also light and flexible. It’s sustainable, too — eight recycled plastic bottles go into each shoe. (From £88) Tropicfeel is an eco-conscious company making high-performance, lightweight and versatile travel gear. The Barcelona-based outfitter creates recycled materials and ensures full traceability.

R E A D MO R E O N L I N E AT T RO P I C FEEL .C OM / T R AV ELG E A R

CIT Y LIFE

JOHANNESBURG Z

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Leafy Jo’burg’s treasures extend well beyond its historic gold mines, from arts districts bedecked with murals to a rejuvenated inner-city park and exciting dining venues WORDS: Jess Nicholson PHOTOGRAPHS: Teagan Cunniffe

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J

ohannesburg was built upon a reef of gold. The lustrous treasure pulses through the city’s veins — it’s what brought European prospectors to this part of South Africa in the late 19th century. Today, it’s still the draw for many new settlers who see themselves as Dick Whittingtons in a city of opportunity. But for all the gold that’s passed through the city, Jo’burg’s enduring colour is green: while there may be no sea here, no mountain or grand river to draw the eye, the city is awash with trees. So many, in fact, that they’re estimated to outnumber humans more than two to one, making the city one of the most wooded in the world. Yet, even this urban forest is a byproduct of the gold rush: mineshafts needed wood; homesick colonialists wanted garden suburbs.

These days, the parks provide pockets of shady peace amid an eclectic mix of buildings. In the inner city, Edwardian and art deco buildings squeeze between imposing modern structures. The architecture in Sandton (dubbed the ‘richest square mile in Africa’) is sky-high, and the lavish properties of Sandhurst stand in contrast to gritty apartment neighbourhoods like Hillbrow or sprawling townships such as Soweto. Looked at from afar, the houses of the latter — once home to a young Nelson Mandela — appear like matchboxes compared to the thrusting buildings of downtown.

Encircling the city like a fortress wall are the mine dumps, the landscape’s most defining geographical feature, glowing golden against cloudless blue skies. Guide Tumi Mokgope, a resident of Melville (one of the city’s hippest nightlife areas), reminds me on a tour that the dumps are a-glow because of chemicals. “Miners used cyanide to get down to the gold,” Tumi says. “Now the earth beneath us looks like Swiss cheese; the soil is bleached out and just about no plants grow here. Only the hardiest survive.”

This resilience applies to the people that call the city home, too. Jozi, as it’s known, is constantly reinventing — negotiating its way out of a past marred by colonialism and Apartheid. People-powered projects are constantly bringing rejuvenation to deprived areas. And this has continued despite the pandemic. Street artists have daubed murals in trendy Jewel City, Maboneng and Braamfontein; The Wilds, a park in the suburb of Houghton, has been enlivened with wildlife sculptures; and entrepreneurs are setting up shop in buzzy redevelopments such as Victoria Yards and 44 Stanley.

So, Jo’burgers always say the city doesn’t need a mountain, an ocean or a grand river.

Because it has its people. And that’s their real treasure.

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SEE & DO APARTHEID MUSEUMS: Visits to the

Apartheid Musuem and the exhibits at Liliesleaf — the former headquarters of South Africa’s underground liberation movement — are key to understanding the system of racial segregation that operated in South Africa from 1948 until the early 1990s. The Hector Pieterson Museum (named in honour of a schoolboy shot by police during student protests in 1976) in Soweto is worth a trip, too.

While here, walk down Vilakazi Street, home to Nelson Mandela from 1946 to 1962 and now the Mandela House museum. liliesleaf.co.za mandelahouse.com mandelahouse.com CONSTITUTIONAL COURT: Built on the site of a prison that incarcerated Apartheid activists, the Constitutional Court is a symbol of transformation that also houses a humanitarian-themed art collection. Be sure to look through the ‘ribbon of light’, a wide, narrow, ground-floor window designed with the symbolic purpose of allowing the judges to see the feet of passers-by, reminding them of their accountability to the people of South Africa. ccac.org.za JEWEL CITY: This residential and commercial development is packed with murals, fascinating architectural rejigs and history.

It’s also next to urban creative hub Art on Main. Visit on a walking or cycling tour with Past Experiences or Joburg 360. artsonmain.co.za pastexperiences.co.za joburg360.com

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GREEN SPACES: Artist James Delaney has ‘hidden’ 100 animal sculptures — monkeys, a pangolin, ostriches and owls — in Houghton’s once crime-ridden park, The Wilds. Other parks worth exploring include Johannesburg Botanical Gardens and Zoo Lake Park.

KEYES ART MILE: Some of the city’s best art galleries are in Rosebank and Parktown North, along the Keyes Art Mile. Everard Read, the city’s oldest gallery, and Circa Gallery display the country’s art heavyweights, the latter significant for its curvy, postmodern design. A short walk from the Art Mile, you’ll also find contemporary art at Stevenson, Gallery MOMO and the Goodman Gallery. keyesartmile.co.za CRADLE OF HUMANKIND: Some of the earliest settlers in these parts can be traced back over three million years.

Early hominids, including ‘Little Foot’ (a fossilised Australopithecus africanus skeleton), were unearthed in the Sterkfontein Caves. Twenty-five miles north west of Johannesburg, this a fossil-rich area known as the Cradle of Humankind, is home to a museum. maropeng.co.za OPPENHEIMER TOWER: Climb 49 steps (one for each Soweto township) for views across the township and mine dumps. Poignantly, the bricks of the tower were pulled from the rubble of Sophiatown, a township demolished in the 1950s. Triomf, a whitesonly neighbourhood, was built in its place.

