Alternative Winter Breaks

Wild winter sightings

Glimpse polar bear cubs in Canada

In late February the first newborn polar bear cubs start emerging from their burrows in Manitoba’s Wapusk NP, one of the world’s largest polar bear maternity denning areas. Join a safari from a lodge near Chesnaye to be one of only a handful of visitors to see the mothers urging on their newborns and tumbling about in the snow. You may also see the northern lights. Spot one-horned rhino in Nepal

The best time to visit Chitwan NP is between November and Januar y, when the weather is dry, days are still warm and the skies are clear. During this period, Jeep and walking safaris will likely yield incredible sightings of one-horned rhino, a creature that was almost wiped out here in the 1960s, but has made an incredible comeback. Though still battling for survival, the population is now up to about 700.

Track grey wolves in Poland

One of the key places for spotting grey wolves in Poland during the winter months is in the countr y’s east, in a pocket of the Carpathians known by locals as the ‘mountains of the wolf ’. As well as wolf packs, the area is also home to lynx, bears and herds of bison. Photography tours brave the cold, using small, well-placed hides to try to capture the wolves on camera as they hunt in ever more cunning ways.

Wild winters

(clockwise from left) There are fewer than 4,000 one-horned rhino left in the wild; polar bear cubs are just 30cm long when first born; it’s not known where Kasanka’s fruit bats spend the rest of the year, though they are known to come from the Congo rainforest See Africa’s largest migration in Zambia

Think African great migrations are all about the Mara and Serengeti? Actually, the world’s largest mammal migration takes place between late October and mid-December, as 10 million strawcoloured fruit bats arrive in Zambia’s Kasanka NP to feed on the bounty of fruits that appear with the first rains. Head out on safaris at dawn and dusk for the best chance to see the bats, which are so numerous they black-out the skies.

Spend a night in the cold

Cosy up for the night in a glacier in Iceland

For something seriously cool, fall asleep beneath Europe’s largest glacier. It’s possible to stay overnight in a 100mlong ice cave inside Vatnajökull. You’ll need to hike to get there, though usually no more than a few kilometres. Thick mattresses and Arctic-rated sleeping bags are provided (temperatures will be below 0ºC). But the best moment comes in the morning, when you wake up to an impossibly blue ice ceiling overhead.

Sleep in an ice palace in

Canada

North America’s only ice hotel, Hôtel de Glace, is rebuilt just north of Québec City every winter (January–March). Around 30,000 tonnes of snow go into its creation, and it’s unabashedly grand. There’s usually an ice bar, a grand hall, a chapel, about 40 rooms and an enor mous slide – just in case you thought the idea of a hotel made of ice wasn’t quite fun enough.

Build your own igloo in Switzerland

There is no shortage of snowy fun to be had around Grindelwald, which sits below the Eiger’s north face, amid the Bernese Alps. Cross-countr y skiers and snowshoers flock here in winter. However, one of the village’s lesser-sung activities is igloo building (available December–April). Spend a half-day cutting snow blocks and building a dome before crawling inside to check out your creation.

Ice magic (clockwise from top right) Snow makes a good building material as the air pockets inside act as an insulator; Romania’s Hotel of Ice has an ice church and an ice bar; the rooms at Québec’s Hôtel de Glace are a cool -5°C Bed down on Patagonian ice fields in Argentina

If ice hotels are too passé for you, then how about a night on the Souther n Patagonian Ice Field, a frozen wilderness spanning around 13,000 sq km? Guided treks across the glaciers of Argentina’s Los Glaciares NP are available October to March; hikers must wear crampons, and are roped together in case the ice breaks. But arriving on Glacier Marconi to overnight in huts or wild camp on the ice field makes it worth the effort.

