Wanderlust 11 2020

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A MALTESE MEANDER Exploring Gozo at your own pace

BRECON BEACONSA short break in wild Wales

OFF-BEAT AMSTERDAM Capital delights. No crowds

TRAVEL MAGAZINE OF THE YEAR WINNER 2020

BRAVE NEW

WORLD Your travels

made possible

Travel WellTAKING

THE TILLERWe try a UK

narrowboating adventure

Why the old traditions are our new normal

wanderlust.co.uk November 2020 5The Original Travel Magazine, Est. 1993

When not investigating travel bubbles

for us (p62), Paul Bloomfield’s hiking

around his beloved south-west.

The exact moment that our digitalIceland event chattee William Grayrealised that he wasn’t really there.

UPFRONTTHIS ISSUE

Behind the scenesthis month...

Associate Editor Sarah gets into the

spirit of things at Gold Hill in Dorset

– site of the classic Hovis advert.

“So who’s at the tiller?” Wanderlust’sGlobal Technology Director Simongives narrowboating a spin (p52).

Welcome…

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Bubbles inPatagoniaSmall group toursmay be the wayforward for thetravel industry

4thingswe learnt

this month...

1 Facemasks are nota new invention –Japan was using an

equivalent way back in the 1600s (p49)

2 The island of Gozomay be small, butneolithic temples

were built here that dateback far further thanStonehenge (p76)

3 Forget Rio - theBrecon BeaconsNational Park has

its own Sugar LoafMountain (p93)

4 Canal bridges arenumbered, makinga useful navigation

aid when travelling by boat (p52)

NOTEWhile we try to ensure

the information inWanderlust is up to dateat the time of going to

press, please alwaysdoublecheck especiallyregarding country entry requirements.

What weird times. From week to week the story changes on where we can visit and when.Fortunately, some types of trip do lendthemselves to travel in the time of COVID-19.Canal boat hire companies are reporting

their busiest ever couple of months and, having had a try(p52), I can thoroughly recommend it. We have taken a look atthe other types of trip that are proving safe and popular too, as and when we can visit (p62).

Meanwhile, my wish list for next year is growing too. I’ve beento Japan before but digesting our Japan Trip Planner (p36)has made me realise just how much I want to back and explorefurther. Similarly, I itch to revisit Galle (p91) – and how have I not been to lovely Gozo (p76) yet?

I hate to mention the Christmas word, but we do have theperfect solution for you – see page 50 for details of how you canget our soon to be published Travel Quiz book when you takeout a gift. Or, if you’re not already a subscriber and want to give us a try, take advantage of our special 3-issue trial (p6).

Happy reading and dreaming,

Lyn HughesEditor-In-Chief/Co-founder

S P E C I A L O F F E R

Order online wanderlustoffer.co.uk/trial349Or call 01371 853 641 and quote offer TRIAL349

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wanderlust.co.uk November 2020 7

ContributorsWanderlust is brought to life by people from all over the planet. Here are some of the writers and

guides who’ve helped us to create this new issue – plus their encounters with kind strangers

UPFRONTTHIS ISSUE

Graeme GreenBritish breakAfter 15 years writingabout and photographing spectacular places –including the BreconBeacons on p93 –Graeme has foundedthe New Big 5 project(newbig5.com), aninternational wildlifeconservation initiative.Has he experienced thekindness of strangers?“I asked for directionsfrom a security guard inJapan who walked 10minutes with me to showme where I needed to go.”

Alison MonroeWriting comp winnerThe joint winner of our‘kindness of strangers’travel writing competition,Alice loves off-the-beaten-track adventures– she’s climbed a volcano and danced with theMaasai – and thenrelating them toher pupils at assembliesduring her day job:she’s a headmistress ata Kent primary school.Has she experiencedthe kindness ofstrangers? “Read all about it on p28.“

Rob GossJapan trip plannerTokyo-based writer Robhas been covering Japanfor 15 years. His recenttravels saw him head toYamagata, to train withmountain ascetics, andWakayama, to meet thecat that saved a railwayfrom bankruptcy. Read hisguide to Japan on p36.Has he experienced thekindness of strangers?“After visiting Sado Island’srice terraces at dawn,we met a fisherman whoinvited us for breakfast with his family.”

Dr Eireann MarshallThe knowledgeThe 2019 Top History &Culture Guide of the Yearat the Wanderlust WorldGuide Awards has beenguiding specialist toursthroughout Europe andAfrica for more than20 years. She sharesher tips on p97.Has she experiencedthe kindness ofstrangers? “I will neverforget two elderly men inKairouan who showed mearound their souk in orderto encourage tourists to return to their city.”

Paul BloomfieldThe future of travelA life of hiking, cyclingand kayaking around theworld has helped Paul toengage with destinations inhealthy, free-range fashion.That’s vital now that we’relooking to travel in ‘bubbles’– see how your next bigtrip could look on p62.Has he experienced thekindness of strangers?“The guy who put meon the right minibus toShwedagon Paya, Yangon,and also, unbeknown tome, paid my fare. That’sthe Burmese for you...”

Matthew FiggWriting comp winnerWhen he’s not entering– and winning – travelwriting competitions,you’ll find airline industryprofessional Matthewhalfway up a mountain,or exploring thelesser-known cornersof Europe and beyond.He has a particularinterest in post-Sovietstates and overlandtravel – especially vianight train.Has he experienced thekindness of strangers?“Read all about it on p28.”

8 wanderlust.co.uk November 2020

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This month on

Greatest travel experiencesThe definitive travel wish list, as chosenby the people most in the know – the incredible Wanderlust readers.wanderlust.co.uk/GreatestTravelExperiences

WIN!Win amazing trips withour exclusive onlinecompetitions atwanderlust.co.uk/

competitions

UK’s best autumn walksOur pick of the top UK walks for rustic hues, most ofthem short enough for a sunny autumnal afternoon…wanderlust.co.uk/AutumnWalks

Most haunted placesFrom ghostly castles to paranormal pubs,these ‘possessed’ destinations are sure tospook the most sceptical of travellers...Wanderlust.co.uk/MostHauntedPlaces

Discover AzoresRich in untamed beauty, warm hospitality,and everything from whale-watching toscuba diving, the Azores is the ultimate escape from COVID-19-era worries.Wanderlust.co.uk/VisitAzores

Surreal landscapes quizThese awe-inspiring natural wonderscould be from another planet – but doyou know your red rivers from your eeriecaves? Try your luck with our quiz.Wanderlust.co.uk/SurrealLandscapes


UPFRONTTHE WANDERLUST TEAM

THINK TRAVEL CONTENT MARKETINGLooking for high-impact travel content? Think Travel producescustomer magazines, supplements, digital content andinfluencer marketing for travel companies and organisations. For details, contact Chris Johnson([email protected]).

© Wanderlust Publications Ltd, 2020, ISSN 1351-4733Published by Wanderlust Publications Ltd, Capital House, 25 Chapel St,Marylebone, London NW1 5DH. All rights are reserved. Reproductionin any manner, in whole or in part, is strictly forbidden without theprior written consent of the publishers. All prices are correct at timeof press. No responsibility for incorrect information can be accepted.Views expressed in articles are those of the authors, and not necessarily the publishers. Wanderlust is a registered trademark.US distributionWanderlust, ISSN 1351-4733, is published monthly except May/June andJul/Aug combined issues and is distributed in the USA by Pitney BowesInternational Mailing Services Inc as mailing agent. Periodicals postage paid at Kearny, NJ and additional mailing offices.Contributions & work experienceFor details, please go to www.wanderlust.co.uk/about-usLicensing & syndication enquiriesBruce Sawford, Bruce Sawford Licensing ([email protected])PrintingWalstead Roche, Victoria Business Park Roche, St Austell, Cornwall PL26 8LX Newstrade distributionMarketforce (UK) Ltd: 0203 787 9001Circulation marketingIntermedia Brand Marketing Ltd: 01293 312001 Office binocularsSwarovski EL 8x32s

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In memory of Co-founder & Publisher Paul Morrison

EDITORIAL CONTENTEditor-in-Chief & Founder Lyn Hughes

Managing Editor Tom HawkerDeputy Content Editor Rosie Fitzgerald

Associate Editor Sarah RichesContributing Editors Phoebe Smith,

Mark Carwardine, Paul Goldstein & William Gray

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The Wanderlust PhilosophyWanderlust aims to inform and inspire allyour travel adventures. We strive to bring you the most trusted and reliableinformation in the world. That’s why weare always upfront about whether ourwriters have travelled independentlyor with a tour company. When a touroperator has been used, we always tryto use those who’ve scored a minimumsatisfaction rating of 85% from readers in our annual awards and we never guarantee positive coverage.Responsible, conscious and sustainabletravel is at the heart of everything we do.


Points of view 12 ViewfinderWith Saudi Arabia’s historic AlUla

region reopening, we have an

‘elephant-sized’ image to celebrate.

14 Your letters & photosYour tales and photos from the road.

98 The realwondersof the worldTake a wander around the other-

worldly landscapes of Wadi Rum.52

Contents

9862

Features &pocket guides52 Narrowboating UKClose to home and space to roam.

We send two narrowboat novices

to get to grips with one of post-

lockdown’s biggest trends.

62 Brave new worldAre you ready to enter the travel

bubble? Here’s how the world is

going to be travelling now...

76 GozoMalta’s oh-so-walkable little sister

makes for a great weekend getaway

– or that was the plan before ‘Gozo

Maybe Time’ (and some very chilled

stop-offs) got in the way.

91 Travel icon:Galle, Sri LankaWe take a wander around the

Portuguese, Dutch and local history

of this atmospheric fortress town.

93 British break: BreconBeacons National ParkOutdoor adventures, wild scenery

and charming Welsh market towns.

GozoMalta expert Juliet Rix

wanders around the

coastline – and gets happily

distracted along the way.

76PAGE

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JapanHere are five itineraries to

give travellers that

intoxicating mix of culture

and scenery that’s led

Japan to topWanderlust

readers’ must-visit lists.

36PAGE

Explore19 GrapevineThe latest travel news and trips.

20 Armchair TravelTV, Podcasts and books to fire

your travel imagination.

22 Go now: AmsterdamGet the canals, museums and

street food stalls of the Dutch

capital to yourself.

24 Opinion:‘Vegan Travel’How to balance sensitivities when

you’re on the move.

Discover88 Your travel tipsYou inundated us with fantastic

ideas to make our next Turkish

adventure extra special, from

where to eat to alternatives to

that air-balloon trip.

90 Just back from...On her first post-lockdown

adventure, reader Nandini

Chakraborty took in the highlights

of Italy – but making sure she did

them the Wanderlust way!

90 Your tales of...You tell us of your close-to-home

adventures, from garden wildlife

to unexpected marvels.

97 The knowledgeGuide, historian and lecturer

Dr Eireann Marshall gives us the

benefit of 20 years leading award-

winning tours around Africa and

the Middle East.

Amsterdam p22

Chile p68

Crete p26

Cyprus p26

Gozo p76

England p52

Italy p90

Japan p36

Namibia p64

New South Wales p74

Peru p69

Saudi Arabia p12

Sri Lanka p91

Syria p32

Tanzania p70

Turkey p88

Wales p93

This issue mapped20

26 Head to headCrete or Cyprus? They’re both

loaded with ancient history and

rare wildlife, but which of these

Med islands will tempt you?

28 Travel writing winnersWe set our readers a lockdown

challenge: 500 words on the

‘kindness of strangers’. Read the

winning entries here...

32 DispatchesJames McManus’s tale of crossing

the desert to Palmyra has been

hidden away for 100 years... until it

was rediscovered in lockdown.

22 88

26

Japan, p36

This issue’shighlights

Chile, p68

Brecon

Beacons

NP, 93 Turkey, p88

Gozo, p76

New South

Wales, p70

Namibia, p64Peru, p69

97

“Take a holiday from reality whenever you like, and come back without so much as a headache or a mythology.” Aldous Huxley, Brave New World

Golden archJabal AlFil, Saudi ArabiaPhotographer: Robert PolidoriVisitors to Saudi Arabia’s north-west AlUla region will quickly see for themselves why the Jabal AlFil rock arch is nicknamed ‘Elephant Rock.’ Seeing that trunk in person will become easier, with the region scheduled to reopen in October, letting people explore an area that contains sites such as the UNESCO-listed Nabatean kingdom of Hegra. To further tantalise your travel taste buds, a coffee-table book celebration of AlUla’s riches has just been released; AlUla (£695; Assouline.com) is a luxury bit of publishing, with exclusive photography from Robert Polidori and interpretive illustrations from artist Ignasi Monreal – an indulgent way to introduce yourself to gripping chapter of human history.© Robert Polidori

UPFRONTVIEWFINDER


UPFRONT POSTE RESTANTE

Your mail and missives, whether garden-chair emails or your first post-lockdown postcards: wonderful webcams, winning the quizzes, loving the local wildlife and much more...

[The Isle ofWight is] such

an underratedtourist spot forwildlife. The redsquirrels areincredibly tamearound myNan’s house.@LuceHall7

I absolutelyadore your

magazine.@kimmydenner-stardustsoul

We made surewe researched

before we bookedour elephantsanctuary trip inThailand... It wasthe best experienceof my life. I’d neverride an elephantand will always tellothers not to andshow them thereasons why if theydon’t believe me!@cosmicorder99

Genoa isgreat. It’s

the last placeI visited beforelockdown too...Chris Rose

Your letters SOCIAL TALK

@wanderlustmagwanderlusttravelmagazinefromtheroad@wanderlust.co.uk @wanderlustmag

Drop us a line with yourpics, thoughts, tips and

travel suggestions, and helpother travellers find their way

Star letterArmchair amazements“I’m so happy! Giraffe!” Two-and-a-half-year-old Fiona told her daddy,mimicking me, her great-aunt, onspotting a giraffe in South Africa onone of the explore.org webcams. Shewas sitting on my lap, mesmerised byelephants, zebras and gorillas.

I am a daily viewer of the AfricanWildlife streams, and the other nighta leopard crept towards a waterholewhile, as the cam panned back toreveal, a giraffe was drinking. Was theleopard preparing to pounce? Orwaiting to drink? It stopped, waited;the giraffe drank a few times andeventually sauntered off; the leopardcame down to drink. Phew!

My other favourites are watchingthe brown bears catch salmon inAlaska and the Panama bird-feedertable – I was one of the few who sawthe first-ever three-toed sloth caught on the Panama cam.

Thank you, Wanderlust, forincluding explore.org in an earlylist of how to travel in lockdown.These cams have given me dailyjoy and pleasure of sight andsound during all the months since March and will continueto do so.

“Aminals,” saysFiona, when I appear. “Sit on lap.”Hilary Hunt

A really wild lockdownThere are positive aspects to lockdown too! I live insuburban Inverness and we’ve had a hedgehog visitour garden [and] we know, from their poo, that they’rearound more often. We keep a note of all the birdspecies we see in our garden and noted how muchtamer they’ve become with no planes and less traffic.Roe deer, red squirrels, otters, pine martins and sealscan be seen in the middle of this city. Bryce Reynard

Let’s get quizzicalWe subscribed to your magazinebut also the newsletter. During thepandemic we thoroughly enjoyedyour quizzes, to the extent in factthat it became our new thing asa couple. There were weeks whenmy partner would ask: “Any newWanderlust quizzes sent yet?”

We started separately andcompeted against each other tocompare results, but more recently we’ve changed our tactics andteamed up to maximise ourchances of scoring higher. Thanks!Karolina SzostakSo glad you’ve enjoyed our onlinequizzes Karolina. Keep an eye out forour fabulous new quiz book; more details next issue. Ed

Wish I was there…A snap from summer 2019. Watchingthe elephants in the SheldrickWildlife Trust in Nairobi. Once a day,orphaned elephants are fed and thekeepers provide insights into thesewonderful animals. Daniel Musikant

Each month, the recipient ofour ‘Star letter’ award will wina versatile High UV with InsectShield Buff® – the ultimate travelaccessory (£22.50 RRP) – so be sure to get in touch…

WinBUFF® HEADWEAR


UPFRONTYOUR PHOTOS

”Hidden under Tintagel’s castle ruins liesa hidden beach, home to Merlin’s Cave and this waterfall.” Lani Wilkinson

”Forever climbing summits andchasing sunsets at (1,085m) Mount Snowdon.” Louise Wilde

So, where have you been recently? Send us pictures from your latest adventures, whether near orfar – tag us at #wanderlustmag on Instagram or email them to [email protected]

#wanderlustmag

”I took full advantage of sunny Sunday toexplore Castell Dinas Brân, overlooking the Welsh town of Llangollen.” Kiara Gallop

”One of our lunch spots while walkingin the Peak District, and feeling lucky theweather was on our side.” Nic Cummins

“Camping on the dunes with this view ofMonument Valley and watching the sun set and rise. Memorable!” Claudia Pinn

”A fantastic day walking around Hayling Island in Hampshire and visiting thesunflower farm.” Gunilla Roberts

”This is my eight-year-old son, Harris,with his grandad, Bryce, searching the sea for wildlife at St Abbs.” Jarrad Webb

”Enjoying the sunshine and views, whilewalking the 16km circuit around DerwentWater, the Lake District.” Lorna Roberts

“Admiring a Fistral Beach sunset afterour long walk along some of the South West Coast Path.” @paul_lemons


Explo eTravel news p19 | Armchair travel tips p20 | Column: vegan travel p24

Head to Head: Crete vs Cyprus p26 | Dispatches: 1920s road-trip to Palmyra p32

Shu

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Food | Culture | Adventure

Read the winning entriesfrom our lockdown travelwriting competition,

p28

Amsterdamon the quiet

Enjoy the quirky charmsof the Dutch capital, butwithout the crowds, p22

GO NOW

Coming soon...

Maldives • Japan • Western Australia • Costa RicaCheck online (or sign up for our newsletter) for further details

eventsreader

wanderlust.co.uk/events

Don’t miss out on ourvirtual travel events

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EXPLORE

The

Eurail has a new ticketingsystem that seems too good to pass up. Eurail and Interrailglobal passes have gonepaperless, and are nowavailable as an app. This means you can visit 33 Europeancountries without having tohunt for the paper ticket at thebottom of your backpack.

While you can buy the passfrom eurail.com and interrail.euup to 11 months before your trip,you needn’t choose your startdate until you’re ready to travel.Once you have the pass,download the Rail Planner appand add journeys beforeboarding a train, then show your mobile ticket to an inspector.

Hilod

i; Pan

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avid

Sear

What’s getting us talking at Wanderlust Towers

It’s never too late to join a freeWanderlustwebinar. Sign in to listen toexperts help you plan your next adventure or share tips with like-minded readers about a trip you’ve already taken. wanderlust.co.uk

In Portugal’s new wine district, it’s always vino o’clock.After five years in the making, the restored wine cellarsof Porto’s Vila Nova de Gaia have been transformedinto a wine quarter dubbed the World of Wine (WoW).