Mandela Day // In recognition of Nelson Mandela’s unique contribution to the pursuit of democracy, peace and equality, the former South African president’s birthday is marked every 18 July with a public drive for volunteering and good deeds

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: A pile of books at the Mandela House museum, filled with memorabilia relating to the former leader; Guide Tumi Mokgope; a corridor in Mandela House museum PREVIOUS PAGES: Melville Koppies Nature Reserve at dawn, overlooking the Central Business District

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‘In Johannesburg, the Venice of the South, the backdrop is always a man-made one...

We do not wait for time and the elements to weather us, we change the scenery ourselves to suit our moods.’ // Portrait with Keys,

by Ivan Vladislavić

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Coconut masala mussel hopper from pop-up restaurant Glory; jacaranda trees lining a city street; artisanal bread at urban complex Victoria Yards; a barista at Foakes Coffee Roastery and Bakery, which serves market-goers in Victoria Yards

BUY 44 STANLEY: Meet some of

South Africa’s top creators and shop for vinyl, haute couture, graphic design, chocolate, natural wine, bread and coffee in the shady courtyards and studios of 44 Stanley, a downtown shopping precinct in repurposed warehouses. 44stanley.co.za VICTORIA YARDS: It’s tempting to pick lettuce to eat from the pathways of Victoria Yard’s urban farm while browsing jewellers, bakers, designers and beer-brewers. Conceived to provide jobs, food and healthcare to residents, as well as to clean up the Jukskei River, this is pretty shopping complex with a strong social conscience. victoriayards.co.za DAVID KRUT BOOKSTORE: Taxi Art Books, a series focusing on local artists, offers a great crash course in South African art. Find these and other excellent publications at David Krut Bookstore. Alternatively, browse the artworks at the adjacent gallery, David Krut Projects, also part of arts hub Arts on Main. davidkrutbookstores.com SANDTON: This glitzy suburb is famous for luxury shopping. International high-end brands can be found at Nelson Mandela Square, a vast mall that’s also home to Kobus Hattingh and Jacob Maponyane’s 20ft-tall statue of the former South African leader.

EAT TROYEVILLE HOTEL: The Troyeville

has won awards for its no-nonsense Mozambican food. Expect specials such as feijoada (pork and beans), dobrada (braised tripe) and peri-peri chicken, washed down with catembe, a red wine and cola concoction rumoured to have been invented so that Mozambicans could tolerate the rough Portuguese wine. troyevillehotel.co.za YEOVILLE DINNER CLUB: Chef Sanza Sandile spent lockdown perfecting his art — now, he says, he’s ever more determined to get the first Michelin star for pan-African food. He’s as interested in ingredients, sourced from Yeoville’s markets, as he is in the people eating them, so each meal is a lively, colourful conversation — and the chef himself will even arrange your transport home. Expect dishes such as a vegan twist on Nigeria’s egusi soup, in which no part of a pumpkin is spared. Booking is essential. instagram.com/yeovilledinnerclub MARBLE: South Africans love their braais (barbecues) so much that Heritage Day, a national holiday, is nicknamed Braai Day. For devotees, charcoal and gas won’t do, it must be a wood fire. At glamorous Marble, expect smoky pesto, perfect steaks and boerewors (beef sausage). marble.restaurant

Z SLEEP

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LEBO’S SOWETO BACKPACKERS:

Known for its participatory African food experiences — including the cooking of potjiekos (stew) and drinking of sorghum beer (a challenge for some palates) — its huge vegetable garden, cycle tours and responsible community spirit, staying at this backpackers’ lodge is an immersive way to get to know Soweto. There are camping pitches, dorms and single and double rooms, plus shady courtyards and communal areas. sowetobackpackers.com PABLO HOUSE: Built into a hill in the highest part of Melville, this guesthouse has a pool, great food and large, modern bedrooms. Don’t miss the spacious terrace or the lounge, with wonderful views over one of the few ridges in the city left untouched by mining. pablohouse.co.za PEECH HOTEL: Crickets chirp good night and birds sing good morning from the trees and shrubbery surrounding Peech Hotel, in central, chic Melrose. Private patios, balconies and two pools ensure there’s space to cool off on summer days, and the restaurant is a dining destination in itself. Across the road is yet more greenness: the James and Ethel Gray Park extends for mile after lush mile. thepeech.co.za

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ESSENTIALS Cradle of Humankind 20 miles SANDTON

Johannesburg SOUTH AFRICA

Keyes Art Mile

MELVILLE

The Wilds

Constitutional Court

JOHANNESBURG SOWETO

Apartheid Museum

Oppenheimer Tower 2 Miles

Getting there & around British Airways and Virgin Atlantic fly nonstop from Heathrow to Johannesburg. One-stop flights are also available from the UK with airlines including Air France, Lufthansa and Emirates. ba.com virgin-atlantic.com airfrance.co.uk lufthansa.com emirates.com Average flight time: 11h.

Use a hire car or Uber to get around the city, although it’s best to use the Gautrain or a registered taxi to get to and from the airport. Inner-city areas are best explored with a guide, on a walking or cycling tour. Excellent options are Past Experiences and Joburg 360. pastexperiences.co.za joburg360.com

AFTER HOURS

LIKE A LOCAL

7DE LAAN: Many of Jo’burg’s

THE BIOSCOPE: This fun venue is

neighbourhoods have a village atmosphere and a central street lined with bars, music venues and restaurants — all boasting a distinctive, local identity. Hip Melville has a diverse and friendly vibe, and 7de Laan is the place for late-night partying.

RAND CLUB: The oldest private members’ club in the city was founded in 1887, and while it’s been appallingly exclusionary for most of its existence, it’s thankfully now welcoming to all. The opulent building contains what’s reputed to be the longest bar in Africa, at 103ft, which serves a large selection of excellent South African wines.