Snooze on a Transylvanian lake in Romania

Every year, the glacial waters of Lake Bâlea, high in the Făgăraș mountains of the Southern Carpathians, freeze solid enough to build Romania’s Hotel of Ice (December-April). It’s more rustic than many of the snowy retreats you find in other countries. But the surroundings are spectacular, as is the cablecar ride to get there. Activities include ice climbing trips, snowmobiling and 14km of ski slopes on your doorstep. ⊲

Cold-weather soaks

Steaming season

(clockwise from left) The full bathing programme at Friedrichsbad has 17 stages, including a dip in the domed Kuppelbad; Latvians are keen on drinking herbal tea after their saunas; the waters of Lake Hévíz are alleged to be beneficial for those with rheumatic disorders Sample pirts in Latvia

Pir ts are traditional Latvian saunas, similar to those found in Scandinavia but smaller and usually accompanied by hot tea. It’s not uncommon to rent mobile pirts for use at the beach, so you can jump into the cold sea afterwards. There’s even a floating glass version in capital Riga: drink tea on the rooftop, sit in the hot tub, enjoy a long steam then take a dip in the Daugava River – in winter, a hole is cut in the ice.

Warm your bones in New Mexico, USA

Few spa settings can match that of R i ve r b e n d H o t S p r i n g s i n N e w Mexico’s Tr uth or Consequences. The town, for merly known as Hot Springs, was renamed in 1950 for a radio phone-in competition (it stuck); Riverbend is its only resor t sitting d i r e c t l y w h e r e t h e R i o G r a n d e cur ves. Submerge in the ther mal pools and enjoy views of snowcapped mountains appearing through the steam.

Get steamy in Germany

Nature, culture and winter decadence meet in elegant Baden-Baden. This Black Forest town is full of grand, colonnaded townhouses, Art Nouveau villas and, of course, baths (baden means ‘to bathe’ after all). The huge Caracalla Spa complex has a contemporary feel while the Friedrichsbad Spa is a masterpiece of 19th-century Neo-Renaissance grandeur, sitting on the site of the original Roman baths – you can explore the ruins after you’ve taken a soak. Swim in a thermal lake in Hungary

As the temperatures plummet in Budapest, residents flock to the city’s many beautiful bathhouses, jostling for their own bit of steamy space. But to escape the throng, head west to Hévíz instead. At 46,350 square metres, it’s the largest swimmable thermal lake in the world, so there’s always plenty of room to stretch out, and even on the coldest winter days it’s still a toasty 24ºC at the surface.

Shop for a festive treat

Wander wine cellars in

Germany

At the dawn of the 20th century, the twin town of Traben-Trarbach, on the Moselle River, was the second-largest transit hub for wine in the world, behind only Bordeaux. Consequently, a huge network of cellars was built beneath the city centre. These now host a wine-themed night market between late November and January, when mulled concoctions and roasted almonds scent the tunnels. Be enchanted in France

The northern city of Arras has two big claims to fame. First, a branch of the Louvre Museum sits just outside it; second, it hosts one of the country’s most enchanting Christmas markets. From late November to Christmas Eve, a winter wonderland crops up beneath the magnificent gabled buildings of the Grand’Place. Look for Hauts-deFrance specialties such as local sweets, honey and chicory conserves.

Go cave browsing in Belgium

A few Christmas cave markets can be found across Europe; the one in (and under) Valkenburg , in the Netherlands, is perhaps the best known. But a cuter option is the market held at the 2,000-year-old Caves of Wonck, 25km north of Liège. The caves, used as a bomb shelter during the Second World War, are now mostly used to grow mushrooms. For one weekend in December, however, they fill with artisanal stalls selling festive speculoos biscuits and locally made knick knacks.

Christmas-villes

(clockwise from top) The Marché de Noël in Arras is the biggest in the Hautsde-France region; the Michigan town of Frankenmuth also hosts an annual Oktoberfest; Leiden has 28km of waterways and 88 bridges; Traben and Trarbach were two separate villages on opposite sides of the Moselle but are now an officially unified town Buy Bavarian in Michigan,

USA

Lots of cities have Ger man-style markets, but the one in Frankenmuth – Michigan’s ‘Little Bavaria’– isn’t the usual festive cosplay. The residents of this US town still spoke German until the mid-20th century, and its Christ Kindl Markt (held late November and early December) is an authentic immersion in that unexpected heritage.