The neighbourhood’s now also home to sixmuseums and a wine school, as well as restaurants,shops and exhibitions: Porto Region Across The Agesdelves into Porto’s history, while The Wine Experienceexplains how climate and grape variety affect thefinished product. You can also enter a replica city tram,see a 7000BC drinking vessel and sample chocolateand – obviously – wine. We’ll drink to that. wow.pt

Be among the first to complete the King Alfred Way, a 350kmcycling trail around the ancient kingdom of Wessex. The routestarts and ends in Winchester, Hampshire – where the Anglo-Saxonking Alfred the Great is buried. You’ll then leave the road for gravelpaths and plains, pedalling past Stonehenge, Farnham Castle andIron Age hill forts. Look out too for the Neolithic-era Avebury stone circle and the Uffington White Horse Bronze Age chalk carving.

Semi pros who are a glutton for punishment can also ride alongthe North Downs Way, South Downs Way, Ridgeway or Thames Path, all of which connect to the new track. cyclinguk.org

KING OF THE HILLS

Wine and dine

Just the ticket

DATESFOR THE

DIARY

What’s not to like aboutGandy’s new SandWaxed Navigator DayBackpack? Made ofwater-resistant waxedcotton and map-embossed leather,and with multiplepockets anddetachable brasscompass, it’sdestined to bea travel classic. £55gandysinternational.com

Buy this!


EXPLORE ARMCHAIR TRAVEL

The Reza’s edgeA gripping cycle journey and an old favourite are entertaining us during thelonger nights... but a legend’s also here to give us a timely kick up the backsides

WATCH THIS AT HOME...

New faces and old legends have

been keeping us anchored to our

cosy armchair this month. First in

the saddle is Reza Pakravan,

whose adventures pedalling

from Europe’s most northerly

point to the bottom of Africa is

now a gripping four-part TV series

on Amazon Prime. Already an

excellent book, Kapp to Cape

sees the cyclist battle challenges

such as thieves, armed militias,

malaria and the increasingly

fractious relationship with his

touring partner, although his

greatest hurdle could well be

the internal conflict within him

as he finds himself torn between

wanting to explore and desperate

to set a new record.

Travel hero Sir Michael Palin

gets a well-earned four-part

retrospective with Michael Palin:

Travels of a Lifetime [BBC

iPlayer]. The series sees him

reflect on his four landmark shows

– Around the World in 80 Days,

Pole to Pole, Full Circle and Sahara

– with help dug out of his previous

unseen archives as well as some

famous friends, including Simon

Reeve, Joanna Lumley and

Sir David Attenborough.

The latter turns up twice on

our box this month, and neither

of the shows make for comfortable

viewing. The 93-year-old fronts

Extinction: The Facts [BBC

iPlayer], which poses a

stark warning of the

devastation humanity

is wreaking on the

planet; meanwhile

David Attenborough:

A Life on Our Planet

[Netflix] turns

a retrospective of

sorts – a ‘witness

statement’ as

he puts it – into

a another horrifying

indictment. Suddenly

that armchair

doesn’t look too cosy. Seam

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Happy slapperTravel Icon Sir Michael

Palin enjoys a career

retrospective; (top) Reza

on his epic journey


Without Ever Reaching the Summitby Paolo Cognetti£11; Random House

How did you celebrate your 40th

birthday? Well, armed with

a well-thumbed copy of The

Snow Leopard, Paolo Cognetti

decided to spend his by heading to the

Himalayan border between Tibet and

Nepal. The result is this impressive

account – and appreciation – of travelling

in the most epic mountain range on Earth.

Climate Emergency AtlasDorling Kindersley

If the recent Attenborough

shows haven’t slapped you

back to attention about climate

change, then this impressively

designed ‘atlas’ should do the job, using

clever graphics to highlight the dangers

facing the planet as well as the potential

solutions. And while this is aimed squarely

at ’tweens, truth be told, it’s an eye-opener

for the grown ups in their life too.

From a Wonky Path to an Open Roadby Janey de Nordwall£10; On The Road Publishing

Scotland’s wild west coast and

islands are the ideal place to

lose – and maybe also find –

yourself, which is why Janey

de Nordwall decamps there in her

VW Campervan for six weeks. Part-

travelogue, part-autobiography, this is

a moving, inspirational story for those

looking for a change.

AlUla£695, Assouline Publishing

With Christmas coming up –

we hope – here’s something

luxurious to gift the adventurous

traveller in your life; a beautifully

photographed, illustrated and produced

study of AlUla, the little-visited (and

soon-to-reopen) north-west Saudi Arabian

region that boasts millennia of history.

Readthis!

PODCAST PARADISE

It seems that people have gone colouring book

crazy while cooped up this year. We were a tad

sceptical until we saw a copy of Bradt’s new

Traveller’s Colouring Book (£10).

With over 60 illustrations of people, buildings,

wildlife and landscapes from around the world,

it truly is a book with a difference. Illustrated by

Varvara Fomina, you can flex your crayon prowess

on Djenne Mosque in Mali, a traditional Kyrgyz eagle

hunter, or Peru’s Rainbow Mountain.

As the publishers claim, “Mindfulness has never

been so enriching, inspirational or colourful”.

But we would add that it will give you itchy feet too.

Here’s therecent books

putting an itchin our walking

socks

FormerWanderlust contributing editor

Alastair Humphreys has triggered many

people to live a more adventurous life, such

as by taking microadventures. His Living

Adventurously podcast sees him talk to

ordinary people living extraordinary lives,

whether that involves travel or not.

The new second series features

people with a purpose, and with

Humphreys an intelligent and caring

interviewer, it makes for a thoughtful

and inspiring listen on topics you never

thought you would be into.

alastairhumphreys.com/podcasts/

Alastair’s inspirations

There’s been an explosion in virtual tours and experiencesduring the pandemic, and it feels as if we are still discoveringthe potential of them. AirBnB is now offering an ever widening range of online experiences such as meeting with a sharkexpert in South Africa, drinking sangria with Portuguese DragQueens, cook street tacos with a Mexican chef, or meditating with sleepy sheep in the UK (yes, seriously!).

Amazon’s now got in the act too, launching a series of virtual experiences that’s available to US customers only for now.Called Amazon Explore, it describes itself as ‘The World at YourFingertips’ as it offers a range of experiences that you can buy.

Look out too for independent guides and companies offeringvirtual experiences direct. Dr Eireann Marshall (p97) is one ofthe experts used by Prospettiva Art Tours to give live virtual tours and lectures. prospettivatours.com

GOING VIRTUAL


The Dutch capital is reopen for business, and this time without the crowds. Add inthe new Eurostar return train to London, and there’s never been a better time to go…

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Night lifeThe area around Amsterdam’s Keizersgracht canal lights up as evening descends

F ew travellers get to have Amsterdam ‘all to themselves’. Even locals struggle. But the

COVID-19 lockdown in the Netherlands unveiled a murky truth previously hushed: far fewer people live in the vibrant Dutch capital than you’d think – around 820,000 – not least compared to the some 20 million visitors who swarmed the city each year.

Post-lockdown, Amsterdam’s quietened streets are preparing for footfall, though a little less of it, at an easier pace. So, now could

well be your best chance to seize a hidden corner, spot a queue-less attraction or find a private oasis in a peaceful park.

Arriving into Centraal Station, the city unfurls before you, a sprawling web of 17th-century canals, cycling lanes, cultural relics and mauve-coloured houses. Opportunities for personal discoveries can be sought out by tram or on foot.

Head west to Jordaan – a district known for kitschy shops, modern restaurants, markets, brilliant brunch spots and the towering

Noorderkerk, as well as the Anne Frank House. It’s next door to the unusually empty De Wallen (red-light district) – a sight in itself.

To the east (oost), Oosterpark offers a breath of fresh air, and the multicultural Tropenmuseum, the offbeat former bathhouse Badhuis Javaplein and local outdoor markets cement the notion that east is always hippest.

Moving south (zuid), you’ll wander through the architecturally awe-worthy streets to the classics: the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, the Heineken Brewery in

De Pijp, and Vondelpark, a golden paradise for cyclists in autumn.

Whichever route you take, you’ll stumble across tucked-away bookshops, quirky antique galleries and street food gems – start small with poffertjes (mini pancakes) and kibbeling (fried fish bites). If finding your own piece of Amsterdam still feels futile, escape into nature instead. Most trains, trams and cycle paths will lead to the forest (Amsterdamse Bos), the beach (Blijburg and Zandvoort two of the best) or an idyllic windmill park (Zaanse Schans).

GoNow

for getting away from it all

THE DESTINATION:AMSTERDAM


AMSTERDAM EXPLORE

Getting thereMake the most of the Eurostar direct Londonto Amsterdam service,which from 26 Octoberincludes a direct returntrain. Weekend returntrips aren’t running at time of press, so treatyourself to a midweekbreak (though you canarrive in Amsterdam Sat to Sun). Journey takes around 4hrs; prices start from £40 each way.

9The number of streets

making up De 9Straatjes, a picturesque

neighbourhood foundbetween three of the

main canals –Keizersgracht,

Prinsengracht andHerengracht. It’s known

for its vintage storesand unique boutiques.

881,000I Amsterdam’s official

estimate of the numberof bikes parked in orwhizzing around theDutch capital. By the

time you read this, there will probably be

thousands more.

1887The year Dutch artist,

Vincent van Gogh began painting his Sunflowers

series; see one inAmsterdam’s Van Gogh

Museum, alongwith many of his

other works.

THE NUMBERS

A trio of offbeat outings in AmsterdamIF YOU ONLY DO THREE THINGS

HOP OVER TO HAARLEM

Around 10-15 minutes away by train, this small city offers the medieval Grote Markt, the cultural Teylers

Museum and Windmill De Adriaan, a working replica of an 18th-century

windmill, which peeks into Haarlem’s history via a guided tour.

ENJOY ELECTRIC LADYLAND

Billed as the first museum of fluorescent art, this one-of-a-kind attraction costs just €5 (a steal for

Amsterdam). Expect dazzling minerals, trippy paintings and

a unique art experience. electric-lady-land.com

BROWSE THE CITY ARCHIVE

Free to peruse, the Amsterdam City Archives are often empty, despite containing a host of

historic documents and Dutch treasures, all stored in a mosaic-

covered vault dating back to 1926. amsterdam.nl/stadsarchief/english

CULTURE & HORTICULTURE

EXPLORE DE PLANTAGEFurther embrace Amsterdam’s autumnal colours and nature by paying a visit to the petite neighbourhood of De Plantage. A short walk away from the city’s seedier side, you’ll find Hortus Botanicus, one of the world’s oldest and best botanical gardens. It requires an online ticket to enter (dehortus.nl) to see the Snippendaal medicinal herb garden, and the pretty Semicircle; together with the uber-modern Three Climate Greenhouse and collection of carnivorous plants, it all helps to make the Hortus cheerfully unconventional.

Search nearby for the hidden Zootje Sculpture Garden, packed with bizarre sculptures of neon dinosaurs and boxy robots, some said to be by Burkina Faso-born artist Papa Adama. Before you go, check out Micropia, the microbe museum, and the 130-year-old Waterlooplein flea market.

Is it difficult to travel vegan?


EXPLORE OPINION

The Conscious Traveller

Being culturally sensitive while travelling can be difficult if you’re vegan. Mark Stratton shares his experience of finding an ethical balance

I recently attended a kai-kai feast onBougainville Island in Papua New Guinea, arranged to honour a local man’snear-death escape from drowning.Observing such a rich cultural event isone of the reasons I travel, yet havingembraced a plant-based, vegan diet,I arrived to find a pig trussed up, ready tobe killed and cooked whole.

I knew turning vegan as a traveller with a penchant for the earth’s remotest corners would yield ethical andpractical dilemmas. I’d made mydecision on a number of grounds. As an animal lover, I’d increasinglybecome uncomfortable eatingsentient creatures. I had a medicalreason to overcome, which myplant-based diet has sorted. Andenvironmentally, livestock rearing isan accelerator for habitat destructionwhile methane from this sector is asdestructive atmospherically ascarbon emissions. This latter reasonis my attempt to take someresponsibility, or perhaps rebalancemy guilt, for my own sizeable carbonfootprint as a frequent flyer.

Thus far, travelling vegan has been an easier processthan I’d initially imagined. On Bougainville, ruralsocieties live an almost naturally meat and dairy-free diet.Fresh produce from their gardens is organic andabundant: sweet potatoes, cassava, pumpkin-top greens,yams and liberal amounts of coconut. They will eat fishseveral times weekly, caught locally by line from canoes,and occasional eggs from chickens, which roam freely. Insuch developing societies I wouldn’t dream of imposing my views on a local diet that is healthy and largely

cruelty-free. To be so judgemental would go against thegrain of being a travel writer, to be open-minded.

Yet seeing the pig waiting to be slaughtered, crystallised a dilemma of balancing my dietary choice withoutcausing cultural offence. I’d played out a scenariofrequently in my mind of how I might excuse myself frompartaking in meat without offending my host. I think backto occasions where standoffishness may have offended.I once interviewed a Rwandese genocide survivor who’dseen her entire family massacred before being raped andleft for dead. She invited me later to a special meal for

survivors where I was guest ofhonour. A goat was butchered,and I was offered the choice cut ofcooked entrails, while my fellowguests looked on.

In such context I couldn’t say no. Itwould be insensitive. I believe now ifsuch a similar scenario arose, despitemy conversion to veganism, I’d stillpursue a similar action. I also feela duty to remain open-mindedwhen food is a particularly significantcomponent of a story and if thatopens me up to the charge of being a‘part-timer’ or ‘flexitarian’, then so be it.

As it turns out, the pig was not killed during theceremony. Instead the village ladies prepared vegetabledishes like tama-tama, a cassava, banana and coconut-milk mash. I’d dodged the bullet of this decision, yet myrelief was tempered in the knowledge the unfortunate pigwould be slaughtered later. Travel presents many ethicaldilemmas and overcoming them, I believe, requires botha degree of pragmatism as well as cultural sensitivity.

Mark is a professional full-time travel writer and radiobroadcaster, as well as a regular Wanderlust contributor.

I a tore ded

particularly significantcomponent of a story


PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

TUNKU ABDULRAHMAN PARK“If you’re staying in the capitalcity of Kota Kinabalu, a day tripto ‘the islands’ just offshore isa must. Named after Malaysia’sfirst prime minister and coveringan area of 50 sq km, Tunku AbdulRahman Park’s abundant fauna,flora and marine eco-systemsare government protected.

“Spend your time snorkelling ordiving among the colourful coralreefs. Whether you’re a beginneror an expert, it’s worth bookinga guide. Downbelow has twoPADI 5 Star IDC centres that willtake you to sites only accessibleby boats and they know where tofind the most interesting marinelife, such as colourful clownfish

Park is popular for a reason. Thearea is diverse not just in faunaand flora, but in the numerousways to explore it. Embark onan hour long walk or spend threedays trekking. Relax at one ofthe local market towns or takeon Malaysia’s tallest peak,Mount Kinabalu (4,093m).

“To climb Kinabalu, book withone of the registered local traveloperators. They will take care ofthe logistics, obtain your permitsand advise you on how toprepare for the climb. Taking twodays and one night to complete,it’s certainly a challenge. But thejungle views from the sky-highaccommodation and from thesummit will make it all worth it, as will the starry night sky.”

DANUM VALLEY“At 130 million years old, theforest in Danum Valley is oneof the few places in the worldwhere visitors can experiencethe magnificent splendour ofnature in its original, unspoiledstate. Spanning 438 sq km andhome to the tallest trees in thetropics (some are over 90mhigh), the primary lowlanddipterocarp forest in the DanumValley supports several globallythreatened species including thepygmy elephant, orangutan,clouded leopard, flying squirrel,Malay civet, Bornean gibbon,slow loris and many more. Lookout for them on a guided jungletrek or for an extra thrillingoption, embark on a night walk.

“There are three lodges in theregion available to visitors.Borneo Rainforest Lodge offersfive star luxury whereas DanumValley Field Centre & Infraprooffer basic twin, dormitoryor camping options.

“Wherever you decide to spendyour time in Borneo, you’re in for a wild adventure.”

As the co-founder of Downbelow Marine & Wildlife Adventures,a specialist tour operator in Borneo, Joanne Swann knows a thingor two about Sabah. Here, she shares her top three places with us…

and turtles. Once back on dryland, hike the rainforest trailon Gaya Island to spy monkeys, an abundance of birds, wildboars and even pangolins.”

MOUNT KINABALU &KINABALU NATIONAL PARK“Fresh air, steaming hot springs,over 5,000 plant species and90 mammals: Kinabalu National

TOP TIP

If you’re planningon hiring a car, notethat Cyprus drives

on the left, Crete onthe right. Cyprus isalso warmer than

Crete, which is idealif you want to visit

beaches in shoulderseason, but less of a

boon if you want to hike.

AT AGLANCE

CyprusPopulation

1.2 million

Total area

9,250 sq km

Famous for

Beaches,

halloumi, Lefkara

lace, cats and the

1974 Turkish

invasion of

the north.

CretePopulation

636,000

Total area

8,336 sq km

Famous for

Beaches, olive oil,

Moni Preveli

monastery and

the ruins of the

Palace of Knossos.

CYPRUS CRETE


EXPLORE ISLAND LIFE

VERDICT: With olive groves and fruit orchards, mountains and forests, there’s a lot to like

on both of these islands – whether you’re a hiker, cyclist or birdwatcher. So it comes down

to this: do you want to spot a kri-kri or a mouflon?

These islands in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea are both blessed with

mountain ranges, intriguing wildlife and beautiful vineyards. But if you had to

pick just one to explore, which would it be?

All those mountains mean thrilling cycle

adventures across mixed terrain. Seasoned

cyclists can pedal a 62km route from

Deftera to Machairas Forest and Monastery

– but be prepared for a 15km uphill battle.

For an easier ride, take the 8km path along

the River Pedieos from Lakatamia to the

Presidential Palace in Strovolos.

MO

UN

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BIK

ING

Cypriots have been making wine for

5,500 years. The island is best known

for Commandaria (right), which is made

from indigenous red Mavro and white

Xynisteri grapes. The Commandaria wine

route connects 14 villages that produce the

dessert wine. As well as vineyards, along

the way you can see Cyprus’s biggest dam.

When it comes to wine, Cretans know what

they’re doing; archaeologists discovered a

wine press here that dates back 3,500

years. Indigenous grape varieties include

white Vilana and Vidiano and red Liatiko.

Join a tour to explore the island’s wineries,

most of which are in the north on the

outskirts of Chania and Heraklion.

