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Wanderlust (February 2020) • 50 new trips for 2020 + Patagonia + Canada’s Gulf Islands + China + Egypt • Pocket guides: Chiang Mai (Thailand) + Samarkand (Uzbekistan) + Novi Sad (Serbia)

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Arch nemesis São Jorge, Azores, Portugal

Photographer: Massimiliano Broggi To explore the coastal fajãs – lava landscapes – of São Jorge Island is to witness nature’s power writ large. The blackened basalt archways loom over the waves, a relic of the volcanic wrath that formed the Azores: not even a rosé sunset can soften this scene. To find the Arco da Fajã da Ribeira da Areia, follow the stone signposts from Ribeira da Areia, on the meandering path that leads down to the ocean. Here, a handful of houses teeter on the North Atlantic shore, home to a tiny community that lives betwixt lava rubble and pummelling waves. A rock and a hard place indeed. © Massimiliano Broggi/AWL Images

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VI E W FI N D E R

UPFRONT

“Wandering re-establishes the original harmony that once existed between man and the universe.�

Anatole France, author

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VI E W FI N D E R

UPFRONT

The light fantastic GraubĂźnden, Switzerland

Photographer: Roberto Moiola The 44km Maloja Pass is a tale of two halves: the high Swiss plateau of the Engadine, which is snow-laden long into summer, and the low, leafy valley of the Mera River. Between them lies a tarmac tangle of twists and turns, which drops almost 1,500 metres in altitude, before swooping through the lowlands to Chiavenna, Italy. The hairpins take just ten minutes to navigate, but oh what a ride: your knuckles will be as white as the peaks.

Terrifying or terrific? You decide. Š Roberto Moiola/ AWL Images

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50 BEST NEW TRIPS FOR 2020

50 BEST NEW TRIPS FOR 2020

Newly opened routes. Little-visited peaks. Expertly crafted itineraries. Only the freshest, most exciting journeys make it onto our list of the top picks...

Going for green

Chase the northern lights in Svalbard on an environmentally sustainable tour; (right) a waterfall at Rio Celeste

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NORWAY

Go green in the Arctic

ACTIVE ADVENTURES

As temperatures rise in the Arctic, it’s easy to see why ‘green’ travel is a subject high on the global agenda. But for those of you who still dream of seeing the northern lights in Svalbard, Off the Map Travel’s Truly Green All-Day Aurora trip lets you satisfy those desires in a sustainable fashion. Head to Longyearbyen and hop on e-snowmobiles powered by Arctic winds, let yourself be pulled under the aurora on a thrilling dog sled ride, and snowshoe into glittering ice caves. A trip right on the cutting edge.

Who? Off the Map Travel (0800 566 8901; offthemap.travel) When? Flexible dates from November 2020 to January 2021 How long? 3 nights How much? From £1,095 (excluding int’l flights)

COSTA RICA

Zip through wild Costa Rica £50 Squeezing maximum action OFF into a week-long break,

Shutterstock; Hurtigruten Svalbard Agurtxane Concellon

Exodus Edits – the new specialist for busy professionals – has created a rip-roaring adventure through the Rainforests & Restful Retreats in Costa Rica. You’ll brave white-water rapids on a Rio Celeste tubing trip, swoop through pristine jungle on zip lines and seek out sloths and tapirs on wild forest hikes – before flopping into the ⊲

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50 BEST NEW TRIPS FOR 2020 ⊳ Discover the newest ways

Scandinavian surprise

to encounter the most amazing creatures on our planet

Keep an eye out for bears – yes, bears – in the Swedish woods

SWEDEN

Sara Wennerquist

WILDLIFE WONDERS

Head on a bear hunt If you go down to the Swedish woods today, you’ll be sure of a big surprise. So few people know about the bear-rich Gävleborg region – even though it’s just a two-hour drive from Stockholm – they might as well be in disguise.

Best Served Scandinavia’s Bear Watching in Sweden tour is your pass to the country’s largest bear population, holing up in a hide for a glimpse. Complement your time in Sweden’s wild secret by hiking and kayaking through the woods and waters of Stilleben, or admire the UNESCO-listed crayon-hued cottages of Hälsingland.

Who? Best Served Scandinavia (020 7664 2241; best-served.co.uk) When? Selected dates from May to September 2020 How long? 3 nights How much? From £920 (including int’l flights)

INDIA

Get your tiger thrills in India India’s tiger numbers are on the up, so there’s no better time to go In Search of Tigers and spot the stripy stalkers on Hayes & Jarvis’s thrilling new trip through India’s best wildlife parks. If you choose to accept, your mission will begin in Bandhavgarh National Park, but you’ll also find yourself on a 4WD expedition through Kanha, Pench and Tadoba, to spy the royal Bengal tiger as well as antelopes, sloths and – if you’re lucky – leopards too. An Indian train journey between Agra and Katni is also on the agenda, ensuring that you don’t miss the iconic architecture of the Taj Mahal while passing through the parks.

Who? Hayes & Jarvis (01293 762 456; hayesandjarvis.co.uk) When? Flexible How long? 14 nights How much? From £3,699 (including int’l flights) ⊲

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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 encou a nter with 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 Proje g their number. Yet ct.

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 revered for to brightly paint 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

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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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Great & the good No less than two Ecuadorean leader s have called this working farm home

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MEXICO

SCOTLAND

EXPLORE THE NUMBERS

260 million

A LOCAL ICON

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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HAVANA

Havana good time

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

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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

Go Now

MEXICO

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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CHINA

Karst away

The Li River cuts through a calm, atmospheric landscape of unique limestone formations

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CHINESE whispers Go beyond the Great Wall and China’s buzzing capital, step back from the crowds and take it slow to discover a quieter side to this vast country WORDS MARGARET POLLITT

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Old vs new

The Grand Egyptian Museum is only 2km from the pyramids of Giza. Opening in 2020, the GEM building’s has been named the ‘fourth pyramid of Giza’ because of its design

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THE FOURTH PYRAMID OF

GIZA

We get a sneak peak at 2020’s most anticipated opening: the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza – the world’s largest archaeological museum WORDS DAMIEN GABET

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