There’s also a great library, for a more sedate soriee. randclub.co.za THUNDER WALKER: Listening to tales of Johannesburg and its migrant cultures and cuisine from the depths of a former bank vault is a sumptuous way to take it all in. Storytelling and jazz evenings at this astonishingly revamped former building society need to be booked in advance. joburgplaces.com

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set within former warehouse complex 44 Stanley. It hosts film festivals and standup comedy, as well as screening independent films (many of them African). thebioscope.co.za GLORY: Chef Nick Scott’s pop-up dining events were a smash during lockdown.

Focusing on farm-grown surplus ingredients, he and his creative director, Caroline Olavarrieta, advertise their latest culinary ventures via Instagram. @gloryjoburg AASVOËLKOP: On clear evenings, armed with blankets and picnics, locals flock to Aasvoëlkop (Vulture Ridge), in the northern suburb of Northcliff, to watch the sun set and the moon rise over the city.

THE CENTRE FOR THE LESS GOOD IDEA:

South African artist William Kentridge opened this cultural space to allow artists to engage with the concept of failure through experimentation. Check the calendar for regular theatre and art happenings — you may well witness something gloriously awful. lessgoodidea.com

When to go Johannesburg is beautiful in and around October when the jacaranda trees are in bloom. The city has pleasant weather all year round.

Summer (December-February) temperatures hover around 26C, with occasional storms. Winters (June-August) are mild (13C) and dry.

More info southafrica.net The Joburg Book: A Guide to the City’s History, People and Places, by Nechama Brodie. RRP: £16.

Portrait with Keys, by Ivan Vladislavić. RRP: £5.

Joburg Noir, by Niq Mhlongo.

RRP: £10.

Cry, the Beloved Country,

by Alan Paton. RRP: £12.

Johannesburg In Your Pocket is an excellent online resource to help keep up with what’s on. inyourpocket.com/johannesburg

How to do it BRITISH AIRWAYS HOLIDAYS offers

five nights at Fairlawns Boutique Hotel & Spa, including flights from Heathrow, from £1,304 in December. ba.com/holidays

ILLUSTRATION: JOHN PLUMER

Lebo’s Soweto Backpackers, which has been offering beds and bicycle tours since 2003

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PA I D C O N T E N T F O R G R A N C A N A R I A T O U R I S T B OA R D

DISCOVER THE HERITAGE OF

Gran Canaria A UNESCO World Heritage Site at the heart of the island preserves traces of an age-old aboriginal culture in lush surroundings

IMAGE: GRAN CANARIA TOURIST BOARD

A

way from its famous beaches, Gran Canaria’s rural centre is a place where volcanoes soar and gorges dip into a tangle of green.

But it’s not just its biodiverse credentials turning heads: hidden among the landscapes are traces of the island’s pre-Hispanic culture, which travellers can explore at the World Heritage Site of Risco Caído and the Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria.

Cave dwellings, temples and granaries all feature in the troglodyte-era Amazigh settlement of Risco Caído. Scrawls of rock art coating the walls of its 21 caves may relate to magical or religious beliefs, but it’s thought the site might also have functioned as a prehistoric astronomical clock: one of the caves, the almogarén, has an opening in its roof letting light in from the summer solstice to autumn, revealing rock art engravings.

Risco Caído is just one of 1,500 settlements that make up the Sacred Mountains’ aboriginal landscape, with archaeological sites in Artenara, Tejeda, Agaete and Gáldar.

In its entirety, this World Heritage Site covers around 18,000 hectares — including almost all the entire Caldera de Tejeda crater, the Tamadaba massif and part of the Barranco Hondo gorge. Get your bearings at the visitors’ centre in Artenara before setting off along one of the island’s hiking trails, many of which are based on age-old caminos reales (king’s highways).

With the site sharing part of the territory of the island’s UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, scenic views await after every turn. The circular five-mile route of Acusa-Las HoyasLugarejos-Coruña takes you through farmland that still retains some of the ancient traditions practised by the Canary Amazigh people.

Elsewhere, head towards the north edge of the Caldera de Tejeda on a five-mile hike, where dramatic views of the Risco Caído and the Sacred Mountain Areas sit in the shadows of Roque Nublo, Roque Bentayga and Altavista. Then there’s the longer trek along the crossroads of Roque Nublo; the seven-mile path strides towards this mountain that’s become a national symbol of the island, where you can stare out across Risco Caído from on high.

TWO MORE TRADITIONAL EXPERIENCES RURAL STAYS For accommodation in the peaks of the Guayadeque ravine, bed down in the Casas rurales de Guayadeque.

Rooms lie underground in this cave hotel, hidden in former dwellings that have been restored and spruced up.

LOCAL FOODS From Europe’s only

Carriers including EasyJet, BA and Ryanair

coffee plantation to

operate direct flights from the UK to Gran Canaria.

a signature Honey

Renting a car is recommended.

Rum, Gran Canaria has excellent gastronomic credentials. Visit one of many restaurants where chefs are putting a spin on traditional dishes, or visit fincas (farmhouses) to discover local life.

R E A D MO R E O N L I N E AT G R A N C A N A R I A .C OM

T R AV E L G E E K S

ASK THE EXPERTS Q // I’m due to get married this summer and our foreign honeymoon is no longer feasible.

Can you suggest some special UK alternatives?

FROM LEFT: St Mary’s

Harbour, Isles of Scilly; Highgrove House in the Cotswolds, the family residence of the Prince of Wales, visited by Sisley Garden Tours

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The Isles of Scilly, 28 miles off the coast of Cornwall, are a good bet, offering all the honeymoon essentials: white-sand beaches, turquoise water and islandhopping. Zip over to St Mary’s by boat, plane or chopper and bed down at the Star Castle Hotel, with gorgeous views, just-caught seafood and a local vineyard offering wine tastings (from £276, B&B, star-castle.co.uk). From here, it’s an easy hop over to the other islands, including St Martin’s (stay at beachfront Karma St Martin’s from £220, B&B, karmagroup.com), Tresco (try the luxurious sea garden cottages, from £1,625 for a week, tresco. co.uk) and tiny Bryher (the best hotel is Hell Bay Hotel, from £145 per person for B&B and dinner, hellbay.co.uk). For more info, visit visitislesofscilly.com

For a full-throttle adventure, WILDNIS creates expeditions in the Scottish Highlands, combining packrafting, mountain climbing, sea kayaking and abseiling, with nights in a luxurious mobile tented camp or top-of-the-range rooftop tent.