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Cyprus has 52 designated trails, many of

which are in the mountain range. For a

challenging hike, climb 1,952m to the top of

Mount Olympus, the island’s highest point.

Alternatively, explore the lower Kyrenia

range (right) by the coast in the north.

A 230km signposted route runs along its

spine, through pine and eucalyptus trees.

Crete’s highest peak, the 2,456m Mount

Ida, is a UNESCO Global Geopark. As well as

incredible views, you can explore caves and

see fossilised coral and ancient volcanic

rock. Meanwhile, the west of the island is

home to a 16km gorge trail that winds down

through Samariá National Park, a UNESCO

World Biosphere Reserve.

HIK

ING

Head to HeadCyprus VERSUS Crete

If you have thighs of steel then tackle the

White Mountain range, a national park

with 30 summits over 2,000m. But there

are plenty of gentle routes at lower altitudes

too. Wind through valleys of orange,

lemon and avocado trees and along the

way you’ll pass traditional villages and

Byzantine churches.

Cyprus is home to 400 species of bird, most

of them migratory. In autumn, Egyptian

vultures and red-footed falcons soar above

the Troodos Mountains, while flamingos

(right) flock to the salt lakes in winter.

Meanwhile, conservation work has boosted

numbers of spiral-horned mouflon to 3,000.

Crete and a few of its islands are the only

places you can see a kri-kri, goat. But with

just 2,000 left, your best bet to see one is

to head into the White Mountains. Look out

too for the endangered bearded vulture

and Eurasian hoopoe, with its peachy punk

hairdo and zebra-striped wings.

WIL

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INE

Treasure islands(clockwise from top left)

Hikers tackle a trail in the

Troodos Mountains; Kolossi

Castle, near Limassol, was

the headquarters of the

knights of St John; a resident

of Samariá National Park;

the snow-covered Mount Ida

mountain range

CRETE

CYPRUS


TRAVEL WRITING

COMPETITION WINNERS

Our lockdown travel writing competition – on the ‘kindness of strangers’ – attracted hundreds of entries. After much deliberation, here are your joint

winners. Congratulations to both Alison and Matthew!

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EXPLOREWRITING COMPETITION

“R emind me againwhy we thoughtthis was a goodidea?!” I gasped,

kicking up a dense cloud of dustthat lingered ominously in theimpossibly still summer air. I turnedmy head, wiping thick beads ofsweat from my forehead and hopingto be rewarded with a view acrossthe red-tiled rooftops and delicateminarets of Prizren, the charmingsecond city of Kosovo. This hoperapidly crumpled into dismay, asI realised we hadn’t even brokenthrough the treeline.

My partner and I had arrived inthe city a few hours earlier, in themidst of a blistering Balkanheatwave. We now foundourselves barely a third of the

way up the steep path towards themedieval Kalaja Fortress, whosecrumbling walls tower overPrizren’s cobbled streets. Thesetting could hardly be morespectacular – the fortress faces offagainst the immense peaks of theSharr Mountains, and from groundlevel it looks deceptively close.

The disappointment at realisingthat we were nowhere nearreaching Kalaja was palpable.Despite the surrounding trees, thepath was somehow bathed in thescorching sun, and there wasseemingly no escape from the heat.Determined not to let our efforts goto waste, we pressed slowly on,gritting our teeth as groups of localchildren raced effortlessly past us.

Just as another false summitdashed our hopes that the end wasin sight, we turned a corner and sawa house standing in perfectisolation. There was nothingparticularly remarkable about it,we thought, until a voice calledout – in almost perfect English –from inside. The wrought irongate creaked aside, and outstepped an amiable-lookinggentleman, dressed in a casualcombination of flip-flops,

Balkan showersWORDS MATTHEW FIGG

Wit inghi d acro onthe hose and started

the flow of water

Looking up in KosovoKalaja Fortress looms

over Prizren; the stone bridge in Prizren old town

⊲

AWL;

Shut

ters

tock


shorts, and – appropriately for the sweltering heat – a colourful Hawaiian shirt.

We were a little bewildered to spot that he was carrying an industrial-sized garden hose in his muddy, leathery hands. However, our confusion quickly turned to overwhelming gratitude when, without so much as introducing himself, he flashed a crooked grin and started the flow of water, insisting that we cool ourselves off before even thinking about continuing our climb. This intervention could not have come at a more perfect time. The relentless heat had already taken its toll on our patience, and the hike was becoming an exercise in stubborn endurance rather than an enjoyable afternoon of exploring.

Our hose-carrying hero was so single minded in his determination to warmly welcome us to his city, and provide some much-needed relief from the baking sun, that we never did find out his name. However, our brief encounter provided us with far more than just an anonymous splash of water – we still look back on this as one of the most welcoming introductions that we’ve experienced on our travels. It hammered home the impact that even the smallest gesture can have on someone’s day, and we left with renewed energy for our final push to the fortress. It was, we were reliably informed, just around the next bend.

⊳


EXPLOREWRITING COMPETITION

T he Iban Longhouse in Malaysian Borneo certainly lived up to its name. The whole

community lived in one expansive space; individual family sections de-marked with handwoven reed mats and a cacophony of hanging pots, tools and well worn items of once-colourful clothing. Numerous small dogs, with surely the same family lineage, sprawled recklessly on the floor enjoying the warm shafts of sunlight that penetrated the shadowy interior.

The residents quickly arrived to welcome us, providing us with a short tour of their jungle home. Following this, we were invited to sit down on the floor and meet with some of the elders. Cross legged and waiting with anticipation, each member of the circle was given a mismatched glass to drink from and one of our hosts poured a large shot of clear liquid for each of us. Despite my reservations I joined everyone – including our Muslim guide – in knocking back my alcohol.

‘It would be impolite to refuse, and anyway, no one enforces the rules in the jungle,” he coyly offered in way of an explanation.

Welcome to the longhouseWORDS ALISON MONROE

The potent liquid, which transpired to be rice wine, burned the back of my throat, and my face evidently gave away my mild discomfort. Our hosts laughed heartily, most revealing mouths only half full of brown stained teeth. With only gestures necessary to convey his meaning, the man with the bottle offered us a top-up.

I politely declined but my husband thanked him with a returned smile and allowed him to fill up his glass. The beaming smiles spread around the circle, “They are happy because if you have another drink, then they can have one,” explained the guide. The happiness flowed.

Opposite me sat an apparentlyancient, wizened blind man whose

hand was constantly being held by his younger companion. The younger man spoke quietly to him, which served to keep him involved in the important occasion of receiving visitors and cracking open the rice wine. The aged man whispered something in to his friend’s ear, which was communicated back to us. He wanted to get to know us better, and please could he hold my hand?

Happily agreeing, I moved forward and held out my hand towards his. He grasped it firmly – the strength of his younger self having not completely left his grip. We held on longer than would usually feel comfortable with someone you don’t know, giving the opportunity for him to see with his hands. His chestnut brown skin felt rough and leathery, decades of physical work etched into the many lines and folds. I wondered what he thought of my hands, soft and smooth with long painted nails.

Maybe he was used to holding the hands of strangers during these wonderful welcomes that his community offered to its visitors? I hoped that it was as unique for him as it was to me.

W h ot n

feel comfortable

with a stranger

Life in the longhouse

Staying in the traditional homes of

the Iban people provides an insight into Sarawak lives; (left) view from the

Kalaja Fortress


I n the depths of lockdown, when we could only dream of travel, the chance-find by my mother-in-law of a bundle of papers wrapped around

a handful of black-and-white photos opened a door to a whole new world. The yellowing typewritten pages captured the recollections of her father-in law, James McManus’s, 17-hour trip across the Syrian desert, from Baghdad to Palmyra.

What made it truly fascinating was the fact this journey was taken in the 1920s. A civil engineer, James travelled from his home in Paisley, Scotland, to live in Iraq; reading his words and seeing his photographs felt like stepping into a time machine. Family treasures uncovered during lockdown don’t come much better than this. James wrote in the present tense and captured the sights and voices of the desert road trip. We’re right there, standing beside him as he points out tombs, colonnades of stone columns and considers their history.

Palmyra was devastated when ISIL took control of the area, their attempts to destroy the site described by the UN as a war crime. Now the Syrian government is restoring the UNESCO-listed site. I’d like to think James would have approved.

Here are his memories …

“Halte, stop. Nouvelle Palmyre.” To the weary and dust-stained traveller approaching Palmyra from the desert, these signs are welcome. Palmyra at last.

Only 17 hours before, the lights of Baghdad, 725km away across the Syrian desert, winked farewell. Powerful touring cars with running boards laden with baggage almost to the height of the hood, travelling all through the night and a great part of the next day, had spanned the barren expanse of desert.

An uneventful journey, it is only when watches indicate that Palmyra should be on the horizon there is any interest. Every distant mound is the subject of speculation until, at last, the sun on its western course throws into relief a dark, irregular shape, which very slowly resolves into patches of light, shade and straight lines recognisable as buildings.

“Palmyra,” says the Syrian driver, “half hour.”

Turns and twists through the narrow streets of New Palmyra, a French-Arab town, allow occasional glimpses of the ancient city beyond. A sharp turn to the right past a police post and there it lies – Queen Zenobia’s famous city, lonely yet magnificent even in the chaos of its ruins.

The Palmyra of old may have been named the City of Palms but there are few palm trees nowadays. One sees it as a veritable city of columns. They cover the area in reckless confusion. Some rear proud heads 12 or 15 metres in the air, as erect as the day they were set up 17 centuries ago. Those upstanding bear marvellously, but precariously, enormous stone blocks, which span from column to column.

ful traveller, the y across the s up visions

of the old caravan route

Angela McManusJames McManus’s journey across 1920s Syria has been gathering dust for nearly a century – until a lockdown tidy-up uncovered them. Here, we print James’s thoughts as he crossed the desert...

On the road to Palmyra

CORRESPONDENT REPORT

Hundreds, alas, lie prone, the weathered yellow stone giving some semblance to huge cornstalks, as if a giant reaper had been at work. In this barren desert there is no lichen, moss or clinging ivy to cloak the nakedness of the ruins and time has dealt out uneven treatment. The yellow stones are pitted and scarred by the violent blasts of prevailing sandstorms. In many places the delicate carvings are as sharp as the day they were cut, while in others they are completely eroded.

Built into each column is a bracket that originally carried a statue. These were erected to honour those who, braving the perils of the desert, led the wealth-laden caravans safely from India and Persia. Every such successful venture brought wealth and renown to Palmyra and its commemoration in stone also, materially, helped to build the city.

The number of columns has never been computed, but some indication of Palmyra’s success in trading may be gained from the statement of ⊲

EXPLORE


DISPATCHES

Postcard from the past“A city of columns.” And so begins James McManus’s 100-year-old account of his journey to Palmyra, discovered during lockdown


EXPLORE DISPATCHES

a French surveyor working on thesite that there were 1,500 columns inthe kilometre-long Grand Colonnadealone. Out of all the chaos, the GrandColonnade still stands.

Viewed from the Arc de Triomphe,the eye travels from column tocolumn - now upright, now fallen– with the gaps scarcely noticeablefrom this viewpoint to where, overa kilometre away, a French militarypost crowns the highest of the range of hills under the shelter of whichPalmyra nestles snugly.

The eye travels back to where, at thefoot of the hills and extending intoa valley to the left, stand the square-built tomb towers, each of which musthave been six or seven storeys high,where the dead of Palmyra wereburied. Most tombs have collapsed, butabove the shroud of mist rising fromthe sulphurous springs in the valley,some stand out – dead reminders ofPalmyra’s living greatness.

Behind and to the left are the ruinsof public buildings, including themarketplace and the great temple toworship the Sun God. The same sunthat has witnessed all the splendours ofthe ancient city but now lights only an abandoned stage.

To the thoughtful traveller, thejourney of 17 hours across the desertfrom Baghdad to Palmyra conjures upvisions of the old caravan route andbrings realisation of the reasons forPalmyra’s existence.

The caravans counted the risingand setting of the sun 21 times beforenearing Palmyra. One can visualisethem plodding on, and ever on, tothe west; the slow, deliberatelystepping camels and the jerky,

trotting mules laden with bales ofvaluable merchandise, gold andprecious stones. The great silence ofthe desert broken only by the soft pad,pad of the hoofs and the tinkle of thebells round the animals’ necks.

Day after day, jogging along in thegreat heat of the desert. Night afternight, huddled around the campfirein the shelter of piled-up bales ofgoods, for the desert nights can bebitterly cold. Day and night, thenever-ceasing vigilance to guardagainst not only the natural dangersof the desert but the possibility ofattack by marauding tribes.

One can imagine with what joythe first sight of the Palmyra hillswould be welcomed. The anxietiesand sleepless watchfulness wouldsoon be over. The dawn of anotherday would see them safe in the desertcity. Then the triumphant procession of the caravan down the longcolonnade to the acclamation ofthe citizens, past the statues in honour of those who hadpreviously accomplisheda similar task or perhapsdied in the attempt.

These were the men who built the splendour ofPalmyra and broughtuntold wealth to QueenZenobia. Her city became

the trading centre of the East; herpeople the recognised carriers ofmerchandise between India or Persia and the Mediterranean.

Zenobia’s lust for power wasinsatiable and she sought to throwoff the shackles of dependency onRome and found an empire of herown. For a time she reigned asQueen of the East but the might of the Roman Emperor, Aurelian,shattered her dreams.

So long as Palmyra was in thethroes of war, trade caravans avoidedit and established safer routes. Thisled to the city’s decay and now itstands a lonely, pitiful ruin.

The strong light of the sun on theyellow columns turns the scene togold, as if in mockery of the ruins,as the car proceeds towards the gapin the hills which leads to Damascus.Then on through the valley wherethe silent tomb towers, like ghostlysentinels, watch the travellerdepart this city of the dead, whileoverhead the same sun theyworshipped vaunts its eternalexistence, emphasising the futility ofman and the mercilessness of time.

t of the sun on e columns

e to gold, as if in mockery of the ruins

⊳

Standing proudThe great court, enclosing-wall and colonnades ofPalmyra’s Temple of Bel –now sadly ravaged by ISIL

TRIP PLANNER

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g oo ss, ccuulttuuurrreee eenneeerrry......WW RDRDS ROR BB SS

Reflecting on JapanMount Fuji undulates

on the surface of Lake Kawaguchi


JAPAN

SOUTH

KOREA

NORTH

KOREA

RUSSIACHINA

Miyake Island

OKINAWA

HOKKAIDO

HONSHU

KYUSHU

SHIKOKU

OshimaIsland

YakushimaIsland

S e a o fJ a p a n

E a s t C h i n aS e a

P A C I F I C

O C E A N

Mount Fuji

NP

Tokyo

Nikko

YokohamaFuji

KobeHiroshimaOkayama

KumamotoNagasaki

Fukuoka

Kitakyushu

Kagoshima

Naha

Osaka

Kyoto

Kushimoto

Sendai

FukushimaNiigata

Akita

HachinoheAomori

Sapporo

Hakodate

Muroran

Tomakomai

Otaru

Abashiri

Kitami

KushiroObihiro Nemuro

Wakkanai

Dewa SanzanTozawa

Nagoya

Inuyama

Takayama

Kanazawa ShinhotakaRopeway(cablecar)

0 150km

About halfway

up the 2,446

stone steps

to the shrine

atop Mount

Haguro, I was

closing in

on peak grumpiness. It was

bad enough, I remember

chuntering to myself, that I was

essentially hiking in fancy dress;

even worse that passers-by kept

taking photos of me.

I was in Haguro to experience

life as a yamabushi, the ascetic

hermits that for in excess of

1,000 years have used the Dewa

Sanzan mountains in Japan’s

Tohoku region as the focal point

of Shugendo, a religion that

blends Buddhism, Shintoism,

surroundings

and, after a few

deep breaths the inner

dialogue had gone, replaced by

a sharpened sense of the

woods; the rustling of leaves and

chirping of a bird; the cooling

sensation of a light breeze on

the clothing stuck to my back.

I’d been tricked into the now.

Later that day, we’d be

meditating under a chilly

waterfall in flimsy loincloths,

then jumping over fires as part

of a ritual of rebirth the classic

yamabushi experiences. But

standing in the calm of the

woods on Mount Haguro will

rattle around my memory long

after the embarrassment and

thigh ache faded. Pure peace.

Taoism, and

pre-Buddhist

mountain worship. I was

dressed all in white in a happi

coat, split-legged trousers and

tabi shoes and I was being led

by a veteran yamabushi, my

sensei for a couple of days.

Our hike was all about

disconnecting and being

mindful of the now. But for at

least 1,000 of those stone steps

I was anything but mentally

unburdened, just painfully

self-conscious, preoccupied by

deadlines waiting for me back in

Tokyo, and uncomfortable in the

lingering late-summer heat.

Then something happened.

My sensei brought us to a halt so

we could silently take in our Sh

utt

ers

toc

kPrevious

AW

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Dressed for Dewa

(clockwise from this) Yamabushi

priests arriving to Mt Haguro, one

of the three sacred Dewa

mountains; Yamadera Temple,

Yamagata Prefecture, during

autumn; Oirase in summer

JAPAN


JAPAN

H O K K A I D O

H O N S H U

P A C I F I CO C E A N

S e a o fJ a p a n

Mount Takao

Mount Fuji

Towada HachimantaiNP

Tokyo

Nikko

Yokohama

FujiKyoto

Sendai

Iwaki

Fukushima

Yamadera

Niigata

Akita

Matsushima

Hachinohe

Hiraizumi

Aomori

Hakodate

Dewa Sanzan

Kakunodate

Tozawa

Nagoya

Kanazawa

Kamikochi

Hakone-YumotoStation

ShinhotakaRopeway(cablecar)

0 100km

north from Tokyo to Sendai

(Tohoku’s largest city), a good

base for visiting the islet-

studded Matsushima Bay and

the mountaintop Yamadera

temple two of the Tohoku sites

that inspired the 17th-century

haiku poet Matsuo Basho’s now

seminal book, The Narrow Road

to the Deep North.

Continuing north on a similar

route to Basho, visit the UNESCO-

ROUTE: Tokyo • Sendai (with

side trips to Yamadera and

Matsushima) • Hiraizumi •

Tono Valley • Hachinohe •

Aomori • Kakunodate •

Tozawa • Dewa Sanzan

WHY DO IT? One of Japan’s

least-visited regions, Tohoku

offers coastal and mountain

views, a taste of rural life and

opportunities to immerse

yourself in tradition.

Stretching from just beyond

Tokyo to the cool far north of

Japan’s main island, the Tohoku

region has long had a reputation

for being remote and

mysterious a place with harsh

winters, rugged mountain

ranges and windswept coasts.

Nowadays, although easy to

get around by train, the region

still remains under-visited by

overseas travellers.

