Alongside Christmas sweets, family gatherings and feasts, this time of year is known for compilations and lists of resolutions that this year Yes, we will. We have prepared our list for 2018. Do you already have yours?
I am sure many of you have an item on your list that says: “This is the year I finally Make that trip. that I have always wanted». This is usually a dream of somewhere far away, on the other side of the world.
Our aim on this trip is to see and photograph the Northern Lights and we’ll do so with Ignasi Rovira who will be responsible for accompanying us during this journey. He will be the one who, in the afternoon, will tell us about this phenomenon and give us practical advice on how to photograph them.
Since the northern lights are visible at night, weather permitting, we will use the daylight hours to enjoy excursions and activities typical of winter in the Lapland. And do not worry about the cold: before the activities begin, the organisers provide everyone with thermal clothing, consisting of a thermal suit, thick mittens and boots with inner liners.
The Timkat festival, is the most important festival for Ethiopian Orthodox believers. Timkat takes place every 19 January and lasts three days. Forty percent of Ethiopians identify as Christians and are among the Christian traditions oldest in the world. This celebration of Epiphany recalls Jesus' baptism in the Jordan River with ritual recreation and parades with replicas of the Ark of the Covenant.
I’m sure many of you still remember a family trip when you were little. Because travel leaves its mark on all of us, but especially on children that, however young they are, those memories will surface as they grow older, reminding them of their first family trips.
We know that many of you have doubts about travelling with the youngest members of the family because some of the journey is long and involves intercontinental flights. Who does not remember those endless road trips when we were children? None of us was traumatised! Things have changed, and a 10-hour flight with all the comforts available today is no trouble for children.
Chad has always been a place where travelers say goodbye to their comfort zone and salute the adventure. The Art of Travel here is demanding in every sense of the word.
This, however, is part of the country's appeal: a chance to leave everything familiar behind and enter a place that promises experiences, good and bad, unlike those anywhere else. But if Chad is so demanding to travel through, why bother? Imagine sublime oases hidden in the northern deserts, vast herds of wildlife crossing national parks and the Lake Chad, with deep blue waters, awaiting the arrival of boats on its shores. In short, Chad is a country and a experience that you don't forget easily.
The bookshops also take us on journeys; and today, on their special day, don’t forget to visit your favourite so that you can daydreaming, asking, advising, reading and consulting guides, diving in travel literature, buy maps or travel accessories...
And there is no denying it: these bookshops are magnetic places with an irresistible appeal for all those who like travel, where we gather in search of kindred spirits as we take the first steps of a great journey — or, why not, on our return.
We would also like to express our thanks here to the booksellers that books offer us, those wonderful conveyors of dreams, hopes, passions.
So we invite you to travel the world through our favourite bookshops
A bookshop where you can sleep: small compartments welcome those who want to stay and read. We can spend the night devouring books in Japanese or English. The concept has expanded with the opening of two more Book & Bed locations in Kyoto and Fukuoka.
When we think of pyramids the first thing our mind visualizes are the pyramids of Egypt. Did you know that Sudan has more pyramids than Egypt, yet sees almost no tourists? A rare luxury in today’s world of mass tourism.
Sudan is an African country which, like Egypt, has many pyramids and also bears witness to the natural talent of the human being and also its history. It is a wonderful place where we can touch the past with our fingertips, yet sadly it seems to have been forgotten. Sudan is one of the countries receiving the fewest tourists each year.
Benin, a small country in West Africa open to Gulf of Guinea at its southern tip, an ethnic mosaic that preserves Indigenous traditions and languages despite the effects of French colonisation. Benin is a place seemingly frozen in time, with very little tourism, a painful history of slavery and a long road to development. It is also the birthplace of voodoo.
Oman It is one of those countries you hardly notice but never forget. Sparsely populated (just over three million inhabitants) yet vast, it is a remarkable place, and not only for the variety and richness of its pristine landscapes. 80% of territory is desert and where we can find authentic Bedouin communities, better known as desert dwellers.
The lava of the Erta Ale volcano It is a mesmerising spectacle of raw, fascinating power. The magma that flows from the heart of the earth in flames, erupts and engulfs the rocks: a turbulent sea of stone liquid and black.