Travel is in restored classic Land Rover Defenders, and meals are gourmet events cooked on an open fire. Four nights from £3,500 per person, including guiding, all activities, all meals and transfers. wildnis.co.uk Wilderness Scotland arranges more leisurely self-drives around the Hebrides, including wildlife-spotting (white-tailed sea eagles, puffins and dolphins), shore foraging with a chef, guided hiking and zipping between islands on a private RIB. Accommodation includes

Kinloch Lodge on Skye and Scarista House on Harris. Eight nights from £3,585 per person, including B&B accommodation. wildernessscotland.com Gourmands will enjoy Black Tomato’s new tour with chef Simon Rogan. First stop is Heckfield Place in Hampshire, with its two restaurants by Skye Gyngell and excellent spa. You’ll have wine tastings at Exton Park Vineyard, and then it’s off to Brown’s Hotel in London, followed by a tour of Borough Market, and a meal at Aulis, Rogan’s private dining room in Soho. The tour is rounded off with a visit to L’Enclume in the Lake District for wine tastings, a tour of Rogan’s farm and a masterclass in the kitchen. Seven nights from £4,800 per person. blacktomato.com FRANCISCA KELLETT

IMAGES: GETTY; HIGHGROVE ENTERPRISES

NEED ADVICE FOR YOUR NEXT TRIP? ARE YOU AFTER RECOMMENDATIONS, TIPS AND GUIDANCE? THE TRAVEL GEEKS HAVE THE ANSWERS…

Q // I’ve a new-found passion for touring UK gardens.

Is there somewhere unusual I should try?

Q // I’m looking for a photography course that specialises in wildlife.

Where would you recommend?

From stately home estates to private gardens and national parks, a growing crop of travellers are discovering the UK’s enviable collection of beautifully planted places. Traditionally the realm of foreign visitors, organised itineraries geared to gardenloving locals have taken off in recent months. Chief among these, Sisley Garden Tours is now offering three- and four-night breaks with exclusive access and out-of-hours tours around England’s most exquisitely designed green spaces.

Guided group tours (eight to 12 people) include explorations of the gardens of Thomas Hardy’s

Wessex, the Yorkshire landscaping of Tom Stuart-Smith at Mount St John, walled gardens in the Wye Valley, the subtropical gardens of the Isles of Scilly’s Tresco Abbey, and Chelsea Flower Show-winning gardens in the Cotswolds. Chat to owners, head gardeners and designers to gain insights into plant combinations, landscaping and techniques, from training roses to Japanese cloud pruning.

Prices start at £2,100 per person, based on two sharing, including three nights’ boutique hotel accommodation, most meals, private transport and all garden visits. sisley.co.uk

I’d be led by the calibre of tutor, so do your research — check out the reviews of any programme you book onto. National Geographic Expeditions offers some of the best tutelage money can buy. This winter, a National Geographic photographer will take a small group into Yellowstone National Park to capture iconic American wildlife — elks, bison, coyotes and, with luck, grizzly bears — all without the summer crowds. The six-day itinerary costs from £4,470 per person and includes visiting the studio of a local wildlife photographer for additional tips and insights. nationalgeographicexpeditions.co.uk One of the best things about wildlife photography is the potential for your images to promote the conservation of rare and endangered creatures.

If you travel to Pangolin Photo Safaris’ Photo Camp in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, a bespoke itinerary can help you capture the majesty of some of the region’s most vulnerable animals. Seven days starts at $2,450 (£1,730) and cameras and telephoto lenses are supplied free of charge. Best of all, your money supports conservation work with the world’s most trafficked animal, the African pangolin. pangolinphoto.com Of course, there are plenty of interesting subjects right on our doorstep. Nikon School is offering a five-day residential workshop in Scotland’s Cairngorms National Park in February, focusing on the UK’s native wildlife. It costs £1,400 per person, with no single supplement — and you don’t have to be a Nikon user to attend. nikonschool.co.uk BECKY REDMAN

SARAH BARRELL

Q // I’d like to mark my 20th birthday with a European road trip. Do any car hire companies rent to under-21s?

A road trip is filled with endless possibilities, but for the under-21s it can appear to be a dead end.

However, some of the bigger car hire companies — Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Europcar, Hertz and Six — will rent you economy- or compact-class vehicles in Iceland, Croatia, Spain, France, Portugal, Italy Poland, Switzerland and Germany, for example.

For the majority of these, though, you need to have held a full valid licence for at least a year, if not two — be sure to check.

Unfortunately, you should forget a road trip in the UK, Turkey, Malta, Greece and Cyprus as you need to be 21 to hire a car there. For Ireland, that age is 25. If you want to go further afield for a later trip, under-21s can consider the US, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa.

Most rental companies will tack a Young Driver Surcharge on to the car rental price if you’re under 25, and the fees vary from around £5 per day to £36 a day or more.

This daily fee tends to be charged for a maximum of 10 days.

Young drivers may also have to accept higher excesses. Shop around for good value car hire excess insurance before your trip.

