Audley Traveler Summer 2019

SUMMER 2019

THE REAL MYANMAR

Discover the country’s culture and cuisine through community-led experiences

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CONTENTS 4 First sight

A selection of photographs from our specialists’ latest adventures: this issue, showcasing the best of Italy and China.

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Escape routes

Travel news: take off to Oman, eco-safari in Zambia, and sail the Galapagos on the Solaris.

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Introducing Greece

Explore the diverse highlights of our newest European destination, with an ancient history and culture that’s matched by its scenery – on both sea and land.

6: responsible wildlife experiences 20Top

Our pick of the best conservation trips: from tracking leopard to seeing pandas.

your travel window 22Widen

Five destinations that offer you a rewarding experience, but at a time of year you might not expect.

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Head to head: Florence vs Naples

Italy is famous for its Renaissance art – but which city boasts the better masterpiece?

38Just back from…

Updates from our experts’ travels: Namibia, Myanmar, Argentina, and Oman.

4048 hours in… Xian

Trace the city’s ancient history and see its famous Terracotta Army, Ming-era towers and souk-like winding lanes.

44Travelers’ tales

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Your stories and images: culture in Chile and Easter Island and tribe life in Laos.

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Discover the secrets of the Australian rainforest with the owner of Mungumby Lodge.

New Zealand

Go on a trip through New Zealand’s most majestic glaciers.

Myanmar

Our specialists delve into Myanmar to discover its community-led projects, hide-and-seek cooking lessons, and dolphin conservation programs.

48Interview: Hamish Haslop 50Q&A: Bhutan

Mountain monasteries and fiery cuisine: what to expect from the last Shangri-la.

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WELCOME

Dear Traveler

Contributors

Welcome to the summer issue of Audley Traveler.

In this edition, we’re throwing some common travel perceptions to the wind. Our specialists are regularly asked when’s the best time to travel to a destination, but there’s more flexibility than you might think. Head to page 22 to discover the benefits of being moveable with your travel window.

We’ve also expanded our European offerings to include Greece, birthplace of democracy, philosophy, gyros and heroes. On page 14, you can delve into this rich culture with five experiences that will help you explore different facets of the country, including kayaking over sunken ruins and a private tour to discover local life in Santorini.

Some of our most recent discoveries hail from Myanmar.

We sent a small team to journey across the country and seek out experiences that directly support local communities in the best way possible. Sophie, who was part of the group, talks about her highlights on page 32.

I hope you enjoy the issue.

Jacqui Lewis Managing Director

77 N Washington St, 6th Floor, Boston, MA 02114 Telephone: 1-855-838-8300 Website: www.audleytravel.com The vacations featured in this magazine are suggestions only and will be customized to fit your travel dates and preferences. All prices quoted are exclusive of international flights and subject to change.

Designed by Wanderlust Travel Media.

CST#2117258-40 | Fla. Seller of Travel Ref. No. ST39468.

Suzanne McGrory Europe product manager After living and working in Greece and Italy, Suzanne joined our Europe team.

Read about her latest travels in Greece on page 14, as it becomes our newest Europe destination.

Plastic-saving travel tip?

Take a reusable shopping bag.

Sophie Felton Southeast Asia specialist Currently studying for an MSc in international development, Sophie is passionate about community-led travel. Read about the new experiences she tasted recently in Myanmar on page 32.

Plastic-saving travel tip?

Buy a shampoo bar instead of using up hotel miniatures.

Emily Summer New Zealand specialist Emily has hiked, flown and paddled across the country’s landscapes. On page 30, she compares and contrasts the South Island’s showstopping glaciers, and how to explore them.

Plastic-saving travel tip?

Carry a reusable water bottle.

Images supplied by Audley travelers, staff and suppliers, Cramer © Trustees of the Natural History Museum, Alamy, AWL, Robert Harding, iStockphoto and Superstock

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA FOR DAILY TRAVEL INSPIRATION Tag @AudleyTravel and #TheAudleyWay to share your travel photos with us.

SUM M E R 2019

THINGS we’ve learned this issue

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Small communities are trailblazing some of the best ways to experience Myanmar, and securing their own future in the process. (p32) We’ve all heard of Michelangelo’s David, but Sanmartino’s Veiled Christ not so much. Yet, this Neapolitan sculpture is worthy of the same acclaim. (p28) It’s almost unknown for a glacier to run right down to the coast, but New Zealand’s Franz Josef and Fox glaciers do exactly this. (p30) You stand a chance of meeting one of the farmers who first discovered the Terracotta Warriors in 1974 when you visit the army in Xian – you might even find him signing books in one of the gift shops. (p40)

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On the cover Woman from the Kayah tribe, Myanmar Discover Myanmar through our favorite community-led experiences on page 32.

For more information, call our Myanmar specialists on 1-855-838-0105 or request a copy of our Southeast Asia brochure at www.audleytravel.com/us/brochures

THE REAL MYANMAR

Discover the country’s culture and cuisine through community-led experiences

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FIRST SIGHT

MONREALE CATHEDRAL, SICILY

By Nick Graham, Italy specialist ”The first time I saw the ceiling in Palermo’s Monreale Cathedral, all I could do was stare in awe for several long minutes. The Byzantine-style mosaics seem to come alive in the sunlight, which comes in through the windows, and gets reflected and refracted by the glass tiles and gold leaf to create a shimmering, almost glowing, scene. Once I was done being awestruck, I couldn’t help but contemplate the enormous time, effort, and resources that it took the medieval craftsmen to create such a glorious monument, especially when Palermo already had one impressive cathedral.”

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FIRST SIGHT

THE GREAT WALL AT JINSHANLING, CHINA

By Becky Sanders, China team ”I fell head over heels with the Great Wall at Jinshanling.

I’ve seen a few world wonders, but I was unprepared for everything about this immense structure – its age, its complex history, its engineering, the way it chicaned off into the hazy distance, every bit the ‘dragon’s backbone’ of my imagination. Perhaps most thrilling, I had it all to myself. This shot was taken from one of the watchtowers that dot the wall, I liked the way the arch framed the view of the wall, and the mountainsides of apricot and maple trees gradually coming into leaf.”

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ESCAPE ROUTES

TRAVEL NEWS | FLIGHT DECK | RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL | CHECK IN

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WHAT’S NEW

Welcome to Oman Oman may just be the best-kept secret in the Middle East – its unspoiled deserts, ancient tombs, and low-rise cities offer an authentic way to experience modern Arab culture.

Stable and international in its outlook, the country boasts pristine white-sand beaches, hidden wadis and small traditional villages where goats roam through narrow streets.

Our specialists can now arrange custommade trips to this often-overlooked destination on the Arabian Sea. As you travel, explore a time-honored livestock auction in the small city of Nizwa, stand at the lip of the Omani Grand Canyon, or climb a desert dune to watch the sunset over the Wahiba Sands.

For more information, contact our Oman specialists on 1-855-838-6430.

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ESCAPE ROUTES

WHERE TO GO IN… 3 MONTHS

AUSTRALIA

FLIGHT DECK The latest flight news

JetBlue will be crossing the Atlantic from 2021.

The carrier plans to introduce regular flights from New York and Boston to London on its A321LR aircraft. British Airways has also added to its transatlantic product, launching a twice-weekly summer service between Charleston, South Carolina and London Heathrow, starting from this year.

United Airlines will run seasonal nonstop flights to Cape Town, South Africa beginning December 2019. The flights will operate on the 787-9 Dreamliner from United’s Newark hub. Pending government approval, United will become the only airline flying nonstop between the United States and Cape Town.

TAP Air Portugal have just begun flying between San Francisco and Lisbon.

The nonstop, year-round flights run five times a week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday) on new Airbus A330-900neo aircraft.

Almost all of Australia, with the exception of the Northern Territory and the Kimberley, is enjoying the last of spring before the summer heat descends. Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef are particularly rewarding to visit at this time of year.

Water visibility is good and there’s little wind, making for ideal snorkeling conditions.

For more information, contact our Australia specialists on 1-844-250-3450.

6 MONTHS

INDIA

Practically anywhere in India is ripe for visiting. While snow might cause some travel disruption in the Himalaya, the pay-off is views of mountains blanketed in white.

Rajasthan’s dry, sunny days and cooler nights make it an ideal time to explore the Golden Triangle, while Kerala is warm with only a touch of humidity – a good time to cruise the backwaters. For more information, contact our India specialists on 1-855-838-8478.

9 MONTHS

NAMIBIA The summer heat is subsiding – and any occasional rain creates good photo opportunities. The landscape is clinging on to its greenery, complementing the red rock.

With less crowds in this season, there is much more choice and flexibility about where to stay.

It’s a particularly good time for birdwatching, and you’re likely to have game sightings all to yourself. For more information, contact our Namibia specialists on 1-855-838-0525.

Delving into Delhi at the 2019 Audley Guide Awards Every year, we host the Audley Guide Awards in Asia as a way to acknowledge, appreciate, and thank our best guides from across the continent. We hand-pick the guides that we use for our experiences – our trips simply couldn’t happen without them.

This year, guides from across the region were invited to Delhi. Aside from the awards dinner, they explored Old Delhi on an Audley walking and rickshaw tour and took part in a workshop to share their experience and best practice.

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CHECK IN

The most exciting new stays Enso Ango, Kyoto, Japan Enso Ango (pictured) is Japan’s first dispersed hotel – rooms and facilities are spread across five buildings, each with its own personality. With a range of room sizes and comfort levels, you can choose a building to suit, but still use the facilities across the hotel.

Nantipa, Santa Teresa, Costa Rica In the relaxed surf-and-yoga town of Santa Teresa on the Nicoya Peninsula, Nantipa sits apart from other properties, enjoying its own stretch of beach. It has an outdoor pool, a gourmet restaurant, and rooms come with hammocks and outdoor showers.