Hit the mountain market,

Switzerland

The title of ‘highest Christmas market’ goes to Lucer ne’s 2,132m Mount Pilatus event. A cogwheel railway or gondola ride to the summit sets expectations high (literally). At the top, a restaurant and hotel complex is the setting for a 40-stall market in late November, complete with a backdrop of Lake Lucerne’s turquoise waters and the snow-capped Emmental Alps.

Shop aboard, Netherlands

The 17th-century canals of Leiden form the perfect setting for one of Europe’s few floating Christmas markets. Usually around 100 fairylight-strewn chalets bob on the water in December, selling a festive mix of jewellery, toys and sugary oliebollen (Dutch-style doughnuts). There are also live performances held on a small floating stage and ice rink on a giant barge. ⊲

Tasting season

Catch your dinner in South Korea

Few winter events are quite as foodie focused as South Korea’s Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival (Januar y- Febr uar y). Ice-sculpting , skating and sledding all play second fiddle to fishing as thousands of locals perch by ice holes with baited lines or wade into freezing pools to try to catch the coveted sancheoneo (masu salmon) by hand. Many cook them up on the spot.

Dine high among Colorado’s peaks, USA

Alpino Vino – at 3,627m, America’s highest fine-dining restaurant – only opens its doors December to April. Perched up in Colorado’s Telluride Ski Resort, even reaching it is tricky.

Food for thought

(clockwise from left) Hwacheoncheon, only 1.5 hours from Seoul, is a popular winter outing; the Klein Matterhorn is 7km from its bigger, 4,478m-high namesake; there’s a definite European flavour to the food at Colorado’s Alpino Vino restaurant Hit culinary heights in Switzerland

What better appetiser is there than gazing out over 14 glaciers from the summit of the Klein Matterhor n? From Zermatt, a gondola ascends to the ic y peak, where Europe’s highest restaurant awaits. You could opt to eat on the way up – fondues and breakfasts can sometimes be served in the cablecar, on request. But little beats devouring your spätzle at 3,883m.

The only way in by day is via a narrow ski trail; by night, a heated snowcoach takes over. However, it’s worth it to bag yourself a place by the fire and an Alpine-themed feast. Savour a full-moon dinner in Austria

A u s t r i a ’s H o h e Ta u e r n N P i s a spectacular sweep of snowy peaks and frozen meadows. And it can be even more dramatic by moonlight. On select dates (5 Februar y, 7 March 2023), a spot 1,590m up in the park’s Gastein Valley hosts a full-moon dinner party. A long table is laid out on the snow, benches are covered in blankets and furs, and delicious dishes are served under the stars.

Taste ice wine in

Luxembourg

Winter’s sweetest gift is eiswein (ice wine), harvested when temperatures drop low enough for the grapes to freeze. This uber-sugary dessert wine is a specialty of Germany and Canada, but it is also found in the Moselle region of Luxembourg, where the river is lined with vineyards. One of the best places to sample a drop is in Caves St-Martin in Remich, where you can tour the cellars too.

Seasonal celebrations

Festive fun

(clockwise from far left) The 250-room Biltmore Estate was built for George Vanderbilt in 1895; the Whitby Krampus Run only started in 2013; bears are considered a symbol of good luck in Romania; during Lohri, a bonfire is lit at sunset in the main village square and locals make offerings and prayers around it

Spend Christmas in Asheville, USA

Snowy mountains? Check. A candlelit country estate? Certainly. Breweries, vineyards and backcountry hiking and skiing? Of course. This isn’t France, but North Carolina’s mountain town of Asheville. The twisting drive up the Blue Ridge Parkway to get there is superb; the Art Deco streets strung with twinkling lights are magical. Visit the market and drop by the festively decorated Biltmore Estate, America’s largest home. Brave Krampus in England

Winter parades of Krampus – a halfgoat creature said to punish naughty children – are common across Austria and Germany, where stories date back to pagan times. But they have crept into other cultures, too. North Yorkshire’s Whitby Krampus Run (4 December) is a natural fit for a coastal town that has its share of Gothic vibes (Bram Stoker’s Dracula landed here). A tradition that began with a few friends now even has its own Krampus Ball (3 December). Sling an egg in Spain

The Day of the Holy Innocents (28 December) remembers the biblical tale of King Herod ordering all the male children around Bethlehem to be killed. Over the years, however, this solemn occasion has flipped to a day of pranks and celebration in Spain, similar to April Fool’s Day. In the Alicante town of Ibi it has even become a full-on food fight, with flour and eggs the weapons of choice. No one is safe!

