National Geographic Traveller

DAY O N E TILES & TAPA S TOP THREE IMAGES: ALAMY Morning Afternoon Evening Sweet spots Catholic pilgrims come to worship For generations, the city’s El Tubo (‘the tube’) is a dense lattice MONASTERIO DE PIEDRA two related relics at Nuestra Señora surrounding farmlands have long of backstreets that crams vintage Chocolate was apparently del Pilar: a small wood icon of the sustained its citizens, with produce taverns and modern bars between introduced to Europe Virgin Mary, and the ornate jasper ranging from cereals to tronchon gothic courtyards, Renaissance-era through this 13th-century column on which it rests. Believer (sheep’s cheese). The signature dish, houses and sections of the Roman monastery just outside or not, the gorgeously tiled and however, is ternasco, or roasted city wall. Consider starting an Zaragoza; conquistador gilded cathedral-basilica makes a lamb, best eaten leisurely at El Real. evening with a glass of Cariñena Hernán Cortés is said to excellent starting point on a visit The restaurant has tables on a patio wine at the Bodegas Almau or one have shipped the first to the city. Across the Plaza del overlooking the Pilar and under the of the 24 gins on offer at Libertad jars of the stuff from Pilar is Zaragoza’s other cathedral, grand arches of the Pasaje del Ciclón 6.8. Tiny corner bar El Champi is the New World to the La Seo, a marvel of hybrid styles arcade. The shops here mix the renowned for its single tapa resident abbot. Today, the (Romanesque, gothic, neo-classical) usual chains with more specialised — garlicky mushrooms on bread brother’s early recipes are incorporating the remains of an local ateliers — if you’re shopping — while Lamaribel Escabechado unpacked and replicated at 11th-century mosque and ancient for something Aragónese, regional specialises in age-old pickling a chocolate museum in the Roman forum. Reach deeper into ceramics hubs like Muel have been techniques to make rich, dense former refectory kitchen. the city’s past at the ruins of the turning out vivid, purple-and- meat stews. Also in this zone monasteriopiedra.com 1st-century thermal baths and the green clayware since the Middle is El Plata, hosting comedy, amphitheatre of Caesaraugusta, Ages, while modern iterations of acrobatics and quasi-burlesque FANTOBA HERMANOS the Roman settlement that the same pottery are sold at the performances in a 1920s cabaret The Zaragoza Chocopass gave Zaragoza its name. likes of Artesanía Aligia. elreal.es hall. alas20enlibertad.com allows visitors to try house catedraldezaragoza.es pasajedelciclon.wordpress.com lamaribelescabechado.com specialities from any five zaragoza.es artesania-aliaga.com elplata.com of the 20 participating bakeries and sweetshops. The most essential is this antique pasteleria, founded in 1856 and especially beloved for its Fruits of Aragón — a local delicacy of chocolate-covered apricots, figs, pears and plums. The Chocopass costs €9 (£7.90) and is available from the tourism website. fantoba.com zaragoza.es CHOCOL ATES CAPRICHO Another favourite on the Chocopass route, this haute sweet shop is run by pastry chef Luis Paracuellos, a master of turrón (nougat) and various forms of chocolate creams and pralines. The store itself is impressive: an elegant patisserie-style counter with a busy, sweet-smelling workshop at the back. Calle de Don Jaime I, 25 From left: The cathedral Nuestra Señora del Pilar at dusk; Calle de Alfonso DECEMBER 2022 51

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WEEKENDER TOP FIVE DAY T WO RIVERS & RHY THMS Art experiences Morning Afternoon Evening GOYA MU SEUM Head for the Aljafería, the 11th- The palace grounds lead you The maños’s love of music is most You’ll see Goya’s work all over century fortress built by the through to the right bank of evident in the jota, a costumed town, but this repurposed Muslim Banu Had dynasty, which the Ebro. Stick around for lunch fertility dance of heel-toe steps Renaissance mansion holds later became the seat of the outdoors at the riverside beach and jaunty leaps accompanied by the greatest collection of Kings of Aragón after the city was Playa Los Angeles Terraza, then guitar and lute. It was introduced his work from the late 18th reconquered by Christians. Today, spend the afternoon strolling the to the region by exiled poet Aben and early 19th centuries, it stands restored as an imposing waterfront, which was renewed Jot and public performances including many paintings and paragon of Hispano-Islamic art as part of the city’s Expo 2008 are common, especially during a gallery of his engravings, and architecture, decorated with preparations. Some 12 miles of October’s Pilar Fiestas. A related with their miniature sketches impossibly intricate plasterwork, paths now line both sides, passing folksong tradition feeds into the of wartime atrocities porticoes and original pictorial through woodlands at Macanaz live music scene, and you’ll hear it and human absurdities. fragments. It’s still in use today: and Cantalobos. The Balcón de in many bands who play in venues museogoya.ibercaja.es the regional government holds San Lázaro, on the left bank, has across La Magdalena district parliamentary sessions in a the most dramatic views over the (try El Garito de Gareta or Bar PABLO GARGALLO modern annexe that seems prosaic central skyline. Its domes, spires Entalto). If your ears are more MUSEUM alongside the structural poetry of and bridges look even better attuned to riffs then check out the Classically trained but the Golden Hall; the horseshoe- from below: book a twilight kayak Rock & Blues Cafe’s live sets, while experimentally minded, shaped Muslim oratory; the tour with Ebronautas and glide Ragtime is a pub so devoted to Gargallo used empty Throne Room and the so-called under Puente de la Piedra’s stone jazz that you can almost see the space as much as shaped Troubadour Tower, all of which are crossing — just as its lampposts cast blue notes floating out of the door. materials like iron, paper, well worth a morning’s exploring. their evening glow into the water. entalto.es rockandbluescafe.com bronze and marble to create cortesaragon.es ebronautas.net facebook.com/ragtimezaragoza minimalist sculptures. IMAGE: ALAMY Admire his influential, Patio of Saint Isabel, early 20th-century work at Aljafería Palace this Renaissance mansion. zaragoza.es DECEMBER 2022 53 IAACC PABLO SERRANO A second sculptor named Pablo is perhaps the least-known of Zaragoza’s ‘Three Geniuses’ (along with Goya and Gargallo). His eye-poppingly abstract informalist pieces from the 1950s are displayed here alongside work by the likes of Picasso and Le Corbusier in a strikingly redesigned hospice building. iaacc.es EDUCATIONAL MUSEUM OF ORIGAMI ZARAGOZA Zaragoza has been a centre of excellence for origami since the Second World War, with this museum and workshop opening in 2013. Master paper-folders including Akira Yoshizawa are all represented by their origami renderings of everything from dinosaurs to demons. emoz.es ASALTO STREET ART TRAILS The annual Asalto festival sees the Boa Mistura collective and other graffiti artists cover disused spaces with murals and installations, many of which are now permanent. Follow one of the website’s interactive maps. 2023 dates TBC. festivalasalto.com