Songtsam Meili Lodge, Yunnan, China What this remote lodge lacks in facilities, it makes up for in views: it overlooks the great white bulk of Meili Snow Mountain. Rooms are cozy affairs with their own fireplace and, in fine weather, you can admire your environs from the outdoor terrace.

SkyScape, Twizel, New Zealand Here, three sides of your room are made of glass, giving you clear views of the heavens. From SkyScape’s secluded spot, an hour from Mount Cook, you can stargaze in bed at this certified Dark Sky Reserve, or from the room’s private outdoor bath tub.

Our charity of the year: ShelterBox Jenna Hoopingarner from our operations team took part in ShelterBox’s mock deployment training in Texas. She saw how the charity’s response team delivers ShelterBoxes to international disaster zones.

Boxes include tents, cooking supplies, and water filters. “My experience helped me see the importance

of Shelterbox’s work, aiding in over 18 disasters each year, where they attempt to reach the most vulnerable,” she said. Since 2000, the charity has helped rebuild the lives of more than a million people.

For more information, visit www.justgiving.com/ fundraising/audley-travel-shelterbox

Coming soon: Iceland

Cruise alongside great Galapagos wildlife

It’s somewhere you’ve been asking us about increasingly often, so we’re excited to announce Iceland as our new destination offering for this autumn. Laura from the team tells us what to expect: “Visiting Iceland is about the landscape and how to enjoy it. There are few places where you could walk into a magma chamber or onto a glacier, especially within easy reach of the capital. It’s also about exploring Icelandic culture, down to their belief in ‘elf villages’.” Stay up to date with our Iceland news by joining our mailing list at www.audleytravel.com.

The Solaris, a purpose-built expedition boat, is now sailing the Galapagos archipelago as a new addition to the fleet. With chic interiors, the option for triple-occupancy cabins, and no single supplements, she suits all kinds of travelers. Having completed her maiden voyage in March, her sailing routes take you to the volcano-dotted islands of Isabela and Fernandina (whose highlands shelter giant tortoises) or to the remote bird cliffs of Genovesa. For more information, please contact our Galapagos specialists on 1-855-838-8636.

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ESCAPE ROUTES

Eco-safari in Zambia

YPM Klaus Wagensonner

Ila Safari Lodge in Kafue National Park is leading the way in environmentally friendly safaris in Zambia. The lodge is constructed from locally sourced wood and runs solely on solar power, even operating a solar-powered boat for sunset river cruises and an electric game drive vehicle for nearsilent game drives in the park.

The lodge has won awards for its eco-friendly credentials and now its luxurious sister property, Kaya Mawa, on a small island on Lake Malawi, is run in a similarly responsible fashion. Contact our Zambia specialists on 1-855-838-1505.

What to READ

What to WATCH

What to SEE

What to DOWNLOAD

Bestselling Frances Mayes returns to Italy with See You in the Piazza, a guide to the sorts of places we love, far from the tourist crowds. She and her husband eat and drink their way through spots that are known and loved by locals, not guidebooks.

Out now.

The threat of extinction looms over the new documentary Tigerland, by director Ross Kauffman. He follows the progress of two conservationists as they work to save tigers in India and Russia, but also lingers on the big cats themselves.

Available now on Amazon Prime.

Explore artifacts from the cradle of civilization at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History’s exhibit Ancient Mesopotamia Speaks. Displays include tablets with poems by the first named author in human history, Princess Enheduanna. Showing now through June 2020.

The RefillMyBottle app provides an online world map that identifies places where you can refill your water bottle. Using GPS, it gives you directions to your closest refill station, whether it’s a cafe, resort, museum or shop, reducing the need for single-use plastics.

Available on iOS and Android.

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ESCAPE ROUTES

Glorious gyoza Learn how to cook these tasty classic Japanese dumplings

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RECIPE

Pork gyoza

By Rory Dent, Japan specialist While studying in Tokyo, I worked part time as a chef, preparing a menu full of light Japanese dishes. Of all the Japanese delicacies I’ve cooked and eaten, my favorite is gyoza. You can make these dumplings in so many ways, using a variety of fillings. Plus, you can freeze a batch for later.

INGREDIENTS 3 leaves of Chinese leaf lettuce, chopped finely 3 spring onions, chopped finely 2 garlic cloves, chopped finely ½ thumb-sized piece of ginger, chopped finely 3-4 shiitake mushrooms, chopped finely

1 lb. pork 1 ½ teaspoons soy sauce 1 ½ teaspoons mirin 1 ½ teaspoons sake Salt and black pepper Gyoza skins (available from most Asian supermarkets) ¼ cup water ½ teaspoon powdered potato starch (from the same Asian supermarket) 3 ½ teaspoons toasted sesame oil Rice vinegar Soy sauce

METHOD 1. Mix the vegetables and mushrooms in a bowl with the pork, soy sauce, sesame oil, mirin, sake, salt and pepper.

2. Take a gyoza skin in your hand and place a small ball of the mixture into the middle.

3. Wet your thumb, and run it around the outer edge of half the skin.

4. Fold the skin in half, enclosing the mixture, and crimp the edges with

your fingers. The water should stick the two halves together.

5. Heat a teaspoon of the toasted sesame oil in a pan and add the gyoza, leaving space between each. Fry for a few minutes until the bottoms are golden brown.

6. Add ¼ cup of water with the potato starch to the pan, covering immediately.

Cook until most of the water has evaporated.

7. Remove the lid and drain off the water. Add another teaspoon of toasted sesame oil to the pan and swill to cover the base of the pan.

8. Cook uncovered for a few minutes, then remove the gyoza with a spatula.

Place them golden-brown side down on a plate. The potato starch, water, and oil should form a thin film that connects all the dumplings, which the Japanese call hane (feather).

9. Serve with a dipping sauce made of one part rice vinegar and one part soy sauce.

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VISIT GREECE Explore the land of Athena, Archimedes, and Aristotle. Watch the sun set from white-washed seaside villages, snorkel in the brilliant-blue Aegean, and learn to make a traditional Greek meze meal on Milos.

We’re proud to say that we now arrange customized trips to Greece, the latest addition to our ever-growing European offerings. Our specialists have scoured the country for the best guides, hotels, and immersive experiences that Greece has to offer. Discover what your trip can look like when it’s designed just for you.

Start planning your trip with one of our European specialists. Call us on 1-855-838-8665.

www.audleytravel.com

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INTRODUCING

GREECE Explore a truly ancient history and culture that’s matched by its scenery – on both sea and land. Our specialist introduces the diverse highlights of our newest European destination…

WORDS BY SUZANNE MCGRORY

White & blue views The iconic whitewashed buildings of Santorini attract visitors and film crews alike

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GREECE

“The sweeping views from atop Hydra Island included scrub-dotted hills, the red-roofed town below, rocky islands in the distance, and a wide expanse of the glittering blue Aegean Sea”

W

hen contemplating Greece, it’s easy just to consider the ancient sites, but this country has much more up its sleeve – contemporary street art in Athens, a 17th-century monastery on Hydra and a slow-paced way of life contrasted with the glitterati crowds on Santorini. As we have prepared to launch Greece as our newest European destination this summer, we looked at some of our new offerings, designed to help you get at the soul of a country that combines modern grit and ancient elegance with sunny panache.

MARVELLOUS MUSEUMS

Athens’ Acropolis and National Archaeological Museum are two important stops in understanding not just Greece, but all European history. The graceful lines of the Parthenon and the vast age of the exhibits at the museum are visually compelling, but visiting with a knowledgeable guide will help you come to grips with their long history.

I saw the National Archaeological Museum with Sandra, a tiny, grandmotherly woman with unlimited energy and an impeccable sense of style. Not only did she have a deep and broad understanding of Greece, she also had the je ne sais quoi that makes a guide great.

Housed in a vast neoclassical building that itself dates to the 19th century, the museum is a vast

warehouse of early Greek artefacts ranging from the Neolithic era to the end of the classical era. It’s enormous, but Sandra pointed out the important works and placed them within the arc of history.

She helped me grasp just how long a span is encompassed by the phrase ‘ancient Greece’ – the early days of Mycenean Greece were about 1,000 years before the Peloponnesian War, as far from today as the Battle of Hastings.

The museum also includes items from the cultures that prefaced and influenced Greece, giving me my first glimpse of Minoan and Cycladic art – the Minoans flourished from 27,000 until 1,450 BC, while Cycladic culture was at its height between 3,300 to 1,100 BC . I found myself drawn to the Cycladic pieces in particular – so simple in form that they seem almost like contemporary abstract sculpture.

STREET ART IN ATHENS

More than two millennia of shifting political tides have made Athens a gritty, resilient city, and Athenians seem to have a buoyant attitude that bears them up through the rough times. That spirit takes a physical aspect in the form of street art.

The city has been a hub of outsider graffiti art since the 1980s, and its walls form an ever-changing canvas for a landscape of tags, bright murals, commissioned works, and high-end conceptual art. Nikos is a local artist with an in-depth knowledge of the

Athens art scene, and you can take a tour with him to see the latest graffiti offerings.

In America, ‘graffiti art’ can summon images of hieroglyphic scrawls, but in Athens it can be an elegant genre. Locally renowned artist INO creates building-sized black-and-white murals that wouldn’t look out of place in a gallery. They can also have a distinctly political edge. I saw pieces welcoming refugees, brash political slogans and some (unprintable) words about foreign leaders.

One of the most arresting works of political art was a close-up of Loukanikos, the intrepid dog that defended protestors from riot police during the Eurozone crisis.