Bid goodbye to winter in India

The Punjabi festival of Lohri (13 Januar y) marks the passing of the shortest day and the start of the winter harvest season. Locals light bonfires – symbolising the return of the sun – around which they sing, chant and throw offerings such as sweets, puffed rice and sesame seeds. The celebrations are most colourful in the north Indian states of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi.

See in New Year with new bears in Romania

Romania offers the chance to see out the year in the company of ‘bears’. On 30 December the Festival of Customs and Ancestors’ Customs in the northeastern town of Comănești sees locals dress in bear costumes, a relic of the days when Roma would visit with bears on leashes to chase away bad spirits. In the absence of real animals these days (dancing bears are now illegal in Europe), people play the part, dancing and being ceremonially killed and brought back to life to a deafening drum beat. ⊲

Icy adventures

Ski a volcano in Japan

Sapporo makes an excellent base for anyone wanting to ski Hokkaido’s volcanoes. Mount Yotei (1,898m), a 90km drive south-west of the city, is perhaps the star attraction. The hike up is pretty strenuous and requires a guide – many opt for heli-skiing visits instead – but once you get to the top it’s one of few places in the world where you can ski into the crater of a semi-active volcano. Unforgettable.

Snowshoe the hoodoos of Utah, USA

Bryce Canyon isn’t what you think of when you picture a winter landscape. The Utah national park’s Mars-like high-desert is usually pictured baking under a hot sun. Yet a crisp coating of snow lends Bryce’s red-rock hoodoos (spires) an otherworldly look. While fewer facilities, roads and trails open in the park over the colder months, snowshoeing is popular here and atmospheric ranger-led full-moon hikes run year-round.

Trek glaciers in New Zealand

Hiking any glacier puts you in a world where humans just aren’t meant to be. That’s what’s so thrilling. New Zealand has almost 3,000 of these icy tongues, with the west-coast glaciers of Fox and Franz Josef especially well set up for hiking and heli-hiking tours. However, to really get away from it all, head to Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park for close-ups with the Tasman Glacier – at 29km, the longest in the country.

Snow business

(clockwise from left) Mount Yotei means ‘sheep-hoof’ mountain; Grandvalira, in little Andorra, is the biggest ski resort in southern Europe; 12km-long Franz Josef Glacier plunges from the Southern Alps to less than 300m above sea level Sail frozen lakes in Lithuania

In winter, Lithuania’s Curonian Lagoon transforms into a frozen sea of colourful sails. Ice-boating is taken seriously here – that is, the sport of tacking across the frosted surface on reclining windsurf-sled type vessels. The ice needs to be at least 10cm thick and the wind speed around 3-4 m/s. Once conditions (usually January to March) are cold enough, you’re good to go.

Explore the alternative Pyrenees in Andorra

Tiny Andorra isn’t everyone’s first idea of a winter escape, but this rocky slice of the Pyrenees (average elevation: 2,000m) is full of thrills. The ski resort of Grandvalira yields plenty of downhill pistes and snowshoe and dog-sled adventures, plus the chance to snowmobile through the Moretó forest. End active days with hearty dinners in traditional bordes (converted grain stores) and nights at a private ski-in dome suite, perched 2,300m up in the mountains.

