Oh, the places you’ll go... in 2018
The world’s top travel experts, adventurers and explorers tell Mike Peake why we should swap out some tried-and-tested favourites for something a little different
OUT GREAT BARRIER REEF IN APO REEF
Nominated by: Travel writer Anna Hart, whose first book, Departures: A Guide To Letting Go, One Adventure At A Time, is published by Little, Brown in February (follow her on Twitter: @annadothart)
‘The Philippines is a nation of contrasts,’ says Hart, ‘and it offers visitors pristine white sands, verdant paddy fields, misty mountain hikes, smouldering volcanoes, happy-go-lucky people, luxury spa retreats, thrillingly chaotic cities and a mouth-watering national cuisine that borrows liberally from Malay, Spanish, Chinese and American culinary traditions.’ It’s also one of the best diving destinations on the planet, she says, and the Apo Reef Natural Park boasts the world’s second largest contiguous coral reef system. ‘An archipelago of idyllic islands, the Philippines is a bafflingly undiscovered tourist destination,’ says Hart, who visited in 2016. ‘Visit Apo now for a chance to glimpse hammerhead sharks, whale sharks and manta rays – minus the crowds that make the Great Barrier Reef a bit of a scrum.’ She recommends basing yourself at Sablayan, two hours away, where camping is gloriously off-grid.
OUT NEW YORK MARATHON IN ULTRA-TRAIL DU MONT-BLANC
Nominated by: Andrew Skurka, a former National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, who takes adventurous souls on guided trips in the Rockies and SequoiaKings Canyon in California (andrewskurka.com).
The Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc is just over 100 miles of amazing scenery and hard slog through the Alps, taking you through France, Italy and Switzerland. You need to qualify for the official race – which takes place at the end of August – but many people follow the route at their leisure throughout the year (July to early September is best), taking three, four or even five days and sleeping in mountain huts en route. ‘The route circles Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Europe,’ says Skurka, who ran the trail last year, ‘and the topographic relief is astounding. The peak is at 4,500m, and the lowest valleys are at 900m, and because the peak is never far away, your neck gets kinked from looking up all the time.’
Highlights, he says, are the chance to meet fellow trail-plodders from all over the world and the delicious Alpine food you’ll get to sample. ‘If you’re looking for a lowbudget hike, this is not it,’ says Skurka. ‘Stick to a long-distance trail in the US like the John Muir Trail if you’re looking for outdoor beauty without spending so much.’ Visit utmbmontblanc.com.
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS MADAGASCAR
Nominated by: Cat Capon, adventurer, ecotourism campaigner and presenter of the YouTube Channel Catherine Capon’s Wildlife Adventures.
Around 150,000 people per year flock to the tiny Galapagos Islands west of Ecuador, and while Capon loves the place, she has an even softer spot for Madagascar, which separated from Africa and India millions of years ago and has developed into ‘a biologist’s dream’. ‘It has the smallest species of reptile, 107 species of lemur, mysterious tenrecs that resemble an otterhedgehog hybrid and baobab trees that look like they are straight from a fairytale book,’ she says. ‘In fact, five per cent of the world’s biodiversity can be found on Madagascar – not bad considering it’s only 0.4 per cent of the world’s land mass!’ Compared to Galapagos, Capon says that eco-tourists can have a far bigger impact in Madagascar, where much of the wildlife is in serious trouble. ‘If more people visit and explore the natural wonders, it makes the forests more valuable to the local people intact rather than chopped down,‘ she explains. Capon cautions that roads in Madagascar are poorly maintained and that accommodation can be basic, but your holiday money might just end up saving the lemurs, which could be as little as 25 years away from extinction.
OUT TAJ MAHAL IN BAGAN IN MYANMAR
Nominated by: Pari Faramarzi, who has just finished a 10-month trip around Asia with her husband Nick and has been documenting their journey on Instagram (@together_we_see).
No one is denying that India’s towering domed shrine to love isn’t spectacular, but when up to four million people visit every year it can get a little congested. So try Bagan instead: thousands of stunning red-stoned temples and ruins decorating an ancient desert plain. ‘As soon as we reached Bagan, we felt an overwhelming sense of wonder,’ says Faramarzi, who visited in January 2017. ‘It is just glistening with history and the views from the top of any temple will rival most mountain vistas.’
Faramarzi explains that the ancient city was built by Bagan kings over a 230-year period up to 1287. There were once 4,000 temples, but over time, war, natural disasters and neglect have meant many have disappeared. ‘Those that remain are decorated with murals and gold Buddhas on the inside, and various carvings on the outside,’ she says. ‘Each temple has its own story to tell, so you’ll never tire of walking around them.’
A must-do when there is to get up at 4am, take a ride through the desert to Pyathada Paya pagoda and watch the sunrise (some people do this from a hot air balloon). ‘The light catches the tops of the temples and mist fills the plain like a magic carpet,’ says Faramarzi, whose other top tip is to rent an electric bike or scooter to get around.
OUT MACHU PICCHU
IN THE LOST CITY IN COLOMBIA
Nominated by: Margaux Marshall, founder of The Lone Travellers (thelonetravellers.com), a website and a community offering information to young solo travellers.