A symbol of the protests against the IMF-prompted austerity measures, he was even featured on the cover of Time. The one-story-high mural, titled All Dogs Go to Heaven, appeared after Loukanikos died in 2014. The dog’s face, framed by crackling flames and smoke-fogged riot police, has a compelling, elegiac quality.

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a. Ancient art in the National Archaeological Museum b. Feta cheese and olives c. Street art in Athens d. A donkey ambles past a church on Santorini e. Directions to the sunken site of Epidavros f. Bougainvillea decorates a traditional house on Hydra Island g. Locals playing backgammon h. Archaeological site of Epidavros is on the northeastern side of Peloponnese i. Mycenean fresco at the National Archaeological Museum

KAYAKING OVER RUINS

A two-hour drive from Athens on the Peloponnese, Epidavros is a well-preserved archeological site. You can easily spend a whole morning rambling over the massive amphitheatre and through the Sanctuary of Asclepius.

However, parts of the UNESCO World Heritage Site are now under the sea, which means the

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Meteora Kastraki Kalambaka

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a. A traditional house in Pyrgos b. Mule on Hydra Island c. A typical spinach and feta pie – or spanakopita d. Fisherman in Santorini e. A view of Hydra town f. A typically narrow street in Emporio, Santorini g. A man plays his traditional bouzouki h. Kayaking above the sunken site of Epidavros i. Street art in Athens

only way to see them properly is from the water.

I boarded a double kayak with my guide, Alexis, and we paddled out from Gialasi Beach toward the ruins.

Up close, the water was so clear that it seemed like liquid glass. And, the surface is mirror-calm, making it easy to paddle through, though it helps if you’ve kayaked before.

Gliding over the ruins, it was easy to see the outlines of the walls and buildings in the clear shallows.

I could even make out the shape of an amphora large enough to hold a child. We beached the kayak and then I snorkeled back out to the remains, just offshore. The water over them was so shallow that I could have easily dived down to touch the 2,000-year-old stones.

We then kayaked out to a tiny deserted island, where we shared a picnic Alexis’s mom had made that morning. He supplemented the salad and spanakopita with fresh sea urchins and briny limpets he’d plucked from the water just a few minutes earlier.

LOCAL LIFE IN SANTORINI

In recent years, Santorini’s cliffringed caldera has drawn vacationers aplenty, in search of cinematic sunsets and whitewashed towns.

However, with the help of a guide, you can still get away from the crowds and discover life as it used to be.

The tour begins outside the town of Fira, in the little village of Pyrgos.

The town is less polished than the ones along the caldera and life moves at a slower rhythm. Here, you can meet Dionysus, a free-spirited Santorini native who lives in a traditional sea captain’s house. These stone-fronted homes have mostly been converted into restaurants, but his is still an active residence.

Exploring the architecture from the inside was a rare treat that gave me a glimpse into life before Santorini was a popular destination.

From Pyrgos, my guide Anna led me along donkey trails through the countryside to the tiny village of Emporio. A one-time fortress town, it was even quieter than Pyrgos. The streets were often tight enough for me to touch both sides with my outstretched arms, and I admired

GREECE

Aegean Sea

GREECE

Delphi Arachova Meteora Kastraki Galaxidi Kalambaka ATHENS

Olympia

GREECE

Mycenae

Epidavros

Nafplio

Ionian Sea

Cape Sounion

Mykonos

Hydra town

Mykonos town

Hydra

Delphi Arachova Galaxidi

Pollonia Milos

ATHENS

Olympia

Mycenae

Epidavros

Nafplio

Ionian Sea

Aegean Sea

Adamantas

Cape Sounion

Oia Imerovigli Fira

Santorini

Mykonos

Hydra town

Mykonos town

Hydra

Pollonia Milos

Adamantas

Oia Imerovigli Fira

Santorini

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30 miles

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the play of sun and shadows on the white, curved buildings and angled, sand-colored walls.

My final stop was a farm owned 0 30 miles

by Petros, a Santorini local.

He50 kilometres 0 doesn’t speak much English, but he offered me a warm welcome, showing me how to grind fava beans. His wife, Irini, then let me help as she prepared local dishes, which we then sat down to share under a shady tree.

A QUIETER ISLAND: HYDRA As much as I love Santorini, I have to admit that I prefer the laid-back island feel of Hydra. Cars, motorbikes, and all wheeled vehicles are strictly banned on this small island off the Peloponnese – the garbage van is the one exception. Instead, long-eared mules and placid donkeys provide all the horsepower on the island.

The stone-paved streets are lined with whitewashed boutiques and small houses bedecked with cascading drifts of pink or red bougainvillea. It’s lively with visitors during the day, but once the last ferry leaves, the main town (also called Hydra) largely

empties out, and you’re left to explore its quiet streets by yourself.

Away from the main town, the countryside looks much as it has since before the Industrial Revolution – a rural landscape of thorny, sunbaked bushes and terraced fields.

The paths here are unmarked, so if you want to explore, I strongly suggest going with a guide who will lead the way.

It’s a peaceful walk – when I went for the first time, the only person I passed was a nun riding by on a mule. She was heading away from my final destination, Agia Matrona, a 17th-century monastery perched high on a hill inland. The sweeping views included the scrub-dotted hills falling away beneath me, the red-roofed town below, rocky islands in the distance, and a wide expanse of the glittering blue Aegean.

TRAVEL ESSENTIALS Get me there: A 9-day tailor-made tour of Greece, including Athens, Hydra and the Peloponnese, starts at $3,149.

For more information, please call one of our Greece specialists on 1-855-593-2480.

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WILDLIFE

RESPONSIBLE WILDLIFE EXPERIENCES

How to watch pandas, monitor jaguars, and track leopard in confidence, knowing that your encounter benefits them directly

elephants in Cambodia 1Shadowing

Recommended by Emily Hagan ‘Unlike most elephant sanctuaries I’ve visited, the Elephant Valley Project in Mondulkiri Province, Cambodia is planned around its residents rather than its human guests – the elephants roam freely within a swathe of jungle. The project provides a place for working elephants to retire and helps them to regain natural behavior.

Staying two nights gives you a day with the animals. You’ll hike into the jungle to shadow them with their mahouts; this involves a long walk, but seeing the elephants in a natural environment more than compensates.’

conservation in the Pantanal 2Jaguar

Recommended by Will Garrett ‘Working exclusively with the Caiman Ecological Refuge (a private ranch), The Onçafari Project protects and studies jaguars while also promoting responsible travel in Brazil’s Pantanal, the world’s largest tropical freshwater wetland. It has succeeded in increasing species numbers by making sure local jaguars are habituated to humans without depending on them for food – they do all their own hunting. Guests can join Onçafari biologists as they conduct research into the big cats, joining them on outings to help monitor the jaguars in their care.’

3Observing pandas in China

Recommended by Lucy Halvorson ‘There’s no better place to see pandas responsibly than at the Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Chengdu, which works to educate and raise awareness of the need to preserve pandas’ habitats. You watch pandas lolling, climbing, and snoozing among bamboo forest – the base has faithfully recreated their original, large environment. Visit between October and November, when cooler temperatures mean that these notoriously docile creatures become more energetic. Also, at this time of year, you’ll likely watch young cubs playfighting and getting to know their

birdlife guided hikes wild elephants in New Zealand in Thailand 4 Native 5Leopard tracking in Namibia 6 Seeking Recommended by Matt Eagle ‘Mou Waho is a bosky isle festooned in matagouri (manuka plants), and dropped right in Lake Wanaka. It’s been cleared of predators, allowing native birdlife to thrive.

You might see bellbirds, tomtits, New Zealand falcons, and fantails, and even Wally and Sally, a pair of ever curious kiwi-like wekas. You might also come across purpose-made ‘motels’ for wetas – a native cricket like creature that’s also making a much needed comeback in New Zealand.

After a guided hike, conclude your tour by planting a tree, your own contribution to preserving the birds’ habitat.’

Recommended by Margaret Haas ‘My guide pointed beneath a tree, and there in the shade was a female leopard. She was wearing a collar that had enabled my guide to identify her location. ‘The data we collect from leopard will help us to determine how best to rehabilitate big cats and prevent them from disrupting local farmers’ livelihoods,’ he explained. Staying in Namibia’s Okonjima Nature Reserve, you can track and view wild leopard on game drives as part of The AfriCat Foundation’s research, which your stay helps to fund.

Plus, because it’s difficult to encounter these elusive species elsewhere in Namibia, it’s a win-win experience.’

For more information, please contact our specialists on 1-855-838-8300.

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Recommended by Lindsey Coleman ‘Thailand is well known for its elephant sanctuaries, but Kui Buri National Park in central Thailand has a healthy population of wild herds. You’ll follow a set route in an open-top 4x4 in search of them. When we set off, I asked my guide about the likelihood of seeing elephants. He laughed, ‘I’ve seen them every time,’ although he was quick to add, ‘there might be an unlucky day’. We journeyed to a viewing point deep into the park. Down in the long grass, I could see a herd exceeding 40 elephants. Focusing my binoculars, I could see tiny youngsters tucked under their mothers.’

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WIDEN YOUR

TRAVEL WINDOW

Many of our trips offer a wider travel window than you think – if you’re flexible with your dates. Here our specialists showcase five destinations to visit at a quieter time of year…

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A nose for good value Green season is a great time to explore the Okavango Delta – and meet its big cats

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country might have a perceived travel window, but it often proves more versatile than you’d imagine.

Take Japan, known for its cherry blossom, but in bloom with plum blossom earlier in the year. Or Patagonia, which offers a more contemplative time to hike ahead of its busier summer spell. And, the wildlife-spotting benefits of Botswana when it’s at its greenest. Our specialists have chosen five destinations to expand your horizons if your travel dates aren’t binding, with their own seasonal highlights to boot.