WEEKENDER FOUR TO TRY ARAGÓN ADVENTURES Above: Walking in the forest reserve surrounding the The dreamy, desolate lands of Aragón often found their way into Goya’s canvases. It’s not all sweeping Monasterio de Piedra plains though — the city’s geologically varied surrounds offer all kinds of terrain for a day trip HOW TO DO IT Wetlands highest peak in the Iberian System of Carthusian monastery Nuestra Ryanair operates direct IMAGE: GETTY at 7,595 feet. A medium-tough Señora de las Fuentes, as well as flights from Stansted to The Ebro flows from Zaragoza into trail in summer and a snowy ascent the otherworldly rock formations Zaragoza’s own regional Galachos de la Alfranca, a protected for mountaineers in winter, the of Los Tozales near Sariñena, and airport, as well as Pamplona, reserve around 10 miles from the optimal route (and the only one the giant sundial in Grañén. which is less than a two-hour city. A dedicated trail traces the for casual hikers) is around six Check out Slow Driving drive away. Other airlines, reserve’s forests, meadows and miles long and starts at the Aragon’s Desert and Carthusian including British Airways, marshes, passing a 19th-century Santuario del Moncayo monastery, Route for a detailed itinerary. offer frequent services to convent and the habitats of otters, where there’s a public car park. turismolosmonegros.es Madrid and Barcelona, both wild boars and herons. Deeper into turismomalejan.es slowdrivingaragon.com of which have rapid rail links rural Aragón is Gallocanta Lake, a to Zaragoza through Spain’s rain-fed saline lagoon that supports a Desert Woodlands Renfe train network, taking festival of birdlife — migrating cranes around 90 minutes. ba.com are the big stars of autumn. Reach Hire a car and head out on the A-2 As well as being the spiritual ryanair.com renfe.com La Alfranca on the hourly 201B bus to for a slow day’s driving, taking home of chocolate in Spain, the Patriz, which leaves from the Avenida in the dramatic, arid scrubland medieval Monasterio de Piedra is de los Pirineos in the city centre. where abandoned farms and surrounded by a forest reserve of laalfranca.com zaragozaguia.com bullet-pocked trenches from ash, elm, maple and walnut trees. the Spanish Civil War hint at the It’s prime walking territory, all Mountains landscape’s former human activity. cooled by streams and cascades There’s plenty to stop off and see, that drop down to the Piedra River. It’s a challenging climb to the however, including the mosaics monasteriopiedra.com summit of Pico de San Miguel, the 5 4 NATIONALGEOGR APHIC .CO.UK/ TR AVEL



E AT ARGYLL Seafood abounds in this landscape of islands and islets, but it’s not the only bounty — from roadside cafes to high-end restaurants, local chefs and producers champion produce from across West Scotland WORDS: AUDREY GILLAN On the deck of the Kayla Emma, Mark good,” he says. “On average, I’ll take around Clockwise from above: IMAGES: AWL IMAGES; ALEX MACLEOD; ALEXANDER BAXTER; BILL BAILLIE McLean’s rubber-gloved fingers are holding 400 — plenty on a wee boat on your own.” Oban town and harbour; live, orange langoustines caught fresh from Kilchurn Castle, on the Loch Creran. Mark was born and raised in the nearby shores of Loch Awe; seaside town of Oban, working with his grilled asparagus, “These are wee prawns and they live in wee father before getting a boat of his own. It’s toasted flaxseed and mud holes. They like to come out at sunrise a spectacular place to work: behind him, brown butter sabayon at and sunset,” he says, as I admire their orange woodland and heather-covered hills unfold Inver, Strathlachlan; fresh hue. The crustaceans — known as prawns on down to the shore, guarded by the peak of kale at Inver; fish tacos at the west coast of Scotland — are caught in Beinn Sgulaird, the mountain at the head of Lucy’s Ardfern creels, wicker baskets that Mark ties to a rope the loch. It’s the landscape that Mark missed and fixes to buoys in the tidal sea loch. Since most while studying electrical engineering he’s creeling and not trawling (which involves at college in Glasgow in 2006, ultimately dragging anything up from the seabed) he answering the call of the sea and returning can be selective about the shellfish he takes to Oban. “I love the freedom of being my own from the water. “I know myself what size they boss in my boat, creeling for the best prawns should be and I don’t keep anything that’s not in the world.” 56 NATIONALGEOGR APHIC .CO.UK/ TR AVEL

DECEMBER 2022 57

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Langoustines and oysters at E AT Botanica at the Barn A TASTE OF Right: Red squash, pumpkin seed mousse and sea buckthorn at Inver Argyll IMAGES: AUDREY GILLAN; ALEXANDER BAXTER I’ve come to meet Mark with Angus a few minutes. He chops up a shallot for a INVER MacNeil, a chef who’s married to Mark’s sister mignonette, makes a quick garlic mayonnaise Chef Pam Brunton and her Julie. Together Angus and Julie run the Barn for the langoustines and we take them along partner Rob Latimer have created Bar, a pub and restaurant in Lerags Glen with a platter of oysters to a table on the grass. something special in Strachlachlan, — just outside Oban — where Mark drops off Angus tackles his prawns very differently on the shores of Loch Fyne. There’s fresh langoustines every few days. As we drive than I do: expertly, he pulls off the claw, and a lunch, à la carte and tasting menu, there, we pull in at the side of the A828 at a deftly manages to slide the tender meat out in with highlights including Loch little wooden lean-to. There’s a blackboard one go. Creran oysters and whole Loch chalked up with ‘Caledonian Oysters, £10 a Fyne crab with hot brown butter dozen #freshlyyours’. There’s a blue cool box The oysters really are some of the best and sourdough bread. The tasting with the words ‘enjoy raw or cooked’ written I’ve ever tasted, and the langoustines menu changes but can include on it and an honesty box in which to leave astonishingly good. “Being so fresh out of the Argyll venison with chanterelles, your money. I’ve come at the instruction of a water and cooked to order, the meat should and a dessert of rhubarb, beeswax chef friend in Glasgow, who believes these are be incredibly delicate,” says Angus. “They’re and heather honey. Three-course the best oysters in Scotland. They’re Pacific just fantastic, aren’t they? The taste of them lunch from £25 per person, oysters, grown from seed, which means is so sweet.” seven-course tasting menu is £79. they’re enclosed in mesh bags and attached inverrestaurant.co.uk to metal trestles on the seabed. The oysters They’re far from the only treat on my trip are turned at low tide every so often and take through this sprawling region of lochs, bays ETIVE around three years to reach full size. and islands around two hours from Glasgow. This Oban restaurant is a tasting I stop on at Botanica at The Barn, just outside menu-only affair courtesy of At the Barn Bar, I grapple with shucking the town of Tighnabruaich, to pick up crab owner-chef John McNulty and etiquette. Angus shows me how, sliding the claws and mussels to eat on the sand after manager-sommelier David Lapsley. point of the oyster knife in at the narrow a freezing swim at Ostel Bay (also known as The choice is between ‘land and end of the hinge where the two halves of the Kilbride Bay), a crescent-shaped beach backed sea’ and the vegetarian ‘from shell meet, gently twisting until it eventually by sand dunes that can only be reached by the land’. Dishes might include cracks open. As I struggle, he plunges the a 15-minute walk across the marshes. With Fort William-smoked salmon and langoustines into boiling salted water for just views across the Firth of Clyde to the Isle of Kilmelfort sea trout tartlet or Arran, it’s a glorious spot for a picnic. Zwartbles hogget with purple- sprouting broccoli. An apple soufflé, with Earl Grey ice cream and bramble sauce, is for afters. Six-course tasting menu from £95, without wine. etiverestaurant.co.uk BOTANICA AT THE BARN The menu changes almost daily at this restaurant a few miles from Tighnabruich. All produce is sourced in Argyll and some of it’s available in the little shop. Dishes can include a local seafood bouillabaisse — with mussels, langoustines, squat lobsters and brown crab — and Tarbert-smoked kipper with horseradish and roast tomato. Three courses from £28 per person. facebook.com/ botanicatighnabruaich DECEMBER 2022 59