Alternative aurora

The northern lights are typically visible between October and the end of March, with the long, dark winter months best for sightings – particularly north of the Arctic Circle. But there are many unique ways to see this phenomenon…

Experience a wild aurora in Finland

Just craning you neck upwards is too easy; the wilderness hotels of Finnish Lapland make you work for a sighting. Try dog-sledding out into the boreal forests beneath the green glow of the lights, returning to spend the night in your own glass-bubble dome. Or maybe take a snowmobile safari around the frozen shores of Lake Inari to camp under some of the darkest skies in Europe as the aurora ripples overhead.

Spy the aurora in the UK

You don’t need to be above the 66th parallel for a clear sighting of the lights. You can even see them in Britain, though it pays to head to Scotland and, even better, specifically to the Shetland isle of Unst, the northernmost inhabited part of the UK. Best of all, if you time your visit for January, you could also catch the Viking-inspired Up Helly Aa festival in Lerwick on Mainland.

Sail beneath the lights in Norway

There are small-boat cruises around northern Norway’s fjords (carr ying 100 or so people) and then there are seriously small ones, like sailing from Tromsø in a four-cabin catamaran. Do this in winter for a more intimate take on the icy Arctic. Spot orca and humpbacks by day and aurora by night – onboard guides will offer photography advice. You might learn a few sailing tricks along the way too.

Light fantastic

(clockwise from top) In the right season the aurora can be seen at any time, once skies are dark, but the optimum hours tend to be between 9pm and 1am; the indigenous tribes of Montana have used the night skies for millennia to help chart and gauge their seasonal movements Glimpse glaciers and lights in Montana, USA

It might be below the Arctic Circle, but the state of Montana has one of the lowest population densities in the US – just seven people per square mile – so light pollution barely registers there. This makes it a good spot for aurora hunters and stargazers. Glacier NP, a certified Dark Sky spot, is particularly popular: you might even get to see the aurora reflected in the waters of Lake McDonald, a truly out-of-this-world sight. ⊲

Frozen journeys

Try tour skating in the Netherlands

The Netherlands’ Elfstedentocht is the biggest ice-skating tour in the world, an almost 200km circuit on frozen canals, rivers and lakes via the 11 historic cities of Friesland. However, it requires very thick ice in order to go ahead; the first event was in 1909 but it’s only been held 15 times (the last was in 1997). Even if it’s not on, it’s still fun to wander the canals of Leeuwarden (the start of the race) – and you can always practise your moves in the city’s Elfstedenhal ice rink instead. Drive the ice roads of Canada

It’s only around January that the ice roads of Canada’s Northwest Territories are typically suitable for vehicles (the ice must be 40cm thick). These frozen highways link a number of Canada’s far-flung, remote and largely Indigenous communities. Some routes have been paved in recent years, but the ice road to the Inuvialuit community of Aklavik, where 600 residents live on the Mackenzie Delta, still offers the only way in or out for visitors and locals in winter – and an incredible journey.

Taking the long road

(clockwise from top) The Elfstedentocht is in danger of becoming extinct due to climate change – it has only occurred three times in the past 50 years; there are no huts along the Catamount Trail, but it has been completed in as few as 20 days by skiers towing sleds and camping kit; Canada’s ice roads are usually drivable from January to April Ski Vermont’s Nordic monster, USA

Vermont’s Catamount Trail (480km) is the longest Nordic skiing route in North America, stretching from the state’s border with Massachusetts right up to Canada. Chances are slight that you would do it all in one go – in 40 years, just 105 people have. But the trail is divided into 31 segments, which can be done in single-day tours – a good way to get a taster and find your feet in the New England snow.

Travel across the Arctic Circle, Norway & Sweden

There’s nothing like crossing a global landmark to add extra spice to a journey. The Nordland is the longest rail route in Norway (729km), and hops into the Arctic Circle as it trundles from Trondheim to Bodø. Or take the Arctic Circle Train, which runs between Stockholm (Sweden) and Nar vik (Norway) in the far-north, with a change in Kiruna – a town that had to be moved to stop it collapsing into a mine. Take the sleeper from the Swedish capital for the thrill of waking up in a frozen world.

