People often ask us about our favourite destination or the most beautiful place we have visited. The world is vast, full of wonderful, well-known attractions, but our favourite places are those that sometimes go unnoticed. Each is special for a reason: its setting, landscapes, ethnic groups, wildlife, activities, festivals or religions. The images in this post show 15 places to visit at least once in a lifetime
Tanzania; Lake Natron
There is a place on the northern border of Tanzania where savannah gives way to a landscape that seems otherworldly. The Lake Natron is a destination that very few travelers visit. A lake full of flamingos, traces of hominids and active volcanoes. A place reserved for adventure lovers where you can enjoy a truly wonderful region.
Tuareg safari: Lake Natron, Serengeti and Ngorongoro
Cape Verde: hiking on stone paths
In the island of Santo Antao We walk along a well-paved cobbled path, built not for hikers but as the only link between villages and the larger towns where residents bought and sold food. Much of it was built in the 19th century by enslaved people brought by the Portuguese, who colonised the islands of Cape Verde. They are currently in good condition, maintained by villagers living in coastal cities.
Learn more about our trip to Cape Verde:
Madagascar: the Tsingy
In the west of Madagascar, On the Bemaraha plateau, not far from the coast, you will find a national park and a nature reserve. Both areas bear the name of their rocky needles: tsingy. An unforgettable place where lemurs leap between sharp limestone pinnacles like knives. A place where nature and adventure go hand in hand.
Learn more about our trips to Madagascar:
- Madagascar: lemurs, Tsingy and baobabs (9 Jul) > 6 Aug > 8 Oct 2018 )
- Experience Madagascar: tsingy, west coast and southern crossing (one departure only: 1 August)
Georgia; trekking Mestia – Ushguli
The mountainous region of Svaneti It is a hiker’s paradise, with many trails to choose from. The most famous is a four-day walk connecting the villages of Mestia and Ushguli, a remote area declared a World Heritage Site due to its landscape and architectural interest. Mountains, glaciers, forests and the extra comfort of sleeping every night in the villages we find on the road.
Georgia: trekking between medieval villages, from Mestia to Ushguli
Sri Lanka; Esala Perahera Festival
Dancers, jugglers, musicians, fire-breathers and richly decorated elephants contribute to the splendour of the festival Kandy Esala Perahera, the oldest and largest Buddhist festival in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka’s summer festival centres on a tooth carried on the last of dozens of elephants processing through Kandy on a night determined by the full moon. The relic, one of Buddha’s teeth, reached this Indian Ocean island after many adventures. Esala Perahera means the procession of the month Esala, which in the Sinhalese calendar partly corresponds to July and August.
Sri Lanka; Esala Perahera festival special
Japan; the Buddhist monastery of Koya
Enjoying the peace of a Buddhist temple lost in nature has its drawbacks which are part of the charm of the place. To reach Mount Koya (Koyasan) you must take several transports and a funicular. Koyasan is the best-known Buddhist retreat of Japan. At 1005 metres, Koyasan rises to a 12-square-kilometre plateau. Once the exclusive preserve of monks, this temple town was closed to women until 1873. It has two main areas: Danjo Garan southwest of Kongobu-ji, and Okunoin to the east. With no hotels, most of its more than one million annual pilgrims stay in shukubo, accommodation offered by 50 of the 120 nearby temples. Dusk, after visitors leave, and early morning are the best times to walk: a sublime experience.
Honshu Island: Imperial Cities and Alps
Kamchatka (Russia): climbing Mutnovsky volcano
The volcano Mutnovsky (2323 m) is considered one of the most beautiful and interesting volcanoes of Kamchatka. Its structure is complex and unusual. A glacier descends from the summit, while powerful jets of steam rise through fissures. The volcano’s intense, varied activity is fascinating. We will walk among hissing fumaroles ringed by bright yellow sulphur crystals, bubbling mud pools filled with black water and impressive craters. At its foot begins the beautiful Opasny Canyon, with an 80-metre waterfall.