For your first stop, take the

Tohoku Shinkansen (bullet train)

The Tohoku regionBest For: Outdoor activities, nature, traditional culture and folklore, and historic sites

listed temples of Hiraizumi, before

a night in the Tono Valley, a lovely

spot for a slow bike ride through

rice paddies and farmland, as

well as being home to folkloric

tales like that of the Kappa,

a mysterious water dweller with

a naughty habit of dragging

people into streams and ponds.

The next stop is Aomori, the

northernmost of Tohoku’s six

prefectures (akin to counties),

for a night in the port city of

Hachinohe and to hike a little of

the scenic Michinoku Coastal

Trail. Built as part of the

recovery effort after the 2011

earthquake and tsunami, the

trail runs almost 700km from

⊳

⊲

Hachinohe down to Fukushima

but is broken into dozens of

easy to tackle segments.

After Hachinohe, head inland,

although exactly where you

head to next comes next really

depends on the season: the

Oirase Gorge is especially

attractive when dressed in

autumnal colours; Mount

Hakkoda is one of many skiing

options in Tohoku in winter; Lake

Towada is ideal for summer

kayaking; while parades of giant

illuminated floats make the

annual Nebuta Matsuri in Aomori

City one of Japan’s most

photogenic summer festivals.

On the return leg south from

Aomori, drop by the town of

Kakunodate, where weeping

cherry trees line streets of former

samurai residences (best seen

late April-May for the blossom),

then continue into Yamagata

Prefecture for a homestay in the

rice-farming village of Tozawa.

There, you are on the doorstep of

the sacred Dewa Sanzan

mountains, so as a final stop you

could try yamabushi body and

mind training for a day or two

or just enjoy the scenery before

heading back to Tokyo.

JAPAN


ROUTE: Osaka • Kyoto •

Koyasan • Kii Peninsula

(Kumano Kodo/ Kumano

Sanzan/ Shirahama/ Kushimoto)

WHY DO IT? To explore Japan’s

high-octane second city, soak

up traditional vibes in the

former capital Kyoto and hike

the ancient pilgrimage trails of

the Kumano Kodo.

The diverse Kansai region is the

cultural and political heart of old

Japan. Its people are proudly

different more direct, happy

to make a deal and driven by

H O N S H U

S H I K O K U

Kobe

Okayama

Osaka

Kyoto

Koyasan

Shirahama

Kushimoto

Nagoya

Inuyama

Gero Onsen0 50km

The Kansai regionBest For: Cities, historic sites, local cultureand cuisine, landscapes, outdoor activities

their stomachs, according to

Japanese stereotypes.

As Kansai’s largest city, Osaka is

the region in microcosm. Visit its

namesake castle for insight into

the cty’s historical roots; wander

neon-lit Dotonbori or Shinsekai

at night to soak up the outgoing

Osakan vibes; and try the

local street food the

takoyaki (battered octopus balls),

lathered in a sweetish savoury

sauce, is an Osakan classic.

Things are very different at the

next stop, Kyoto, Japan’s capital

for more than 1,000 years until

Tokyo took over the mantle in

1868. The city is accented with

numerous cultural and spiritual

reminders of its past, such as

the gilded temple of Kinkakuji;

the rows of red torii gateways at

Fushimi Inari; the Gion ‘geisha

district’; and the less-heralded

moss garden of Saihoji. Have at

least a few days here to tick off

the must-sees and also to

slowly stumble upon quieter

Kyoto moments.

Then, head south to Mt Koya

aka Koyasan home to the

Shingon sect of Buddhism since

the monk Kobo Daishi founded

a temple in the mountainside

woods here in the ninth century.

Nowadays there are more than

100 temples and monasteries

clustered around Kobo Daishi’s

original compound, and an

overnight trip here means staying

in one of them; in the process

taking part in the temple’s

morning rituals and trying the

monk’s shojin ryori vegan cuisine.

After Koyasan, spend two-to-

three days further south

exploring the Kii Peninsula. In

Shirahama on the peninsula’s

west coast are beaches,

oceanside hot spring baths and

ryokan inns. At the southern tip,

Kushimoto has sea kayaking,

diving and stand-up paddle-

boarding. But the highlight are

the UNESCO-listed Kumano

Kodo pilgrimage trails that

weave through Kii’s mountainous

interior pathways that have

connected the three grand

Kumano Sanzan shrines for

a thousand years.

EXPERT TIPVisiting temples, shrines,

inns and even some

restaurants often involves

removing your shoes. Bring

footwear that’s easy to get

on and off.

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Red rambleThe vermillion pathway

of torii gates at the

Fushimi Inari shrine in

Kyoto; Osaka Castle;

Dotonbori, Osaka


Miyake Island

H O N S H U

Oshima Island

Mount Takao

Mount Fuji

Tokyo

Nikko

KamakuraYokohama

Fuji

Shizuoka

MagomeTsumago

Gero Onsen

Takayama

Kamikochi

Hakone-YumotoStation


0 50km

ROUTE: Central Tokyo • Sidetrips to Kamakura, Takao, Nikkoand Hakone • Izu IslandsWHY DO IT? To experience thecapital’s sometimes-chaotic mixof modern and traditionalculture, then visit Mount Fuji, theIzu Islands (and more) for acalmer side of Japan.

Home to 14 million people, whoat rush hour seem to all be onthe same subway, Tokyo deliversall the crowds and colour youmight expect – outrageousyouth fashions and neon-drenched districts included –but with old-fashionedneighbourhoods, mountainranges out west and even anisland chain, there are manyother sides of Tokyo to discover.

To start, give yourself a fewdays to explore youthfulShibuya, chic Omotesando,perpetually hectic Shinjuku,and other iconic areas, but alsomake time for less-visiteddistricts like Yanaka, a slightlybohemian part of the eastside,where narrow alleys are home

Tokyo & Kanto regionBest For: Big city vibes; traditional culture; nature; an all-round experience of Japan

to retro stores, contemporarygalleries and small cafés.

Then branch out. While basedin central Tokyo, the rail networkgives access to a bunch of daytrips: for UNESCO-listed templesand shrines, as well as the famousGreat Buddha statue, spenda day in the 13th-century capitalKamakura; for hiking head toMount Takao or the quieter trailsof Tanzawa-Oyama Quasi-National Park. If you wanted anovernight trip from the city, Nikkoto the north is home to the UNESCO-listed Toshogu Shrineand Lake Chuzenji, while westof Tokyo you can get up-closeviews of Mt. Fuji from the traditional inns and soothinghot-spring baths of Hakone.

All of those will be well coveredin your guidebook, but Tokyo’s IzuIslands don’t tend to get as muchpress. There are seven to choosefrom: one fun trip is to take theovernight ferry to Miyakejima,180km south of Tokyo, whereyou can hike volcanic landscapes and see birdlife likethe indigenous Izu thrush.

Cherry on top(clockwise from this) The iconic cherry blossom floats in front of the equally iconic Mt Fuji; neon Tokyo and its Shibuya Crossing, one of the busiest crosswalks in the world; Kamakura’s Great Buddha

⊲

JAPAN


DID YOU KNOW?Japan experiences morethan 1,500 earthquakes

a year. Most are minor, butthe 9.1-magnitude quakeoff Tohoku in 2011, which

claimed 18,000 lives, was thefourth largest ever recorded.

MUST EATVegetarians and vegans

don’t always have it easy in Japan, but with shojin ryori there is an opportunity to try beautifully arranged,

traditional Japanese cuisine free of meat and fish.

EXPERT TIPIf you’re planning on moving

around during your stay, a Japan Rail Pass will usually

pay for itself. There are 7-, 14- and 21-day versions

available. japanrailpass.net

AWL;

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DID YOU KNOW?Japan is made up of 6,852 islands, of which just over

400 are inhabited, and some of those are celebrated for

particular quirks: Naoshima and nearby islands in the Seto

Inland Sea are known for contemporary art; people visit

Okunoshima in Hiroshima to see the thousands of friendly

wild rabbits; similarly, there are a dozen or so ‘cat islands’ –

such as Aoshima – that are inundated with felines.

Shaping the angle(clockwise from this)

Taking in the view from

the Tatami-ishi rocks

on Kumejima island,

Okinawa; hot-spring

onsen in Beppu,

Kyushu Island; local

phenomenon Kumamon

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JAPAN


the hot springs (onsen) that dot

the country. On the coast south

of Kagoshima city, Ibusuki has

plenty of those onsen baths, as

well as ryokan inns for a night’s

traditional accommodation and

sand baths, if you fancy being

buried up to your neck in

steaming hot sand to improve

your skin and circulation.

Like sand baths, the next

stop won’t be for everybody.

Sub-tropical Yakushima Island

is so humid and wet that locals

say it rains 35 days a month.

However, the ancient cedar

forest that covers the

mountainous interior is

a primeval place to hike

somewhere that could have

come straight from Tolkien.

What comes after is much less

strenuous: Okinawa. On the

main island, check out Cape

Manzamo for winning sunsets

and the network of Second

World War tunnels at

Tomigusuku. Also try Okinawan

food, which as well as great

seafood includes stewed pig

trotters, sliced pig’s ear and

a bitter melon-tofu-pork stir fry

called goya champuru.

Finish this trip with a few days

hopping around Okinawa’s

idyllic Yaeyama Islands, Japan’s

most south-westerly point;

situated closer to Taiwan than

they are Tokyo. The islands are

diverse Ishigaki has cobalt bays

and white beaches; Iriomote is

covered in jungle; sleepy

Taketomi has villages where

the traditional stone bungalows

are capped with red-tile roofs

and shisa statues sit outside to

fend off evil; meanwhile

Yonaguni has wild ponies and

scuba spots where, during

the winter, divers can swim

with hammerhead sharks.

ROUTE:Kumamoto•Kagoshima•

Yakushima • Okinawa Honto •

Yaeyama Islands

WHY DO IT? The island of

Kyushu, the most westerly of

Japan’s central islands, is

another of the country’s

less-visited regions one where

Japan’s geothermal activity is

frequently on display while

Okinawa is Japan’s version

of an island paradise

Begin your time in

Kyushu with

Kumamoto, which in

Japan is arguably

most known

nowadays for its

unbelievably

popular local

mascot,

a black bear

known as

Kumamon.

You’ll see the

rosy red-cheeked

character on

Kyushu & OkinawaBest For: Laidback regional cities, volcanoes and hot springs, and sub-tropical islands

JAPAN

SOUTH

KOREA

O K I N A W A

K Y U S H U

S H I K O K U

YakushimaIsland

E a s t C h i n a

S e a

P h i l i p p i n e

S e a

P A C I F I C

O C E A N

Hiroshima

KumamotoNagasaki

Fukuoka

Kitakyushu

Kagoshima

Naha

Koyasan

Kushimoto

YaeyamaDistrict

0 150km

posters and products

everywhere Kumamon’s

a billion-yen industry whether

that’s visiting the reconstructed

Kumamoto Castle, strolling the

traditional landscaped garden of

Suizenji Jojuen or heading out of

the city to hike the active

volcano that is Mount Aso.

You might even see Kumamon

in some souvenir shops

when you move on to

neighbouring

prefecture Kagoshima,

where one of the major

attractions is another

hike-able volcano

Sakurajima, which

frequently puffs

out smoke.

One benefit of

Japan’s high

levels of

geothermal

activities,

besides

photogenic

volcanoes, are

⊲

JAPAN


ROUTE: Nagoya • Inuyama •Magome and Tsumago •Gero Onsen • Takayama •the Japanese Alps • KanazawaWHY DO IT? For well-preservedtowns and castles, impressivelandscapes in the Japan Alps, andKyoto-like traditions – but without the Kyoto-like crowds.

The city of Nagoya doesn’t sithigh on most people’s ‘must-visit’ lists, but the Chubu region’slargest city is more than wortha day of exploring – there’sa reconstructed castle, Toyota’sslick science museum, and thevenerable Atsuta Shrine – said tohouse an imperial relic called the‘grass-mowing sword’ that onlythe emperor and a select few priests may ever see.

But Chubu, a group ofprefectures situated betweenTokyo and Kyoto, really comes into its own when you go

The Chubu regionBest For: Traditional culture and crafts, castles,historic streetscapes, hot spring baths, nature

beyond Nagoya and explore theregion’s past. First stop to do thatis the town of Inuyama just northof Nagoya – home to a 500-year-old castle (pictured below).From here, head to theNakasendo, the ancienthighway connecting Kyoto andEdo (now Tokyo), and stay thenight at a rustic inn in Magomeor Tsumago, two well-preservedNakasendo staging post towns.The several-hour walk betweenthe two towns is a lovelycountryside stroll.

Next, actually soak up someculture in the hot-spring town ofGero Onsen, which is home toopen-air public baths surroundedby mountains and traditionalryokan inns – there you’ll stay intatami-mat-floored rooms andbe served kaiseki ryori dinners that feature aprocession of small,in-season dishes.

H O N S H U

Mount Fuji

Fuji

ShizuokaKyoto Nagoya

Inuyama

Magome Tsumago

Gero Onsen

Takayama

Kanazawa

Kamikochi


0 50km

A couple of hours north of Geroby express train, have a night ortwo in Takayama, a city that,pre-COVID-19, felt on the vergeof being swamped by touristsbut nonetheless has intriguingold quarters and morningmarkets. It’s also a good base forday trips into the Japanese Alps,where you can take theShinhotaka Ropeway into thejagged peaks for summer hikes or snowshoeing in winter.

The final stop is the city ofKanazawa, on the Sea of Japan

coast, a less-crowded alternativeto Kyoto for anyone wanting todelve into Japan’s traditional arts,crafts and sensibilities. TheKenrokuen garden here, with itslarge central pond, landscapedfeatures and teahouses, isconsidered one of the finest inJapan, while the old woodenbuildings of the Higashi Chayageisha district are a charmingthrowback that now house cafes, sweet shops, and storesspecializing in Kanazawa’s gold-leaf crafts.

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JAPAN

1Wearingmasks

From Hello Kitty toPokémon designs,face masks havelong been part ofJapanese culture.The act of covering themouth began in the 1600s,to prevent worshippers’bad breath from desecratingreligious rituals. Face masks wentmainstream during the Spanishflu in 1918 and continue to becommonplace, as it’s not the donething to blow your nose in public.

2Cleaning culturePurification and cleanliness

play a big part in Shintoism andBuddhism, which is why you’ll seeworshippers washing their handsand mouth before entering a Shintoshrine. But cleansing customsaren’t just limited to faith. Swappingshoes for slippers when enteringsomeone’s home or a ryokan issecond nature to Japanese people.Locals wash pavements and collectlitter, too, while children cleanschools as part of the curriculum.

3BathingJapan has more onsens (hot

springs) than any other country,but soaking in one isn’t just aboutgetting physically clean – it’s aboutcleansing the soul, too. Spiritualpurification is important to theJapanese, which helps explain whysalt is sprinkled outside restaurantsand around sumo rings, or whyShinto practitioners stand undercold waterfalls. When visiting an

onsen, remember to scrub yourself clean before getting in.

4BowingIn times of COVID-19, we’re

familiar with the Wuhan shakeand elbow bump as analternative to shaking hands. But could you becomeaccustomed to bowing,too? The Japanese customdates back to the 5th century,when worshippers bowed toBuddhas. Learning ritsurei(bowing while standing) orzarei (bowing while kneeling)requires lessons, but no doubtafter a fortnight in Japan you’llfind yourself nodding thanks to a shopkeeper.

5Taking publictransport

Japan’s spotless trains werea thing long before YouTube’s‘seven-minute miracle’ went viral,which sees staff wipe trays, collectrubbish and sweep the floor of

a Shinkansencarriage in sevenminutes. Even

buses and taxis areCOVID-19-secure, with

separate entrancesand exits on buses and

automatic taxi doors.Drivers wear gloves and

passengers place cash in traysrather than in a driver’s hand, too

– ideal practices during a pandemic.

6Being outdoorsyDespite Japan reputation

for packed commuter trains andskyscrapers, around 73% of it ismountainous, with 69% shroudedin forest. It has over 300 skiresorts, too, so when you’re nextable to visit, swap city life for theski slopes of Niseko or Furano,or go snowshoe hiking in Chubu Sangaku National Park.

7De-clutteringKanso means simplicity or

purity, and it’s all about de-cluttering. That’s why traditional homes

or ryokans have a minimalistaesthetic, with a calligraphy

scroll or vase limited to asingle tokonoma (alcove).

Japan’s tidying guru,Marie Kondo, is inspired by Shintoism andrecommendsonly keeping itemsof value – so youwon’t find excessivepillows on a hotel bedin Japan. In times of

COVID-19, this makescleaning a simpler job.

Japanese culture meant it was a spotlessnation long before COVID-19 came along.

Here are seven ways it’s fighting the virus – without even trying...

WORDS SARAH RICHES

A clean break

Respect is dueBowing is safer greetingin these times ofCOVID-19 – and already a basic staple ofJapanese etiquette

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Mr T Raveller5 Wanderlust Close

Journeyman’s Way

Wandering-by-Sea

West RidingIMOF OUT

NARROWBOATING

Like many this year, the editor-in-chief hit the UK’s waterways in a narrowboat for a taste of travel at a different pace – how did the novice navigator get on?WORDS LYN HUGHES

Tales


happened to them. Some had

eventually bought their own

narrowboats, others were still renting.

Casting off...It was good to meet such enthusiasts,

but I was slightly alarmed at the

thought that it might be exhausting.

Having arranged the long weekend

at very short notice, and struggled

to find a narrowboat because the

whole of the UK seemingly wanted to

hit the canals that sunny August

weekend, I’d envisaged it as a gentle

and relaxing pastime.

I already knew that narrowboats

chug along quietly and slowly, leave

little wake, and don’t disturb the

wildlife or erode the river banks. They

also seem to offer the watery lifestyle

equivalent of a campervan. Down on

the Thames I’d seen ones with bikes,

kayaks or paddleboards strapped on,

while others have roofs covered in

pots of luxuriant herbs, colourful

flowers or even vivid red tomatoes.

Arriving at the marina in

Warwickshire, we were directed to

Amelia, an Elite 2 model, and my first

surprise was at the king size bed and

the bath that its modest exterior hid.

It was all very well thought out and

equipped, and instantly felt like

home. After a thorough briefing we

were free to head off. There was

a choice of routes we could take

along the South Oxford Canal, Grand

Union Canal or North Oxford Canal,

but as newbies with only three nights

to spare we had been advised to take

a nice easy route to Rugby and back.

We set off tentatively and within a

few minutes found ourselves buried in

a willow tree having avoided another

boat. In the same way that when I drive

a hire car out of an overseas airport,

I sometimes wonder why I’ve been

entrusted with this strange machine

on a strange road, on the canal I began

to wonder at the sanity of boat

operators who let complete beginners

out on the waterways.