E AT Mark McLean with FIVE FOOD FINDS langoustines, freshly caught in Loch Creran Left: Smoked fish, a speciality of Argyll SMOKED FISH Argyll rewards hungry travellers at every the glaciers of the last ice age and is home to IMAGES: ALAMY; AUDREY GILLAN Argyll is full of smokeries. Look turn. Later, driving along the winding, single- hundreds of ancient monuments. out for delicate smoked trout track roads that skirt the edge of Loch Fyne, I and salmon, smoked mussels and pass roadside signs offering free-range eggs, The castle was in a parlous state when its prawns, as well as various cheeses. vegetables and soft fruits. On the B2000 vibrant new owners Stef Burgon and Simon between Otter Ferry and Strachur is a wooden Hunt followed their gut in 2015 and turned it HERB - INFU SED SALTS shed with an honesty shop stocked with fresh into a B&B. The restoration project took years In her home kitchen, Petra Hurska flowers, preserves and garden-grown fruit and and much of the back-breaking work was their produces salts blended with fresh vegetables. A drive round Loch Fyne, through own, but now they have a rustic-luxe castle, a herbs, including award-winning Inveraray and Lochgilphead, takes me to the wild swimming pond and a beautiful outdoor Crinan Canal, where I pause at Polly’s Coffee entertaining area with kitchen and barbecues. garlic salt and wild garlic salt. Stop, a horse box at lock 10, selling coffee, The organic gardens are planted with kale, anniesherbkitchen.co.uk home-made cakes and soup, and also offers courgettes, rhubarb, carrots and celery (for blankets to borrow for a picnic. bloody marys), there’s a wildflower meadow OYSTERS and orchard of apples, pears and mulberries, The prized bivalves are grown in At Ardfern, near the shoreline of Loch too. Stef uses much of her own produce in Loch Creran by the Caledonian Craignish, I stop at Lucy’s, a bright cafe, her breakfast dishes (she serves two courses bakery and gift shop where chef Lucy with freshly squeezed juice) and the couple Oyster Company and Loch Gladstone brings a little bit of what she sometimes host pop-up dinners within the Linnie by Lochnell Oysters. ‘enjoyed doing in Paris in London’ to Argyll. thick walls of the dining room. “Having been brought up here on an organic caledonianoyster.co.uk farm, I knew the abundance of amazing Stef and Simon join me for a wee dram facebook.com/lochnelloyster produce and always wanted to move back here beside the grand hall’s roaring fire, and and cook,” she says. The menu is full of local Simon brings me a platter laid with meat LANGOUSTINES produce: sourdough toast with homemade from Great Glen Charcuterie, some Scottish Known locally as prawns, they’re marmalade, smoked trout sandwiches, Mull cheeses, oatcakes and strawberries. The sweet, tender and juicy — try to cheddar toasties with pomegranate slaw. Scottish singer Amy Macdonald is on the eat them freshly cooked and as Her creative daily specials make the most record player, aptly singing ‘This Is The Life’. of Argyll’s bounty from land and sea and The glow on the pair’s faces isn’t just from the freshly landed as possible. on Fridays she offers a seafood ‘takeaway’ fire; they’ve not long come in from a day in — oysters, prawns, mussels, fish and chips the garden. “Renovating the castle has been BEER — to enjoy at home or eat on tables outside. both terrifying and exhilarating at the same You’ll find the family-owned Fyne time,” says Stef. “We turned our lives upside Ales on a farm at the head of Loch I stop at the Ardfern Village Store to buy down to do it, but it was the best thing we Fyne, with a ‘brewery tap’, shop bottles of thick, creamy milk from the Wee ever did.” and courtyard beer garden on site. Isle Dairy, located on the Isle of Gigha, before making the short drive to Kilmartin Castle. HOW TO DO IT fyneales.com Dating from the 16th century, the stone building sits at the edge of a glen carved by Doubles at Kilmartin Castle start at £220, B&B. kilmartincastle.com 60 NATIONALGEOGR APHIC .CO.UK/ TR AVEL

Mohonk Mountain House EXPLORE THE MAKE IT YOUR CULINARY WORLD-CLASS DELIGHTS SHOPPING NEW YORK HISTORY THE GREAT DESTINATION SEEKING OUTDOORS Designated as a National Heritage Area, the valley is steeped in history, natural beauty, culture, and a burgeoning food and farmers’ market scene. Among many attributes, it’s the oldest wine-producing area in the country. It’s no wonder Lonely Planet describes the Hudson River Valley as “a real city break, with leafy drives, wineries and plenty of farm-to-table foodie options.” Time Magazine 2021 Top 100 Destinations So start planning your visit today! GETTING HERE IS EASY! Catch a direct daily flight on PLAY Airlines from Reykjavik to New York Stewart International Airport or charter a flight to Westchester or Albany. www.travelhudsonvalley.com ® I LOVE NEW YORK is a registered trademark and service mark of the New York State Department of Economic Development; used with permission.

SLEEP ALL RATES QUOTED ARE FOR STANDARD DOUBLES, ROOM ONLY, UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED. IMAGES: GETTY; LAIMONAS DOM BARANAUSKAS R E Y K JAV Í K The Icelandic capital has long been a jumping-off point for the country’s superlative landscapes, but in recent years Reykjavík has upped its own game. Galleries and museums continue to pop up in the trendy Grandi neighbourhood, there’s an ever-evolving food scene celebrating local ingredients, and the nightlife is famously hedonistic. Despite a crop of new hotels, the city is still trying to catch up with the increased number of visitors, meaning prices in the summer can be sky-high. What is available, however, is of impeccable quality, whether it’s a sleek design hotel or a no- frills backpacker hostel. And wherever you stay, know that the radiators will be warm and the beds soft after a foray into the vast, unspoiled wilderness on the city’s doorstep. WO RDS: JA MES TAYLO R 62 NATIONALGEOGR APHIC .CO.UK/ TR AVEL

Best for design gurus £ £ £ 101 HOTEL Stepping into 101 Hotel — one of Reykjavík’s top boutique hotels — is like undertaking a whirlwind arts degree. Set within a former 1930s office building, this hotel is unapologetically stylish, with stark, glossy, black-and-white spaces full of sculptures and paintings. The glossy decor extends to the rooms as well, where oak floors add a touch of warmth to the monochrome spaces, and the beds are heavenly. There’s an excellent restaurant and bar with glass ceiling and a cosy fireplace, while the sauna below is ideal for recharging. RO O M S : From 40,715ISK (£250). 101hotel.is DECEMBER 2022 63

Best for gourmets IMAGES: NIKOLAS KOENIG; THE REYKJAVIK EDITION/KARL PETERSSON; THE BLUE LAGOON £ £ £ THE R E Y K JAV Í K EDITION Cool Nordic style meets the theatrics of designer Ian Schrager at the latest of Marriot’s uber- luxurious Edition hotels, which opened last November. Located beside the Harpa Concert Hall, it cuts a dash, with a char-black timber exterior that pays tribute to local lava fields. Rooms feature warm ash wood and woolly throws strewn across sleek furnishings, while the restaurant, Tides, is, ahem, making waves in the city’s culinary landscape. Chef Gunnar Karl Gíslason’s menu goes big on Icelandic produce and bold pairings, including salmon grilled with habaneros, and rye bread-flavoured ice cream with foraged blueberries. RO O M S : From 54,000ISK (£332). editionhotels.com Best for solo travellers £ LOFT HOSTEL Keen to meet other travellers? Loft’s calendar of events has everything from karaoke and Eurovision parties to vegan food pop-ups and game nights. It all goes down in the expansive common room, which features a buzzing bar and rooftop terrace overlooking one of the city’s main thoroughfares. Interiors, meanwhile, are stylish and flooded with natural light, and the clean, prim dorms pop with a blue-and-red colour scheme. RO O M S : Dorm beds from 6,555ISK (£40), bed only; private rooms from 23,275ISK (£143), room only. lofthostel.is 6 4 NATIONALGEOGR APHIC .CO.UK/ TR AVEL

SLEEP Best for wellness warriors £ £ £ THE RETREAT AT THE BLUE LAGOON ICELAND Located next to the famous Blue Lagoon, The Retreat is the epitome of Nordic chic. Suites are decked out in subdued basalt-blacks and forest-greens, which enhances the views of the lava fields outside, framed through floor-to-ceiling windows. The big selling point is the private Retreat Spa and Retreat Lagoon. After an array of rejuvenating treatments, guests can dine at restaurant Moss, where chef Agnar Sverrisson takes inspiration from the fjords, fields and farms of Iceland for his tasting menus. RO O M S : From 189,000ISK (£1,162), B&B. bluelagoon.com DECEMBER 2022 65

Extra with code STORIES10 Swap your stocking fillers for sharing memories Shop our Christmas range and create your photo gift in a flash You’ve already made the stories, go and make their Christmas with a personalised gift. This exclusive offer entitles you to an extra 10% off your order and can only be used once per order. Discount doesn’t apply to Delivery Charges and Gift Vouchers. Any monetary credits will be applied after promotional discounts. All standard terms & conditions apply. Code expires at 11.59pm on 30/11/2022