Visit the other Antarctic

While wester n Antarctica is busy w i t h c r u i s e s h i p s f r o m N ove mber to March, the east is only really accessible in January and February. Cruises to this side run from New Zealand and Australia, and must deal with the icy Ross Sea; they are also a minimum of a month long, making this the far less common route to reach the White Continent. Along the way lie penguin-crowded islands, huge ice cliffs and historic reminders of the explorers of the Heroic Age.

Cultural encounters

Explore Alaska’s Indigenous cities, USA

Remote Alaskan communities such as the Iñupiat of Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow), the northernmost town in the US, are all but impossible to reach in winter. But the Native Heritage Center in Anchorage offers cultural information and experiences to help broaden your knowledge of Alaska’s indigenous culture. Visit Ketchikan to explore the town with Indigenous artists and see the world’s largest collection of totem poles. Then head to Sitka National Historical Park, which is an important site for the Tlingit community.

Join Sámi herders in Norway and Finland

The Sámi reindeer herders of Lapland still migrate alongside their animals each year, moving them between summer and winter pastures. Winter encounters with the Sámi in northern Norway and Finland typically include sledding out to where the animals live, sleeping in traditional lavvu (tents), dining on foods like smoked reindeer meat and berries, and listening to traditional stories. It’s fascinating to learn how this way of life survives in the modern world. Discover Inuit history in Greenland

It is easy to encounter Greenland’s Indigenous peoples. Almost 90% of the island’s population is Inuit. Even in more cosmopolitan Nuuk (see p182), the capital, native guides can help you discover local culture amid the Danish developments. In icy Ilulissat go on a dog-sledding trip for a taste of traditional life, then visit Sermermiut Valley to see the remains of Inuit settlements dating back 4,000 years. Visit from late January, when the days are lengthening, to maximise your time.

Winter’s tales

(clockwise from left) Ketchikan is home to over 80 totem poles; Greenlanders have been using dog sleds for more than 4,000 years, and they are still a key part of their culture; Sami traditions are under threat from climate change and urbanisation Meet the First Nations people of the far north, Canada

C a n a d a ’s n o r t h e r n m o s t r e g i o n , Nunavik, is about the size of France yet home to just 14 towns. Kuujjuaq, on Ungava Bay, is the largest, with a population of just 2,400 people. The best way to explore this vastness is with an Inuit guide. Tours will likely include visits to parks where vast herds of caribou roam, dog-sled trips, chances to meet local artists, chats with elders about life on the Arctic fringes and the traditions that still sur vive here, and (with luck) sightings of the northern lights. ⊲

Seasonal city breaks

Get that festive feeling in Croatia

There are few sights more fairytale than Croatia’s Plitviče Lakes covered in snow. Following the walkway through the park is like entering a watery Narnia, where the cascades, frozen in mid-air, are fringed by icy forest. To visit, base yourself in nearby Zadar. The coastal city hosts a sparkling Christmas market (late November to January), where stalls selling peppery paprenjaci biscuits pop up on the streets and squares. However, strolling the Upper Town without the usual summer crowds might be the best Christmas gift of all.

Escape to the medieval north of France

The Normandy city of Rouen, on the banks of the Seine, strikes a Gothic pose – the writer Victor Hugo called it the city of ‘a hundred spires’. In winter it becomes extra atmospheric, with the narrow lanes of the medieval quarter aglow with festive lights, stalls selling mulled wine and cider, and a Christmas market on the square in front of the immense cathedral. It’s also a stop on cruises along the Seine from Paris, a magical way to view the frosty Normandy countryside.

Embrace cultured New Mexico, USA

Santa Fe, New Mexico’s mini state capital, charms at any time; come winter, as the surrounding Sangre de Cristo Mountains whiten and the nearby national forest fills with Nordic skiers, it truly shines. The city itself never gets too cold, and has plenty of spas to warm you up anyway (seek out the ryokan-style Ten Thousand Waves). Beer lovers should visit in January for WinterBrew, while the sacred Las Posadas candlelit procession around Santa Fe plaza (8 December) shows the city in a different light.

