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Travel Well

TRAVEL SECRETS Celebrate our bicentennial issue with brilliant tips from all your favourite travellers

Secret #35

ISSUE 200

When in Mandalay, take a boat across the Irrawaddy River to the dazzling white Hsinbyume Pagoda.

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SECRET

2

Gentle giants Kenya, Africa

Photographer: Will Burrard-Lucas Elephants are the elusive giants of the animal kingdom – something that photographer Will Burrard-Lucas began to understand on his quest to document Kenya’s last great African tuskers in Tsavo Conservation Area. “No matter how long you spend with elephants, they will always be doing something interesting; whether it’s a young elephant learning to use its trunk by picking up sticks and stones or gigantic bulls jostling for control of a waterhole,” Will explained. “That’s my biggest secret – the more time you spend with a single species, the more you learn to appreciate it, leading to a more rewarding experience.” © Land of Giants by Will Burrard-Lucas (£40, Burrard-Lucas Books) is available now; www.landofgiantsbook.com.

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VI E W FI N D E R

UPFRONT

“Until we allow not only elephants, but all living creatures their place in the sun, we can never be whole ourselves.�

Lawrence Anthony, conservationist

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SECRET TRIPS SECRET

Special destinations. Zero crowds. Here are the enlightening experiences that haven’t made it on to the travellers’ radars

9

COASTAL CAPER

ROCK THE BOAT IN NORWAY Hop on board the postal boat that serves some of Norway’s little-visited islands, where basking seals and swooping eagles are the only crowds you’ll encounter. On Discover The World’s Island Hopping Along Norway’s Fjord Coast trip, you’ll explore the land and sea between Bergen and Ålesund by local ferry, kayak, bus, bike and mailboat – with the option to hire a car too.

Slow travel at its best, the itinerary also allows for following wild hiking trails, discovering small fishing communities, photographing spectacular sea bridges and visiting the Norwegian Deer Centre to observe these elegant native animals.

Who? Discover The World (01737 888442; discover-the-world.com) When? Selected dates, June–August 2020 How long? 7 nights How much? From £1,036 (including int’l flights)

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THE TRIP

WOODLAND WANDERS

WALK THE WOODS IN POLAND Encounter an ancient world that has been left untouched for millennia with Naturetrek’s Poland in Spring trip. Wildlife secrets are whispered in the quieter corners of the immense Białowieża Forest where European bison, wolf, lynx and elk roam the UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. Then head to the Biebrza Marshes, led by an expert ornithologist and naturalist; birdwatchers will be in paradise – spotted eagles and bluethroats swoop through the skies above.

Who? Naturetrek (020 7313 6953; naturetrek.co.uk) When? 10 May 2020 How long? 8 days How much? From £1,495 (including int’l flights)

11 SECRET SAILS

VOYAGE INTO THE SOUTH PACIFIC

10 ART & SOUL

GO GALLERY-HOPPING IN JAPAN Discover the little-known ‘art island’ of Naoshima on An Insider’s Japan, a tailor-made trip with Selective Asia. This sleepy isle in the Seto Inland Sea has creations by renowned local artists and architects – alongside the likes of Warhol and Monet – in numerous tiny museums and galleries. A clutch of outdoor sculptures, such as Yayoi Kusama’s towering Yellow Pumpkin, make a striking addition to the otherwise wild coast and woodlands. The island is small, so gallery-hop by bike.

Who? Selective Asia (01273 670001; selectiveasia.com) When? Year-round. Recommended: Mar–Apr; Oct–Nov How long? 12 days How much? From £3,760 (excluding int’l flights)

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Shutterstock

Sail around the isolated, intriguing islands of the South Pacific and discover Secrets of Melanesia with Heritage Expeditions.

Head to Malaita to explore forests a-flutter with rare golden fantails, before witnessing Ngongosila Island’s time-honoured traditional dances. In Vanuatu, the dazzlingly blue shallows of Champagne Beach are yours to wallow in, but there are also lively reefs to snorkel on and wild waterfalls to climb. Keep an eye out for majestic Solomon sea eagles too.

Who? Heritage Expeditions (heritage-expeditions.com) When? Selected dates in October 2019 & 2020 How long? 12 days How much? From around £4,394 (excluding int’l flights)

EXPLORE

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SECRET

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YELLOWSTONE NP, USA

HOT SPRINGS

ETERNAL From herds of bison to the elusive wolf, steaming geysers to diamond dust, Yellowstone National Park is a year-round destination, but in winter the few visitors get this wildlife-rich wonderland all to themselves WORDS MARTIN SYMINGTON

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SECRET

66 Back on TRACK

After more than a decade out of service, Cambodia’s railway lines are ready to take you on a journey of rebirth through the country’s rural heart and buzzing capital WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHS ALEX ROBINSON

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CAMBODIA

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The classic: Observe ungulates circling the plains of the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem

The alternative: Follow zebra across Botswana’s wilderness

WHEN?