SLEEP Best for urban explorers £ £ EXETER HOTEL On the edge of the city centre and on Reykjavík’s historic harbour, the Exeter is an ideal spot for those looking to make the most of the city. The decor has a gritty, industrial feel, but it’s not without its modern comforts. Rooms feature sleek furnishings, striking stone walls contrasted with warm-hued hardwood floors, and abstract pieces of art. Add in a rooftop patio, a sauna, a bakery (Deig) and a restaurant (Le Kock), and you’ve got yourself a great little base from which to explore. Best of all, the reception staff have some excellent insider tips on local events, from gigs to art shows. RO O M S : From 22,411ISK (£138). exeterhotel.is IMAGE: NANNE SPRINGER Best for beer buffs Best for green travellers Best for backpackers £ £ FOS SHOTEL RE YK JAVÍK £ £ EYJA GULDSMEDEN HOTEL £ BUS HOSTEL With beer only legalised in 1989, Iceland has Icelandic couple Linda Jóhannsdóttir and Ellert It might be located in a former bus terminal near had a lot of catching up to do in the brewing Finnbogason are behind this lively, 65-room Reykjavík’s domestic airport, but Bus Hostel department. No hotel in the city does better beer boutique hotel on the fringes of downtown makes up for it by being one of the city’s most than centrally located Fosshotel Reykjavík. Iceland’s Reykjavík. The decor departs from the classic largest hotel has 320 spacious, light-filled rooms affordable places to crash. There’s a bit of a hiker with a business feel, but it’s all about Bjórgarðurinn, Icelandic palette of black and grey and focuses vibe to the hostel — muddy boots at the front door, Iceland’s holy grail for beer. Featuring the largest instead on warm wood and rattan furnishings that collection of Icelandic and international beers in weatherproof jackets strung over bed frames, the country, this bar is where you’ll be able to get a create a wistful, boho vibe, but its approach to backpackers swapping stories in the kitchen. There’s handle on Iceland’s thriving beer scene, with reducing its carbon footprint feels entirely in tune also a lounge and an onsite bar, but best of all is that food pairings to boot. Indulged a little too much? with a country in which sustainability is the norm. buses leave from right out the front door, making it a There’s an onsite gym, too, should you need to breeze to suddenly find yourself in the Blue Lagoon The strong eco focus — spanning an organic sweat out your sins. restaurant and making biofuel from food waste — has or exploring the Golden Circle. RO O M S : From 16,111ISK (£99). islandshotel.is RO O M S : Dorm beds from 4,512ISK (£28), bed only; earned the hotel group Green Globe sustainable tourism certification. private rooms from 14,500ISK (£89), room only. bushostelreykjavik.com RO O M S : From 20,114ISK (£124). hoteleyja.is DECEMBER 202 2 67

SLEEP IMAGES: KEX HOSTEL Best for Vikings & Valkyries £ £ HOTEL VIKING Don’t be too alarmed if growling, axe-wielding Vikings board your tour bus — it’s all part of the fun on a prearranged excursion with this unique hotel in Hafnarfjörður, around 20 minutes from the city centre. After being ‘kidnapped’, you’ll be carted off to the restaurant to tuck into a hearty feast of lamb shanks and mead, accompanied by traditional songs. Inside the hotel, artworks combine with fur-lined armchairs and simple wooden furnishings to recreate the Viking age (sans the violence). There’s also a hot tub to enjoy, perfect for a dip after you’ve finished feasting. RO O M S : From 17,627ISK (£108), B&B. fjorukrain.is Best for arty types £ KEX HOSTEL Occupying a former biscuit factory overlooking the harbour, Kex Hostel is one of Reykjavík’s most fashionable places to stay. The glorious bar, restaurant and general chill-out area is a wonderful space, with walls adorned by large maps, shelves overflowing with books and antiques, and retro leather couches. Upstairs dorm rooms are pared-back yet comfortable, but it’s the social aspect of the restaurant and bar that makes Kex a winner. Regular live gigs mean you’ll be rubbing shoulders with as many locals as visitors; the lively calendar ranges from jazz to hip hop. RO O M S : Dorm beds from 3,040ISK (£19), bed only; private rooms from 12,255ISK (£75), room only. kexhostel.is 68 NATIONALGEOGR APHIC .CO.UK/ TR AVEL



Ronaldsway Airport (IOM) records show the island’s temperate climate, with highest recorded temperature 28.9°C / 84.0°F (1983) and lowest -9.1°C / 15.6°F (1961) ARRAGON MOOAR ESTATE ISLE OF MAN WITH 280 ACRES OF VERDANT FARMLAND THE ARRAGON MOOAR ESTATE IS FOR SALE THROUGH COWLEY GROVES Please contact David Creane on +44 (0) 7624 493028, email: [email protected] Further information: locate.im visitisleofman.com

View from the drawing room of Arragon Mooar House View of the entrance hall with its hydraulic lift and cantilevered Ancaster stone staircase ARRAGON MOOAR ESTATE The spectacular Arragon Mooar Estate on the Isle of Man is home to the world-renowned inventor Dr John C Taylor OBE. It encompasses 280 acres of lush pasture, over half a mile of coastline, an orangery, cottages and, at its centre, the magnificent elliptical Arragon Mooar House. ARRAGON MOOAR HOUSE The superb 23,000sq ft house - three stories high plus a roof terrace with panoramic views of the island and coast - is immaculately designed and built to the highest specification. The home includes six bedrooms, all with far-reaching views and luxurious en-suite bathrooms. There’s a drawing room, dining room, library with a secret staircase, two kitchens and a breakfast room plus a spectacular ground floor atrium, perfect for entertaining. The lower ground level has many flexible rooms, including a fully accessible exhibition area plus a photographic studio.

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2023 IMAGES: AWL IMAGES From epic landscapes and cultural reawakenings to conservation initiatives and family favourites, National Geographic Traveller’s Best of the World list is back with 35 destinations that should be on your radar for 2023. Across five categories — adventure, culture, nature, family and community — our list highlights some of the most exciting and exceptional experiences on the planet With 25 selected by the global editors of National Geographic Traveller, and an additional 10 from the UK edition WORDS: ANDREW NELSON, KAREN CARMICHAEL, PÓL Ó CONGHAILE & JUSTIN MENEGUZZI



BEST OF THE WORLD 2023 Skyline of Busan, South Korea at dusk IMAGE: ALAMY busan south korea C U LTU RE From craft breweries to Asia’s top film festival, South Korea’s second largest city is fuelling a cultural boom With K-pop and Korean film making waves in global culture, the country’s creative flair is firmly in the spotlight. Cinema is a communal experience in Busan, South Korea’s second largest city, which has hosted one of Asia’s most prestigious annual film festivals for nearly three decades. In 2022, the Busan International Film Festival held screenings in 14 neighbourhood venues across this seaport of 3.4 million people. Before performances, movie lovers can grab a craft beer — Busan is celebrated for its artisan brewers — or stroll through Citizens Park, a redeveloped US military base. Opened in 2014, the park is a 133-acre retreat in the middle of downtown, planted with more than one million trees and shrubs, comprising 97 species in all. Famed for its mountains and beaches, Busan is also home to the Nakdong River Estuary. South Korea’s longest river runs through the city and shelters the whooper swan and other endangered waterfowl. DECEMBER 2022 75