I’d like to say “as the miles went by”

but in fact it was initially more a case

of the yards going by as we tootled

along, getting used to the steering

and that we had to move the tiller left

to go right and vice versa. But we

started to relax a little and made

cooing noises at the sight of baby

moorhens, ducklings and cygnets.

On our left was the towpath, usually

bordered by high hedges, and along

which some boats were already

moored. To our right were bucolic

scenes of gently rolling farmland,

dotted with grazing cows and sheep.

The bank was thick with overhanging

willows, bulrushes, rosebay willowherb

and purple loosestrife. Dragonflies

buzzed past, and clouds of butterflies

danced over the wildflowers.

After a couple of hours we were

approaching Braunston, where it had

been suggested we stop for the night.

Boat after boat was already moored,

and glasses of wine were already

being quaffed by relaxing

narrowboaters, either sitting

onboard or on the towpath.

The canal splits at Braunston, with

the Grand Union going right, and the

North Oxford canal, which we were

taking, heading left. We passed under

one of its distinctive white cast iron

bridges and resumed the search for

somewhere to pull in.

Again, boats were already moored

for the night, but after a mile or so we

finally found a spot large enough for

us to manoeuvre into. This was our

next challenge as we tried mooring

for the first time. “Jump!” Simon

yelled as the bow bruised the bank.

“No, we’re still moving,” I screeched

back. A couple on another boat

laughed good-naturedly at our efforts

and shrieks, and did get up to offer to

help but we somehow achieved it.

Locked upWe set off early the next morning,

through a landscape little changed

for centuries, the fields still

t was a daunting

sight. An armada of

narrowboats faced

me, waiting their

turn to go into the

lock I was exiting,

some of the

skippers clearly as

novice as me and

desperately trying to

get out of my way.

So having

successfully avoided them, I enjoyed

a brief few moments of smugness as

I navigated a right hand bend only to

find a boat heading straight towards

me on the wrong side of the canal.

I put my boat into reverse to slow

and stop her, but the woman steering

the other narrowboat frantically

waved at me to pass her on the

wrong side. Cursing under my

breath I did so, only to then over-

steer back to the right hand side and

get the long suffering Amelia

spread-eagled across the canal.

The next few minutes were a blur

as I straightened the boat and headed

for the next lock where my partner,

Simon, was waiting, having walked

from the previous one. Adrenalin

was still coursing through my body

as I jumped off; and our dog was

clearly similarly affected as she

bolted from the boat. After catching

her, and taking some deep breaths,

order was restored and I offered to go

back onto lock duty which now

seemed the easier option after all.

“You’ll come back exhausted but

with sparkling eyes,” a man boarding

a boat at Napton Marina had said to

me the previous day when we’d first

pickedAmeliaup. “I wish it was our

first time again. I envy you because it’s

going to be such a special experience.

You’ll want to do it again.”

He explained that he and his wife

now narrowboat several times a year,

having become addicted to it.

Talking to various folk who had

helped me at the locks the same had

‘We started to relax and made cooing noises at the sight of baby moorhens, ducklings and cygnets’

⊲

NARROWBOATING


Alam

y; S

imon

Chu

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sP

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Pag

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‘We found a beautiful spot to moor on the edge of the village, with buzzards circling overhead, and a flotilla of swans and ducks besieging us’

NARROWBOATING


showing signs of medieval ridge and furrow farming. However, we were distracted by the butterflies in our stomach as we had locks ahead to negotiate. The Hillmorton locks are a flight of three double locks and apparently the busiest in the country.

There was already a queue as we arrived. When it was finally our time I went to operate the lock, painfully aware that I really wasn’t too sure what to do. “Don’t forget the windlass,” called Simon. I’d watched the person before us and thought I had the idea but stumbled at the first hurdle. “Undo the ratchet,” someone shouted. Umm, what’s a ratchet? Fortunately, a lady from another boat came and helped me, briskly showing me what to do.

For lock two I decided to stay on board and steer instead, and all went well until I left the lock to find my way out blocked by several boats. But the next lock went smoothly and once through them we started to relax and truly enjoy ourselves put-putting along and smiling at other boaters as we passed them.

It was one of the hottest days of the year and reaching Rugby we moored up and walked to a large supermarket just 10 minutes stroll away to restock on cold drinks. Despite only being 24 hours into our break, it was already a culture shock to find ourselves in a busy store after the tranquillity of the canal.

The itinerary had suggested overnighting in Rugby and we stayed put, whiling away a few hours under the dappled shade of a tree in a pub garden. Back at the boat, we slept like angels, the setting surprisingly quiet despite being in a town.

Rugby returns The next morning we set off early to face our next challenge, which was to turn the boat at a designated turning point but, with no other traffic on the canal, it proved to be stress-free once we’d worked out the technique. Heading back along the canal we reached the Hillmorton locks again mid- morning, and this time I jumped out with a bit more confidence.

All went well and a volunteer lock-keeper came over and Sh

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Braunston banksWhite cow parsley and

other spring wild flowers bloom on the side of the

Grand Union canal

⊳

⊲


offered to ‘finish off’ for me

while I walked on to the second

lock. I was chuffed afterwards to

find that he had been complimentary

about my prowess to Simon when

he was told how new we were to it.

Not that I fooled everyone that

I knew what I was doing. A 12-year

old girl insisted on helping me at

lock two, and a woman from

another boat also gave useful advice

at that lock and the next. However,

by the time we were through all

three I felt on a high with the

accomplishment, as well as

enjoying the camaraderie and

banter among the narrowboaters.

We reached Braunston by early

afternoon and found a beautiful

spot to moor just on the edge of the

village, with buzzards circling

overhead, and a flotilla of swans

and ducks besieging us. Braunston

is the unofficial UK capital of the

canal boat world, and we explored

along the towpath of the Grand

Union canal, past characterful old

buildings and a busy marina.

Narrowboat after narrowboat

was moored along the path, and

there was a mellow community

feel as groups of boaters sat

around together in the shade.

A sign-writer was painting one boat,

another boat was selling beer and

cider, while yet another was a

popular cafe called Gongoozlers.

We smiled at some novices

negotiating one of Braunston’s

locks before carrying on to the

Admiral Nelson pub, which

overlooks the canal at lock number

three. We passed a pair of backpack-

wearing walkers who were

presumably hiking The Jurassic

Way, an ancient sheep droving

route. The scene was a timeless

one and, crossing the old granite

bridge to the pub, the feeling of

history was almost tangible.

We woke at dawn the next morning

to a barrage of birdsong and tendrils

of mist over the water. It was going

to be another hot and sunny day.

We set off early, me rustling up

scrambled egg in the galley while

Simon steered along the peaceful

canal, no other craft on the move yet

and no-one on the towpath.

We arrived back at Napton Marina

with regret. Were we exhausted?

No, the locks had been tiring

because of the adrenalin of

navigating them as newbies, but

we had since completely relaxed

into the gentle rhythms of the canal.

It felt as if we had been away far

longer than we had. Were our eyes

shining? Yes, I really think they were.

Would we do it again? Well, we

might have to persuade the dog.

But, yes we would, you bet!

In the drinkMaking an unscheduled pit

stop is part of the charm

Go slow!The speed limit

is 4mph, but you

should go even

slower than that

past other boats

(including moored

ones), past wildlife

and approaching

tunnels.

⊳

NARROWBOATING


Footnotes

Narrowboating

TOP TIPYou navigate by

the bridges. They

are all numbered,

and so that is how

you can tell where

you are.

What to takeThe narrowboats are very

well equipped but some hire

companies require you to take

your own towels. Wear non-slip

shoes. You’ll be exposed to the

elements so don’t forget sun

protection, hat and wet weather

gear. With limited space, don’t

overpack and a squashable

bag, rather than a suitcase,

will be easier to store. Gloves

are a good idea at the locks to

protect your hands.

Although you should take

food and drink, part of the joy

is stopping at pubs en route.

There will also be shops within

walking distance of the canals.

Take folding chairs so you can sit

out on the bank in good weather.

You’ll see lots of wildlife so

consider taking binoculars

and bird/flora books.

Reading & ResourcesYou’ll need a good

waterways guide such

the Collins Nicholson

Waterways Guides. We

used the one to Grand

Union, Oxford & the South East.

canalrivertrust.org.uk The Canal

River Trust’s website is a mine

of knowledge. Download the

Boaters Handbook and watch the

accompanying video to learn the

basics including how to work locks.

Ala

my;

Sim

on C

hubb

Map

illu

stra

tion

by S

cott

Jess

op

THE TRIPThe author travelled with

Drifters Waterway

Holidays (drifters.co.uk,

0344 984 0322), made up

of nine hireboat companies

offering 590 canal boats

from 47 bases across

England, Scotland and

Wales. Lyn took a three

night break from Napton,

Warwickshire. A similar short

break (3-night weekend or

4-night mid week) on an

Elite2 boat starts at £599

to £859. Tuition is included

as part of Drifters’ holiday

packages. Narrowboats

range from 32ft (10m) to 70ft

(21m) and can accommodate

from two up to 12 people.

THINGS TO KNOWBEFORE YOU GO

You can take dogs on

narrowboats but do be aware

that while many canines take

to it, not all do. You may want

to tie them up initially and

when going through locks.

On the UK’s waterways

you travel on the right.

Push the tiller left to go right

and vice versa. There are no

brakes so you put the engine

into reverse to stop the boat.

Don’t refer to a narrowboat as

a barge. A barge is bigger and

wider and built to carry cargo.

Avoid the high season for your

first time. Go when it’s quiet

so you don’t have to worry so

much about other boat traffic.

Gen up before you go – watch

the video that the Canal &

River Trust have produced.

Make sure you have learned

about the different types of

locks and how to work them,

including closing them

after you exit.

Don’t be over-ambitious with

your itinerary and the distance

you will be covering. While

getting used to it you may

want to do shorter days. This

also has the advantage of

giving you more time to find

the best moorings, and to

go out and explore. ⊲

NARROWBOATING


Wildlife. Scenery. History. Pubs. The UK’s got plenty of them all, and one of the best ways to experience it – and certainly the most relaxing – is at the tiller of a narrowboat. If you’re one of the many travellers considering a UK canal boat adventure for the first time, you’ve got plenty of options to explore while you’re learning the ropes. From short breaks to weeks away, there are hundreds of routes to choose from...

1 Glide through the Brecon Beacons Isolated from the main canal network, the

Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal runs through the Brecon Beacons National Park. This quiet waterway, with very few locks is nice and easy for beginners and offerscanal boat holiday-makers incredible mountain views, dark night skies for star gazing, plenty of wildlife to watch out for and a series of village pubs to enjoy along the way. You can hire an electric boat at Beacon Park Boats at Llangattock. beaconparkboats.com

2 Navigate to the bright lights of Birmingham Boasting more kilometres

of canals than Venice, Birmingham has to be visited by water. Between the city centre and ABC Boat Hire’s narrowboat hire base at Alvechurch on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal, there are 18km of waterway but zero locks. The first part of the journey take boaters through fields, woods and Wast Hills Tunnel, past Bournville, home of Cadbury World, then through the ’burbs of Birmingham and Edgbaston Tunnel, reaching moorings in the central Gas Street Basin in around 4.5 hours. abcboathire.co.uk

3 Float across ‘The Stream in the Sky’ Passing through North Wales, the Llangollen

Canal is one of the most popular routes on the network. On a short break from Chirk Marina, canal boaters can travel across the UNESCO-listed Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, soaring 38m above the Dee Valley, to the town of Llangollen, nestled in the Berwyn Mountains. crestnarrowboats.co.uk

4Cruise along the leafy Calder & Hebble Navigation

From Sowerby Bridge in West Yorkshire boaters on a getaway can cruise along the Calder & Hebble Navigation to the historic town of Brighouse and back. The return journey travels 19km of waterway, passes through 20 locks and takes around eight hours. The route takes boaters through the historic market town of Elland and – a little beyond Brighouse – the village of Mirfield, with medieval stocks and ducking stool. Once moored up, there are Pennines walks to enjoy. shirecruisers.co.uk

5Bob gently along to Fradley On a short break from Great Haywood in

Staffordshire, you can head south along the Trent & Mersey Canal to Fradley Junction. The journey takes around five hours, travelling through 19km of Staffordshire countryside, including Cannock Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and passing through just five locks. At Fradley, boaters can moor up to visit

High watersNarrowboat passengers take in the views as the Llangollen Canal crosses the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct

CANAL BOAT ADVENTURES

TOP TEN

WORDS DEBBIE WALKER

for beginners


the Canalside Café or The Swan Inn, and take a wander around the Fradley Pool Nature Reserve. anglowelsh.co.uk

6 Saunter up to Stoke Bruerne From Linslade on the Grand Union Canal in

Bedfordshire, it takes around 10 peaceful cruising hours to reach the canal village of Stoke Bruerne, home to the Canal Museum and a choice of canalside eateries. Along the way, the route travels along 41km of waterway, through seven locks and across two aqueducts, including the Iron Trunk Aqueduct at Cosgrove. canalholidays.co.uk

7Potter through the Peak District The Caldon Canal offers a fine way to experience

the Peak District NP. Starting from Etruria in Stoke-on-Trent, it’s a chilled eight-hour cruise through the countryside to Cheddleton Flint Mill, with its popular Black Lion pub and Old School Tearooms. The route passes through 12 locks, past moorlands, water meadows, woodlands and the

village of Denford with its popular Hollybush Inn. black-prince.com

8Travel to Bradford on Avon & back Heading out from Devizes on the Kennet & Avon

Canal in Wiltshire, it takes around five-and-a-half hours to reach the Wiltshire town of Bradford on Avon. The route takes boaters through 16km of countryside, through seven locks and past a series of canalside pubs, including the Barge Inn at Seend. Once moored up at Bradford on Avon, take time to explore the town’s Georgian architecture, 14th-century Tithe Barn and range of independent shops, restaurants and cafes. foxhangers.co.uk

9 Watch out for wildlife on the Ashby Canal On a week’s trip from

Braunston in the heart of the canal network, boaters can cruise to the village of Snarestone and back, travelling a total of 75km, passing through just eight locks (four there and four back) in around 32 hours. This largely rural route follows

a section of the North Oxford Canal (see previous pages), Coventry Canal and the lock-free Ashby Canal, which winds through countryside for 35km and passes close to the site of the Battle of Bosworth Field. unioncanalcarriers.co.uk

10 Cruise to Market Drayton From Brewood

on the Shropshire Union Canal in Staffordshire, it takes around 10 hours to reach the historic market town of Market Drayton, home of the gingerbread man. Along the way, boaters pass through unspoilt countryside, and a series of deep wooded cuttings where time seems to stand still. Bonus: there are just six locks to pass through each way. countrywide-cruisers.co.uk

This list was put together with help from the Canal & River Trust, the charity which cares for 3,200km of canals and rivers across England and Wales. For more info, including the Boater’s Handbook video giving an introduction to navigating the canals, go to canalrivertrust.org.uk

Gone in 60 minutesNarrowboat on the Lancaster Canal near Garstang market town


The world has changed, but travel won’t stop. Here’s how both tour operators and travellers alike are solving the problem of seeing the planet in the time of COVID-19

BRAVE NEW WORLD

Travel in a

WORDS SARAH BAXTER & PAUL BLOOMFIELD

TRAVEL BUBBLES


Bubbles. Time was, not so long ago, we delighted in bursting them: it’s why we travel – to break out of our comfort zones, to discover strange sights and exotic cultures, to meet new people, to try unfamiliar foods,

to sleep in beds that are not our own.Today, though, we’re exhorted to stay within

that very comfort zone – to maintain ‘bubbles’ within and across households. Yet for the foreseeable future, travel will be tricky without at least a bit of bubble-busting. At some point you may need to board a plane, train, bus or boat, eat in a restaurant, stay in a hotel room. Of course, risks can be mitigated: airlines reduce passenger numbers, mandate facemasks, disinfect cabins. Restaurants space tables. Hotels boost deep-cleans and online check-ins, with the buffet breakfast a (hopefully temporary) casualty.

There are, of course, ways to make your travels more ‘bubbly’. A private jet can be yours – if money’s no object: Air Charter Service quotes £7,250 for a London-Edinburgh flight in an eight-seater Hawker Beechcraft 800. Or let the train take the strain: at time of press, the Rail Safety and Standards Board estimates that the chance of infection in England is around one in 11,000 passenger journeys, and many sleeper trains offer private cabins. Self-drive adventures are booming, as are exclusive hires – booking entire lodges, safari camps, boats, even hot air balloons for your bubble.

Inevitably, travel today carries a degree of risk – as it always has. But by keeping tabs on FCDO advice (www.gov.uk), planning wisely and following now-familiar measures – wearing face coverings, using hand sanitiser, practising social distancing – we can prepare to get back out there and explore the world. Track big game on foot across the African wilderness. Explore ancient Incan citadels in the Peruvian Andes. Let the open road lead you where it will.

Today’s travel landscape may look and feel a bit different, but it’s still awash with experiences to thrill. If you’re thirsty for bubbles, here’s a selection of ideas to tickle your palate. ⊲Sh

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BEFORE YOU BOOK While we try to ensure

the information in Wanderlust is up to date at the time of going to press, please always doublecheck especially regarding country entry requirements.


“Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road…” Kerouac glorified the road-trip, but it has always been a romantic prospect: think Guevara, Steinbeck, Theroux. Now it’s the safe one, too. On a self-drive adventure you can load up your ride, click shut the doors and set out on an odyssey that can be as self-contained as you choose.

Unsurprisingly, demand for campervans has soared; hire company Indie Campers (indiecampers.co.uk) saw a 164% growth in domestic travel bookings year-on-year this summer. The challenge has been finding campsites in which to park them – the Caravan and Motorhome Club (caravanclub.co.uk), which has a network of 2,400 sites across the UK, has reported its busiest summer ever. Still, as autumn arrives, spaces are opening up.

If you’re thinking of trying van life, consider your needs. Relatively compact and manoeuvrable, a campervan is, as the name suggests, kitted out for camping, typically with fold-out beds and basic cooking equipment but usually no bathroom facilities. A motorhome has more, well, home comforts: bed, kitchen, loo, maybe a lounge, even a shower – an important factor: some campsites currently take only guests with their own toilet facilities.

Buying a van is expensive – upwards of £15,000, even secondhand – so renting offers an affordable introduction. A week’s London-to-London hire of a van sleeping four can cost

under £700 with Indie Campers, while peer-to-peer hire company Camptoo (camptoo.co.uk) lists vehicles across the UK, ranging from budget-friendly to luxe, starting from around £60pn including roadside assistance.

Lockdowns and quarantines permitting, overseas highways await. Ferries to mainland Europe are operating at less than 50% capacity, allowing ample space for social distancing; alternatively, stay in your vehicle on the speedy Eurotunnel (eurotunnel.com), which has launched standard refundable tickets. Using these options, operators have created ‘bubbly’ tours: for example, Original Travel’s tailormade self-drive Provence itinerary includes Eurotunnel, private self-catering farmhouse accommodation plus out-of-hours and private tours (from £2,200pp; originaltravel.co.uk).