It’s much more expensive to get this when you get to the arrivals desk. EMMA COULTHURST

THE EXPERTS FRANCISCA KELLETT // TRAVEL JOURNALIST

SARAH BARRELL // SENIOR EDITOR, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER (UK) EMMA COULTHURST // TRAVEL EXPERT, TRAVELSUPERMARKET.COM BECKY REDMAN // ART DIRECTOR, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER (UK)

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THE INFO

OLYMPIC GLORY POSTPONED FROM LAST YEAR DUE TO THE PANDEMIC, THE TOKYO 2020 SUMMER OLYMPICS WILL TAKE PLACE AS A HOME-FANS-ONLY EVENT IN JULY. FROM LONDON TO LA, WE GET THE LOWDOWN ON MODERN OLYMPIC HOST CITIES PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE. WORDS: CONNOR MCGOVERN IN NUMBERS

TOKYO 2020 1964 The year Tokyo last hosted the Summer Olympics

23 July The date of the opening ceremony, with the Games then closing on 8 August.

The Paralympic Games kick off on 24 August

$15.4 billion The total estimated cost of the Games (£11.2bn), with an extra $900m (£657m) secured for Covid-19 countermeasures

To date, there have been 28 modern Summer Olympic Games held in 23 cities, and 23 Winter Olympic Games held in 20 cities. Tokyo 2020 marks the first time in history the Games have been postponed (a total of five have been cancelled due to world wars)

339 The number of events taking place across 33 sports in 43 venues. This year sees five new sports: karate, skateboarding, surfing, sport climbing and baseball/softball

100% The percentage of electricity derived from renewable energy that will be used at the Olympic and Paralympic venues

MAN POWER THE 1896 GAMES IN ATHENS WERE ATTENDED BY AROUND 280 MALE ATHLETES FROM 12 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES

LONDON has hosted the modern Summer Olympics Games a record three times: in 1908, 1948 and, most recently, in 2012

PARIS will welcome the Summer Olympics in 2024.

It’ll be the third time for the French capital, and a century since its last spell as host

In 2028, LOS WRENwill hold ANGELES the Summer Olympics for a third time, having previously done so in 1932 and 1984.

BRISBANE is the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s preferred host for the 2032 Games

MELBOURNE hosted the 1956 Summer Olympics, but the equestrian events were held in STOCKHOLM due to Australian quarantine rules

DETROIT HAS FAILED SEVEN TIMES IN ITS BID TO HOST THE GAMES, MORE THAN ANY OTHER CITY. LOS ANGELES HAS MADE A RECORD TOTAL OF 10 BIDS, WITH THREE OF THEM SUCCESSFUL. ANTWERP, LONDON, MUNICH AND SYDNEY HAVE NEVER HAD AN UNSUCCESSFUL BID SOURCES: BBC; BRITANNICA; CNN; GUARDIAN; TOKYO2020.ORG

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In 2022, BEIJING will be the first city to have staged both the Summer and Winter Olympics, having hosted the Summer Games in 2008

IMAGES: GETTY

8TH TIME LUCKY?

TRAVEL GEEKS

HOT TOPIC

I READ MORE AT NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.CO.UK/TRAVEL

A GREEN LIGHT FOR TRAVEL? THE UK GOVERNMENT HAS FORMALISED ITS TRAFFIC LIGHT SYSTEM, WHICH CATEGORISES TRAVEL DESTINATIONS BASED ON THEIR COVID-19 RISK. HOW DOES IT WORK, WHERE CAN YOU GO AND WILL IT BRING A RETURN TO INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL THIS SUMMER? WORDS: SARAH BARRELL International leisure travel has finally resumed, led by the government’s traffic light system, which ranks countries based on their Covid-19 risk, with ‘green’ countries deemed low risk, ‘amber’ medium risk and ‘red’ high risk. The government has said people shouldn’t travel to ‘amber’ and ‘red’ countries for leisure, although it remains unclear if or how this would be checked, and travellers falling into either category will still require Covid-19 tests and quarantine on return to the UK. At the time of going to print, just 12 countries and territories are on the ‘green list’, which has been devised, the government says, using Covid-19 health metrics, including vaccination numbers, infection rates and prevalence of variants.

How does it work?

GREEN LIST DESTINATIONS: No quarantine on return to the UK unless you test positive for Covid-19. A pre-departure PCR test, up to 72 hours before return travel, plus a single PCR test on or before day two of arrival into England.

AMBER LIST DESTINATIONS: You must quarantine at home for 10 days on return to the UK, in addition to paying for tests before you travel and on day two and day eight of your return. You shouldn’t travel to amber list countries or territories for leisure purposes.

RED LIST DESTINATIONS: You must quarantine for 10 days in government-approved hotels, at a total cost of £1,750 per person, in addition to paying for tests, as with visiting ‘amber’ destinations.

You shouldn’t travel to red list destinations for leisure purposes.

How do I take a Covid-19 test?

Tests, for leisure travel, must be booked through private providers, with costs varying, so shop around. And note: the country

you’re travelling to will likely ask for proof of a negative Covid-19 test and may stipulate the type of test it requires.

Is a trip to a ‘green’ destination guaranteed?

Not necessarily. Some green list countries, including Australia and New Zealand, remain closed to British travellers, and many will continue to place restrictions, including quarantine measures, and proof of negative tests and/or two Covid-19 vaccination doses.

Check current travel advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), both before booking and again before departure and return.

What happens if my destination changes from green to amber?

Lists will be reviewed every three weeks, rather than weekly, as it was last summer, and the government has said it will produce a ‘watchlist’ to identify countries and territories that are at risk of moving from green to amber, giving travellers a little more time to plan.

But there is, of course, still a chance that your destination is downgraded, so budget accordingly for additional tests or quarantine, and book smart.

Should FCDO advice change after you’ve booked, travel insurance can prove redundant.

Package trips entitle you to a date or destination change, or a refund. But as we saw last year, some operators make this easier than others.

Can I travel to an amber or red list destination?