BEST OF THE WORLD 2023 ADVENTURE egypt C U LTU RE choquequirao King Tut’s new home at Cairo’s Grand peru Egyptian Museum opens An adventurous trek to the remote sister site The debut of King Tut’s magnificent new of Machu Picchu is becoming more accessible home on the 100th anniversary of his discovery — and a string of recent One of the most isolated Inca sites in the Peruvian archaeological findings — is reigniting Andes, the ruins of Choquequirao are reserved for the global interest in Egypt. Dramatic and hardy few who put in the effort to reach it. Those who modern, Cairo’s Grand Egyptian Museum make the trek to the sprawling complex in the south (GEM) will be located in Giza at the edge of the of the country can do so only on foot, zigzagging up Pyramids when it opens this month — “the and down steep paths for 18 miles to reach its 10,000ft perfect museum in the perfect setting,” says elevation, suspended between the high Andes and the Fredrik Hiebert, the National Geographic jungles below. Society’s archaeologist-in-residence. Hiebert started his career in Egypt and is currently But change is coming to rock the ‘cradle of gold’, the supervising National Geographic’s virtual, meaning of Choquequirao in the Quechua language. multimedia exhibition Beyond King Tut: The New infrastructure plans are expected to boost visits Immersive Experience. to Machu Picchu’s sister city. “It’s like the Egyptians built another Pre-pandemic, Machu Picchu had more than 1.5 pyramid to display all the golden treasures of million visitors annually, according to Peruvian tourism Tutankhamun, many of which were hidden officials. Choquequirao counted fewer than 9,500. To in the basement of the [old] Cairo Museum,” increase accessibility, the Peruvian government has he says. “It’s going to become a destination committed to spending $260 million (£231.12 million) to museum and will change the way people build a cable car spanning three miles between the town visit Egypt.” of Kiuñalla and the archaeological site. 76 NATIONALGEOGR APHIC .CO.UK/ TR AVEL

N AT U R E scottish highlands Highland cow on Isle of Skye, an icon of united kingdom the Scottish countryside IMAGES: GETTY An ambitious plan to replant and From left: Pyramids and bedouins restore native species takes root at Giza, Egypt; view of Ben Stack The windswept Scottish Highlands are mountain in Lairg, northern Highlands celebrated for their austere beauty, but the sheep-scoured landscapes are in fact the DECEMBER 2022 77 result of human interference. In ancient times, Scotland’s glens and hills were covered by the great Caledonian Forest. But centuries of logging and overgrazing devastated the ecosystem. Now, a move to return the Highlands to their original woodlands, by reintroducing former flora and fauna in a process called ‘rewilding’, is gathering steam — with major strides to come in 2023. The non-profit organisation Trees for Life is opening a centre in Dundreggan to educate the public on the concept of rewilding. Above Inverness, the 23,000-acre Alladale Wilderness Reserve has already planted nearly a million trees, and the Affric Highlands project will start restoring 500,000 acres stretching from Loch Ness to the west coast in a 30-year initiative.

dodecanese islands COMMUNITY guyana greece N AT U R E A new route from British Airways shines The Greek archipelago balances growing IMAGES: AWL IMAGES; GETTYa light on the South American star popularity with sustaining ancient traditions Thick rainforests, sprawling savannahs, Are visitors ruining the Dodecanese? Off the Turkish coast, magical mountain ranges and epic rivers the 12 Greek islands of the Dodecanese cast an alluring — Guyana may be one of South America’s spell stemming from their rocky beauty and feisty history. smaller nations, but it packs a big punch for A cast of conquerors — Romans, Ottomans and Italians nature-lovers and, from March 2023, will be — left their fingerprints on everything from the connected by British Airways flights from architecture to the food, but today’s invaders come Gatwick (via St Lucia). not for fortune, but for selfies, at such better-known Dodecanese islands as Leros, Patmos or Kos. Go for a truly off-grid experience. Similar in size to the UK, Guyana is home to fewer But now less trafficked parts of the archipelago like than a million people, and river, off-road or Karpathos, located halfway between Crete and Rhodes, air transport are often the only routes into must balance between the economic need for tourism the heart of it all. and the environmental stresses caused by it. In this arid, hilly land of milk and honey, many families keep bees Natural highlights abound, from jaguars and make their own butter and cheese. Karpathos’s lonely prowling dense forests to giant anteaters white churches, timeworn towns and ancient traditions on the savannahs, harpy eagles in the skies may draw adventurous visitors fleeing the more crowded and unforgettable sights such as Kaieteur Cycladic islands of Mykonos and Santorini, but the Falls, one of the world’s highest single-drop island’s water scarcity and lack of recycling capacity waterfalls (and twice as high as Victoria Falls). pose challenges. The number of eco-tourism experiences and community-run lodges is growing, too, 78 NATIONALGEOGR APHIC .CO.UK/ TR AVEL making it one to watch for travellers seeking a wild, more sustainable getaway.

hauts-de-france BEST OF THE WORLD 2023 france san francisco The region’s rich culinary heritage is california, usa in the spotlight for 2023 An urban trail and a new recreation area with Food, glorious food… and drink, too. Hauts-de- Golden Gate views get top marks from families France is the European Region of Gastronomy for 2023. After feasting on its fresh seafood, In San Francisco, city kids can learn that becoming a craft beers and Flemish recipes, you’ll be in trail hiker doesn’t necessarily mean a trip into the wild. little doubt as to why. The recently completed Crosstown Trail meanders across the city diagonally, from its southeastern corner at This is France’s northernmost region, Candlestick Point to its northwestern tip at Lands bordering Belgium, and it’s a place where End, winding through gardens, up hills and across ‘local’ and ‘seasonal’ were a way of life long urban streets for nearly 17 miles. The path is the fruit before they became menu buzzwords. Think of volunteers’ labour — ordinary San Franciscans Maroilles cheese, fresh endives, Chantilly coming together to define its route and, in some places, cream, or finger-lickingly gorgeous gaufres physically clearing paths in order to connect segments (thin, honeycombed waffles traditionally sold of existing trails. outside churches), just for starters. Along the way, the trail skirts the Presidio. This 1,491- Today, the heritage and terroir of Hauts- acre military post turned popular national park offers de-France has been taken to new levels by stunning Golden Gate Bridge views and in July celebrated dynamic young chefs and restaurateurs, and the opening of the 14-acre Presidio Tunnel Tops. Designed culture vultures can work up an appetite by the same firm behind Manhattan’s High Line, the new exploring the galleries and markets of Lille, or site is set on top of concrete freeway tunnels and buzzes touring a stunning, little-known coastline. with a plastic-free nature play space, food trucks and C U LTU RE campfire talks. FA M I LY View of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Presidio and downtown San Francisco Left: Kayakers explore Anthony Quinn Bay, Rhodes, Greece DECEMBER 2022 79

ON CALL CONCIERGE  CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA Your Perfect Day Awaits! On Call Concierge curates unique & unparalleled experiences in Charleston, South Carolina — customized just for you. On Call Concierge, headquartered in Charleston, Laura Smoragiewicz, Founder + CEO, pictured above. South Carolina, provides a time-saving, convenient, and exciting travel planning experience by personalizing all of the small details that turn a good trip into a great one, creating memories in the Holy City that last a lifetime. From history tours, culinary experiences, full-service itinerary planning, hand-picked lodging accommodations and beyond, the OCC team curates a one-of-a-kind Charleston experience unlike anything you’ve dreamt possible! Visit www.oncallconciergecharleston.com or email [email protected] to book your perfect vacation. All photos from Sarah Pascutti Photography www.OnCallConciergeCharleston.com

BEST OF THE WORLD 2023 Hiking outside Queenstown, New Zealand ADVENTURE new zealand C U LTU RE vilnius lithuania IMAGE: GETTY Adventurous travellers should head to the South Island for a series of thrilling new bike routes Ahead of its 700th anniversary, the Baltic capital has never looked better The country that brought you bungee jumping is bouncing back from the pandemic. On New Zealand’s South The Lithuanian capital will be 700 years old in Island, a re-energised Queenstown is again welcoming 2023 and it’s throwing its own year-long party adventure travellers from all over the world. They to celebrate. Public events will draw attention come to this lakeside town of 15,000 people for skiing, to a variety of arts, educational and green as well as year-round hiking in the deservedly named initiatives, including an invitation to both Remarkables range. But bicycles should be generating visitors and locals to help plant more than the most excitement right now. By 2025, the Queenstown 100,000 trees around the city and create an Trails Trust aims to complete a network of recreational urban forest in its Ozo Park. and commuting bike lanes and paths that will link up workplaces, schools and other urban spaces. The At the Lithuanian National Museum, network’s shining star is an 81-mile biking route called meanwhile, a new interactive pavilion depicts the Queenstown Trail, one of New Zealand’s Great Rides. the city as it was 200 years ago. Spoiler alert: Starting on the shore of Lake Wakatipu, the ride pedals it looks familiar in many respects, thanks east from Queenstown to Gibbston via the historic mining to the number of well-preserved gothic and centre of Arrowtown. Renaissance buildings found in Vilnius’s Old Town. This historic neighbourhood, with For the more adventurous, the 31-mile Coronet Loop its cobblestoned streets, outdoor cafes and Trail takes cyclists deep into the surrounding backcountry. collection of baroque churches, is one of the The singletrack circumnavigates the 5,410ft-tall Coronet largest and best-preserved medieval centres Peak and rambles past waterfalls, river gorges, beech in Eastern Europe. forests and the historic remnants of a 19th-century Chinese settlement along the Arrow River. DECEMBER 2022 81