Botswana is cooler and drier from May to September, when zebra start to congregate around the Chobe and Okavango Rivers; the Okavango Delta tends to be flooded from June to September.

Naturepl; Shutterstock

A herd of zebra is a striking sight, particularly when a column of thousands are accompanied by peckish predators. You can experience this equine extravaganza at the start of the year in Botswana, when a seasonal migration, discovered as recently as 2012, sees up to 25,000 plains zebra hoof it south from Chobe National Park and Moremi Game Reserve to the Nxai Pan and Makgadikgadi Pans, respectively – round-trip journeys of at least 500km, longer than the famed Great Migration of wildebeest.

This twin-pronged migration depends on the rains in the pans; if good, the previously glaring white expanses flood, and the zebra arrive en mass to graze on lush, protein-rich grass; pink masses of flamingo arrive to nest, too. Naturally, lions, cheetah and hyena follow, and you’ve a good chance of witnessing a hunt. Beautiful safari camps are dotted around the Boteti River at the west of the Makgadikgadi Pans, as well as that park’s central area and Nxai Pan to the north.

Top tip: The migrating zebra usually graze in Nxai Pan and Makgadikgadi Pans from roughly January to March, but this is dependent on rains.

Also try: Wildebeest migration in Liuwa Plain National Park, Zambia; sardine run in South Africa; monarch butterflies arriving to overwinter, Michoacán state, Mexico.

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Hacienda Zu leta

A home to form er presidents, end and more history angered birds tha – this Andean stay n most nations can conjure offers a taste of old Ecuador

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cuador’s Hacie nda Part of the farm’ Zuleta may be hidde s appeal is its links n to community high in the Ande and wildlife proje s, but cts.

Guests can learn its celebrated histor embroidery with y local artisans or means that it’s even spot rare Ande never at risk of being lost. an condors – Zulet The Plaza famil a is one of few place y, have occupied s you can guarantee this colonial-er an encounter with a working farm for the world’s larges more than a centu t flying bird due ry – and count two to its work on the ex-presidents amon Condor Huasi Project. g their number. Yet Both endeavours step inside their are supported by family home and the Plaza found it feels almost cosy. ation, which build Today, the Plaza s on the legacy of grand ’s descendants father (and forme still helm the farm, r president) Galo which spans 16 Plaza Lasso, who sq km.

Travellers arrive is still rever ed to brightly paint for his social initia ed tives. antique rooms Back on the hacie adorned with fresh nda, an on-site wildflowers and cheese factory, crackling log fi a trout farm and the res to warm the Ande abundant produ an nights – the ce from the garde kind of presidential ns Galo and his wife welcome you’d set up offer fine expect. ingredients for the many comm unal

TRAVEL SEC

t nnial issue with brillian Celebrate our bicente travellers e urit favo r you all tips from 037_Explore_D

ream Sleep_SO.indd

dinners. And you’ll need all that food to build your streng th for exploring.

Another of the unique charms of Zuleta are the 100 or so Zuleteño horses stabled here. Treks to crash ing waterfalls and cool valleys spott ed with hummingbi rds and pre-Inca sites can be arran ged for either experienced or beginner riders .

Or just grab a bike and hit the moun tain trails, looking out for spectacled bears and climbing to high alpine mead ows.

At the end of the day, though, you’ll look forward to return – a hot water bottle ing to Zuleta between your sheets and histor y on every wall.

Doubles at Hacie nda Zuleta cost from US$298pppn (£229 ); zuleta.com

Get there

Connecting flights with Air France (airfrance.co.uk) and Delta Airline s (delta.com) go from London Heathrow to Quito via Paris and Atlant a respectively from around £556 return ; flight time is from 18.5 hours. Hacien da Zuleta is a two-h our car ride from the capital, so either arrange a transf er with the hotel or rent a car and drive.

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Secret #35

When in Mandalay, take a boat across the Irrawaddy River to the dazzling white Hsinbyume Pagoda.

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MEXICO

Go Now

MEXICO

HAVANA

SCOTLAND

EXPLORE THE NUMBERS

Havana good time

260 million

A LOCAL ICON

Cadillacs, colour and colonial-era charm along the Paseo del Prado

Ernest Hemingway

for a 500th birthday fiesta

“Wherever a man feels like home… that’s the place he was destined to be,” Ernest Hemingway once wrote.

If that’s true, the writer certainly found his in Havana – at Finca Vigía, where he wrote The Old Man and the Sea. Now a museum dedicated to his legacy, Finca Vigía offers an intimate insight into the man himself.

