TRAVELLER LOW S E A SON
Issue 6 November 2023
LOW SEASON PARIS AT ‘ELLA’ SHORT NOTICE Simon Donohue’s guide to a last-minute long weekend in Paris.
MEET THE LOW SEASON TRAVELLERS Find out more about Bryony Simcox and George Webster’s low season travels.
HEMINGWAY’S CUBA
Lisa TE Sonne, our Editor-at-Large, explores Ernest Hemingway’s Cuba favourites.
M AGA Z INE
FEATURED DESTINATIONS:
GREENLAND ZIMBABWE CUBA PITTSBURGH SEYCHELLES ZÜRICH AND MUCH MORE...
? n e p p a h t i e d a m o h W Meet the team Featured and Destinations contributors
Publishing
Publisher and CEO at Low Season Traveller Ged is the founder and CEO of Low Season Traveller; the world’s first organisation completely dedicated to the promotion of travel during the off-peak seasons in each destination as a way to alleviate the growing problem of over-tourism. A passionate advocate of the advantages of tourism, Ged has spent his entire career working with leading travel and tourism organisations.
Contributors Claire French
Ryan Maley
Content Development, Community Manager & Editor, Low Season Traveller Ryan is our Content Development and Community Manager, as well as Editor of the Low Season Traveller Magazine. Ryan has worked in the travel industry for almost a decade, developing content and campaigns in his home city of Manchester, UK. He is passionate about sustainable travel, and believes that travel should be accessible to all as it truly makes for a more well-rounded and culturally intelligent society.
Chris is a member of the LST Advisory Board and is also the Founder & Executive Chairman of The World Tourism Association for Culture and Heritage. With more than 30 years’ experience in international tourism, Chris is a regular speaker at high profile international events and provides insights to leading news media channels such as BBC World News Asia Business Report.
Simon Donohue
Warren Pearson
Bryony Simcox & George Webster Bryony Simcox and George Webster make cinematic experiences. Co-founders of videography studio Broaden, they’re passionate about the arts, sustainability and travel. Their work has taken them from Australia to Spain to Manchester, and they are recent slow-travel enthusiasts.
Editor-at-Large
An award-winning writer who explored seven continents, dove many seas, and wrote for airline, Time-Life, and National Geographic media. Her books include “My Adventures” and “The Great Outdoors” for Quarto Publishers. Wrote for Oscar-winning and Emmy-winning projects. Co-founder- CharityChecks.org; member of Space.com’s launch team and The Explorers Club.
Tony Hallwood
Chris Flynn
Claire has crossed the globe, living and working on 6 continents. She’s now working on Low Season Traveller feature pieces and dreaming of her next adventure from her narrow boat home on a quiet stretch of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, where it seems to be permanently low season.
Simon has travelled extensively for work and pleasure, writing travel and automotive road test reviews for the UK’s biggest regional newspaper. Following a career in mainstream journalism, he switched to communications, PR and content, developing a passion for photography and film. He is proud to have worked as the first ever content curator with a UK destination management organisation.
Lisa TE Sonne
Warren is a pan-African safari guide whose work experience extends from guiding to managing lodges, remote luxury bush camps, mineral exploration camps as well as working in disaster management and training. He has explored areas such as the Eastern Congo, Chad, Rwanda and many other regions in Africa. Warren has also spent time working for Animal Planet as well as National Geographic on different projects through Southern Africa.
Business Development Director
Tony’s career has covered senior director roles for major travel companies including SAGA, Cosmos, Airtours and My Travel. Tony’s strengths are building strong partnerships with airlines, tour operators and national tourism partners alongside maximising his extensive PR and media experience to promote a wide range of new destinations, routes and services.
Harriet Akinyi Harriet Akinyi is a Kenyan travel journalist and storyteller based in Nairobi, who’s on a mission to showcase the beauty of Africa’s tourism and conservation scene. In her seven years of travel writing, Harriet has toured several countries in Africa and her work has been featured in renowned publications both locally and internationally. You can follow Harriet’s travels on Instagram and LinkedIn at Harriet Owalla.
Chris McNicholl
Robert Isenberg Robert is a writer and multimedia producer based in coastal New England. His books include The Green Season, about the two years he spent as a journalist in Costa Rica. He loves cycling and filmmaking, especially when he can do both simultaneously. Visit him at robertisenberg.net.
Chris is a designer with over 20 years experience in the design industry. Working with some of the biggest brands on the planet in top studios and publications in London. Chris has travelled extensively and worked with Low Season Travellor from the start. Now based in New Zealand he runs Overflowcreative.co.nz.