Go city hopping in Estonia

Tallinn’s chocolate-box vibe is only amplified by a light dusting of snow. Its Christmas market is a particular delight, fanning out across the cobbles of its old centre, beneath the Gothic arches of the town hall. But don’t stop there. Combine the capital with a visit to Tartu, Estonia’s second-city, whose 18th-century buildings escaped Soviet scrutiny to offer an elegant alternative to Tallinn’s medieval grit. Best of all, Tartu is close to Lake Peipus where, in winter, you can drive on ice roads, go ice fishing and ice skating, and visit a tiny island reserve.

The real Narnia

(clockwise from top) The 16 lakes at Plitviče National Park are interconnected by a series of waterfalls; if you’re chilly in Tallinn, seek out a dram of Vana Tallinn, a spice-infused liqueur invented here in the 1960s, which is delicious drunk hot or poured into coffee Escape to Mallorca, Spain

The reputation of Mallorca as a summer beach retreat does it a disservice. There’s more to the island than that, not least capital Palma, which is a handsome hub of 13th-century streets, Gothic churches, Arab baths, fine galleries and elegant squares. In winter, with much of the island shut down, it takes on a different air entirely. Also, with temperatures still on the mild side, the low season opens up Mallorca’s potential as a magnificent walking destination too.

Discover the Roman seaside in Italy

There can be something glorious about a seaside town in winter. Take Gaeta, located on a dramatic promontory between Rome and Naples on the Ulysses Riviera. Dubbed the ‘City of a Hundred Churches’, it was once a summer playground for well-to-do Ancient Romans; the remains of their villas can still be seen scattering its fringes and they lose little of their impact in the winter months, when the crowds are scarce and the town’s cobbled streets take on an appropriately pious feel.

See Florida’s wild cites, USA

The shallow waterways around Crystal River, north of Tampa, are extra special from November to April. Balmy yearround, they’re a perfect winter refuge for large numbers of manatees. It’s also the only place in Florida where you’re allowed to swim with these gentle giants. Alternatively, head for the beaches, lively food scene and Art Deco neighbourhoods of Miami. This city is a fine base for exploring the Everglades at a time when milder temperatures see fewer mosquitoes and crowds, but a huge influx of migratory birds.

Get cultured in Switzerland

In winter many travellers make for the Alpine lakes and mountains of Switzerland’s beautiful Bernese Oberland. But the northern city of Basel offers a more cultured side to the country at this time of year. You’ll find Christmas markets and plenty of architectural gems, from the Old Town’s Blue and White Houses to uber-modern showpieces. By February, carnival season has taken hold, with parades, guggenmusik (masked marching bands) and an air of joyous chaos filling the streets.

UNCOVERING NAMIBIA’S LESSER-KNOWN SOUTH

2. LÜDERITZ AND THE KOLMANSKOP GHOST TOWN

5 HIDDEN HIGHLIGHTS

Namibia’s northern wonders often hog the limelight, but the country’s lesserknown southern reaches have plenty of natural drama. This is where the

Namib meets the Kalahari; where the widescreen landscapes feel even larger thanks to the lack of crowds; and where superlatives rule supreme. Namibia’s south is home to both Africa’s biggest canyon and the world’s tallest sand dunes. Some of this dramatic scenery even spills over the border into South

Africa, but southern Namibia has plenty in the way of cultural experiences, wildlife encounters and mesmerising vistas that will make your jaw hang as wide as the landscapes themselves. Here are five of its secret gems that are well worth exploring.

Sandy sights

(top–bottom) Sossusvlei’s sand dunes are best seen at sunrise from a hot air balloon; Kolmanskop was once a thriving mining community but is now being reclaimed by the desert 1. SOSSUSVLEI

The cloud-baiting dunes of Sossusvlei reach nearly 400m high and are perhaps the Namib Desert at its most dramatic. These dunes have had plenty of time to grow – around 55 million years – and to truly appreciate their colossal nature you need to clamber up one. The aptly named Big Daddy is the tallest, and the hour it takes to summit rewards you with panoramas of rippling sand. Seeing it at different times of the day even changes the way it looks: golden and toffeecoloured in the afternoon; dusty-rose and purple come dusk. One of the best times to spy this phenomenon is at first light in a hot air balloon, when you can watch the sunrise cast an apricot glow over this ancient landscape. It feels eerily desolate but isn’t completely empty, as a guided nature walk will prove. Here you can see everything from ostriches and brown hyenas to the tiny tracks of toktokkie beetles.