OKAVANGO DELTA, BOTSWANA FROM JANUARY TO APRIL

By Mike Herscott Once Botswana’s rains have fallen, the Okavango Delta becomes a verdant oasis.

This abundance encourages mammals such as impala, tsessebe, and lechwe to have their young.

There’s so much new life to discover. On one morning game drive, we were following lion tracks when my guide’s radio alerted us to a lion cub sighting. Less than a month old, the cub was playing among the leaves, occasionally pausing to look at us cautiously.

Game drives are the best way to explore the bush at this time of year, though water levels could be high enough in some parts for a boat safari or mokoro (traditional canoe) ride.

There’s also the option of taking a scenic flight over the Delta, offering an entirely different view of the landscape. Birdlife is abundant, with migratory species such as southern carmine bee-eaters and African skimmers boosting numbers. Every so often, you hear the screech of a fish eagle or the snort of a hippo. Brief storms are possible, but reward you with incredible sunrises and sunsets, along with the fresh scent of rain.

With your money going further, fewer visitors, and more availability of camps and lodges, I’d say these months are well worth considering for your Botswana safari.

Get me there: A ten-day tailor-made safari in Botswana between January and April, including return flights and time in the Okavango Delta, starts from $6,100pp. For more information, contact Joshua or one of our other Botswana safari specialists on 1-855-838-0530.

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Sunset in Patagonia Condors soar around the peaks of Los Cuernos in Torres del Paine National Park; (below) guanaco in front of Mount Fitz Roy

PATAGONIA IN OCTOBER

By Jeff Barone Patagonia is always unpredictable. On any given day, the likelihood is you’ll encounter wind and rain, so my advice is don’t let the forecast bear down too much on when to go. Patagonia sees most footfall during the South American summer months of November to March; October can be seen as the prelude to high season.

However, the lodges start to reopen from the start of the month with plenty of availability, a particular boon in Patagonia’s remoter areas, where options can be few and far between.

Covering a third of Argentina and Chile, Patagonia’s shape-shifting geography starts in open pampas and forests, splintering into fjords and islands as the continent reaches its end. Southern Patagonia claims the star pairing of Torres del Paine National Park in Chile, and across in Argentina, Los Glaciares National Park. You can see the three torres

(towers) of the Paine Massif from almost any trail in Torres. Meanwhile, hiking routes in Los Glaciares skirt below Mount Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre, whose sharp peaks have sparked rivalries between generations of climbers.

Both parks are marked by prescribed routes, but as I found one October afternoon, treading these paths can still be a solitary pleasure at a quieter time of year. Some of the landmarks looked different – a lake that, a month later, would reflect the mountains was masked by snow. However, I found snow can aid wildlife spotting (such as condors). I felt nature was more at hand, and I was privy to an advanced screening.

Get me there: A 13-day tailor-made highlights tour of Patagonia, including Torres del Paine National Park, starts from $5,095pp. For more information, contact one of our Patagonia specialists on 1-855-838-8640.

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OFF-SEASON TRAVEL NEW ZEALAND IN WINTER

By Lucy Thomas If solitude is the ne plus ultra for you when hiking, you might find visiting New Zealand in its wintry months (May to September) ideal. The key is to choose hubs from where you can take part in a raft of activities, rather than launch yourself on a road trip. Winter snows and rainstorms can make its remoter roads unpassable – especially the alpine areas of the South Island – so you’ll need to be adaptable. However, you’ll also get first pick of its boutique hotels and B&Bs and enjoy good value for money.

Rotorua, a lakeside town in the North Island, is one good place to base yourself.

You can explore its geysers, fumaroles, and mud pools to your heart’s content – they don’t have a seasonal downtime. You could also go on a private guided tour with a Maori elder.

They’ll take you into meeting houses and

show you how to make poi balls (used in traditional dances). If the weather holds, you could get out on Lake Rotorua to paddle a waka, a traditional Maori canoe. There are numerous good wineries nearby, too, as well as hot springs and geothermal spas.

Rotorua’s surrounds are laced with well-marked walking trails, which receive dramatically less footfall in the winter. I really like the Redwoods Treewalk, which sees you weave among huge redwoods on suspension bridges. The walk is rightly popular in the summer months, but in winter you can have these sylvan giants virtually to yourself.

Get me there: A 16-day tailor-made New Zealand trip, including Rotorua, the Bay of Islands and Abel Tasman National Park, starts from £6,900pp.

For more information, contact Lucy or one of our other New Zealand specialists on 1-844-250-3440.

Winter wonderland Steam and boiling hot springs at Te Puia geothermal area, Rotorua; (above) Maori art

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JAPAN IN FEBRUARY

By Tamatha Frederick Cherry blossom. Japan’s feted flower unfurls first on the southern islands of Okinawa as early as January and the wave of blooming slowly journeys north, arriving in Kyoto in March. As the flowers open, thousands of visitors arrive. Skip back a few weeks, though, and you could be walking beneath clouds of white and pink star-shaped flowers in Kyoto, at a quieter time for the city, and in Japan at large. I’m not describing cherry trees, but plum trees, and speaking as someone who lived in Japan, I can vouch that most people can’t tell the difference.

February is also a great time to see Japan’s snow monkeys. The macaques unwind (the spa-like conditions soothe them) in their own purpose-made hot spring in Jigokudani Monkey Park. Although they’re so-called for living in cold climes, you can only see them

in the snow for a few months a year. I’d visit early in the day to beat the rush. What always strikes me about the monkeys, which commune to bathe in their hundreds, is the humanlike expression of satisfaction they derive from sinking into the thermal water.

Kicking off in late January and running into February is the Sapporo Snow Festival.

The event is deservedly popular, so plan it into your trip well ahead, but it’s worth the effort. Creation after creation of snow sculptures run for a mile along the city’s square, playing to particular themes – I still remember standing among a tableau of ballerinas, frozen in their movement.

Get me there: A 15-day tailor-made tour of the Japanese Alps in plum-blossom season starts from $9,185pp. For more information, contact Tamatha or one of our other Japan specialists on 1-855-838-8210.

Bathing in off-season Snow monkeys chill out in Jigokudani Monkey Park; (above) plum blossom – not cherry – but can you tell the difference?

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Amazing Andalusia A field of almond blossom near Velez Blanco; (below) seeing the Alhambra palace and Sierra Nevada mountains in Granada

ANDALUSIA IN JANUARY & FEBRUARY

By Kevin Crotty A happy confluence of geography means that Andalusia is sunny year-round, with bright golden sunshine more than 300 days of the year, and warm even in late January and February. That time also coincides with almond-blossom season, when the countryside is awash in drifts of snow-white trees for as far as the eye can see. The few showers that do fall serve to brighten the sunbaked foliage, making it a sprightly green. All of this makes Spain’s winter one of the best times to visit Andalusia.

In fact, I find the winter weather is more pleasant than what you’ll find during the summer months of July and August, when the region practically sizzles in the blazing sun. Wintertime temperatures hover in the high 50s and low 60s during the day, and

don’t usually drop below freezing at night, unless you’re up in the mountains.

The crowds can be thinner, too, even at blockbuster sights such as the Mezquita in Córdoba and the Alhambra in Granada. Do take a sweater to the Alhambra, though – the same architecture that cools the palace in summer still works in winter, making it much cooler than the ambient temperature.

Some excellent Andalusian cooking classes in Seville aren’t available during summer, either. Here, you’ll learn to make the region’s signature dishes, sip local wine, let slices of jamón ibérico melt slowly on your tongue and master the art of cooking briny sweet shrimp caught in nearby Huelva.

Get me there: A 10-day tailor-made trip to Andalusia this winter, including a cooking class in Seville, starts at $4,550pp.

For more information, contact Kevin or one of our other Spain and Portugal specialists on 1-855-491-0682.

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HEAD TO HEAD

SANMARTINO’S VEILED CHRIST

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Italy is famed for its Renaissance art – but which city state is best to discover rt, especially sculpture, is intimately entwined with the history of Italy’s city states, from ancient Roman figures of Jupiter to evocative contemporary installations at Venice’s Biennale. Here, two of our Italy specialists contemplate how the cities of Florence and Naples are reflected in their statuary – Michelangelo’s David, which is known around the world, and Sanmartino’s Veiled Christ, which is beloved inside Italy but largely unknown elsewhere.

SANMARTINO’S VEILED CHRIST, NAPLES

By Eva Costanza Seeing the Veiled Christ is a lot like visiting Naples itself. You begin on hectic Spaccanapoli (the long, straight Roman road that splits the city down the middle) and then turn off to walk down a narrow street whose walls are scrawled with graffiti. Go through an unremarkable wooden door, however, and you discover a small Baroque chapel that contains the most celebrated sculpture

you’ve likely never heard of – Giuseppe Sanmartino’s Cristo Velato, or Veiled Christ.

The 18th-century figure, which lies as if in state in the Cappella Sansevero (above image), is a masterwork in marble. The body of Christ is draped in a transparent veil, its many folds rendered with such skill that it’s hard to believe it’s stone and not sheer voile.

You can make out the tiny details on his hands and feet, seemingly through the marble, but the most moving aspect is probably the face. Seen at one angle, it’s a portrait of anguish, but as you move around the head, it resolves into a peaceful, even ethereal, expression of repose.

To many Italians – certainly to most Neapolitans – this is the greatest piece of

sculpture in the world. And, you can contemplate it in the peace it deserves – most visitors don’t even know to search it out in the first place.

That’s Naples in a nutshell. Many people overlook this loud urban jungle, but the city rewards visitors with one of the most authentic Italian experiences you can have.