Advertising: Get in touch with Tony Hallwood at: Tony@lowseasontraveller.com
Low Season Traveller
Ged Brown
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Low Season Traveller
Editor’s note
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Editor’s note
I’m delighted to publish our winter edition of the magazine, which as always is packed with fantastic featured destinations, travellers’ stories, and inspiration for low season trips. Since the last edition, I have been exploring more of Spain, with visits to Málaga city and Girona before travelling to A Coruña for the WOMEX conference, which will be heading to Manchester for 2024, bringing the world’s music industry to a city with music in its DNA. A quick family visit to Whitby, one of my favourite places in the UK, was a time to rest and recuperate before the festive season really kicks in! I am currently writing from Tromsø in northern Norway, the world’s northernmost university city and one well within the Arctic Circle, where I’ve just celebrated my 30th birthday under the Northern Lights surrounded by husky dogs on the island of Kvaløya. In this edition, we have some brilliant featured destinations for travel in the winter period, including Greenland, Zimbabwe, Cuba, Pittsburgh, Seychelles, and Zurich. We also have some great contributions, including Simon Donhue’s thoughts on his last-minute low season Paris trip in January after plans to visit Iceland were postponed. Lisa TE Sonne, our Editorat-Large, takes our readers on a trip to Cuba through Ernest Hemingway’s old haunts. Meanwhile Harriet Akinyi discusses
low season experiences in Kenya’s Maasai Mara, and Warren Pearson reflects on a visit to the Republic of Congo’s OdzalaKokoua National Park. In this edition I also talk to Bryony Simcox and George Webster of video production Broaden, about their road trip from England to Chile that got curtailed due to Covid, and how they developed their recent passion for overlanding. I’d like to once again thank our readers for their valued input and passion whilst sharing our low season travel journey. If you have an idea for a feature for a future edition of the magazine, I’d love to hear from you on the email below. Until next time,
Ryan Maley Editor ryan@lowseasontraveller.com
Contribute to Low Season Traveller Magazine We’re looking to grow our team of amazing contributors that are sharing their top tips and best bits of low season travel in LST Magazine. If you’re an avid writer, traveller and are passionate about sustainable travel and combating the issue of over tourism, we’d love to hear from you! Get in touch at editor@lowseasontraveller.com
Low Season Traveller
Hello, and a warm welcome to the sixth edition of the Low Season Traveller Magazine.
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Contents Greenland
Dublin
UK Paris Zürich
Pittsburgh
Tabasco and Veracruz, Mexico
Cuba
Odzala-Kokoua National Park
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Low Season Traveller
Featured destination
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Low season journey Podcast Cultural heritage
Contributors..............................................................................02
Hemingway’s Cuba....................................................................39
Note from the Editor.................................................................03
Featured destination: Pittsburgh.............................................45
Contents...................................................................................... 05
Low Season in Maasai Mara.....................................................51
Featured Photograph................................................................ 07
Featured destination: Seychelles............................................57
Featured destination: Greenland.............................................09
Odzala-Kokoua National Park.................................................63
Low Season Paris.......................................................................15
Featured destination: Zürich....................................................69
Featured destination: Zimbabwe............................................21
Cultural Heritage........................................................................75
Meet the Low Season Travellers..............................................27
Top 5 travel podcasts................................................................81
Featured destination: Cuba......................................................33
Bosnia and Herzegovina Mtskheta, Georgia
Yonaguni, Japan India Goa Maasai Mara Seychelles
Low Season Traveller
Zimbabawe
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Featured Destination: Seychelles
SEYCHELLES Cool jungles, giant tortoises, and achingly idyllic beaches
Low Season Traveller
Low Season: October, November, January-June
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Featured Destination: Seychelles
By Claire French
A thousand miles from the East African mainland, in the Indian Ocean, many of the archipelago’s 115 islands are uninhabited making for a fascinating island hopping experience. Year round temperatures are great, rarely exceeding 32 degrees or falling below 24. At Low Season
Traveller however, we recommend travelling in May and June for fewest crowds and best deals. There can be showers but nothing like the very wet weather of December and January. May is still on the hot side, with June dropping a little, but the south-east trade winds begin to blow, bringing cooler air. This can make the sea choppy, especially along southern coasts, bringing seaweed to the shore and creating dangerous currents. Hence some south west beaches on Mahé can be too rough for swimming, while the north and east coasts are fine. On Praslin perhaps opt for a beach other than Grand Anse in this period too. Sea crossings can be rough, so if you get seasick you could fly, or bring lots of tablets. On the up side, surfing, windsurfing and sailing are a whole lot more exciting at this time.
Low Season Traveller
What do you seek? If it is an authentic, unprocessed, unplugged way of life, an unparalleled experience of nature and timeless beauty, then welcome to your happy place. Known for its exquisite beaches, brilliant white sand lapped by crystal clear water, Seychelles is renowned as the perfect honeymoon spot. True. Not quite there on the romance front? Never fear as singletons, friends and families find plenty to enjoy in this magical destination.