The government is discouraging this, plus it requires costly tests and quarantine measures.

Countries recently added to the red list include Maldives, Nepal and Turkey. Of course, as

we’ve seen, people have avoided quarantine by travelling via indirect routes or using stopovers in amber- or green-listed destinations — a key reason that critics of the traffic light system believe it won’t prevent Covid-19, including ‘variants of concern’, from crossing borders.

What can I expect at ports and airports?

The government has warned passengers to expect longer queues at the border as additional checks are made. Along with your passport and comprehensive travel insurance, those who’ve had two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine should carry a ‘vaccine passport’ — now accessible through the NHS App. You can also request a paper version from the NHS by ringing 119.

Certain destinations require arrivals to show proof of a negative test, as does the UK. On return, quarantine information is also required at the border, including government hotel booking references (for red list destinations) and/or proof of your home address. nhs.uk

THE GREEN LIST

Australia, Brunei, the Falkland Islands, the Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Iceland, Israel, New Zealand, Portugal, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, Singapore, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

MOVING FROM AMBER TO GREEN?

The government’s next review is expected to consider Morocco, Malta, Finland and much of the Caribbean. Mainland Europe will be looked at in subsequent reviews before peak season.

There’s continued speculation over the US, currently on the amber list, despite its falling Covid-19 rates and rising vaccination numbers.

For the latest restrictions and requirements, visit gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

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IN THE NEXT ISSUE

Iceland Topping travel wish lists the world over, this volcanic isle offers far more than its headline-grabbing glaciers and geothermal lagoons.

Follow us off the beaten track, experiencing extraordinary wildlife, storied towns and natural wonders steeped in local lore

Plus // Brisbane, Colombia, Dresden, Galway, Istanbul, Kent, New Orleans, Rotterdam, Slovenia, Uganda, Wye Valley & more

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September issue On sale 5 august 2021

Escape on a holiday like no other.

Over 70% of the world’s Black-browed Albatross population Imagine a place that is so far off the beaten track you have miles of stunning landscape, beaches and magnificent bird life all to yourself. Imagine a silence that is only broken by the call of the birds, and your own footsteps as you explore these beautiful islands in the South Atlantic Ocean.

This is the Falkland Islands, one of the last great wilderness destinations where your trip becomes an adventure. Four wheel drives are our mode of transport, and our little planes will take you to islands abundant with penguins, albatrosses and petrels that are there for you alone to discover and enjoy.

At the end of each day you can look forward to traditional cosy Falkland Islands hospitality in the hotels, lodges and guesthouses scattered around the islands.

More than 220 species of birds, home to 5 species of penguins @FITB Tourism @FITB Tourism ilovethefalklands +500 22215 info@falklandislands.com falklandislands.com

THE FOREIGN OFFICE M

ost mornings, before her working day begins, Keisha Ferrell scales a mountain. This isn’t just any mountain, but one whose junglefringed paths climb to what’s among the most spectacular views in the West Indies: Shirley Heights. From this vertiginous old British military post, the island of Antigua is laid out with postcard perfection: pristine arcs of white sand frame yacht-populated bays of brilliant blue, giving way to forever views of the Caribbean Sea. It’s a soul-lifting way to start

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the day, a moment’s blissful pause before the conference calls from rainy England start ringing in.

What sounds like the enviable morning routine of a megabucks business executive is, in fact, the happy new habit of a young British freelancer. Keisha is one of numerous UK employees to have recently set up office in Antigua, taking advantage of the island’s new ‘business on the beach’ initiative. In 2020, the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority conducted a nationwide UK survey that

showed 84% of working Brits would love to replace their Zoom background with a genuine tropical island backdrop, and in early 2021, the Caribbean nation launched its Nomad Digital Residence (NDR) programme, designed for those who can ‘meet the requirements of their employers, clients and colleagues while working abroad’. In short: the sort of remote working many of us having been doing during the pandemic.

Those who take advantage of the NDR can stay for up to

two years, benefitting from the islands’ no personal income tax status. The programme provides ‘some much-needed space and recuperation following a turbulent 2020’ according to the tourism authority. It also, quite crucially, brings business back to destinations that rely heavily on income from tourism.

“I’d always wanted to work in the Caribbean,” says Keisha.

“I’d already done some research on the destination, which is normal for me as a single female traveller, and it looked promising:

IMAGE: GETTY

TOURIST OFFICES, TRAVEL COMPANIES AND EVEN CONVENTIONAL EMPLOYERS ARE MAKING ‘WORKCATIONS’ EASIER THAN EVER BEFORE. DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO JOIN THE GROWING RANKS OF REMOTE WORKERS SETTING UP OFFICES ON BEACHES AND IN HOTEL CAFES? MEET THE PEOPLE WHO, AS A RESULT OF THE PANDEMIC, HAVE DRAMATICALLY CHANGED THEIR WORKING LIVES. WORDS: SARAH BARRELL

A palm-covered beach in Antigua.

The island launched a programme in early 2021 to encourage ‘workcations’

somewhere with good wi-fi, and in a time zone that worked, more or less, with the UK. Travel had been so uncertain, but when I saw the digital nomads initiative, I knew it was for me.”

Keisha gets up at 4am, to be on time for the UK’s 9am start, and works in UX and UI (user experience/interface) for a British digital company. “I’m an early bird anyway, so it’s fine, and it means I have time to explore Antigua in the afternoon. I sometimes even work on the beach — I can’t resist a hammock. There are the obvious issues of avoiding screen glare or sand in the keyboard but I’ve no concerns about productivity. In fact, I think it makes me work harder, and over-deliver, because I’m very conscious of how my setting might be perceived.”