I suggest lingering for at least two days – one for a guided walking tour, which includes the Cappella Sansevero, and another for a privately guided visit to the National Archaeological Museum.

Naples’ name, from the ancient Greek for ‘new city’, hints at its ancient roots, which you can explore at the museum. Its blockbuster exhibit is the haunting array of relics unearthed at nearby Pompeii.

However, don’t overlook the Farnese Collection, Pope Paul III’s trove of artwork from antiquity. I particularly like the huge statue of Hercules, which was dug up at Rome’s Baths of Caracalla. It’s a rare depiction of the Greek demigod in a less-than-heroic pose as he slumps against his club, exhausted from his toils.

Get me there: An eight-day trip of southern Italy, including a walking tour of Naples, starts from $7,165pp. For more information, please call our Italy specialists on 1-855-787-3971.

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HEAD TO HEAD

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MICHELANGELO’S DAVID

a masterpiece? Bustling Naples or the classical history of Florence?

MICHELANGELO’S DAVID, FLORENCE

By Alanna Blackburn Seeing him depicted hundreds of times didn’t lessen David’s impact when I finally saw him in person. When I turned into the long gallery at the Galleria dell’Accademia and saw the gleaming white statue – nearly the height of three men – in person for the first time, I was stunned to stillness for a second. Carefully positioned in a purpose-built space, Michelangelo’s clean lines and startlingly lifelike detail seem to breathe in the pure sunlight that pours down over it.

This is a moment you can’t get anywhere else – seeing Western art’s most famous statue in the city where it was carved. Commissioned and created while Michelangelo was still in his 20s, it was intended for display on a tribune (statue-sized niche) near the top of the Duomo (right image).

However, the city fathers immediately spotted its genius and adopted the work as a symbol of the Republic of Florence rather than exiling it so high up. It was moved with much fanfare over the course of four days from the artist’s workshop to take pride of place in the Piazza della Signoria, the square in front of the city’s seat of government, now known as the Palazzo Vecchio. Then,

in 1873, it was transferred to the Accademia to protect it from the elements, though you can still see a replica in its original position.

David embodies the ideals of the European Renaissance, when the arts and culture moved away from the two-dimensional, simplified art of the Middle Ages toward something more expansive. Michelangelo depicted a Biblical figure, yes, but he used a realistic style, a contrapposto pose and a focus on human anatomy, which all harkened back to the classical statues of ancient Greece.

The museum can get crowded, but with careful timing and a skip-the-line ticket, you can avoid the worst of the throngs.

A private guide, with an art background, offers you new insights into not only the

gallery’s centerpiece, but also the other works, including Michelangelo’s Prigioni.

These unfinished works, whose name means slaves or prisoners, are a series of torsos that seem to fight to break free of the uncarved marble blocks and they seem almost contemporary in their rawness.

Much like Michelangelo’s David, Florence dazzles on first sight and you could easily make David and Florence itself the focus of your trip to Italy. However, it can just as easily act as your launchpad to wider Tuscany.

Tromp through the countryside, looking for truffles with a trained dog and a master truffle hunter, or explore medieval hilltop villages.

However, don’t let the glories of statuary and the countryside distract you from the rest of the city – I’d spend at least an afternoon wandering through the historic core, under the buttery Tuscan sunshine, admiring the stone-paved streets, striped marble churches, the Ponte Vecchio, and the sunset over the Arno. Head up to the Piazzale Michelangelo, where you’ll find a bronze copy of David himself.

Get me there: A ten-day tour of Rome, Florence and Venice, including a privately guided tour of the Accademia, starts from $5,335pp. For more information, please call our Italy specialists on 1-855-787-3971.

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CHASING ICE OUR GUIDE TO NEW ZEALAND’S GLACIERS AND SCENIC FLIGHTS New Zealand’s glaciers truly stand tall. Our specialist contrasts the big three — Franz Josef, Fox and Tasman — and shares his tips for how to experience them WORDS BY JOHN PERRY

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tepping onto a glacier throws you into an otherworldly landscape – one of crevasses, ice caves glowing teal blue and cyan, and moulins (chutes) that spiral water deep into the glacier’s depths. Why, though, are New Zealand’s rivers of ice so special? Where should you go to explore them – the West Coast glaciers of Franz Josef and Fox, or the Tasman Glacier at Mount Cook? How can you experience these immense bodies of ice at their finest?

Confession: I’m a glacier devotee. No matter where I go in the world, if there’s a glacier to be seen, I’m there in a flash. I’ve

visited quite a few: Canada’s Athabasca Glacier, for one, and the many-tongued glaciers of Iceland. However, I think there’s something particularly rewarding about New Zealand’s offerings: their setting, and (in the case of Tasman) their utter remoteness and quiet.

THE MOUNT COOK REGION

THE TASMAN GLACIER

The biggest of New Zealand’s glaciers is situated on the South Island, a three-hour drive away from Wanaka. The Tasman Glacier can’t be reached from the West

Coast glaciers (the Southern Alps stand in your way), but it has a scale and stillness that neither Franz Josef nor Fox can rival.

A great pure-white ribbon running 16 miles in total (compared with Franz Josef’s four miles), the Tasman Glacier has an ineffable sense of wilderness. It’s much gentler in gradient than Fox or Franz Josef and a less strenuous walk. Standing on it among the fresh, powdery névé snow, the ice stretches as far as the eye can see.

Mount Cook stands shyly just beyond the glacier. (I say ‘shyly’ because it seems to like hiding behind a scrim of clouds.)

Tasman may seem a little less high-octane than Fox or Franz Josef, but I love standing

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NEW ZEALAND

GETTING ONTO THE GLACIERS You don’t need to be a mountaineer to physically stand on a New Zealand glacier.

Although you can no longer simply stride onto them, they’re still easy to reach. Heli-hiking involves being picked up by a helicopter and deposited in the middle of the glacier in order to hike on its surface: there’s no strenuous climbing or scrambling involved. At the Tasman Glacier, you can reach the glacier’s terminal face by boat, weaving past icebergs on the terminal lake to get within close proximity of this calving wall of ice.

A real ice capade New Zealand’s glaciers provide a whole lot of adventure

on it, alone on this ice giant save for a few other people, who look like matchsticks engulfed by whiteness from the air. From a helicopter, on a fine day, it looks like you’re coming into land on a dazzlingly white runway. Bring sunglasses.

THE WEST COAST GLACIERS

FRANZ JOSEF & FOX

Franz Josef and its slightly longer but less steep cousin, Fox, run right down to the sea, a phenomenon almost unmatched elsewhere in the world. Bordered by dense podocarp rainforest on the West Coast of

the South Island, you can visit them as part of a drive down the coast, linking up with the TranzAlpine, one of New Zealand’s best railway journeys.

A guided heli-hike will get you onto the glaciers properly and, once there, you can clamber up and down their corrugated surfaces, gazing up at icefalls and the steep tree-covered moraine.

Sometimes, if there’s snowmelt, small waterfalls stream down the gully sides.

Up on the glaciers, your spatial relationships can become befuddled.

I remember asking my guide on Fox how far we’d walk during our time on the ice. I pointed to the icefall looming ahead of us, ‘That far?’ I said, hopefully.

My guide smiled and shook her head, ‘A friend and I tried to go up there once.

It took us eight hours.’

Then once we’d begun to pick our way across the glacier’s surface, I understood. From the helicopter, their sides look smooth; up close, they’re anything but. You pick your way through parts of ice so jagged and crevassed they tower above you. Some gleam shades of blue, some are greyed and browned by moraine. At other points, you slip and slide over little slopes and through semi-circular caves. You’re not going anywhere fast, and that’s part of the fun.

TRAVEL ESSENTIALS Flight information: Direct flights from Los Angeles to Auckland are around 13 hours.

Direct flights are also available from Houston and Chicago.

When to go: Weather-wise the best time to visit is between October and April, but you’ll find far fewer visitors if you go in New Zealand’s spring months (October to December) or its autumn (March to May). You just need to be prepared to take a risk with the weather.

Get me there: A 16-day tailor-made trip to New Zealand, incorporating the highlights of both islands on a self-drive basis, starts from £7,200pp. For more information, please contact our New Zealand specialists on 1-833-357-5652.

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MEANINGFUL

MYANM Community-led projects are creating some of the best new experiences in Myanmar – we sent out a small team to discover them first hand

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ur guide, Richard, emerged from a huddle of scarletrobed men. ‘It’s going to be a good year,’ he grinned. A freshly erected totem pole loomed above, and at its base, the village elders were finishing their inspection of a series of chicken bones. People huddled around us in their traditional dress, from the solemn navy jackets of the Pa-O tribe to the pom-pom headdresses of the Yinbaw.

Everyone was waiting for the climax of the Kay Htein Bo festival, where the fate of the coming year would be decided by a chicken’s bone marrow.

While Myanmar’s Kayah State has a mainly Catholic population, animist beliefs still run strong, particularly within the region’s tribal communities. This annual festival is a chance for the tribes to gather and pray for rain, and after the

chicken divination, dance together in celebration of the forthcoming year.

It was the start of my trip through Myanmar with a small group of colleagues.

We were here to seek out community-led experiences for travelers that have a positive impact when you visit and put your money into the right hands. It led us first to Kayah, an eastern state only recently opening up to visitors.

Loikaw, the village-like state capital, works well as your base, and it’s a quick flight from Yangon. From here, local people will lead you in a range of tours that are supported by the United Nations through the International Trade Center.

After watching the festivities, we set off along a dusty red-earth track to Hta Nee La Leh, a Kayah village. The Kayah

are one of the nine largest ethnic communities in the state and particularly anchored in animist tradition.