Some countries’ roads are so empty that distancing is inevitable. Namibia, for instance, has one of the world’s lowest population densities and is easy to navigate. Steer a 4WD equipped with rooftop camping setup to some of the country’s less-visited – but no less dramatic – sites such as hilly Spitzkoppe and the Waterburg Plateau, with Reef & Rainforest (from £997pp; reefandrainforest.co.uk).

In Ecuador, most travellers use private transfers or public transport; here, Journey Latin America has introduced an adventurous self-drive route roaming the Andes’ quiet, scenic backroads (from £2,664pp; journeylatinamerica.co.uk).

On the road

⊲

Alam

y

TRAVEL BUBBLES


Going greenRenting a campervan – and maybe hitting the Lake District – is a great way to ensure you’re travelling within a secure bubble

TRAVEL BUBBLES

Tidal treasureFort Clonque, Alderney, is about to close for the evening – whether you like it or not!

Unsurprisingly, exclusive hire of all types of accommodation is in demand, and not just self-catering properties, many of which are booked out well into 2021. Gather a COVID-19- compliant group and you can hire an entire hostel (yha.org.uk): smaller YHA properties are ideal for extended families, and often in dramatic locations – for example, Exford- Exmead Lodge on Exmoor (sleeps 19; from £99pn). At the more luxurious end of the spectrum, boutique hotels offering exclusive hire include elegant Georgian townhouse Number One Bruton in Somerset (sleeps 16), from £600pppw (scottwilliams.co.uk).

The allure of a private island is stronger than ever. Host Unusual (hostunusual.com) has a selection including an old lighthouse-keeper’s cottage on Eilean Sionnach, a speck off Skye (sleeps eight; from £250pn), and an off-grid cabin on Hvaler, a private isle south of Oslo with its own motorboat (sleeps five; from £159pn).

Of The Landmark Trust’s (landmarktrust.org.uk) island retreats, north Devon outcrop Lundy isn’t strictly private, but it’s certainly remote, with quirky stays such as the one-person Radio Room (from £122 for four nights). And in the Channel Islands, Fort Clonque is accessed by drawbridge and cut off from Alderney at high tide (sleeps 13; from £812pn).

Bubble beds

⊲

Alam

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TRAVEL BUBBLES


The new genre of small-group adventure tours

involve essentially forming a bubble with your new

companions for the duration of a trip; operators

have also introduced measures such as self-

screening health forms, temperature checks at

initial briefings, additional hand-washing stops and

designated seats on transport.

Reduced numbers is the norm: Ramblers

Walking Holidays’ (ramblersholidays.co.uk) hiking

breaks at Hassness country house on Buttermere

are now capped at 14 guests (formerly 21); singles

from different bubbles don’t share rooms or

bathrooms, dinners are served in two sittings, and

walking groups are smaller. And G Adventures’

(gadventures.co.uk) new Travel with Confidence

Plus Collection includes some 40 varied itineraries

including hiking in Patagonia and sailing in Thailand

for 12 people each (max), with extra measures

and a 50% discount on single-room options.

Many small-group trips involve activities such

as trekking, cycling and rafting. Post-COVID-19

safety guidelines drawn up by the Adventure

Travel Trade Association (adventuretravel.biz) and

the World Travel and Tourism Council (wttc.org)

include reduced capacity to allow for physical

distancing, promoting contact-tracing apps,

and clear communication of health and hygiene

protocols; look for the WTTC Safe Travel stamp.

Mix it upNo Paine, no gainSmall group-hiking in

Torres del Paine National

Park; Mongolian hunter

launches his eagle, Bajan

Olgii Aimag province

AWL

Of course, you don’t have to share your bubble

with strangers, even on a group tour: gather

family or friends and you can book your

own. “It’s straightforward,” says Derek Moore,

deputy chairman of AITO, The Specialist Travel

Association (aito.com). “Decide the size of your

bubble, then talk to an adventure operator to

plan an itinerary for a private small group. You

could suggest your own itinerary, adapt an existing

brochure itinerary, or just specify destination and

duration and let the experts come up with ideas.”

AITO member Wild Frontiers (wildfrontierstravel.

com) offers private tours for groups of six to ten

people; with a larger group, it should cost much the

same as a scheduled trip. Wilderness destinations

are particularly popular, says founder Jonny Bealby:

“Enquiries about trips to Mongolia and Namibia are

up 20%, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan: 30%.”

Wildlife Worldwide (wildlifeworldwide.com) point

out that wildlife tours are best with a very small

group anyway, so lend themselves to a private tour.

Founder Chris Breen recommends a 5-day winter

break to Norway for whales, wildlife and Northern

Lights as the ideal trip that can be adapted.

Some itineraries have been cleverly modified

to assuage COVID-19 concerns. Peru specialist

Amazonas Explorer (amazonas-explorer.com)

has created In Depth trips exploring the Sacred

Valley from a private villa base rather than hotel-

hopping, venturing out on day-walks to sites with

a private guide and driver; you’ll even have a

private chef. With daily visitor numbers at Machu

Picchu mooted to be limited to 675 when the site

finally reopens (far down from the pre-COVID-19

number of 5,000), this could be the time to visit.

Epic land expeditions aren’t off the cards, either:

Oasis Overland (oasisoverland.co.uk) offers private

hire on its continent-crossing vehicles. “We charge

one price for the whole truck,” explains general

manager Ceris Borthwick. “That price depends

on the number of crew, fuel required and cost of

getting the truck to the start point. But, for instance,

we recently quoted £11,200 for 14 days in southern

Africa. If you have 24 people, that’s good value!”

Do it your way

⊲


We can’t wait until Africa is fully open for business again. Air travel aside, safaris are among the most socially distanced adventures – often based in camps set amid vast wilderness, far from any madding crowds (except perhaps wildebeest). And with canvas, wall-less or sometimes even roofless accommodation, not to mention open-sided vehicles, ventilation isn’t a problem; the same’s true of walking safaris, dugout trips and campfire sundowners.

Small camps are best for exclusive hire. For example, Kichaka Frontier Camp, which offers wonderful walking safaris in the wildest reaches of Tanzania’s Ruaha National Park, has only three luxe tents; an Audley tailormade trip can combine exclusive use of Kichaka plus time in Zanzibar (from £7,198pp; audleytravel.com). Also in Tanzania, if you can gather at least four people, Gane & Marshall’s six-day light mobile safari visiting the Serengeti, Lake Manyara, Tarangire NP and the Crater Highlands, staying in private

camps with your own driver-guide and crew, starts from £1,848pp (ganeandmarshall.com).

Such on-the-move adventures, such as Expert Africa’s Botswana Private Mobile Safari (from £2,230pp for four nights, based on four people; expertafrica.com), promise a unique wilderness experience. “Run by one of Botswana’s top young guides, it offers excellent value for money, and works well for couples and larger groups alike,” says Expert Africa MD Chris McIntyre. “The safari can be tailormade to take in a number of different areas of northern Botswana, and the camp travels with you – spend two to three nights in each location before the whole camp is packed up and moved.”

Elsewhere, Aardvark Safaris’ new Cottar’s Full Circle Safari aims to keep bubble-breaking to a minimum: stay at four camps within the Masai Mara, accompanied by the same (mask-wearing) team to minimise interaction outside your group (from £5,275pp; aardvarksafaris.co.uk).

Great gameGr

aem

e Gre

en

⊲

TRAVEL BUBBLES


Tanzanian titanSpot big cats in Ruaha National Park

TRAVEL BUBBLES


Big cruises, it’s fair to say, have proved decidedlyun-bubbly – yet messing about the water canbe a rewarding (and distanced) option. In theweek after domestic holidays were green-lighted, bookings with British narrowboat rentalcompany Drifters (drifters.co.uk) doubledcompared with last year. Perhaps it’s the HuckFinn aesthetic: float along shaded canals orrivers fringed with bird-bustling reeds at a joyfullyslow pace. Indeed, you can read Wanderlusteditor-in-chief Lyn’s adventures throwing openthe locks of the North Oxford canal on p52.

If a life at sea appeals but you’re not skipper-qualified, raise anchor on a crewed voyage.Venturesail is one operator offering ‘boat bubble’trips in Devon and Cornwall (from £130pppnbased on six sharing; venturesailholidays.com);bring your group and join a pre-bubbled crew.Or charter Anny or Mascotte, classic sailingvessels based at Charlestown in Cornwall, each sleeping seven plus crew; the

five-day cruise to the Scilly Islands is a popularroute (charlestownharbour.com).

In Turkey and Greece, traditional woodengulets or caiques sleeping 10–20 passengerslend themselves to small groups; Abercrombie &Kent (abercrombiekent.co.uk) organises bespokecoastal voyages around that end of the Med –set your itinerary and sail away from the crowds.

For another level of maritime adventure,Selective Asia offers a cruise aboard theAlexa, a deluxe Indonesian pinisi with justone guest cabin, exploring the waters andcoves of Komodo National Park (fromUS$4,345pn (£3,359); selectiveasia.com).

Scuba diving creates more bubbles than youcan count – and qualified divers can charter anentire liveaboard. For a week of solitary, world-class diving in the Maldives, board M/V EmperorAtoll, which sleeps up to 12 and packs in 17 divesover seven days; book with Dive Worldwide (from £2,045pp; diveworldwide.com).

Hope floats

Boating bubblesNarrowboat onthe Great Ouse

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Alam

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TRAVEL BUBBLES


The great outdoors suddenly seems that muchgreater – no narrow corridors or choke pointshere. No wonder camping’s boomed: John Lewisreported equipment sales up by well over 50%compared with last year, and pitches have beenhard to come by in the most popular regions ofthe UK. Many sites have reduced pitch numbers,increased spacing, and introduced online check-in and bookable shower times.

Small is definitely beautiful, so one particularlyenticing option is the bijou Lorax Patch(theloraxpatch.com), an almost-wild camp nearWells in Somerset, currently offering only fourpitches (for up to ten adults), each with itsown composting loo and sink. And AlderfenMarshes, in the Norfolk Broads National Park,has just four very private two-person pitches,

each with the use of a Canadian canoe (from£130 for two nights; campsites.co.uk).

Seeking comfort under canvas? A profusionof bell tents, treehouses, yurts, cabins and otherunusual edifices have sprouted – including literalbubbles. Woodland Escapes in Shropshire has twodeluxe, dell-nestled domes near Ludlow, offeringnature immersion and a fine base for exploringone of the UK’s most underrated counties (from£100pn; hostunusual.com). At Domaine LesGeorennes, you can gaze across France’s HautJura National Park from the isolated terrace ofa see-through bubble suite (from £83pppn;lesgeorennes.com; in French). Or plan a trip toNew South Wales to bed down at BubbletentAustralia, overlooking the world’s second-biggestcanyon (from £140pn; bubbletentaustralia.com).

Field trips

Snowdonia sleepsCamping at Gilar Farm,

Snowdonia, North Wales

AWL

ITINERARYDay 1: TashkentDay 2: Tashkent –SamarkandDay 3: SamarkandDay 4: Samarkand –YangikishlakDay 5: Nuratau ReserveDay 6: Yangikishlak – BukharaDay 7: BukharaDay 8: Bukhara – KhivaDay 9: Khiva – TashkentDay 10: Tashkent

WHAT’S INCLUDED●A Wild Frontiers tour leaderwith local guides and drivers● All accommodation inhotels, plus a remote villagehomestay in Yangikishlak●Guided tours of Tashkent,Samarkand, Bukharaand Khiva – plus a cookingclass and tea house visit● All meals, transport andentrance fees (for fullitinerary details see online)● A carbon-offsettingcontribution to Eco Act(if booking international flights through WildFrontiers)● A maximum group size of 16 people.

BOOKING DETAILSThe dates: 25 August – 3 September 2021The price: From£1,950pp*Call 020 8741 7390 tofind out more,or visit wanderlust.co.uk/UzbekJourney

OUR TRAVEL PARTNER

*Price based on two sharing. Flightsare not included. Subject toavailability. Single supplement: £200.This trip is ATOL-protected. For fullterms and conditions, go towanderlust.co.uk/UzbekJourney

Picturit’s thUzbe

minthem but also to meet

Uzbek locals andexperience some of its

natural beauty too.Lyn Hughes

JOURNEYSEXCLUSIVE TRIPS

TRAVEL WITH THE EXPERTS


No matter how manyphotos you’ve seen ofUzbekistan’s Silk Road

cities, nothing prepares you forthe scale, sumptuousness andrichly storied history of Khiva,Bukhara and Samarkand.They’re yours to discover on ourexclusive trip with Wild Frontiers– as well as taking in the Sovietmonuments of Tashkent, andthe peaks of Nuratau Reserve.

You travel in the company ofWanderlust’s editor-in-chief LynHughes, swapping tales in localtea houses, seeking out Uzbek’sbest plov (biryani), and delvinginto the treasures of this ancient cultural crossroads.

HIGHLIGHTS

Step back in timeFrom Samarkand’s 600-year-old Registan – the heart of theTimurid dynasty – to theglittering mosaics and minarets of Khiva, you’ll enjoy guidedtours of Uzbekistan’s wellpreserved Silk Road cities.

Local lifeFeaturing a cooking class witha family in Bukhara, and a villagehomestay in Yangikishlak, thistrip includes many opportunitiesto meet local people – andimmerse yourself in their crafts, cuisine and customs.

The Nuratau ReserveThis mountainous regionboasts hiking and wildlifewatching – there are160 bird species to spot aswell as the endangeredSevertzov wild sheep.

Tashkent’s many marvelsIn Uzbekistan’s eclectic capital,500-year-old madrassahs rubshoulders with Sovietmonuments, ancient bazaars,and opulent cultural institutions– such as the Alisher NavoiOpera and Ballet Theatre. You’llalso explore the intricatelydecorated Metro stations –a work of art in their own right.

DISCOVER SILK ROAD SPLENDOUR – AND UZBEKISTAN’S WILD SIDE – ON OUR EXCLUSIVE JOURNEY

Discover Uzbekistan

ONLY £25DEPOSIT

Book with WildFrontiers and pay just

a £25 deposit. Thefull-price deposit isnormally £500 per

person for group tours.

We take a turn around the coast, coves and castles of Malta’s rural little sister to discover it runs at its own pace WORDS JULIET RIX

On Gozo time

“P omskizillious and gromphiberous, being as no other words can describe

its magnificence.” This is how the poet Edward Lear characterised the coast of Gozo after spending a holiday here walking, drawing and painting. That was in 1866, so would he still be so enamoured of Malta’s little sister island today?

Just 7km across the water from its busy, built-up, neighbour, Gozo is a world away. Rural and relaxed, it has a laidback feel that has spawned a local saying: ‘Gozo runs on GMT’.

Not Greenwich Mean Time, but rather Gozo Maybe Time. The calm of this island seems to elasticize the hours. Fresh mornings merge into drowsy afternoons that blend into languid Mediterranean evenings. Everyone has time to pause for a chat in the village shop, or out on the square where older men while away the day on benches beneath the impressive façades of the island’s oversized churches.

I’ve been to Gozo many times and on each occasion, as I stand on the deck of the familiar ferry, I find myself sighing out my stresses. This time was no different. Slipping over the lapis

waters of the Gozo Channel beneath a sweeping azure sky, I settled in the sun and eased myself into the Gozitan pace of life, plotting the two days I intended to spend wandering the landscape so lauded by Lear. Well, that was the original plan, anyway. Gozo Maybe Time works in mysterious ways.

Knight life Gozo is a bit like a puzzle piece escaped from Malta’s main-island jigsaw. The North coast is dotted with sandy bays, while in the South, plunging cliffs are breached by ⊲


‘I looked out along the cliffs, which glowedsunset-amber above a shimmering sea’

Ta’ Cenc cliffs. As little lizards skitteredoff into the scrub, I was charmed bya blue rock thrush, Malta’s nationalbird, its ultramarine head luminous asthe water below. I once saw a blackwhip snake sliding among the rockshere (like all Malta’s snakes, harmless),and I can happily spend hours ofGMT loafing around this protectedterrain, dotted with naturalwonders and hidden history.

My amblings led me to a pair ofMalta’s many mysterious cart ruts, cut

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gorge-like inlets and topped with prehistoric remains, endemic plants and Mediterranean garigue.

I began my (roughly) clockwise journey at Mgarr Harbour – the ferry port at the island’s south-eastern point and gateway to Gozo. A short steep climb took me to the top of the cliffs and alongside the solid stone walls of the 18th-century Fort Chambray. Now a luxury housing estate, this fortified complex started life as the vanity project of a prominent Knight of St John. This order of Christian warrior monks ruled Malta from 1530 until Napoleon ousted them in 1798 – the only occasion on which Fort Chambray saw action.

Strolling over rough limestone, a gentle breeze rising from the sea that stretched away towards an African horizon, I passed tiny fields enclosed by dry stone walls and farmers’ huts. Gozo feels timeless in more ways than one. Out there in the fields, yesterday’s buildings were

indistinguishable from those of a millennium ago, and I found that somehow soothing.

I was soon forced to confront a less comforting aspect of Gozo’s history, however, in the shape of a stocky Knights-period tower. One of many that guarded the Gozitan coast against invaders, from Turks to the Axis powers of the Second World War, this tower came too late to save the population of Gozo. In 1551 almost every able-bodied Gozitan was loaded into Ottoman ships, anchored at the mouth of the inlet here, and sailed away into slavery.

I stopped a moment, contemplating a ghostly image of a crowded galley rocking on the water, before turning along a narrow path scented with wild fennel and thyme. My mood immediately lifted as I wound my way down the rocky side of the gorge to Mgarr Ix-Xini, one of my favourite swimming spots. Dumping my clothes on the thin strip of beach, I plunged into the cool, clear water.

Dipping beneath the surface, I snatched glimpses of delicate marine life ranged along the craggy base of the cliffs. Half a dozen dark figures bobbed nearby, some of the thousands of divers drawn each year to Gozo for its accessible shore dives, crystal-clear water and under water landscape; cathedral caves, cliff-like drop-offs, pillars and swirling holes – as ponskizillious and gromphiberousas the dry land above.

Window to the past Refreshed, I settled at a colourful metal table beneath the tamarisk trees for an al fresco lunch of fresh fish cooked with white wine and capers from a nearby bush, in the wooden hut kitchen a few metres from the water’s edge. I finished off with a cold Kinnie, a Maltese soft drink that is better than coke, and a little like dandelion and burdock with a touch of bitter orange.