ADVENTURE austrian alps austria N AT U R E Regional life and culture are the focus of the Bergsteigerdörfer network IMAGES: AWL IMAGES; GETTY To save a mountain range, it sometimes takes a village. In 2008, an association of high- altitude hamlets located in Central Europe’s Eastern Alps banded together to promote their communities to the world’s adventure travellers, particularly fans of mountain hiking, biking and climbing, as well as winter sports such as cross-country skiing and ice climbing. Called the Bergsteigerdörfer, or the ‘Mountaineering Villages’, the network is concentrated mainly in Austria’s western states, including Tyrol and Carinthia, with other member towns in Switzerland, Germany, Italy and Slovenia. The Bergsteigerdörfer protects the villages’ culture and traditions while preserving mountain landscapes from overdevelopment. Rejecting large-scale tourist projects such as sprawling ski lodges and peak-scaling cable cars, the Bergsteigerdörfer villages, now numbering 36, place an emphasis on green and sustainable mountain tourism. botswana A local movement is creating wildlife corridors and community projects The southern African country of Botswana continues to confront a series of threats to its expansive, wildlife-rich national parks and game reserves, ranging from poaching to overtourism. But new anti-poaching efforts, voluntourism and community-based outreach are helping to alleviate some of the pressure. In the Tuli Block, a wilderness in eastern Botswana that holds leopards, hyenas and elephants, rangers are installing advanced technology in the 270sq mile Central Tuli Game Reserve. Dutch organisation Smart Parks developed low-power sensors that transmit radio data back to a central station, alerting rangers to poachers and their vehicles, or tracking the movements of animals. Botswana is also responding to a new generation of visitors. “Since the pandemic, our millennial travellers have become more interested in meaningful human connection,” says National Geographic explorer Koketso ‘Koki’ Mookodi. “You’ll now see more craft- based tours and village homestays.”

BEST OF THE WORLD 2023 A herd of wild African elephants gather in the Okavango Delta, Botswana From top: Stikliu Street, Old Town, Vilnius, Lithuania; wooden huts in Oberstaller Alm, East Tyrol, Austria DECEMBER 2022 83



FA M I LY colombia BEST OF THE WORLD 2023 C U LTU RE Discover dazzling birdlife, Indigenous Via Appia Antica, culture and alluring landscapes the original Appian Way IMAGES: AWL IMAGES Colombia’s boisterous birdlife is as colourful from Rome to Brindisi and tuneful as Encanto, the hit Disney Above: Wax palms in animated film set in this biodiverse South Colombia’s Cocora Valley American country. More than 1,900 different birds (almost 20% of the world’s avian species) DECEMBER 2022 85 live here, in places like the Perijá Mountains. To find them, birders both extreme and casual can flock to the Northern Colombia Birding Trail. Tours with the National Audubon Society use 4X4 vehicles to visit the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the planet’s highest coastal mountain range, as well as beach-blessed Tayrona National Park on the Caribbean coast. Visitors can spot species including the crested quetzal and Santa Marta parakeet. Colombians and Indigenous Wayuu people work along the route as bird guides. “Nature tourism can play a big role in conserving Colombia’s biodiversity and in supporting communities,” says biologist and National Geographic explorer Federico Pardo. “It brings dollars to the economy and increases the appreciation of our plants, animals and ecosystems.” appian way italy Italy’s revived ‘superhighway’ is a pilgrimage route through history If all roads lead to Rome, this ancient highway, built 2,300 years ago, was the mother of them all. Stretching for 360 miles from the heart of Italy’s capital to the port of Brindisi on the Adriatic coast, the Via Appia (nicknamed ‘Regina Viarum’ — the ‘Queen of Roads’) was trodden by ordinary citizens, marching soldiers and glitterati ranging from the Latin poet Horace to the gladiator-tussling Emperor Commodus. Neglected after Rome’s fall but never forgotten, the road is undergoing a renaissance as the Italian government seeks to retrace, uncover and restore the ancient cobblestones, transforming the Appia into a walkable route for modern travellers. The goal is a pilgrimage through history, with stops at scenic villages and archaeological sites as well as planned overnight accommodation at the end of each day’s journey.

BEST OF THE WORLD 2023 big bend national park N AT U R E A guide rafting the Rio Grande, texas, usa COMMUNITY Big Bend National Park, Texas The rugged frontier legend of Texas comes to IMAGES: AWL IMAGES; GETTY Clockwise from right: life in a landscape that’s full of surprises Verbier ski resort, Switzerland; women Only 400,000 people a year visited Big Bend National in Bowku village, Ghana; traditional Park pre-pandemic — about a tenth of the number who thatched bungalow, Ghana flocked to Yellowstone, reports Robert Draper, a National Geographic contributing writer. Yet this remote and arid ghana part of west Texas nurtures more cactus species than any other national park, as well as birds such as roadrunners The West African nation is fast and bright yellow Scott’s orioles, and mammals including becoming a vibrant creative hub peccaries. But encounters with wildlife seem different in the desert. “They remind you that life is precious and With Covid-19 restrictions relaxed, many where you least expect to find it,” writes Robert. “Above travellers are again taking up an invitation all, life in the Chihuahuan Desert that incorporates that Ghanaian president Nana Akufo-Addo Big Bend’s 1,252sq mile expanse is stubborn and easily had extended pre-pandemic to people with misunderstood, but also impossible to forget.” African heritage: to return to the country, connect with its citizens and explore their But there’s more to Big Bend than wildlife. The Rio African roots. The journeys, popularised by Grande forms a 118-mile border between Big Bend and celebrity travellers such as Danny Glover and Mexico, and various cultures span the divide. Small towns Chance the Rapper, were often emotional, as outside the park create an archipelago of differing tastes and visitors confronted the physical remnants of outlooks, from the Mexican border community of Ojinaga to the slave trade along Ghana’s coast. Alpine’s dusty cowboys and edgy painters living in Marfa. “More than a return, it’s a remembering,” 86 NATIONALGEOGR APHIC .CO.UK/ TR AVEL says National Geographic photo editor Melissa Bunni Elian, who journeyed to Ghana last spring. Melissa notes that Ghana has a “strong pan-African spirit. You’ll hear afrobeats everywhere, from the taxis to the grocery store, but also reggae, Haitian zouk, US hip-hop.” She adds that the capital, Accra, is “the centre of fashion for Ghana. It’s always bright or loud or colourful. Ghanaians have distinct ways of putting things together.”