Joining ‘meet-up’ groups on social platforms like Facebook has allowed Keisha to find like-

minded people. “But I also just ask around — it’s the best way to get info on where to eat or where to hike, from locals who have their favourites. And meet-ups often include locals that ex-pats have befriended, so it’s a great mix.

I’ve met some brilliant islanders.

There’s a Rasta community that lives in the interior — they’ve been so welcoming, really open to telling me about their traditions and culture. I don’t think you should come to an island and stay on the beach all the time.”

Work-life balance As the world moved from typewriter to tablet, and wi-fi crept into even its remotest corners, the number of gigeconomy employees and ‘portfolio careerists’ also grew — the way we work shifted.

Throw a pandemic into the mix, and that shift went up gear.

Digital nomadism is no longer the

preserve of Instagram influencer accounts. According to a recent YouGov survey, 68% of British employees had never worked from home prior to the Covid-19 outbreak, but once the crisis is over, four in 10 now say they want to do so. In fact, most people (57%) say they want to be able to continue working from home.

“The pandemic started discussions that weren’t taking place when we all had our noses to the grindstone,” says John Graham, who recently relocated from London to Northern Ireland.

“London is the primary city of business for me, but do I need to sleep there every night? No. I don’t think it’s a one-size-fits-all solution, though. Remote working came at the right time for me and my wife, since we’d just had a baby. Pandemic travel restrictions meant our parents, who live in Northern Ireland, could have gone a year without seeing their

grandchild. We decided we didn’t want that. But things would probably have been different if I’d been younger or lived alone and needed a more social environment.”

John, who’s in his thirties, works in financial trading and his office has been closed since March 2020, with all employees working remotely. “I discussed the move with my company; transparency is needed now more than ever to retain employee-employer trust.

My manager really pushed for it, and I’m so thankful she did. She felt that the opportunity to spend time with the baby, among close family, and while my wife takes a career break, was unlikely to come up again. And one of my oldest childhood friends has just done the same — he’s moved in next door to us and has a young son of his own.”

Despite the likes of Goldman Sachs CEO, David Solomon,

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LUXURY IS A QUESTION OF PERSPECTIVE An Art Deco landmark in Berlin’s City West, Waldorf Astoria Berlin is located at the intersection of Kurfürstendamm shopping boulevard, Berlin Zoo and Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. Featuring Germany’s only Guerlain Spa, an indoor pool, ROCA restaurant, Lang Bar, THE LIBRARY and an exclusive panoramic view over the entire city and beyond, you’re guaranteed an unforgettable stay.

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Enjoy an unforgettable stay and collect or redeem your Honors points.

REMOTE WORKING

FIVE MORE REMOTE HOTSPOTS

BARBADOS

The Welcome Stamp visa costs $2,000 (£1,540) or $3,000 (£2,113) for families, and exempts applicants who work for overseas companies from paying local income tax, for stays of up to 12 months, with the opportunity to reapply. barbadoswelcomestamp.bb ESTONIA

Last year, the Estonian government amended its Alien Act allowing special ‘e-resident’ visa stays of up to a year. Applicants must be able to support themselves with an income of at least €3,504 (£3,170) a month. e-resident.gov.ee/nomadvisa ICELAND

The Work in Iceland visa was extended last year to include countries beyond the European Schengen area, and applies to any foreign national not required to have a visa to enter Iceland.

Successful applicants must be permanently employed by foreign companies, meet supplemental health insurance requirements and can stay for up to six months. work.iceland.is ITALY

Beat Brexit’s long-stay travel restrictions in Europe and relocate to one of Italy’s depopulated villages. Places such as Locana, outside Turin, have offered cash incentives (in this case €9,000/£7,731) for newcomers to take up residency in a rural village.

IMAGES: GETTY; SLTA

IRELAND

Despite being set off Ireland’s stormy west coast, Arranmore has a high-speed offshore internet hub to attract people to remote work and help repopulate its deserted shores.

publicly declaring remote working an “aberration”, many British companies have embraced the idea. HSBC, one of the country’s biggest employers, is planning to axe 40% of global office space.

Lloyds, which has some 30 million customers in the UK, is set to cut 20% of its offices by 2023, with three-quarters of its staff keen to work from home three or more days a week. Exactly where ‘home’ is, however, remains up for grabs.

More than 1.9 million British people could be working from abroad next year, according to research from PagoFX and YouGov. In a survey of more than 1,200 UK adults in employment, conducted between September and October 2020, 45% said they could do their job just as well from abroad while 19% said they could do so if they stayed in the same time zone. The survey also investigated what requirements British people look for in a perfect ‘work from anywhere’ destination. The top three were: a fast and reliable internet connection, access to quality medical services and warm, sunny weather.

Remote revolution Tourism bodies and travel companies have been quick to capitalise on the growing interest in long-distance remote working.

Anguilla, Barbados, Bermuda, Canary Islands, Cayman Islands, Croatia, Dominica, Dubai, Estonia, Iceland, Ireland, and Mauritius: the roll call of destinations that have lately created new visas welcoming visitors to work or study, from a few months up to a couple of years, grows ever longer.

Likewise, resorts and hotels worldwide are tailoring offerings with long-stay working guests in mind, offering ‘workcation’ packages and rooms that double as office suites.

“We’ve seen a surge in bookings for Airbnb-type properties,” says Tim Gunstone of bookings site, HotelPlanner. “This could indicate an emerging trend towards extended-stay telework nomadism — what some are calling the YOLO (you only live once) economy, where employees have a pent-up desire to get out of their homes and see the world, while still earning a salary.”

Original Travel, meanwhile, is refocusing some of its adventurous trips for this growing demographic with ‘working from home from abroad’ offerings that include such tempting spots as Paris, the Maldives and Indonesia.

With its relatively low rates of Covid-19, outdoors living and a wide choice of work-stay visas, the Caribbean is proving popular with British remote workers.