St. Pierre Island, Seychelles
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Featured Destination: Seychelles Mahé The largest island is a great hub for visiting neighbouring isles but has plenty to keep you entertained itself. Explore the world’s smallest capital, Victoria, where you can easily walk around on foot, taking in Mission Lodge, once visited by Queen Elizabeth, the stunning National Botanical Gardens, Jardin Du Roi Spice or the Takamaka Rum Distillery. Hike the mountain rainforests of Morne Seychellois National Park with its waterfalls, stunning viewpoints, granite boulders and jungle trails. After all that, you deserve to relax on one of Mahé’s idyllic beaches, Anse Takamaka or Baie Lazare or Beau Vallon, particularly popular for sunset views. Praslin and La Digue These are the two other most popular islands and are far quieter than Mahé. In fact La Digue has barely any motorised transport at all. Famous Anse Source D’Argent on La Digue has been dubbed the world’s most beautiful beach due to its fascinating rock formations, while Anse Lazio on Praslin is another favourite. Visit the UNESCO recognised Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve on Praslin, where you can find out more about the Coco de Mer palm, which produces the heaviest seeds of any tree, with some weighing as much as 15kg. Other Islands Hop for a day trip to Cousin or Curieuse where you can see the Aldabra Giant Tortoise roaming free. Cousin Island is also a great place to see nesting hawksbill sea turtles. Bird lovers should head to Aride with its notable bird population. It boasts more birds than all of the other islands combined, and low season is a perfect time as many species will be nesting, with millions of birds descending on the island during May.
Seychelles Paradise Flycatcher
FOOD & DRINK Oscars on Mahé Superb beach views. Try the grilled red snapper or the best tuna steak on the planet. The Fish Trap on La Digue Great ambiance and live entertainment every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. Octopus Curry Local speciality made with coconut milk, aubergine and spices. Wash it down with a cold Seybrew beer.
TOP EXPERIENCES FetAfrik A colourful festival celebrating Seychellois African roots and Creole culture with a weekend of music, dance, fashion, food, and artistic expression. Takes place in late May on Mahé.
Low Season Traveller
Diving and Snorkelling If you tire of picture postcard beaches, take to the water and look out for angel fish, butterfly fish, sea turtles and manta rays or, around the outer islands, grey reef or silver tip sharks.
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Cycling in La Digue The island is virtually free of motorised transport and by far the best way to get around is to hire a bike. Rental places are everywhere. The road follows the coast for one gorgeous view after another. Exploring La Digue, Seychelles by bike
Aldabra giant tortoise (Right)
Low Season Traveller
Featured Destination: Seychelles
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Low Season Traveller
Featured Destination: Seychelles
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Anse Source d’Argent, La Digue
Featured Destination: Seychelles
INSIDER TIPS • On Praslin follow a track behind the grounds of the Chalets D’Anse Forbans to Anse Marie Louise. It seems hardly anyone comes here so you’ll be likely to have this beautiful place to yourself.
• If hiking, set off early and avoid the midday heat. Before departure, visit Victoria’s Botanical Gardens to collect information about landscape, flora and fauna to get the most out of your trek.
• Sportsmen and women can combine a holiday with the FINA open water swimming challenge, the Seychelles marathon or the new Nature Trail Run. Take part or just watch.
GOOD TO KNOW • Traditionally some restaurants close in June for staff holidays and maintenance so check before getting your heart set on a place to dine.
• It is thought that notorious pirate Olivier Levasseur once hid treasure worth over £100,000 on a Seychelle isle. It has never been found. Take a spade.
• If you fancy seeing creatures of the deep without a soaking, try one of several glass bottom boat experiences run by professional crew and often with lunch included.
Low Season Traveller
LISTEN TO THE PODCAST
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Low Season Traveller
Cultural Heritage
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OLMEC COLOSSAL HEADS, TABASCO AND VERACRUZ, MEXICO The Olmec Colossal Heads are a series of massive stone heads that were carved by the Olmec civilization between 1500 and 400 BC. The heads are up to 10 feet tall and weigh up to 25 tons. The purpose of the Olmec Colossal Heads is unknown, but they are believed to have been symbols of power and authority. The Olmec Colossal Heads are some of the most iconic artifacts from the Olmec civilization, and they are a must-see for travellers who are interested in Mesoamerican archaeology. We hope this overview of these unusual cultural heritage icons has inspired you to visit one of them on your next trip. Low season travel is the perfect time to visit these sites, as you’ll avoid the crowds and enjoy a more authentic experience.