FA M I LY switzerland The country’s efficient rail journeys take in chocolate, hiking and skiing In a country of only 8.7 million people, Switzerland’s transport network carries 6.6 million riders daily, tempting families with unique trips on famously punctual trains to spectacular mountains, classic bakeries and even a Wonka-esque chocolate tour. The Gotthard Panorama Express, for example, begins on a Lucerne steamboat that crosses the city’s lake, before passengers board a train in Flüelen for a trip to Switzerland’s Italian-influenced south. A train from Bern to Lucerne, meanwhile, stops for a nibble at the Kambly bakery where kids can bake their own biscuits. And a chocolate train from Montreux serves croissants and hot chocolate onboard, stops in Gruyères to explore its medieval old town and world-famous cheese, and winds up in Broc for a tour of the Maison Cailler chocolate factory. Making it all sweeter is the Swiss Family Card, a rail pass that allows anyone aged 16 or under to ride either for free or a 50% discount. DECEMBER 2022 87

BEST OF THE WORLD 2023 milwaukee wisconsin, usa longmen grottoes henan province, china A lesser-known, budget-friendly Great Lakes city that shouldn’t be missed The UNESCO site displaying an incredible collection of stone statues Wisconsin’s biggest and liveliest city combines a blue- collar, back-thumping energy with a close-knit creative Can ancient artistry from the Tang Dynasty community that’s turning heads beyond the Great Lakes. thrive in the 21st-century metaverse? The Longmen Grottoes in China’s Henan Province Like the 450 motorcycles displayed inside its Harley- offer a clue. More than 100,000 figures devoted Davidson Museum, Milwaukee is revving its engines in to the Buddhist religion, mainly sculpted 2023. Riverside promenades are being built along its three between the fifth and eighth centuries, are waterways (the Milwaukee, Kinnickinnic and Menomonee tucked inside countless caves in limestone rivers), and the buzzy Deer District rises from a former field cliffs rising above the Yi River. In 2021, the of vacant lots, with hotels, concert venues and the Bucks UNESCO World Heritage site was used as a arena. Meanwhile, new development projects are enhancing backdrop for the acrobatic dance programme traditional neighbourhoods, such as Bronzeville’s planned Longmen King Kong (the title refers to a cultural centre, focused on African-American art. Buddhist champion, not a large gorilla). The show’s special effects, combined with the Follow the locals and kayak down one of the rivers spectacular statues, became a sensation. before disembarking to explore the Historic Third Ward, a former industrial district laced with bike lanes. At the But the use of high-tech at the grottoes Milwaukee Public Market, pick up a bag of cheese curds, isn’t just for entertainment. Archaeologists as beloved as the local bratwursts; then follow the shore of are using 3D printing to reconstruct damaged Lake Michigan to the Milwaukee Art Museum’s sculptural statuary, and scientists are applying digital pavilion designed by Santiago Calatrava. scanning to create a 3D map of the site. C U LTU RE Carved Buddhist statues at COMMUNITY Longmen Grottoes, Henan Province, China Right: Peekaboo Loop Trail in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

ADVENTURE utah, usa FA M I LY bath united kingdom IMAGES: AWL IMAGES This popular adventure state is boosting its quieter areas to combat overtourism Britain’s double-listed World Heritage Site is developing new attractions With five national parks and eight national monuments, Utah is an adventurer’s playground. But outdoor lovers Bath may be one of the UK’s most visited cities, tend to visit just a few popular destinations, such as Zion but it isn’t resting on its laurels. After a £5.5m National Park. Now the Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation renovation of its Roman baths in 2011, the city has created an innovative grant programme to help fund — already a UNESCO World Heritage site new outdoor recreation projects throughout the state, — received another inscription in 2021 as one including the Zion National Park Forever Project. of 11 European spa towns. Then the Bath World Heritage Centre opened in May 2022, with In Zion, known for its dramatic narrow canyons and exhibits and displays about Bath’s history, towering sandstone cliffs, work began in 2022 on a new Georgian architecture and unique geology. visitor centre on the park’s east side. The aim is to draw some of Zion’s annual five million visitors away from the But this city, founded by the Romans, isn’t crowded main south entrance and popular trails like only about the ancient past. In September, Angels Landing. As well as the sustainable visitor centre, Cleveland Pools, Britain’s oldest lido, reopened. plans include 30 miles of new mountain-biking trails and Situated by the River Avon, the Grade II-listed 40 miles of hiking trails outside the east entrance. outdoor swimming pool, dating back to 1815, was restored after an 18-year campaign. “Outdoor recreation is a cash cow for Utah,” says Stephanie Pearson, author of National Geographic’s 100 And the £20m Bath Abbey Footprint project, Great American Parks. “It contributes more than $6.4bn which included the renovation of the medieval [£5.7bn] to the economy, employs more than 83,000 abbey church, has neared completion with its people and generates $737m [£650m] in state and local tax new Discovery Centre. revenues.” These efforts will keep Utah’s outdoor industry booming, while protecting fragile ecosystems. DECEMBER 2022 89

COCOCOLLECTION.COM For bookings: +960 664 6600 | [email protected]

bhutan BEST OF THE WORLD 2023 The reopened Trans-Bhutan Trail covers trinidad and tobago 250 miles of the Himalayan kingdom A key leatherback turtle nesting site highlights Bhutan reopened its borders in September the importance of conservation programmes last year. Visitors returning post-pandemic will find upgraded roads and hotels, restored It’s a sobering thought: sea turtles survived the dinosaur dzongs (fortress-monasteries) and a hefty rise extinction but might not live beyond this century. Kids to the country’s Sustainable Development eager to help save the turtles — and encounter hundreds Fee (SDF), which increased from US$65 (£59) of them while doing so — can head to Trinidad and Tobago. to US$200 (£180) per person, per night. As With loggerheads, greens, leatherbacks, hawksbills, and a developing country vulnerable to climate olive ridleys — five of the seven species of sea turtle change, Bhutan is famously committed to — living in its waters, the Caribbean nation is a turtle sustainable, low-volume tourism that benefits tourism hotspot. the local community. The increased fee will be put to good use funding healthcare and Nesting sites are found on both islands, with education for Bhutan’s citizens, planting trees leatherbacks the most numerous. During the nesting and preserving the country’s cultural heritage. season, between March and August, an estimated 6,000 to 10,000 turtles mass on the nation’s shores. Trinidad’s Enticing pilgrims to the Himalayan Grande Riviere Beach, on the island’s north coast, is kingdom is the 250-mile Trans-Bhutan Trail, the densest leatherback nesting ground in the world, which has reopened for the first time in 60 supporting the planet’s biggest leatherback rookery. years, allowing hikers and bikers to traverse the length of the country. The track connects Turtle-watching programmes led by approved guides previously remote communities, spreading the generate revenue to help save these creatures, which economic benefits of tourism while sharing are under assault from climate change, habitat loss and new insights into Bhutanese life. plastic pollution. Travellers can even volunteer to perform ADVENTURE field work such as keeping nesting areas clear of debris, FA M I LY scanning and tagging nesting turtles and tracking the size and numbers of turtles and their nests. Englishman’s Bay, Trinidad and Tobago IMAGE: AWL IMAGES DECEMBER 2022 91

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COMMUNITY alberta canada COMMUNITY Aboriginal dancing and musical In the Canadian Rockies, Indigenous performance in Queensland, Australia IMAGES: AWL IMAGES; ALAMY; GETTY voices reveal undiscovered histories From left: A hiker admires Moraine Lake at sunrise, Banff National Park, Canada; Alberta is famed for natural wonders such as Haida totem pole at Alberta Legislature the Athabasca Glacier and Banff National Park, its prairies and modern cities like Calgary and Building in Edmonton, Canada Edmonton. But there are other perspectives to consider in this Canadian province that DECEMBER 2022 93 encourage a rethink about how Indigenous stories are told across North America. “Travellers who seek us out want to reconnect and refocus,” says Brenda Holder, a Cree/Iroquois guide who leads visitors on walks and workshops in the woods near Sundre, Alberta, to examine the medicinal plants her people rely upon. Alberta’s Aboriginal sites serve as touchstones into the province’s pre-European past. Visitors to Elk Island National Park, located just east of Edmonton, encounter cultural history dating back 8,000 years through guided hikes, hands-on interpretive programmes featuring prehistoric stone tools, and Cree crafting workshops. australia Aboriginal rights go hand in hand with a new wave of Indigenous experiences This year, Australians will cast their vote on whether to enshrine an Aboriginal voice in the country’s constitution. The historic referendum takes place against a backdrop of greater recognition of Aboriginal rights, with vast swathes of land handed back to Traditional Owners and the country’s first truth-telling commission underway in Victoria. As the cogs of government turn, a new wave of experiences owned and led by Aboriginal Australians are helping travellers delve deeper into their history, culture and cuisine. Found at the end of the Great Ocean Road is Budj Bim Cultural Landscape (inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2019 — the first in Australia to be listed for its Aboriginal cultural value), where visitors can explore the world’s oldest eel farms led by Gunditjmara guides. Meanwhile, in Melbourne, the Koorie Heritage Trust hosts rotating art exhibitions, while Black Card Cultural Tours decodes the hidden Aboriginal street art nestled along the Brisbane River.