Below the boughs of eugenia trees, we entered an animist hunting shrine, where villagers worshipped before going out to hunt.

A local woman, with Richard to translate, showed us totem poles, called kaetoebu, from past festivals. Each tall grey pole is made from a single teak tree, which has to be felled without it touching the floor – if it does, then a new tree must be chosen.

Every community is vividly different, and I suggest spending a few nights in Loikaw to explore its villages. The residents of Pan Pet, a cluster of five Kayah villages, have been running community tours for four

’THE KAYAH WOMEN WORE GLEAMING BRONZE COILS AROUND THE NECK AND KNEES’

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MYANMAR

Magical Myanmar Fisherman casting fishing nets in Hsithe; (clockwise from top right) Myonam pagoda in Loikaw; the Pa-O and Yinbaw tribes await the end of the Kay Htein Bo festival

years, growing organically as more and more families ask to be involved.

Our guide was Mou Li – ‘call me Molly,’ she smiled – a young woman who wore a baseball cap with her traditional longyi and handwoven top. The community helped to fund her schooling in Yangon, and she was now back working as a guide.

We followed her past pigsties, cactus hedges and trails left by chicks to a stilted house, where we were invited up onto a balcony that caught the soft afternoon breeze. The tiny figure of Daw Mu Aye, a 70-year-old who almost fizzes with excitement, rose to meet us.

We were offered know ye (rice wine) and green tea, while Mou Li introduced us. Daw Mu Aye was keen to hear where we’d come from and (a recurring question from people we met) our marital status. Like other older Kayan Lahwi women, she wore gleaming bronze coils around her neck and knees.

She then vanished inside, returning with a homemade guitar. ‘She wants to share our love songs with you,’ said Mou Li. We caught a deep laugh from the house. ‘That’s her husband,’ she giggled.

This is the real joy of spending time here: visiting locals who’ve opened their homes to visitors, eager to share their culture.

Lunch, cooked in the village, is a traditional jungle picnic – rice, beans, potatoes, and chicken wrapped in banana leaves. If you’re prepared for a short hike, you can eat it under the shade of a hilltop banyan tree, looking across Pan Pet.

ON THE AYEYARWADY

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MYANMAR resorting to electrofishing. This, in turn, stops fish levels recovering and harms the rare river dolphins. The Harrison Institute, a UK-based conservation charity, has been working with the people of Hsithe to find a sustainable way of supporting their traditional way of life.

The answer awaited us on the riverbanks.

As we arrived by boat (the only way to reach Hsithe), Ma Hnin Witt Yee and her team were on standby to welcome us into a traditional stilted teak house – our home for the night. Everything, from the hand-loomed bedding to the dining table, had been made by local people, and the ingredients for our meals were grown in the village.

It’s a simple stay, with a shower and a toilet in a separate block, but I loved being woken by a cockerel and the hum of an early-morning river boat. Visits are restricted to one booking at a time, so you’d have the place to yourself.

After breakfast, we found that the fishermen had gathered to teach us how to cast nets. It soon became obvious why we’d started this tuition on dry land – net casting is like trying to arrange a heavy curtain with one hand tied behind your back. Once they were

satisfied with our technique (or at least happy we would not lose the nets), the men let us join them on the river.

We didn’t catch anything, aside from one giggling fisherman who decided to wade into the water and pretend to be a fish.

Regardless, we returned to shore with approving nods for our improved technique.

Then there was time for a walk around the community to meet the families of the fishermen who’d chaperoned us.

The fee for a one-night experience at Hsithe goes straight back into the village, with percentages financing dolphin conservation and invested in a community fund. Each person involved in your stay, including the fishermen, also directly benefit from the experience.

Float your boat Local women take a break while working in the floating gardens on Inle Lake; (from below right) learn from the locals on a ‘hide-and-seek’ cooking class and make traditional Inle dishes

INLE LAKE

An overriding notion I’ll take from this trip is the sheer number of community-led experiences that are blooming across the country – you don’t even have to travel far to find them. A short drive from the floating gardens of Inle Lake is Nyaung Shwe village, where Kyaw Swar and his family run a small restaurant. Wanting to support the younger people in his community who were struggling for

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MYANMAR

MYANMAR A FIRST-TIMER’S VIEW

Charlotte from our concierge team joined the trip as a first-timer to Southeast Asia.

If, like me, you’re a novice to Southeast Asia, Myanmar would provide a great introduction to the region. It has a range of postcard-worthy sights, including the dazzling Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Bagan’s temple-scattered skyline, and the inky-blue waters of Inle Lake.

On my trip, I was aware of the country’s troubled past and complex contemporary issues, and it was clear that Myanmar’s development had stalled. However, by choosing locally run accommodation and activities, you can directly impact the people you visit, while enjoying some of the best experiences Southeast Asia has to offer.

income, he came up with the idea of a ‘hideand-seek’ cooking class.

Kyaw Swar was keen to start our visit with a Burmese language lesson (it’s surprisingly phonetic), before handing us an envelope. Inside were instructions for our first task: procure some gin sein (garlic).

A neighbor arrived to take us to the first house in the village, where Soung Hnin and her young family were waiting. Clutching our sheet of conversation tips, we managed to muddle through our first Burmese dialogue, accompanied by fresh green tea. I then summoned the confidence to ask for some garlic.

Initially, my efforts weren’t quite working. Luckily, after a few attempts and much laughing, she approved my pronunciation and produced a bag of

garlic and our next envelope. Her husband appeared at the door, ready to lead us on to the next family.

We continued visiting villagers, collecting ingredients for our lesson and (slowly) improving our Burmese.

Each family grows the ingredients they pass on and are paid for their produce before you arrive.

We also went to the local market, where we ducked past flower stalls and basket weavers to buy our final ingredient, watercress.

Back at the restaurant, chef Mee Mee escorted us to the alfresco cooking area, funded by the Business Innovation Facility, a UK-based development initiative. We were given our own station and started crushing ginger for traditional Inle dishes, including a fragrant fish curry and tea leaf salad.

’WE MUDDLED THROUGH MY FIRST BURMESE CONVERSATION, ACCOMPANIED

BY FRESH GREEN TEA’

As we lunched on our creations, I realized that a small audience had gathered behind us.

‘Good food?’ asked Kyaw Swar. Everyone who had been involved in our morning experience was waiting for our answer.

I twisted my tongue around a new word from the list, yan gon de (delicious).

Smiles all round. I must have, finally, got the pronunciation right.

Flight information: Flying from New York to Yangon takes around 23 hours via Dubai.

When to go: The ideal time to travel is during the dry season, between October and May. Get me there: A 12-day tailor-made trip to Myanmar based on Sophie’s experiences in Loikaw, Inle Lake and Hsithe, as well as time in Bagan, starts from £4,360pp. For more information, please contact our Myanmar specialists on 1-855-838-0105.

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DAMARALAND, NAMIBIA

By Margaret Haas ‘I recently spent three days following the Etendeka Walking Trail through northern Damaraland. As we walked across high ridges and dry riverbeds, my Himba guide, Boas, pointed out desertadapted lion tracks and mountain zebra climbing steep cliffs. Each day ended at a different camp, sipping sundowners to views over the rust-orange rock.’

Our specialists’ latest dispatches from Namibia, Myanmar, Oman, and Argentina

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GET INSPIRED

INLE LAKE, MYANMAR

By Charlotte Kistner ‘It’s a given that you’ll see Inle Lake by boat, but I particularly enjoyed exploring by canoe. We paddled our way to a stilted monastery built over the water, passing floating gardens and fishermen along the way. As we moored up at the end of the day, the sun set in a blaze of deep red and orange, reflected in the lake’s calm surface.’

CAFAYATE, ARGENTINA

By Matt Nilsson ‘I traveled through the wine-producing town of Cafayate en route to the colonial city of Salta. Some of the world’s highest-altitude vineyards grow here, harvesting the white grape torrontés, the pure South American offspring of two Old World varieties.

Some of the wines you taste in the smaller wineries won’t be available back

SALALAH, OMAN

By Paula Stilphen ‘Salalah, the capital of Oman’s Dhofar region, is subject to rain from June to August, turning the area into a subtropical haven that feels far removed from the arid deserts further north. Wild animals roam the lush wadis, and my driver had to weave between herds of donkeys and big camels accompanied by smaller, awkward calves.’

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Wonderwall Xian’s city wall dates back to the 12th century and is lit up at night; (right from top) see the Terracotta Warriors in the Tomb of Emperor Qinshihuang; dine on dumplings cooked in bamboo steamers

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48 Hours in...

XIAN

The Chinese city may be famed for its Terracotta Army, but with Ming-era ramparts and the Muslim Quarter’s souq-like lanes, it’s ripe for exploring WORDS BY VIRGINIA CASEY

DAY 1

– a stepped tower that looks a bit like a teetering Jenga construction. Explore its renovated halls, chambers, and shrines, then steal away to enjoy a few moments of quiet in a small grove of bamboo and plum trees.

8am After breakfast, head out with your driver and private guide to see the life-size model army of the Terracotta Warriorsq in their custom-made museum about an hour’s drive from Xian. The hundreds of warriors on display are arranged in vast pits, although you can view several statues up close, giving you a greater sense of their craftsmanship. Your guide points out beguiling details that are easily overlooked.

7pm

11am Follow up your visit with a glass of green tea at one of the cafes surrounding the museum complex. You might have the chance to meet one of the farmers who

first discovered the army in 1974; he is sometimes found signing books in one of the museum gift shops.

1pm Travel back into Xian for lunch at a local family’s apartment. Your host, Shang, teaches you how to shape and fold dumplings before you sit down to eat.

Bring an appetite – the table soon groans with all types of fragrant seasonal food.