Pinned between the Namib Desert and the Atlantic Ocean, the isolation that the formerly German colonial town of Lüderitz enjoys means its Art Nouveau architecture has been left alone by the 21st century. Its village-like atmosphere and historic buildings are a joy to wander, while Easter sees the town transformed for its annual Crayfish Festival. This vibrant celebration is a display of the area’s rich marine life – something you can explore further with a visit to see the African penguin colony on nearby Halifax

Island or on boat tours to spy Heaviside’s dolphins. Make your way along the sands of the Namib and you might spot wild horses roaming the desert before stumbling upon Kolmanskop. This ghost town was built on the area’s diamondmining fortunes but was completely abandoned by the 1950s. To see this once-thriving village, which had its own theatre and bowling alley, now totally engulfed by sand is starkly surreal.

3. TSAU//KHAEB (SPERRGEBIET) NATIONAL PARK

For over 100 years, since the first gemstone was unearthed here, the area of Tsau//Khaeb (Sperrgebiet) National Park was a hive of diamond-mining activity. It was also off-limits to visitors – sperrgebiet means ‘prohibited area’ in German – but that’s slowly changing. Tourism concessions are now granting long-awaited access to this pristine wilderness’ swirling rock formations and meteor craters.

There are plenty of highlights to see. The Bogenfels Rock Arch rises 55m above the salty waves, while the rusting Barge 77 shipwreck is all that is left of the mobile diamond processing plant created by Texan oilman Sammy Collins. He thought that if there are diamonds on shore, they must be off-shore, too. But his mission failed, and the ship capsized in the early 1960s after a storm.

Tsau Khaeb isn’t all about barren desertscapes; it’s also one of the world’s top biodiverse hotspots, and around a quarter of Namibia’s species of flora are found here. Wildlife is particularly bountiful in Baker’s Bay, home to Namibia’s southernmost fur seal colony, brown hyenas and African penguins.

4. ORANJEMUND

On the face of it, Oranjemund is just another one of Namibia’s successful diamond-mining towns, cast way out in the deep south. It was founded in the 1930s to harvest the diamond deposits found in the Orange River, but for nearly 80 years this town was closed off to outsiders and managed by Namdeb, half of which is owned by the Namibian government and the other half by private company De Beers. It became something of an enigma until 2017, when its secrets were spilled and its doors opened to the world. What lies within has been worth the wait.

Vibrant street murals now splash across Oranjemund, championing Namibian artists and the quaint Jasper House Museum, which not only charts the evolution of this old mining town but explores the natural history of its surrounding national park. Oranjemund comes alive every month with a night market showcasing food and crafts fashioned by its locals. It also has its wild side. You can spy oryx nibbling on the town’s bushes and flower-filled gardens, while the mouth of the nearby Orange River is a wetland teeming with some 10,000 birds, including Damara terns, African hoopoes, spoonbills and more.

Escape the crowds

(clockwise from top left) Watch jackals in the wild; Namibia’s Fish River Canyon is second in size only to the USA’s Grand Canyon; Oranjemund only reopened to visitors in 2017; The Bogenfels Rock Arch is 55 metres high

5. FISH RIVER CANYON

Namibia’s south still has one more surprise up its sleeve: Fish River Canyon. This gargantuan landscape is the world’s second-largest canyon and often feels like it might be more at home on Mars. At 160km long, 27km wide and up to 550m deep, you can get a sense of its rugged expanse just by peering over its edge, but this is a phenomenon that deserves the whole hog. For that, embark on a five-day hike where you descend into the canyon’s belly and trek the riverbed to its conclusion (there’s no other way out). It’s the ultimate finale for any adventure through southern Namibia.