To enjoy this volcano in Ethiopia, you need an adventurous spirit, as any journey through remote areas inevitably involves a certain degree of hardship. In the case of this route to Danakil, there is also the challenging terrain and climate to contend with. High temperatures, water scarcity and difficult terrain combine to demand a certain spirit of self-sacrifice and adaptability to the circumstances. The effort in this case has its reward.
“Is what I’m seeing real?” wondered Ignasi Rovira when you first stepped on this remote southwestern region of Ethiopia.
The image was almost unreal, two children drinking blood directly from a cow that had been shot by a small dart; a ancient rite with extraordinary purity Though difficult to understand for the western eye.
Who among you has never seen Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, Babel, Prince of Persia or The Mummy. Older productions filmed here include classics such as Jesus of Nazareth, Marco Polo and Sodom and Gomorrah. And take note, fans of Game of Thrones: this is the city that Daenerys Targaryan Released in the final episode of the third season.
All were filmed in a magnificent setting with an exotic name Ait Ben Haddou, a place that is much more than a film set: it is a ksar, a fortified village with a history stretching back almost a thousand years. The maze of narrow, crenellated towers visible today dates mainly from the seventeenth century. This ancient fortified town was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
Last week we posted on Facebook news from El País in which he discussed Sikkim and its organic crops, which particularly caught our attention. Sikkim is a state nestled in the Himalayas, with no rail connections or commercial flights to date. But Sikkim succeeded in its mission, overcoming every obstacle. 12 years ago, in 2003, when the government led by Pawan Chamling decided to make Sikkim a state of organic farming through a declaration in the legislature. Today, it has become India's first fully organic state by implementing organic practices on about 75,000 hectares of agricultural land.
Since childhood, books have been an endless source of inspiration. They can transport us to unknown worlds and show us fascinating places we have never visited. Many encourage us to travel and discover those places first-hand. Today we take a brief tour of books that could help you choose a destination in Asia.
When you go into the Anavilhanas National Park, we pass countless tiny islands and mangroves, where white-sand beaches emerge during the dry season. At this point, the Rio Negro reaches 27 km across and looks almost like an open sea. Nearly 400 islands are scattered along 90 km, forming the world’s largest freshwater archipelago. The flow is immense, and take note: the river is around 300 metres deep!
In a remote corner north of Tanzania rises an amazing mountain called Ol Doinyo Lengai, where the lava fountains harden in the air and then fragment like glass.
In the language Maasai means Mountain of God and is close to the Lake Natron and is part of the volcanic system of Great Rift Valley. The volcano lies in a section of the fault zone known as Sikes Grid. It is one of the most unusual volcanoes, being the only one to erupt natrocarbonatite lava. Unlike other lavas, these are rich in calcium, sodium and carbon dioxide, giving these eruptions some extraordinary properties.
The Lake Issyk-Köl (Ysyk-Köl, Issyk-Kul) is the second largest alpine lake in the world after the Lake Titicaca in South America. The name, which means “hot lake”, is something of an exaggeration. A combination of great depth, thermal activity and mild salinity ensures that the lake never freezes, even in the harsh winters of Central Asia, despite being at an altitude of more than 1600 m.
The lake's origins are unknown, but the existence of a city built in the 5th century BC, submerged by flooding caused by an earthquake in the 16th century, has been demonstrated. Underwater expeditions over the years have found coins from that period.
They say there are two ways to get to know a country, or perhaps the world: travel through it or read about it. Or both. Peru has wonderful places such as Cuzco, Abancay, the beaches of the north or Arequipa.
Albania, a country that until the 1990s turned its back on Europe under the threat of an invasion that never came. Now it is moving swiftly towards the future. South of Tirana discover Albania’s monuments and history. Ancient villages of Ottoman origin, well preserved and declared World Heritage by the UNESCO . Citadels, archaeological sites and ancient historic centres delight history and architecture enthusiasts.
Would you like to discover Albania? We have departures in September and October, as well as a special 10-day New Year trip.
Kamchatka is a peninsula located at the eastern end of Russia, in a place whose remoteness has helped preserve its great natural beauty. Foreigners were not allowed to visit during the Soviet era, and even today few tourists venture to this far-flung corner of the world