Get a glimpse of his personal belongings, before heading out into the tropical garden to spot his boat, the Pilar, next to the headstones of his four dogs.

THE DESTINATION:

HAVANA, CUBA

Number of hand-rolled cigars Cuba produces per year. Cigars are the country’s second-highest export – raw sugar sneaks into first place.

638

Number of alleged

assassination attempts the CIA made against Fidel Castro.

Poisoned pens, exploding cigars and femme fatales were all among the methods tried over the years.

Wide-eyed on the

WILD ISLES

Get there

Virgin Atlantic flies direct from London Gatwick to Havana from £575 return in ten hours; Air France and KLM fly from London Heathrow via Paris and Amsterdam from £466.

No bones about it

A woman dressed up as La Calavera Catrina, an iconic symbol of Día de los Muertos created in the early 1900s by artist José Guadalupe Posada

The city of Cadillacs, cocktails and the Castros has smartened itself up for its quincentennial celebrations, but hasn’t lost an iota of its raggedy charm. Hemingway would still feel right at home

F

ive hundred years of stories saturate the sultry streets of Havana, and yet, this one-time playground for hedonistic high-lifers remains full of surprises. You may still spot the odd vintage Cadillac on the streets, but change is stirring.

Last year’s presidential handover served up the latest twist to the national drama, signalling the end of the Castro brothers’ decadeslong hold over the position. And with significant restorations to landmarks complete for Havana’s

Mexico’s Day of the Dead captured the world’s attention with its skulls and colours, but behind the facepaint is a touching celebration that embraces everything that’s good about life – and death WORDS NICK BOULOS

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quincentennial celebrations, it’s a fitting time to join the party.

A stroll down Paseo del Prado is a great way to introduce yourself to the Habaneros’ way of life. Hazy afternoons along this promenade often stumble into long nights, and hours can be lost prowling through the bustling weekend art market.

Wander off track into Old Havana to discover some of the city’s most impressive sights: the art deco Bacardi Building and the Gran Teatro de La Habana, where prima ballerinas often perform to stagestruck guests. You’ll also spot

the white-domed El Capitolio, the renovated seat of Cuba’s national assembly and one-time scene of a diamond heist. A replica of the jewel (since recovered) is embedded inside the main hall floor.

Much of the city’s charm rests within its centuries-old colonial plazas. Admire Havana Cathedral, once described as “music turned to stone”, before pausing to sample the best mojito in town (according to Havanaphile Ernest Hemingway) at La Bodeguita del Medio bar.

Keep walking and you’ll find Plaza de Armas, the city’s oldest

square, peppered with secondhand booksellers. Swing by the Museo de la Ciudad, too, for a history of Havana inside a former colonial governor’s palace. Then, take in the mish-mash of Cuban baroque and art nouveau façades at Plaza Vieja, before winding through the harbour-facing Plaza de San Francisco, where a fountain of lions proudly holds court. Then follow your ears and spend your evening – and night – somewhere where the salsa is live and the crowd is livelier, and maybe find a story twist of your own.

1959

The year Che Guevara’s column of troops reached an unresisting Havana, effectively ending the Cuban Revolution. ¡Hasta siempre, Comandante!

IF YOU ONLY DO THREE THINGS

Hike round historic Havana

AWL Images; Shutterstock; Alamy; 4 Corners Images

THE TRUE SPIRIT OF

1

TAKE THE LONG ROOT

DRINK UP

GO BACK IN TIME

The Parque Almendares is the lungs of Havana. Wander or pedal through this urban oasis where trees hundreds of years old drape their vines across the land, creating the impression you’re cloaked by a thick green curtain.

The whizz of blenders whipping up Hemingway-approved daiquiris resounds at El Floridita.

Sidle up to the life-size statue of Havana’s hard-drinking ‘Papa’, who supposedly downed 13 double daiquiris in a single sitting.

Soak up Cuba’s glamorous history at the Hotel Nacional.

Overlooking the Malecón promenade, everyone from Frank Sinatra to ‘Lucky’ Luciano – who once held a mafia summit here – has passed through.

Away from the increasingly busy Isle of Skye, the far reaches of the Inner Hebrides offer a glimpse of a long-forgotten Scotland – of bullish wildlife, crumbling priories and splendid isolation…

WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHS GRAEME GREEN

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SECRET

NICARAGUA

150 Nicaragua’s island life

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NICARAGUA

Going with the flow in

VOLCANIC EDEN A land of contrasts, Nicaragua’s unhurried island life is a world away from its fiery volcanoes and history of pirates, rebels and dark legends

WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHS SARAH GILBERT

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Discover the land of mountains and Mughals

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