Learn more about our trips to Kamchatka:
- Kamchatka: bears and volcanoes (departure 15 July)
- Kamchatka: bears and volcanoes (departure 1 August)
- Kamchatka; Kurilskoye lake and Mutnovsky volcanic area (19, 28 Jul) > 9, 12, 18, 27 Aug> 2, 11 Sep 2018 )
- Kamchatka: hiking among volcanoes and descending the Bystraya River (4, 13, 22, 31 Jul > 9, 18 Aug 2018 )
Cuba; Sierra Maestra
Cuba offers much more than beaches. Our route suits curious travellers, following mountain trails on foot with a guide to La Comandancia de la Plata, the camps from which Camilo, Che Guevara, Fidel and other rebels began fighting Fulgencio Batista's dictatorship in the late 1950s. Walking this mountain range is a journey through Cuban history
Cuba; from Sierra Maestra to Havana
Myanmar; ethnic groups of the unexplored Kayah State
Loikaw It is the capital of Kayah State, one of Myanmar’s least-visited and most picturesque areas, home to hilltop pagodas, volcanic lakes, mysterious caves and a wide variety of ethnic groups, including the Kayan, known for the distinctive bronze rings women wear around their necks from a very young age.
Myanmar; Mandalay, Bagan, Inle Lake and Kayah ethnic minorities
Nepal; trekking for amateurs in the Himalayas
We often think that to go on a trekking in Nepal you need to be thoroughly prepared. Our proposed trip, however, offers an excellent introduction to trekking: moderate-altitude walks without technical difficulty, with the Annapurna region on the horizon. Distances are relatively short, allowing a generally unhurried pace. The idea is to undertake the walks in the morning, for around 4 to 5 hours at most, with relaxed afternoons at our accommodation.
Nepal; trekking for amateurs in the Himalayas
Guatemala; Sierra de Cuchumatanes
In the Cuchumatanes mountain range find a small town called Todos Santos Cuchumatán, one of the most traditional villages of Guatemala. Located in the Western Highlands, this small village has a weekly market which is ideal for experiencing authentic Mayan culture and buying unique local handicrafts. It is also famous for its celebration of All Saints Day on November 1. This three-day annual festival consists of horse racing, marimba music, dances and traditional dishes that are prepared for the occasion and in which the locals visit their deceased by filling the tombs with candles and flowers.
Guatemala; Petén jungle, Lake Atitlán, Cuchumatanes mountain range, Dulce River, Caribbean and Copan
Thailand; Ethnic Minority Trek
North of Thailand is home to interesting and colorful ethnic minorities. The seven main hill peoples are the Karen, Hmong, Lahu, Lisu, Mien, Akha and Padaung, who migrated to northern Thailand from elsewhere in inland Asia over the years. All retain much of their traditional way of life. The two largest groups around Chiang Mai are the Karen, known for turbans and woven robes, and the Hmong, renowned for intricate embroidery. Few places offer such cultural variety. Known as hill tribes, these communities have lived peacefully for years, away from the modern world.
Thailand; Bangkok, ethnic minority trek and southern beaches
Ecuador; Avenue of volcanoes
Among the large number of volcanic mountains in Ecuador, In the country’s centre lies the Avenue of the Volcanoes. Along 300 kilometres are more than 70 volcanoes, each more impressive than the last. Lakes and extraordinary biodiversity surround them, creating beautiful landscapes full of contrasts. Cotopaxi and Chimborazo are the best known.
Ecuador; Avenue of volcanoes and whales
Peru; Andean Journey
The Andean route is a powerful symbol of the Andes' ancient cultures and is considered the Incas' most sacred route. It takes us from Arequipa through Colca Canyon and Lake Titicaca, then across the Andes to Cuzco and the Sacred Valley before climbing to Machu Picchu
Peru; Arequipa–Titicaca–Cuzco journey
Azores: hiking on São Miguel
As soon as we land on São Miguel Island In the Azores, the first thing that strikes you is the contrast of colours: intensely green vegetation studded with flowers, tall trees with moss covering every centimetre of their trunks, and blue lakes formed inside vast volcanoes. São Miguel is undoubtedly a destination for every nature lover.
Azores; hiking on São Miguel