Climbing up the other side of Mgarr Ix-Xini, I topped the dramatic

Let there be rocks(below) The 6,000-year-old UNESCO-listed Ggantija neolithic temple; (previous) Mgarr Harbour

GOZO


by some unknown vehicle, perhaps as far back as the Bronze Age. I trace their path and wonder if the driver was quarrying stone to build the dolmens, a couple of which still stand on the edge of the rocky plateau. Like wall-less windows, they frame a sweeping Gozitan panorama of rock, rough vegetation and honeyed limestone houses. In their midst, like a fat thumbs up, rises the vast Xewkija Rotunda church. It looks historic but was built in the 1950s, testament to

Gozo’s devout Catholicism – and intense inter-village competitiveness.

The sun was beginning to sink, so I strolled onto a headland looking out along the length of the cliffs, their striated stone glowing sunset-amber above a shimmering sea. The view was not lost on Lear, who painted it in cool blues as if at dawn. The hues transformwith the hours, but the scene has beenthe same for generations – perhaps even since Gozo’s earliest residents built a temple here nearly 6,000 years

Glorious GozoThe setting sun catches the layers of the Ta’ Cenc cliffs

⊲

ago, the sparse remains of which I could just discern as night closed in.

Capital delights Those UNESCO World Heritage-listed Neolithic Temples have fascinated me since my first visit to Gozo in 2007. Older than Stonehenge and much more sophisticated, there is nothing like them anywhere else in the world. So the next morning I paid one of my regular visits to Ggantija, the best preserved


temple on Gozo and the oldest substantial remains in Malta.

High on one of the island’s flat-topped hills, surrounded by fertile valleys, I stood beneath the temple’s partially-tumbled walls, constructed from chunks of limestone, some up to 50 tonnes in weight. Small wonder these temples are named after giants.

Passing through the 5.5-millennia-old monumental doorway, I wandered along an aisle flanked by semi-circular rooms once decorated with skillfully carved statuary, Some can still be seen in the visitors centre, where I also come face-to-face with the face of a Temple-period Gozitan, modelled on a genuine skull of the period. She looks remarkably like the locals with whom I later relax over a chilled-out GMT coffee in It-Tokk (literally, ‘the meeting place’), Gozo’s main market square.

Lear had his lodgings not far from here in the heart of Gozo’s little capital, Victoria, where he painted the Citadel that dominates the city – and indeed the island. I climbed the broad limestone steps, slippery-smooth from centuries of footfall, to enter the castle through newly creamy-clean bastion walls.

I revelled in the recently-restored ability to circle the citadel high atop its renovated ramparts, taking in the 360° views of Gozo, Malta and even, on this clear day, the shadow of Sicily. Dropping down to ground level, I popped into the Citadel’s baroque cathedral to marvel at its trompe l’oeil dome, before making my way up a typically tiny Citadella alley to Ta’ Rikardu

This rustic restaurant is my go-to for authentic Gozitan grub and I was pleased to find Rikardu in the kitchen as usual. He makes his own delicious local cheeses (ġbejna), pasta, rabbit stew (the national dish) and quaffable wine from his own vines. I order a platter of three cheeses, olives and crusty Maltese bread (Ħobż Malti) followed by the best ravioli I know. Climbing the narrow tightly-twisted stone spiral staircase, I settled to eat on the restaurant’s terrace above the unquestionably flat cathedral roof.

Leaving town past a Knights-period wash-house, I returned to the southern cliffs at Xlendi. Gozo’s oldest watchtower (1650) guards this bay, once popular with Turkish corsairs,

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⊲ Shut

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GOZO


Epic sightThe view from Tal-Mixta Cave – also known as Calypso’s cave, where Homer’s hero was held enchanted for seven years


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Royal viewsThe citadel of Victoria – or

Rabat, as the locals know it

GOZO


smugglers and avoiders of the

Hospitaller Knights’ strict plague

quarantine (max penalty: death). I’d

been planning to keep on along the

coast, looping back north around to

Mgarr for the ferry, but the sea looked

so inviting that instead I spent the

afternoon lazing on the rocks and

lolling in the Mediterranean water.

I was on GMT after all.

Inspired to nonsense“The Morning light shows Dwejra at

its best anyway”, I excused myself as

I arrived the next day at what was once

Gozo’s compulsory photo-stop. Sadly,

the iconic Azure Window rock arch

crashed into the sea in a storm in

2017. Instead, I wandered down to the

Inland Sea, a giant protected rock pool,

and hopped into a brightly-painted

fishing vessel. A local boatman at the

helm, we puttered through a cave

tunnel, vaulted like a Gothic nave,

emerging beneath a towering rock face,

to curl in and out of caves dotted with

luminous corals like underwater gems.

Back on dry land, I picked my way

over weathered rock, admiring the

delicate patterns of fossilised shells

and sea urchins – local residents some

‘Our boat puttered through acave tunnel, vaulted like a Gothic nave, then curled in and out of caves dotted with luminouscorals like underwater gems’

Marsalforn, Gozo’s main – but still

miniature – resort. A narrow strip of

beach is backed by a seafront of shops

and bars, where I stocked up on water

but felt no need to tarry, my next stop

being much more to my liking.

The end of the OdysseyRamla Bay is Gozo’s best beach and in

my view, Malta’s too. A swathe of red

sand backed by grassy dunes that

conceal a couple of open-air cafes, it

is R&R incarnate. I settled beneath

the bright white Madonna that gazes

a little incongruously down at the

sunbathers, drinking in the warmth

before diving into the gentle waves.

I swam out to explore the remains

of a Knights-period fortification –

an underwater barrier against

invasion. Turning to float on my back,

I looked up to the rugged rocks of

Calypso’s Cave, said to be where

Odysseus spent seven years

spellbound by the eponymous sea

nymph. Gozo is one of several

candidates for Homer’s isle of Ogygia,

but I certainly wouldn’t blame the

war-weary hero for stopping off in

this serene spot, although seven years

is perhaps a stretch, even on GMT.

I knew time wouldn’t expand as

much as this for me and my inevitable

return to BST loomed. It wasn’t so bad,

I reflected. I’d be back – and hopefully

Gozo would still be little changed. Lear

would notice developments since 1866,

of course, but I have no doubt he

would find Gozo as pomskizillious

and gromphiberous as ever.

25 million years ago. Just out to sea lay

Fungus Rock, a stolid 60m column,

named for the bulbous little plant that

grew here. The Knights believed it

cured everything from dysentery to

impotence. So valuable was it that the

Grand Master of the Order had the

rock’s sides smoothed to thwart theft,

and soldiers stationed in the coastal

watchtower to protect it.

A few kilometres along the coast, the

Wied il-Mielah arch is less busy (if

a little less photogenic) than the Azure

Window used to be while beyond it

stretches the shoreline that always

reminds me most of Edward Lear. As

I walked, I imagined him sitting here

amid the low yellow cliffs, smoothed,

scooped and sculpted into wonders by

erosion, looking down on the

chequerboard of salt pans that square

off the border between land and sea.

It’s a spot that both constantly

changes and is entirely unchanged.

Beyond it I could see the weirdest

formation of all, Qolla L-Bajda. On

a headland by a ruined Knights battery,

this grey clay hill sits like a yet-to-be-

fired model of a round-topped volcano.

No wonder Lear couldn’t find common

words for this coast.

Past Xwejni Bay, a swimming spot

popular with locals, I continued into

Blueisthewarmestcolour(clockwise from this)

Snorkelling in the blue

lagoon; kayaking by the

rocks; the narrow

Cittadella alleys

⊳

⊲


Vital statisticsCapital: Victoria (Rabat)Population: 32,700Language(s): Maltese, EnglishTime: GMT +1 (summer GMT +2)International dialling code: +356Money: Euro, currently around £0.89

When to goJune-Sept Gozo’s hot, dry, Medsummer season. There is usually atleast a little sea breeze on the coast.Oct-Nov Still warm but cooler thansummer so better for walking andsightseeing. Sea still warm enoughto swim. Occasional storms.Dec-Feb Quietest time with cheapdeals. Often still sunny. Averagedaily temp in Jan: 9-14°C, but can get cold and damp.March-May Spring flowersdecorate the green landscape.Lovely for walking. Seawater colderthan autumn but usually less rain.

Health & safetyMalta is a European Mediterraneancountry with no special health risks. Check out fitfortravel.nhs.ukfor latest info. Malta’s healthservice currently has a reciprocalarrangement with the NHS forBritish citizens. Take notice of flags/warnings at beaches and consultlocals about currents and jellyfish.

At time of press, Malta hadreopened its borders to UK travellers.See the FCO (www.gov.uk) for latesttravel info and COVID-19 entry advice.

Getting thereA range of carriers (including BAand Air Malta) fly from the UK toMalta International Airport; 3hrflight time; around £100 return.

FootnotesGozo

author of this article, is the mostcomprehensive guide to Malta with extensive coverage of Gozo.Gozo: 10 Great Walks (EmmetHenwood, 2013)Walking in Malta by Paddy Dillon(Cicerone Guide, 3rd ed, 2016).visitmalta.com & visitgozo.com – official tourism sites.TOP TIP

Bring some sturdyshoes. On uneven,sharp weathered

limestone, flip-flops don’t cut it -it’s your feet thatget cut, if not bythe stone, by the

rough vegetation.

Or arrive by ferry (virtuferries.com)into Valletta from Pozzallo, Sicily(1hr 45mins; returns from €83 [£76])

Buses and taxis run from the airportand Valletta to Cirkewwa harbour(about 40mins drive/1hr bus ride)and the Gozo Ferry which leavesevery 45mins during the day andcosts €4.65 (£4). A ticket is onlyrequired from Gozo to Malta.

Getting aroundMalta has a good cheap busservice (publictransport.com.mt),less frequent on Gozo (many onceper hour). It is easy to hirea car at the airport or on Gozo (try franksgarageltd.com).

Cost of travelCosts in Gozo are generallymarginally lower than in the UK. Youcan eat cheaply and decently orpay a bit more and feast on largeportions of excellent Med food.

Accommodation varies from good-value guesthouses and self-cateringto five-star hotels and villas. Rentinga farmhouse is a great way to havea home-from-home in a Gozitanvillage (try baronholidayhomes.com or gozofarmhouses.com).

Further reading& informationMalta & Gozo (Bradt Travel Guides, 4th ed, 2019) by Juliet Rix, the

Map i

llust

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n by S

cott

Jess

op; S

hutte

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Planning guidesMalta Travel GuideArchive article● Short break: Valletta and Mdina, Malta – issue 140● Eight things you must do in Gozo – web exclusive

Visit www.wanderlust.co.uk/210More online

ITINERARYDay 1: TbilisiDay 2: TbilisiDay 3: Tbilisi – DavitGareja – KvareliDay 4: Kvareli – Gremi –Tusheti National ParkDay 5: Tusheti NPDay 6: Tusheti NPDay 7: Tusheti – Alaverdi– TelaviDay 8: Telavi – Mtskheta– GoriDay 9: Gori – Akhaltsikhe– VardziaDay 10: Vardzia – Lake Paravani – TbilisiDay 11: Tbilisi

WHAT’S INCLUDED● A Wild Frontiers tourleader with local guidesand drivers● All accommodation in guesthouses andthree-star hotels● All meals, transport andentrance fees(for full itinerary details see online)●Wine tasting andhome-cooked dinner● A carbon-offsettingcontribution to Carbon Clear (if bookinginternational flightsthrough Wild Frontiers)

BOOKING DETAILSThe dates: 24 July – 3 August 2021The price: From£1,995pp*Call 020 8741 7390to find out more,or visit wanderlust.co.uk/GeorgiaJourney

OUR TRAVEL PARTNER

*Price based on two sharing. Flights arenot included. Subject to availability.Single supplement: £170. Our travelpartner, Wild Frontiers, is AITO-bondedand this trip is ATOL-protected. For fullterms and conditions, go towanderlust.tripsmiths.com/georgiawl

sery,

culture, history andpeople. Oh, and notforgetting the wine. To travel therewith Dario wasa real pleasure. Lyn Hughes

JOURNEYSEXCLUSIVE TRIPS

TRAVEL WITH THE EXPERTS


In search of pristine mountainscenery, celebratedvineyards, and ancient

cave towns? Well, Georgia has them all. Best of all, it’s stillpractically undiscovered.

Team up with formerWanderlust World Guide Awardswinner, Wild Frontiers’ DarioGhirlanda, who’ll show you thelesser-explored side of the landon this 11-day small-group tour.Explore Georgia’s crown jewels– the current and former capitalsof Tbilisi and Mtskheta, whereUNESCO-listed gems andhidden treasures go hand inhand – before delving into the remote Tusheti region.

HIGHLIGHTS

TbilisiSet on the banks of the MtkvariRiver, Georgia’s cosmopolitancapital is home to a few culturalgems – don’t miss the NarikalaFortress, the Sulphur Baths, thesixth-century Sioni Cathedral and Anchiskhati Basilica.

Food & drinkFrom Kakheti’s famous wineto Tusheti’s cheese, all manners of delicacies abound here.Visit a farmers’ market, seehow yoghurt is made, anddine on home-cooked fare with a local family.

Tusheti National ParkLocated to the north of theGreater Caucasus Mountains,Tusheti NP’s unspoiledlandscapes await those who lovewalking between remote villages.Epic views seem a fitting reward.

Monasteries & fortressesSitting starkly in the desert,Davit Gareja’s centuries-oldmonasteries are sure to impress.But the fortresses here aren’ttoo shabby, either – Vardzia’sKhertvisi Fortress leads toa cave city (pictured above),while Akhaltsikhe’s Rabatfortress is one of the onlyOttoman complexes in the land.

SEE THE PEARL OF THE CAUCASUS IN A NEW LIGHT ON AN EXCLUSIVE TRIPWITH AWARD-WINNING GUIDE, WILD FRONTIERS’ DARIO GHIRLANDA

Explore Georgia

ONLY £25DEPOSIT

Book with WildFrontiers and pay justa £25 deposit. Thefull-price deposit isnormally £500 perperson for group tours.

Next Issue

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PLUSWhere to go when – a month-by-month

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• and much more


PAG

E 93Pocket guide:Brecon BeaconsNational ParkWe take a short breakin the wild Welshwonderland, to enjoyoutdoor adventures and charmingmarket towns.

98PAG

E Real wonders of the worldWe give some love to the other-worldly landscapes of Wadi Rum.

Travel Tips | Expert Advice | Pocket Guides

Solving (most of) your travel dilemmas

PAG

E 88Reader travel tipsWe asked if you had anycool pointers for ournext visit to Turkey and,well, it turned out youhad absolutely loads –from alternative balloonrides to cool places toeat. So well done you!

PAG

E 90Just back from...Reader NandiniChakraborty and herhusband tested thepost-lockdown travelwaters with an Italian tripto Cinque Terre, Florence, Rome and Pisa.

PAG

E 97The knowledgeHistorian and lecturerDr Eireann Marshall hasspent 20 years guidingin Europe and Africa.Here, 2019’s TopHistory & Culture Guidegives us the benefit of her experience.

PAG

E 91Pocket guide:Galle Fort,Sri LankaThis UNESCO WorldHeritage site on thewest coast of Sri Lankais a delightful blend ofPortuguese, Dutch and British history andcontemporary SriLankan culture. Wetake a short walkaround this travelicon, taking in thecolonial buildings,local street food –coconut ice cream! –and the local peopleenjoying the beachduring the day and theramparts in the evening.


an amphitheatre carved into its side.

Better than Pompeii!” Kris Joslin

Safe scarfing Handy tip”Bring a spare scarf/sarong that

you can use to cover your arms/

face when visiting religious spots

and mosques.” Rachael Watkins

Western wonders Priene & Miletus“If you are staying in the west or

south-west, do visit the ancient

cities of Priene and Miletus. These

sites are uncrowded there is likely

to be only one party there and you

may even have them to yourself.”

Paul Mostyn

Follow the fish Istanbul“Skip the markets and restaurants

for fish the best place is by the

Bosphorus. The sellers have supplies

and grills to make an amazing yet

simple dish. The mackerel

sandwiches are grilled fresh off the

boat, topped with chillies, lettuce,

pomegranate molasses, sumac and

Your top tips this issue, including must-see places to visit, where to feast on local cuisine, activities to experience and how best to get around, are sure to make travelling in Turkey a delight

Up the chimneysPasabag fairy chimneys“If you’re unlucky enough to get

up at 3.15am for your balloon ride

over Cappadocia only to find the

conditions aren’t right, don’t despair.

Go to the Pasabag fairy chimneys,

where you can see the brides and

grooms having early-morning

photos as the sun rises.” Sarah Hand

Carving a view Pergamum“Check out the remains at

Pergamum, set on a mountain with Shutterstock

Travel tipsYOUR TIPS ON...

TURKEY

South-eastern secret“Kalkan is beautiful,” says

reader Marie Waldie.

“The bay is amazing at

sunset and there are lots

of rooftop restaurants.”

Standing tallPasabag’s fairy

chimneys are an

imposing sight


DISCOVERREADER TIPS

Waterfall wandersKurşunlu Waterfall, Antalya“Avoid the busy Düden Waterfalls and

instead venture slightly out of Antalya

and visit the Kurşunlu Waterfall

instead. You can walk behind the falls

and feel the spray of the water on

your face with only a handful of

other people.” Darren Clayson

Bus itGetting around“The best way to travel cheaply

in Turkey is by dolmuş [share

other delicious spices and sauces.

When I visited a few years ago it cost

less than £1 too.”

Joseph Arwen-Langham

Grandgulets Fethiye“We joined agulet cruise leaving

from Fethiye on the south-west

coast. This was the perfect way to

see the coastline, as well as some

amazing culture, without the feeling

of being on a huge cruise!”

Georgina Van Hien

taxi/minibus]. They are regular

and plentiful and practically run

to every major town.”

Tracey Anderson

Turkish treat Çıralı“Çıralı in Anatolia is a small village

reached by bus from Antalya.

It has 3km of uncrowded beaches,

bordered at one end by the

intriguing ruins of Olympos. Small

cafés create delicious meals from

fresh local ingredients, while boat

trips run to other, less accessible

beaches.” Margaret Norvell

Visit wanderlust.co.ukto submit your tips.

Next month’s topic is:Travelling in Japan

Lift-offAir ballooningin Pamukkale“Try hot-air ballooning

at Pamukkale – it’s

different to Cappadocia,

but just as much fun.

Wrap up well, and it’s

well worth the silly

early pick-up time.

Be amazed at how

skilled your pilot is as he

lands the balloon back

on the trailer they

brought it on.”

Gee Wood

Hannah Mackie, Asia Specialist at

Imagine Travel, gives us her top tips

for travelling around JapanÉ

Where to go? Tokyo and Kyoto are standout highlights,but I also recommend Hakone to see Mt Fuji; Hiroshima forhistory buffs; Osaka for foodies; Naoshima Island for artlovers; and Mt Koya or the Nakasendo Way for keen walkers.