Expect more familiar sweet and sour dishes and some regional creations.

4pm Walk off your lunch with a stroll around the grounds of Big Wild Goose Pagodaw.

A walled sixth-century Buddhist complex, its showpiece is its eponymous pagoda

Xian’s Muslim Quartere is a bazaar-like enclave redolent with spices, sesame and cooking oils. In lieu of sitting down to dinner, join a local guide for a small-group food tour through the brightly lit, pedestrian-only streets. Hopping between a handful of small restaurants, street-food stands, and hidden-away eateries, you can try lamb skewers, biang biang noodles, and other local delicacies.

SPECIALISTS’ TOP TIPS Try gelato infused with local flavors at Shaanxi 13, Beiyuanmen, in the Muslim Quarter.

Antony Batki-Braun Stop by the Great Mosque to see its intriguing hybrid of Chinese and Islamic design.

Heather Moult Rent bicycles to cycle your way around the city walls.

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See you in Xian (clockwise from this) See the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xian; Loess Plateau; farmer smoking a pipe in Loess Plateau; army of Terracotta Warriors

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XIAN

DAY 2

Rise like a phoenix Phoenix Pavilion at the Great Mosque in the Muslim Quarter

9am Meet your guide, Rocky, for a vintage 4x4 tour through the farming villages of the nearby Loess Plateaur. Stop off at abandoned cave homes, farming villages emblazoned with Communist propaganda murals, and craft workshops. Watch a master papercutter at work and meet an armourer who has replicated the weapons once carried by the Terracotta Warriors.

12pm Finish your tour with a casual bite to eat in one of the villages – perhaps a juicy roujiamo (a succulent pulled pork burger) at one of Rocky’s go-to cafes.

2pm Spend the afternoon pottering about central Xian. Wander among its wide-open squares and parks, and visit the triple-storied Ming-era bell and drum towerst.

6pm Before heading for dinner at one of the restaurants in the Muslim Quarter, take a walk on the city wallsy. Dating back to the 12th-century, they’re punctuated by watchtowers and are illuminated dramatically come nightfall.

TRAVEL ESSENTIALS

NW 3RD ROAD City Walls

QIAOXINKOU

City Walls

EAST STREET

BAISHULIN

SOUTH STREET

NANYUANMEN

City Walls

JIEFANG ROAD

XIAN

CHANGLE W R OAD

CHANGLEFANG

SHIYUAN ROAD

BAISHULIN

City Walls HUANCHENG SOUTH ROAD EAST SECTION

HUANCHENG SOUTH ROAD WEST SECTION

Terracotta

1 Warriors

H UANCHENG EAST ROAD

XINCHENG

3

S GUANGLI ST

HUANCHENG WEST ROAD SOUTH SECTION

WEST STREET

EAST 5TH ROAD

WEST 5TH ROAD

Shaanxi 13 XIXIN ST Great LIANHU Mosque Drum Tower 5 Bell Tower WEST STREET

XIGUAN STRAIGHT STREET

JIEFANGMEN

Revolution Park

TAIHUA S ROAD

Luanhu Park

MUSLIM QUARTER

Loess Plateau

6

LUANHU ROAD

DAQING RD

HUANCHENG WEST ROAD

City Walls

CHANGYING WEST ROAD

HUANCHENG NORTH ROA4D E A ST SECTION

HUANCHENG NORTH ROAD WEST SECTION

NORTH STREET

HUANCHENG WEST ROAD NORTH SECTION

Flight information: Direct flights from most major US airports to Beijing take about 14 hours, and Xian is four to six hours on the train from there.

When to go: Xian is at its best during China’s temperate spring months (March to May) and in September. July and August see the city swell with domestic visitors, and the first week of October (Golden Week, a public holiday) is also a busy period. Skirt around these times if you’re looking to have a calmer experience.

Get me there: An 11-day tailor-made trip to China, including time in Xian, Guilin, Beijing and Shanghai, starts from £4,435pp. For more information, please contact Virginia or one of our China specialists on 1-833-640-8060.

Xingqinggong Park

2 Big Wild

Goose Pagoda

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1093 yards

0

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TRAVELERS’TALES SHARE YOUR STORIES AT WWW.AUDLEYTRAVEL.COM/SHARE Blowing off steam The Millers enjoyed seeing dozens of geysers in El Tatio; (opposite from top left) moai on Easter Island; street art in Valparaíso; a rhea in the wild; locals paddling reed boats during the Tapati Rapa Nui Festival

CHILE

Gordon & Jane Miller traveled to Chile and Easter Island with Audley

W

e love variety when we travel – a mixture of culture, scenery, and flora and fauna. Several friends had suggested that we might enjoy Chile and Easter Island, so, with considerable help and advice from our specialist, Chloe Dillon-Smith, we embarked on three weeks exploring this fascinating part of South America.

A lengthy long-haul flight took us from a freezing cold January evening to the pleasant 85-degree heat of Santiago. We paused for a half-day walking tour of this

city before flying north to the village of San Pedro de Atacama in the Atacama Desert.

Away from San Pedro’s dirt streets and adobe houses, we watched the early morning water vapor hang above dozens of geysers in El Tatio (made even more impressive at sunrise). At lower altitudes, we drove across the desert plains and salt flats to see Chilean, Andean and James’s flamingoes and their pretty pink plumage.

Flying back to Santiago, we touched down briefly before the five-hour flight to Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, as it’s named in Polynesian. The small island’s only

community, Hanga Roa, is one of the most remote in the world, and it was an ideal base for us to begin our explorations.

The highlight of the island had to be the moai dotted around the coastline, and the quarries where the dark-grey and black statues, and their reddish topknots, were carved from volcanic stone. Theories abound about how the moai were moved from the quarries to their seaside locations, but the most plausible would seem to suggest the ‘fridge-walking’ technique, where the stone was walked into position by rocking it from side to side.

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TRAVELERS’ TALES

CHECKING THE CULTURAL PULSE

The town’s restaurants were relaxed and atmospheric, either facing the ocean or the lush green countryside. Bougainvillea, oleander, and hibiscus grow there, proving particularly photogenic against the blue sky.

We were lucky enough to catch the start of the Tapati Rapa Nui Festival, a two-week celebration of the island’s Polynesian heritage, featuring a triathlon with a difference – local men in national dress paddle a reed boat and run with a large yoke of bananas, before ending with a swim.

Leaving Easter Island to return to the mainland, our next stop was the wonderfully grungy Valparaíso. Two of the many hills on which the city was built are UNESCO-listed, chiefly for the European architecture you find there (a consequence of the city’s position as a 19th-century port before the opening of the Panama Canal).

For us, though, the main attraction was the street art, which we saw everywhere.

The different styles were considerable and, especially in the evening sunshine, the colors were spectacular.

WONDERS OF THE WILD

Another flight south from Santiago to Punta Arenas in Patagonia paralleled the volcanoes and mountains of the Andes. Our enthusiastic pilot pointed out various geographical features, including the Lake District and specific Andean mountains.

From there, we took a half-day boat trip along the Strait of Magellan to Marta and Magdalena Islands, home to around 120,000 Magellanic penguins, together with great skuas, kelp gulls, and sea lions.

A four-hour drive north from Punta Arenas, across the windy Patagonian Steppe, took us to Torres del Paine National Park, where we stayed at the comfortable Patagonia Camp. We enjoyed several walks here, as well as another boat trip passing small icebergs to the three hugely impressive and very different termini of the Grey Glacier.

One of our aims was to see wildlife, and this trip was a great success for that. We spotted three of South America’s four camelids (llamas, vicuñas, and guanacos – only alpacas eluded us), rheas, flamingoes, penguins, and condors. Fellow guests at the camp saw pumas, and although we didn’t, one guide drily pointed out, ‘You might not have seen them, but they’d have been watching you.’

The only disadvantage of our three-week trip was having to catch eight flights, but given Chile’s shape, flying is the quickest way to get about. And the payoff is an experience packed with variety. If that thought appeals, do add Chile to your list.

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Loving Laos Engaging with the locals in Hmong village; (right page) traveling through Akha tribal village; tilling the land at the Living Land Project; Muang La Lodge, Laos; (inset) the Spencers enjoying waterfalls in Laos

LAOS

Claire & Jonathan Spencer traveled to Laos with Audley

T

he dawn call to alms is hailed by a saffron-robed novice monk.

Sounding his gong, he calls devotees to serve the procession of fellow monks their ‘daily bread’ – sticky rice.

Sticky rice is every bit as fundamental to Laotian culture as its Buddhist monk recipients. In fact, the Laotians refer to themselves as luk khao niaow, the children of sticky rice.

Laos is an agrarian economy and rice cultivation accounts for more than 80% of agricultural production. Steamed glutinous rice is the staple food, served at breakfast, lunch, and supper, in sweet, spicy, or fermented forms.

From what we saw on display at markets, Laotians are meat-agnostic when it comes to the accompaniments

to their sticky rice: a frog or field rat, worms, grubs, snails, or grasshoppers all serve well.

At the Living Land Project in Luang Prabang, we were able to learn about rice cultivation, from preparation, planting and plowing to the pot. We saw the whole process and even tried our hand at tilling the soil.

MEETING LOCAL PEOPLE

Laos has about 80 ethnic groups and the three largest minority communities are the Hmong, Khmu, and Lao Lum. We traveled on a long and winding road to the northern Laos highlands, where some of these groups live, in a 1940s Jeep. It delivered every bit of the ‘free massage’ that our guide,

Bounnhang (known as Boom), faithfully promised us!

Here, we met one of the smaller tribes in the region, the Akha people, who uphold strong animist beliefs. Animism (a belief in spirits) is the religion practiced by 30% of Laotians. Shamans mediate between the visible world and the invisible spirit world.