Taking advantage of St Lucia’s ‘live it’ initiative for extended stays, are Jason and Heena Cornwell, a couple in their thirties who’d been on a Latin American overlanding trip travelling in Colombia when lockdown happened in 2020.

“If you had to get stuck, that’s the place,” laughs Jason. “But we were getting itchy feet. Once borders opened, we booked the first flight out, to St Vincent, which got cancelled the day before. With our bags already packed, we got the next available flight, which happened to be to St Lucia.”

The couple stayed from October to December, returning to the UK for Christmas, but having loved the island, went back to St Lucia in early 2021.

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REMOTE WORKING

Avô, a scenic municipality in Coimbra, central Portugal PREVIOUS PAGE: Treetop adventure in St Lucia

Van life // Tom Bainbridge and Alison Melvin, a couple in their fifties, set off from London on a six-week European road trip in a specially converted van 140

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helped the couple line up these experiences. “You need to be confident,” says Jason, “go into local restaurants to chat to people — and that’s always where the best food is anyway.”

The couple has decided to continue remote working while building their online resource for like-minded globetrotters, confusionofcultures.com. “Having worked for nonprofits, we’d like to take it further and use our skills to develop sustainable tourism initiatives with island businesses,” says Heena.

Life on the road, it seems, can take you in directions you never expected. In early 2020, Tom Bainbridge and Alison Melvin, a couple in their fifties, set off from London on a six-week European road trip in a specially converted van. “We wanted to stay on wild coastlines and hilltops where there’s nothing, so we needed to be self-sufficient and comfortable,” says Tom. And then lockdown happened.

“Borders were closing pretty much just after we went through them each time,” he says. “But we were more than happy in the van.”

The couple got as far as Portugal before parking up and staying put. “I run my own business, as a lawyer, so I had an understanding

boss,” laughs Tom. “I worked in the van with solar panels for power, filling up the water tank every couple of days, using an MIFI box for internet connection for Zoom meetings. We had a proper bed. We couldn’t have been better set up, really. Ali is a yoga teacher and managed to start giving classes online.”

Home is now a dilapidated farm building in a remote part of rural Coimbra that the couple have decided to renovate. “It was land that my late husband and I had bought years ago,” says Alison. “I was intending to sell it, thinking it was madness to do anything else.

But here we are! And we’ve learnt so much, not just Portuguese (we’re taking lessons online, and from our builder; we have a very odd vocabulary of technical construction terms), but also what matters in life. It’s about jumping in at the deep end and totally committing to wherever you are.”

Once lockdown is over, the couple will set off again, to explore the Iberian peninsula. “Living in the camper showed me that you can do a lot more with much less,” says Alison. “We only packed for a few weeks and have survived with the small bags we took away.

All that stuff in our two flats back home? We don’t miss any of it.”

MORE INFO:

St Lucia. stlucia.org/en_UK/liveit Antigua and Barbuda. antigua-barbuda.com/ nomaddigitalresidence hotelplanner.com Original Travel. originaltravel.co.uk/ collections/workations Yon Living.

A new start-up, helping Brits to work ‘from home’ while overseas. yonliving.com Work Mango.

A member’s community of remote workers. workmango.com Grow Remote.

A community nonprofit working in five countries to ‘make remote work local’ growremote.ie

RESE ARCH YOUR MEDICAL CARE , TR AVEL INSUR ANCE AND TA X POSITION BEFORE WORKING ABROAD. RE AD MORE AT NATIONAL GEOGR APHIC. CO.UK/ TR AVEL

IMAGE: ALAMY

“The companies we work with, UK-based nonprofits, have been really supportive,” says Heena.

“Office hours vary, but we try to align ourselves to UK time, starting at 6am and ending early afternoon. Perhaps because of our backgrounds — Jason is British-Mauritian and I was born in India but moved to the UK in my early twenties — we’re interested in learning about different cultures. So, it was important for us to have time to get out and really explore the island. We’ve learnt all about local sea moss farming, had a tour with a mural artist, found out about an incredible local bakery and stayed at Balenbouche, an eco-cottage conversion of an old sugar plantation.”

Introductions made by locals and recommendations from friendly locals and ex-pats

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Triangular lugs on the outsole offer maximum grip on a variety of surfaces, from pavements to sand. danner.com

Hikers enjoying the view over Bubión in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, Andalucia

STAR LETTER Best foot forward I thoroughly enjoyed your piece on Spain’s long-distance walking routes in the June issue’s cover story. I spent a summer in Valencia two years ago and fell in love with the city’s Turia Park, a five-mile urban garden laced with walking and cycling paths that allows much of the centre to be explored without the use of roads. So inspired was I by this pedestrian-friendly project, I vowed to return the following year to discover more of the country on foot. The pandemic may have halted travel, but your article has given me fresh ideas and a renewed zest for a Spanish walking expedition — although the 620-mile Vía de Plata may be rather more of a challenge than a stroll through the Turia!

ELIZABETH CAMPBELL

Staying inspired Lockdown has been hard over the past year — I long to be back in the hills and mountains, exploring new places along the coast and travelling beyond these shores. I can’t wait to use my camera and be out snapping great pics on my travels.

Reading National Geographic Traveller and marvelling at the images has been keeping my spirits up and fi lling me with inspiration for adventures ahead. Thank you.

JARRETT SMITH

Spanish spell The March 2021 issue was the fi rst I’d read of National Geographic Traveller. I was amazed by the high-quality photos from all around the world, but I was particularly interested in the feature on Granada, which showed the beautiful Alhambra palace. I really appreciated the brief history surrounding the city of Granada, including the Islamic culture from the time of the Moors, which is still visible within the palace walls today. My wife and I are hoping to visit Granada and Córdoba, and I can’t wait to use your article when planning the trip.

ARNOLD IMERAJ

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