Best time to go? While the spring cherry blossom season isthe most popular time to visit, I’d argue that autumn’s evenbetter. The deep reds and oranges are just as beautiful andthe season lasts a bit longer, usually from late October toearly December, giving you a better chance of seeing them.

Top tips? Learn a bit about Japan’s unique customs before you travel, be brave when it comes to trying new foods and don’t let the language barrier hold you back!

Call me on 020 3131 5034 formore Japan travel tips, or visit imaginetravel.com

Insiders’ guide to...JAPAN

Go underground Galata (Karaköy)“Istanbul’s Galata (or

Karaköy) district is great

to explore – its tower has

great views over the city

in all directions. The

Galata House Restaurant

is in a former British jail

and serves Georgian

stews, while the Sensus

wine boutique nearby has

a cosy underground

cave where you can

try the underrated

Turkish wines.”

Alison Colquhoun

Historic landmarkGalata Tower dominates

the skyline of the

surrounding district


DISCOVER READER REPORT

The highlights: Climbing the Duomo. The viewsfrom the top are worth the 463 steps as the vistasof Florence glowing in the summer sun, terracottaroofs and church spires are unforgettable.Must see: Obvious, but the Roman Forum andColosseum. The history that emanates from thecarved stone and cobbled streets holds one inawe. Finishing at around 7pm, when the site isclosing down, is a bonus. The sun hangs low inthe sky, the breeze is cooler and the monumentsglow honey-coloured.Top tip: A morning in one of the catacombs inRome is well spent – especially in the summer heat.Cautionary tale: Face masks were necessary in allenclosed spaces, and in summer this can get verysuffocating. So factor this into your itinerary while planning, ie you might want to do one indoor

activity a day, but leave some space for walkingaround the city and getting some fresh air.I wish I’d known: That most places nowadays havetimed entries to control the number of people in abuilding, so online booking is essential. Thankfully,we planned ahead so that this wasn’t a problem.Anything else: Travel has changed for theforeseeable future, but cooperating with eachother and keeping to the rules means that wecan still travel and perhaps even have betterexperiences without overwhelming crowds.

Just got back from somewhereamazing? Visit wanderlust.co.uk or emailus at [email protected]

wanderlust.co.uk

Reader Nandini Chakraborty tested the post-lockdown travel waterswith an Italian adventure to Cinque Terre, Florence, Rome and Pisa

Italy

Shut

ters

tock

SNAKING THROUGH“Walking along the disusedrailway embankment inMuch Wenlock, Shropshire,I looked down to see a littleflash of copper. I stoppedand watched a slow-wormzigzag his way across thepath, tiny tongue flickering.” Diane Finlayson

DOG DAYS ARE OVER“Our dog’s very friendly butother animals avoid him ashe is quite big and loud.However, out of nowhereappeared the best friendhe was longing for… atortoise. They immediatelybecame inseparable andhave been exploring ourbackyard ever since.”Petra Lozanova, Bulgaria

SOFA BY THE SEA“Our daily walk is along theIsle of Lewis shore to thedunes. During the last sixweeks a mystery furniturebuilder has, piece-by-piece,assembled two ‘sofas’ anda coffee table on the high-tide line, made from oldpallets. It makes a wonderful spot to take a breather.” KellyMacDonald

Your tales of… CLOSE TOHOME JOYS

JUST BACK FROM…

Go online to share yourtravel tales on next month’s topic: ‘DisappointingTourist Attractions’

This UNESCO World Heritage site on the west coast of Sri Lanka is a delightful blend of Portuguese, Dutch and British history and contemporary Sri Lankan culture


Get orientatedThe hexagon-shaped Galle Fortis so compact that you could zipabout the whole place in a fewhours – but it’s worth lingering atleast a few days to soak up itscharm. The UNESCO WorldHeritage Site sits on a peninsulaon the west coast of Sri Lanka,125km south of the capitalColombo. The area’s colourfulhistory dates back to its daysas a port, when it exportedcinnamon from as early as AD125.

The Portuguese arrived in1588, fortifying the city in the16th century before the Dutchtook over in 1640, later buildingthe present granite wall that'sbecome one of the area’sdefining visuals. The British thenarrived in 1796, occupying the

region until Sri Lanka finallygained independence in 1948.Today, Galle's past is etchedacross its face like laughter linesaround a grandfather’s eyes.

A stroll around its grid of narrowstreets reveals a Sri Lankan flagnext to a British-built clock tower,a mix of temples, mosques andchurches, and the Old DutchHospital, which is now home to independent boutiques.

Gettingthere&aroundVarious airlines fly fromLondon Heathrow to ColomboInternational Airport in about11 hours, usually with a stop inDoha. Flights cost from £565.Direct trains from Colombo’s FortStation to Galle take two hours.

The visitStart by learning about the fort’spast at Galle National Museum, a 17th-century colonnadedbuilding that was originallya supermarket for Dutch military.It now houses archaeologicalartefacts and wooden masks,as well as Portuguese, Dutchand British weapons. Next, learnmore about Galle's maritimehistory in the National Maritime Museum nearby.

Once you’ve groundedyourself in the fort’s past, absorb its present by meanderingthrough streets tangled withphone wires. Amble past 1940sAustins, colonial villas withterracotta roof tiles, and cafésserving hoppers, crab curry and coconut ice cream.

Grand GalleEnjoy a more relaxedpace of Sri Lankanlife in the shadow ofGalle's lighthouse

In the morning, shopkeepersthrow open their shutters, tuk-tukdrivers greet you and girls withtheir hair in plaits smile shyly ontheir way to school. The best timeof day, however, is sunset, whenlocals and visitors alike ramblealong the palm-tree linedramparts. Grab a roti from a streetvendor and sit by the lighthouse,which marks the end of the fort.There’s a scrap of beach beneath it, so you can watch localssplashing in the shallows.

With more time, explorebeyond the stone arch thatmarks the fort's entrance.Cycle 6km south to Unawatunabeach, try rambutan at Galle’smarket or watch cricket in theoval outside the fort walls –another relic of Galle’s past.

⊲

Pocket Your cut-out and keep travel companion

TRAVEL ICONGALLE FORT,

SRI LANKA

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POCKET GUIDES TRAVEL ICON

Language: Sinhala, Tamil, EnglishTime: GMT+5.30Visas: UK nationals require a visa;visa system currently suspended.Money: Sri Lankan rupee (LKR)

This feature is adapted fromthe DK Eyewitness TravelGuide Sri Lanka travel guide,which contains illustrations,tour suggestions anda pull-out map. See dk.com

Need to know

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Opened in 2009, the NationalMaritime Archaeology Museumis housed in a former Dutchwarehouse, where ships’ provisions and valuable cargo such ascinnamon, cloth and cowrie shells were stored.

A private collection of antiques andmiscellaneous objects belonging to AbdulGaffar, a local gem merchant, is on display in the Historical Mansion Museum.

Dating from the19th century, All Saints

Church was specificallybuilt for the British

community and remainsprimarily Anglican.

The ClockTower was

constructedin 1882.

Clan House onceaccommodated the offices of

English insurance companyLloyd’s of London. Check out the

ships arrivals board outside.

An attractive colonial building,the Dutch Reformed Churchwas originally constructed in

1755 on the site ofa Portuguese convent.

It was restored in 2004.

Originally built for the Dutchgovernor in 1684, this building waslater converted into the NewOriental Hotel. It was one of Galle’smost popular hotels and manyocean-liner passengers stayed herein the 19th century. The hotel wasrenamed Amangalla in 2005.

The Galle National Museumhas archaeological andanthropological exhibitsrecovered from Sri Lanka'ssouthern region. Exhibits include masks and woodcarvings.

Main Gate

Post office

Dutch bell tower

Dutch Government House

FINISH

START

A striking mask ondisplay in the GalleNational Museum.

N

A SHORT WALK: GALLE FORTDistance 1km (0.5 miles)Nearest station Galle Time 15 minutes

With fine examples of colonialarchitecture and well-preservedfortifications, Galle Fort is anatmospheric place to wanderaround.Located in the heart of thetown, the fort encompasses theold Dutch quarter, and is farremoved from the busy town justoutside its walls.

Galle’s harbour had long beenattracting traders, sailors andexplorers to its shores before thePortuguese built a fort on thepromontory here in 1589, but itwas during the Dutch occupancythat Galle Fort had its heyday.When the Dutch seized the portin 1640, they extended thefortifications and the fort becamethe hive of Sri Lankan industry.

DID YOU KNOW?The fort ramparts withstood thetsunami while the surrounding

modern buildings collapsed.

Wild beautyThe wide open spacesof the Brecon BeaconsNational Park offerplenty of options forwonderful walks

Pocket Your cut-out and keep travel companion

BRITISH BREAK IN...BRECON BEACONS NP,

WALES


According to locallegend, the BreconBeacons took theirname from ancientsignal fires lit on the

mountains to warn of invaders.Whether that’s true or not, there’sclearly been a fear of invasion inthis part of South Wales, withcastles, forts and other defensivesites right across the BreconBeacons National Park, from theIron Age through to SecondWorld War anti-tank blocks. Manyof the defences are still standing.

The closest thing to an‘invading force’ now are thevisitors who come to hike, bike,paddle or ride horses throughthe park’s wild spaces. The onlyfires I saw on my visit were in warm, welcoming pubs.

Established in 1957, the BreconBeacons is one of Wales’ threenational parks. At the heart ofits 1,347 sq km are the strikingBeacons themselves: Pen Y Fan(886m), the UK’s highestmountain south of Snowdon,and Corn Du (873m). But withinthe boundaries, there are alsothe Black Mountains in the east,the Black Mountain to the west,and forests, rivers, lakes, cavesand waterfalls. Alongsidecountless sheep, I shared thecountryside with red kites and,on the slopes of Sugar Loaf,roaming Welsh mountain ponies.

Nature’s the main draw. Butthere’s plenty of cultural lifehere, too, from the Green Manmusic festival to the literaryHay Festival. There are also

The Brecon Beacons National Park is the perfect location for those seeking a mix ofunspoilt beauty, outdoor activities and charming market towns, says Graeme Green

ASK A LOCAL“There’s nothing wrongwith big walks, but thereare lots of lovely little localwalks too. You just have toask people. There’s onefrom Langestry on theright side of LlangorseLake, with a little church

that’s always open,and a bird hide

where you cansee a mix ofbirds. I love itthere. It’s so

peaceful.”Elaine Morgan,Beacons FarmShop at theWelsh Venison

Welsh wine producers anda whisky distillery.

Some spots can get crowded,but there are plenty of options toget space to yourself. COVID-19restrictions and renovationsmean a few attractions, includingthe Brecon Mountain Railway andseveral castles, are currentlyclosed. It’s good to have adaptableplans; hiking the high mountainsisn’t advisable in bad weather. Takea map and plan hikes carefully.

The eastern half of the park,which includes the BreconBeacons range, Brecon,Crickhowell, Llangorse Lakeand Hay-On-Wye, has plentyto fill a few days. But there aregood reasons to also headdeeper into the park’s less-visitedand wild(ish) west. ⊲


Stroll around the peaceful townof Crickhowell, from the ruins ofCrickhowell Castle down pastwhitewashed houses to its 18thcentury stone bridge, whichcrosses the River Usk.

Then pick a hike. Sugar LoafMountain’s an easy-going intro tothe local scenery, with 360-degreeviews of hills; you can be up and down in a couple of hours.

For a more epic challenge, theHorseshoe Ridge Walk takes in PenY Fan, Corn Du and glacial lake LlynCwm llwch. Allow five hours. Startand end at Cwm Gwdi car park,following the National Trust’s ‘CwmLlwch Horseshoe Walk’, thoughthere are other routes.

For a quieter option, park at theWelsh Venison Centre and hike the19km loop around Llangorse Lake.

It covers the peaks of Allt Yr Esgairand Mynydd Llangorse, thougha shorter hike up and down Allt YrEsgair delivers fantastic views.

Spend the afternoon browsingbooks in Hay-on-Wye, the ‘world’ssecond-hand book capital’.

For dinner, there’s hearty pubgrub at The Bear in Crickhowell,or if you prefer fine dining, headto Gliffaes Country House Hotel.

Day 1

POCKET GUIDES BRITISH BREAK

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1 Look to the skiesThe park was

designated an InternationalDark Sky Reserve in 2013.Astronomer Martin Griffithsruns stargazing evenings atthe visitor centre atLibanus. Visit darkskywales.org or follow Dark SkyWales’s Facebook page.

2 Going undergroundAt The National

Showcaves Centre forWales, walk throughtunnels at the Dan-yr-Ogof caves, with stalactites,stalagmites, columnsand other formations.

3 Feathered friendsRed kites, buzzards

and ravens are amongthe regular visitors to theLlanddeusant Red KiteFeeding Centre. Feedingtimes are 2pm or 3pm,depending on the time ofyear. It’s first come, firstserved, so arrive early.(redkiteswales.co.uk)

4 Fancy a tipple?Take a tour or a whisky

masterclass at PenderynDistillery. Try its smoothpeated whisky and itssubtle chocolate orangegin. Or if you prefer wine,head to the Sugar LoafVineyards and ordera taster sample with four glasses, along witha cheese platter.

Rent a canoe (or kayak) from BlackMountain Adventure in the villageof Three Cocks. Paddle an hour ortwo down the placid River Wyefrom Glasbury to Hay-On-Wye,keeping an eye out for swans,herons, kingfishers and red kites.

Down the A470, the Felin FachGriffin has a warming fireplace andappealing lunches.

In the afternoon, take a mellowwalk along the canals at Talybont-On-Usk, or around Llangorse’slakeside from the church atLlangasty, an area busy with birds.

End the day at The ThreeHorseshoes in Groesffordd, one of

the park’s best pubs, with excellentfish and chips or creative dishes,like wild nettle risotto. Get a tableout front or in one of the ‘beachhuts’ for a sunset view of theBrecon Beacons, which goesdown nicely with a pint of ale.

Alternatively, drive west aftercanoeing, stopping en route at theDan-yr-Ogof Showcaves, all theway to Carreg Cennen Castle, oneof the most spectacular castlesin the park, not least for its hilltoplocation and sprawling views.Drive there and back on theBlack Mountain Road (A4069) for memorable rolling hills.

Day 2

Getting there: The town ofCrickhowell (pictured right), insidethe Brecon Beacons National Park,is around a three-hour drive fromLondon or a seven-hour drivefrom Edinburgh. Trains run from London and other cities toAbergavenny, the ‘gateway’to the park, but to explorethe attraction’s large spaces, it pays to have a car.

Stay at: The Bear Hotel(bearhotel.co.uk), an old coachinginn dating back to 1432, inCrickhowell makes a fine base forexploring. Comfy rooms havewood beams, plush armchairs,Welsh blankets and chandeliers.Staff are friendly and helpful. Thehotel does a good breakfast, and itslively pub serves shepherd’s pie,fish and chips, real ales and more.

The essentials

4THINGSTO DO

IN BRECONBEACONS NP


DISCOVERTHE KNOWLEDGE

You learn more by guiding. I was a poorpostgrad when I started guiding, so what wasexciting was to get paid to go to Pompeii andthese places that I was studying. But what I lovedabout it is that I learned as much as they did. Butas I’ve gotten older, what inspires me is to notjust be there as the expert, but to be there withpeople. It’s more like, “Let’s explore this together.”

Travel’s like going back in time.Because I’m a historian, this is what I love abouttravel – the convergence between time anddistance. When you’re on your own with yourgroup in the Sistine Chapel, it’s like you can hearconclaves, Florentine painters, the people…

You have to like people. One of myfriends asked me, “How is it you still want to goto Pompeii?” Well, every time you go it’s new,because you’re imparting all this for the first time to a new set of people.

Communication is key. You have toimpart knowledge in a way that people canunderstand; it needs to be broken down intobite-size chunks. It’s about reading your guests.Are they enjoying it? Are they tired? Empathy’simportant. If you don’t understand people then you can’t engage with them.

Don’t let your enthusiasm run awaywith you. There was a guide who took hispeople up a hill in a lightning storm; the guidereally loved this church and so they went upand up this hill to get to it, until the lightning hitsomeone. No matter how great that church is, the guests need to live.

Guests learn fromeach other as much as a guide, pointing outthings that the guide thought was obvious, likea detail on a tomb. I like listening as much asguiding sometimes. You need to be the leader,but you don’t need to be the only one heard.

Tr gy We’ve gone to a place that’sinhabited with other people and we need to makesure that by travelling there, we’re furtheringthem. Take Oplontis, a really extraordinary Romanvilla in Torre Annunziata near Naples: we usedto just go and quickly get off and then get backon and leave; I thought, “How am I helping thisneighbourhood?” And so now, whenever I go toOplontis, I stop and say to guests, “This is a poor town – and would you like an ice cream?”

You’re not just visiting sites, you’rev iting p ple You build connections asyou go. I love gong to places like Oplontis, whereyou arrive and they say “Marshaaaaaaaaaaall”,and you know the people and you know the dogs. Sometimes it’s like going home.

A historian and lecturer,Dr Eireann Marshall has

spent 20 years guidingin Europe and Africa for

Andante Travels. Here,2019’s Top History &

Culture Guide explainshow she does it…

Lessons from the road

with Dr Eireann Marshall

Every time you revisita destination it’s new,because you’re guiding a new set of people

Time travelVisiting the Sistine Chapel

is like stepping into the past

The

World GuideAwards WorldGuideAwards.com

DID YOUKNOW?The desert’s

other-worldlylandscape features

in Prometheus,Rogue One: A Star

Wars Story andRidley Scott’s 2015

science fictionfilm The Martian.

Watching a caravanof camels plodacross the valley,it’s surprising howlittle Wadi Rum

has changed since the Nabataeansruled the land over 2,000 years ago.

The vast desert in southern Jordanis a UNESCO World Heritage Sitewith a rich past – documented bythe remains of a Nabataean temple

and 25,000 petroglyphs hewn intosandstone and granite rock. Rich iniron oxide, the turmeric-coloured,valley looks spectacular set againstbrilliant blue skies.

By day you can climb over rockbridges, explore the 100m-longKhazali Siq dry canyon and lumberup rippled sand dunes. Or try a trek:at over 1,800m, Jabal Umm ad Daminear the Saudi Arabian border is

Jordan’s highest point – from thepeak you can see the Red Sea, andyou may spot sooty falcons, kestrelsand eagle owls looping above. Thetwo-hour return hike is tough butrewarding, especially at sunset.

As dusk falls, huddle arounda campfire, listening to tales and folksongs by local Bedouins. Then fallasleep in a traditional Bedouin tent –or outside, under a carpet of stars.

Wadi Rum, Jordan

Cool shadesA bedouin rides hiscamel under a rockarch in Wadi Rum

29.5221° N, 35.4502° E

Alam

y


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Wanderlust 11 2020