One Akha house we were welcomed into had six pig jaw bones hanging from the front door, attesting to the number of shaman call-outs to ward off bad spirits and sickness.

Up the hill in a Hmong village, we met the parents of a 16-year-old girl who tragically poisoned herself with a herbal potion because she couldn’t marry the boy she desired. The house is a living shrine to her memory.

Over a cup of Laos Lao – a whisky made from sticky rice – her father shared

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TRAVELERS’ TALES

Muang La Lodge

his Vietnam War stories with us: CIA hiding in the hills and the roar of Huey helicopters on reconnaissance missions over the Ho Chí Minh trail. He showed us his war prize, a collection of shells left behind by the Americans.

Everywhere we went we were struck by the predominance of women working the land, often with children in tow.

We were there for the rice harvest and saw how much heavy-lifting work was required. This never got in the way, however, of the warm welcome we

often received, and their curiosity about us and our lives.

LIFE AT MUANG LA LODGE

Back in the valley, we were able to catch some R&R at the tranquil Muang La Lodge in Muang La, meticulously run

by Job, the manager. We were able to relax by the riverside pool and caught a glimpse of villagers catching fish with their hands.

While there, we became caught up in the mystery of the missing Buddha. The

‘One Akha house we were welcomed into had six pig jaw bones hanging from the door, attesting to the number of shaman call-outs to ward off bad spirits and sickness’

wooden Buddha is a shrine, centerpiece and ‘protector’ for the lodge and for anyone that visits it. During last year’s devastating floods, it was swept away.

It was found down the river at the village of Muang Khua and carried to the local temple as a good omen. I heard, as this article went to press, that following multiple delegations of village elders, monks, and government officials from Muang La, the temple has been persuaded to return the Buddha to the lodge.

The lodge prides itself on its LaotianFrench fusion food, offering a ‘culinary discovery in five chapters’. One of my favorite dishes was crispy tilapia fish with green pepper and galangal sauce, followed by – you might have guessed – sticky rice cooked with coconut milk.

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INTERVIEW

In conversation with...

HAMISH HASLOP

Chasing waterfalls Hamish at Mungumby Lodge in the Greater Daintree Rainforest

Owner and manager of family-run Mungumby Lodge in far North Queensland, Hamish Haslop is passionate about the Greater Daintree Rainforest he calls home.

But, he tells us, there’s much more to this region than its nature You’re originally from New Zealand. What drew you to Australia’s Cooktown region?

I’m a diver and first came here around 30 years ago after I’d watched a Jacques Cousteau documentary about the Great Barrier Reef. Then I realized there was this UNESCO World Heritage rainforest alongside it.

You’re at the apex of three ecosystems here: outback, rainforest and reef, all cradling different types of flora and fauna – it’s an incredible place.

What’s special about Mungumby Lodge?

We like to bring the outside in.

We welcome you with tropical flowers and decorate the rooms with nuts, seeds, and natural objects from the rainforest.

We’re also the door to several great self-guided walking trails.

Hidden Falls, where pure spring

water cascades over a sheer of his series First Life at rockface, is only a 30-minute Mungumby. It starred the rare walk away. velvet worm, or peripatus, Then, there’s our prolific which I first saw when breaking wildlife and birdlife – we’re open a rotting log when I was talking hundreds of species. out exploring with some I like the Victoria’s riflebird, insect-loving guests. It squirts which lives in vine thickets a kind of goo to ward off and puts on a dazzling predators. It really opened mating display. my eyes to the smallerMarsupials roam INSIDER TIP scale creatures that our grounds, you might otherwise “Have a drink in the too, including overlook.

130-year-old Lion’s the elusive Den Hotel at the end of Bennett’s tree Mungumby’s driveway: What about this it has a colorful kangaroo. With region surprises past.” a sharp eye, and people the most? using the camouflage The sheer amount of of the forest, you stand a good things to do – and the history. chance of seeing it.

Cooktown has witnessed not just Captain Cook, but also late What has been your best 19th-century gold rushes, and wildlife sighting here? it even acted as a US base in Sir David Attenborough World War II. And, there’s – what a remarkable species a rich seam of Aboriginal [laughs]. He filmed the finale history. You can get a feel for

it through the rock art in nearby Quinkan County.

What’s the most striking piece of local Aboriginal rock art, in your opinion?

I can’t name a single piece because all rock art is part of a gallery (a collection of different rocks with paintings) and everything is interwoven; each gallery tells the story of a community. The galleries in Quinkan County don’t have ropes or barriers and allow you up close to the art.

And Aboriginal art isn’t limited to rock art. At Wujal Wujal, a Kuku-Yalanji community near Port Douglas, which you can visit from Mungumby, you’ll meet a number of artists who paint silks and scarves and create beautiful jewellery from rainforest materials.

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#TheAudleyWay We love receiving your updates on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Even if you’re not currently traveling, you can share images from your recent trips based on each edition’s theme.

BEACHES

Rachel Williams Radhanagar Beach, Andaman Islands

@marie.theresse Coco Grove Beach Resort, The Philippines

@sophie_carney Gaya Island, Borneo

@lesphotosde.julie Sanur Beach, Bali, Indonesia

@andrewtector Velassaru, The Maldives

@jasonbelne Krabi, Thailand

Ria Joyce La Digue, The Seychelles

@_vickicooper_ InterContinental Le Moana Bora Bora, French Polynesia

@hannahdobbo Isla Holbox, Mexico

5

The autumn 2019 Audley Traveler theme will be… street art From the spectacular murals of Mexico City to the political graffiti adorning Belfast, street art can not only be spectacular but also insightful into a country’s culture. To take part, write #TheAudleyWay and @AudleyTravel on your Instagram and Twitter posts. Alternatively, you can post directly to our Facebook wall or upload your image to www.audleytravel.com/social.

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Q&A

ASK AN EXPERT...

BHUTAN

So what do you need to know before you visit the once-secretive Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan? Over to specialist Jackson…

BHUTAN SPECIALIST

Jackson Golden

Tiger’s Nest Monastery

Q A

What can you experience in Bhutan?

Visiting Bhutan is the chance to witness one of the most carefully preserved cultures in the world – one that was closed off from real outside influence until a few decades ago. You’ll see how, for example, most Bhutanese wear richly patterned national dress, revere their royal family, and worship phalluses (which often decorate buildings). But at the same time, it’s interesting to see how Bhutan is modernizing, too: smartphones and WiFi are ubiquitous.

While exploring Bhutan’s major towns of Thimpu and Paro with your guide, you can browse for handicrafts at markets. You might also like to peruse the (better value) wares of nomadic tribes in rural areas. You can visit temples and dzongs (monasteries), including Thimpu’s fertility temple, Chimi Lhakhang, and the famous Tiger’s Nest, which clings to a cliffside outside Paro.

You can even take a hike or a simple stroll through rural paddy fields, past grazing yaks, and head-turning Himalayan scenery – around almost every corner appear vistas of snow-capped mountains.

Q A

Prayer flags, Phobjikha Valley

I heard there’s a $250 fee to pay for every day of your trip. How does this work?

Yes, this is roughly the obligatory daily charge (it can fluctuate) and it reflects how Bhutan is taking steps to

safeguard its culture. The thinking goes that this financial barrier helps control the number of foreign visitors entering the country, and as a result, keeps development under control and the Bhutanese way of life intact.

You pay the fee upfront, as part of the overall cost of your trip with Audley. It covers most of your meals, your taxes, your driver and private guide, and no-frills hotels (with upgrade options). Your trip must be planned out in advance and last-minute changes aren’t permitted, in accordance with visa regulations, but you’re free to choose, with the guidance of your specialist, where exactly to go.

Q A

What sort of altitudes are you at in Bhutan?

You’ll fly into Paro, which is 7,380 feet above sea level.

This altitude is palatable if you take it easy for the first few days of your trip. After a few days, you could visit the Tiger’s Nest temple complex, which sits at 10,240 feet above sea level. The walk to the monastery takes you up and down a steep flight of steps. Again, take things gently.

At such altitudes, Bhutan’s weather can change rapidly from torrential rain to sleet and snow, to 85 F heat. Pack layers and a good rain jacket.

Q A

What’s the food like in Bhutan?

You can expect lots of vegetarian dishes (this being a nation of devout Buddhists), but

you’ll also find meat (mostly chicken) imported from India.

The vegetable dishes usually follow what’s in season, and I have always found them satisfying and hearty.

Chillies are eaten at breakfast, lunch and dinner, and often served as dishes unto themselves. Ask your guide if you’d like to avoid particularly hot dishes. The one food I’d be aware of is ema datshi (chilli cheese stew), which (for me, anyway) is a bit like eating fire.

In towns, especially Paro and Thimpu, you can also take a break from local food and dine at Western-style places. (I’ve had good burgers in Thimpu.)

There are also lots of trendy cafes popping up – I can recommend the cappuccinos at Paro’s Mountain Cafe.

Q A

How do you get around Bhutan?

On an Audley trip, you’ll have your own, excellent driver and guide to take you everywhere. The roads can vary in quality, and outside the main towns, infrastructure can quickly peter out. As you head into deep countryside, be prepared for some bumpy stretches. They come at random: you might have half an hour of a sealed road, then ten minutes of gravel or unpaved roads. Landslides can also cause delays, so expect journey times to vary. Parts of the country are purposely unreachable to protect the environment.

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FIND OUT MORE...

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Come and visit us for specialist advice Many clients find it an invaluable and enjoyable experience planning their trip in person with our specialists, and we welcome visitors to our office in the historic North End of Boston, MA. Feel free to contact us to schedule an appointment with a specialist for your chosen destination.

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