Azores . Terceira Island ANGRA, A SAFE PORT The Shipyard Angra was born from the roots like the trees that exist on this island. A minimalist building that blends industrial strength and rigidity with the tranquillity of wood in its warm tones, which lead us to the tranquility of the ocean. It is a safe haven for you, your family and your friends from 78€ in low season and 138€ in high season, with breakfast included. @theshipyardangra

BEST OF THE WORLD 2023 ADVENTURE sierra sur N AT U R E Church of Santo Domingo oaxaca, mexico de Guzman, Oaxaca de IMAGE: AWL IMAGES Juarez, Mexico Oaxaca’s Copalita Trail is increasingly popular among visitors seeking Indigenous connections tanzania Oaxaca is celebrated for its folk art and vibrant cuisine, Citizen science is playing a part in but there’s more to the cultural tapestry of this subtropical Tanzania’s latest conservation drive Mexican state than black pottery and moles. Travellers searching for meaningful and respectful cultural Sustainable travel is evolving at a pace in exchanges with members of its 16 recognised Indigenous Tanzania. No longer content with just staying peoples are lacing up their hiking boots to venture into the at environmentally friendly lodges or visiting agrarian heart of the Oaxacan interior on foot. local community groups, many travellers are getting hands on with conservation by Growing in popularity is the Copalita Trail, a five-day following scientists into the field, thanks to adventure walk from the state’s southern Sierra Madres to the advent of citizen science travel. its Pacific coast, with stops to camp, swim and break bread in Zapotec villages. Because the trail is remote, with few At the forefront of the trend is Asilia Africa, intersecting roads, there’s no opportunity to leave it, and it with its pioneering Usangu Expedition must be done with a guide. The journey begins in Oaxaca Camp, which opened in June 2022 and is City, where a bus brings hikers deep into the mountains. set in the lush wetlands of Ruaha National Over the next four days, hikers descend from the slopes Park. Patrolling the park in safari vehicles past thick pine forests, down through coffee and bamboo powered by molasses, guests play an active plantations and into jungles, before floating down the role in protecting wildlife by assisting field Copalita River to arrive on the golden-sand beaches researchers, planting camera traps and near Huatulco. helping to build the park’s photo library (shots of animals including lions, leopards and rare African wild dogs). The citizen science approach has proved so successful that Asilia will replicate the experience at a sister camp, set to open in June 2023 in Nyerere National Park. DECEMBER 2022 95

BEST OF THE WORLD 2023 COMMUNITY nova scotia canada Canada puts a spotlight on its unique Acadian culture The parishes of southern Louisiana have long been associated with the Acadians, France’s settlers in the New World. But the first Acadia lay further north, centred in Canada’s Atlantic Maritime provinces, including Nova Scotia. French immigrants first arrived in the 1630s, only to be rerouted by British forces during the French and Indian Wars (1754-1763). Beginning in 1755, the Acadian Expulsion saw Acadians forcibly resettled in British colonies or repatriated to France and then Louisiana. Allowed to return to Nova Scotia in 1764, the Acadians have retained their culture and language into this century. The World Congress of Acadians takes place in 2024 here in the municipalities of Clare and Argyle. Other attractions include the Grand Pré National Historic Site, commemorating the Acadian diaspora. 96 NATIONALGEOGR APHIC .CO.UK/ TR AVEL

N AT U R E slovenia COMMUNITY Dusk on the Nam Ou River, Luang Prabang, Laos IMAGES: GETTY; AWL IMAGES Slovenia’s emerging green gastrotourism biking routes visit farms and other local food producers Clockwise from top left: Peggy’s Cove, a typical Widely recognised for being a leader in sustainable fishing village in Nova tourism, Slovenia has already cooked up a number of Scotia, Canada; pho, Laos; eco-friendly tours under its seven-year-old, countrywide Green Scheme. Now it’s added a new item to the menu: Luang Prabang, Laos; the Slovenia Green Gourmet Route. This 11-day, farmer preparing white 10-destination food trail is intended specifically for cyclists. asparagus for sale, Slovenia “Bikers can reach a lot of remote [countryside] to laos discover that each [cow] pasture will produce a unique cheese,” says Jan Klovara, one of the trail’s developers. A new high-speed train is making The route spans the country, from the capital, Ljubljana, more of Laos accessible through the Soča Valley, with its alpine views, to the cave-studded Karst Plateau and along the Drava and The pandemic closed the borders of many Sava Rivers. tourism-dependent countries, including Laos. But the Southeast Asian country known for Cyclists use the Slovenian train system to go point to its emerald-green vistas of the Upper Mekong point and their own pedal power to navigate bike-safe rural got a boost in domestic travel with the roads before sitting down to dinner at a Michelin-starred December 2021 inauguration of a Chinese- restaurant in cities like Maribor, celebrated for its local financed and -constructed bullet train, and Serbian cuisine. They can sample pršut(prosciutto) in christened the Lane Xang. Originating in Štanjel, or sip vintages at a wine cellar in Brda, the grape- Kunming, China, the train’s 260-mile route growing agricultural region known as the Slovene Tuscany. within Laos starts at the border town of Visitors can follow the route or customise it to fit their own Boten and barrels through 75 tunnels and interests and appetites. across 167 bridges before terminating in the capital, Vientiane. The train’s promise: expanding tourism among the Lao, who can now easily explore their country’s multifaceted heritage, including the old imperial capital, Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Previously, travellers from the south endured a five- to-six-hour car trip to reach the city. Zipping along at 100mph, the train takes just under two hours from Vientiane. DECEMBER 2022 97

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revillagigedo national park BEST OF THE WORLD 2023 mexico manchester This area protects one of the world’s largest united kingdom aggregations of sharks and oceanic mantas This mecca for football fans is growing Some 300 miles off the southern tip of Baja California as an arts and culture hub Peninsula lies a national park steeped in superlatives. Revillagigedo National Park, a 57,000-square-mile In 2023, Manchester launches a number of Mexican marine reserve, is North America’s largest fully attractions to encourage its post-pandemic protected underwater park. It offers sanctuary to the revival. The centrepiece is the spring opening continent’s greatest concentration of tropical marine of the Factory International, a new £186m megafauna, from hammerhead sharks to humpback cultural space. Named after the local record whales, earning it the nickname ‘the Galápagos of Mexico’. label that made hometown bands Joy Division And the waters surrounding its four main islands are fast and New Order globally famous, the Factory becoming a mecca for scuba divers. will become the permanent home of the Manchester International Festival. The city’s “The park’s one of the few places, if not the only place on biannual, cutting-edge arts jam showcases the planet, that you can swim with giant oceanic mantas,” the best in theatre, opera and music for all says marine biologist and underwater filmmaker Erick ages. The year also marks the reopening of Higuera. He says the mantas, which can weigh up to 3,600 the reimagined Manchester Museum, which pounds and attain a wing span of around 27ft, seem to like features a specially designed inclusive, family- the feel of the divers’ oxygen bubbles on their bellies. The focused Belonging Gallery that showcases how bottlenose dolphins that inhabit the park’s waters also humans, plants and animals thrive together. display remarkable curiosity towards humans and will Also coming into its own is the National Trust’s often swim up to investigate divers. new ‘sky park’ on the Castlefield Viaduct, a walkable Victorian-era railroad bridge. Giant manta ray seen in the Revillagigedo archipelago, Mexico Right: Manchester is diversifying its cultural offering, adding a new cultural venue to its portfolio ADVENTURE FA M I LY IMAGES: GETTY; AWL IMAGES DECEMBER 2022 99

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