Activities that surely make it to your bucket list

Activities that’ll surely make it to your Bucket List

Trek to Machu Picchu - PERU Why? It’s more satisfying than the train, and there are lots of options. It’s virtually impossible to make a bucket list that doesn’t include Machu Picchu. A secret city, never found by those pesky conquistadores, perched in the mountains, swirled by mists and mysteries – it’s the stuff of travel legend. The trouble is, when you’ve seen so many, many photos of the Inca citadel, there’s a danger it’ll be a bit of a let-down.

And that’s one reason why, if you can, you should go on foot. The city deserves the slow build, the accumulated excitement, that trekking there provides. Also, deciding to lace up doesn’t mean you have to hit the Inca Trail. There are plenty of alternatives to the classic: you can hike via the much less-visited ruins of Choquequirao; head along the dramatic and diverse Salkantay Trail (with posh lodges en route); or tackle the tough Vilcabamba Traverse. Whichever way you get to Machu Picchu, you can bet walking will increase the wow.

What you need to know. Hikes vary in length, altitude and difficulty; acclimatize before setting off. Dry season is April till October. Permits are increasingly an issue on the Inca Trail.

Hike the Milford Track in SOUTH ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND WHY? Complete one of New Zealand’s Great(est) Walks in great style. New Zealand has nine official Great Walks, and the Milford Track is arguably the greatest of the lot. This four-day, 53.5km hike from Lake Te Anau to Milford Sound slices through the splendor of Fiordland National Park, taking in lakes, waterfalls, ice fields, forest and plenty of pioneer history, and tops out at the panoramic Mackinnon Pass (1,154m).

In the peak summer trekking months (November to April), it’s always oversubscribed; camping is not permitted and numbers are limited by the bunk-space available in the three DOC lodges en route. That is, unless you opt for an upgrade. Ultimate Hikes operates a series of private lodges (with both dorms and doubles) that enable hikers to tramp the track, with a guide, in a little more comfort. You still have to carry your own bag, but–unlike those in the DOC huts– you get hot showers, duvets, drying rooms and hair dryers; breakfasts, lunches and three-course dinners are cooked up for you; each lodge even has a well-stocked bar.

Sleep under the stars - NAMIBRAND, NAMIBIA

WHY? To experience some of the world’s best celestial sights. Sure, leave the big city and you can see stars almost anywhere. But the experience will be extra heavenly if you travel somewhere very dark, very clear and very remote. Namibia’s vast NamibRand Nature Reserve is one of only a few gold-certified Dark Sky Reserves. Simply, it has some of the world’s best dark skies. There are no towns or settlements inside it, or even nearby – Namibia is one of the planet’s most sparsely populated countries. And the dry climate means cloudless skies are the norm. By day, explore NamibRand’s ochre-hued wilderness of dunes, mountains and plains, looking for oryx and Hartmann’s zebra. Then, after a blazing sunset, it’s time to turn your eyes skyward. Splurge on a stay at Sossusvlei Desert Lodge, which has its own observatory and ten luxurious chalets, each with a terrace, telescope and skylight over the bed. Or join the TokTokkie Trails three – day desert walk, on which nights are spent sleeping on a canvas stretcher under the stars.

More travel tips on vacation-now.com.