‘I went to Ciudad Perdida, or the Lost City in Colombia, at the very end of 2014 with a group of friends,’ says Marshall, who explains that Teyuna (as the locals call it) is 650 years older than Machu Picchu. ‘Its location, nestled in overgrown jungle, means that the only way of reaching the Lost City is a gruelling uphill trek of 44km taking 4-6 days through the intense heat. Then, through an opening in the thick jungle you arrive at the Lost City and you can truly feel the sanctity of the place. The indigenous inhabitants of the area still hold rituals here.’
While Marshall agrees that Machu Picchu is beautiful, she says that that its developed infrastructure means a high number of visitors, and that it can all feel quite commercialised. ‘If you want to feel like an explorer, the Lost City is where you need to go,’ she says. ‘What I really loved was experiencing the remote, other-worldliness of it.’ You’ll need an official guide to get there, says Marshall, but she says that they all charge the same fee, so there’s little chance of being ripped off.
OUT NEW ENGLAND IN THE AUTUMN IN KILLARNEY PROVINCIAL PARK, CANADA, IN THE AUTUMN
Nominated by: Dave Cornthwaite, adventurer and founder of the SayYesMore social enterprise (find him on Facebook @DaveCornthwaite).
Killarney Provincial Park sits on Georgian Bay, in the Canadian province of Ontario, and encompasses a vast wilderness area of wetlands, forests and mountains.
It is also home to hundreds of kilometres of canoe routes through clear, clean lakes… and millions of trees. ‘Almost 500 square kilometres of park offer endless adventures, and you can be there in three hours from Toronto,’ says Cornthwaite, who visited in October 2017 and was bedazzled by the autumnal hues. ‘The paddling is out of this world,’ he adds.
‘Take on one of the numerous canoe trails – just make sure you book your campsite ahead of time, as wild camping is not permitted – and set up your tent in pristine natural surroundings by the lakeshore. Take a kayak out into Georgian Bay and fish from granite rocks, and if the 12-day La Cloche walking trail doesn’t take your fancy, a shorter hike up to The Crack [above] reveals stunning views over the park.’
His final tip? ‘Hire your gear from Killarney Outfitters, who can provide everything you need. They’re the gateway to the park.’
OUT ROUTE 66 IN KARAKORAM HIGHWAY (PAKISTAN TO CHINA)
Nominated by: Celebrated British climbing guide Kenton Cool, who has summited Everest 12 times (kentoncool.com).
‘It’s known as the KKH and it’s one of the most out-there journeys I’ve ever undertaken,’ says Cool – the man who famously helped lead Sir Ranulph Fiennes up Mt. Everest. ‘I first travelled up the KKH when I was 19 and was blown away by the landscape that the road winds its way through.’
Where Route 66 offers Americana, diners and retirees on Harleys, the KKH is a hair-raising, 800-mile blend of hairpin bends, perilous drops and ancient rock carvings. ‘The road bisects the Karakoram mountain range, which contains some of the world’s highest peaks,’ says Cool. ‘It provides a dramatic backdrop for this 10m-wide, often unpaved road and the highly-decorated trucks that wind their way up. It’s dusty, scary and relentless, and deep breaths are needed when overtaking.’
Despite being tricky to organise (you’ll certainly struggle to find any kind of tourist outfit to assist you), Cool says it’s worth it because of the thrill, the scenery and the fact that you’ll encounter some amazing people and cultures if you pull it off.
OUT KENYAN SAFARI IN SAFARI IN BOTSWANA
Nominated by: Warren Samuels, an award-winning BBC documentary lensman who will next be in Botswana in June leading a photographic safari with Africa Exclusive (safari. co.uk).
‘Botswana’s extensive game reserves are second-to-none for their sheer numbers and variety of wildlife,’ says Samuels, who lists the Okavango Delta as one of his favourite spots. ‘It’s an exhilarating tract of woodlands and wetlands favoured by enormous bull elephants, herds of buffalo and large prides of lion,’ he says. He also recommends travelling by mokoro boats within the delta’s maze of channels to see hippo, crocodile, water-adapted antelope like red lechwe and the rare sitatunga, as well as hundreds of birds. Another treat is interacting with the San Bushmen – a group of tribes that make up one of Africa’s oldest communities.
Botswana is a place that is increasing in popularity with wildlife lovers, but it still maintains an emphasis on lowvolume, sustainable tourism. Samuels says that the intimate safari camps there allow travellers to ‘experience the wildlife and stunning natural beauty of Botswana away from large tourist crowds’.
OUT THE NORTH POLE
IN THE WATKINS MOUNTAINS, GREENLAND
Nominated by: Ben Saunders, polar explorer and record-breaking longdistance skier (bensaunders.com).
In the popular 2007 film The Bucket List, Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson’s characters fly over the North Pole, something regular Joes get to do on certain scheduled flights when a route demands it (check out Cathay Pacific’s flights from New York to Hong Kong). Going one better, a company named PolarExplorers.com will helicopter you to the pole for around Dh80,000.
But Ben Saunders reckons the Watkins Mountains in Greenland are a smarter bet because when he and fellow explorer Tarka L’Herpiniere tackled this icy range in 2013, ‘we saw no one for several weeks – what a treat!’
On top of that, says Saunders, the mountains are beautiful, whereas the North Pole, ‘is just floating pack ice.’ His top tip for getting to the Watkins range is to try Tangent Expeditions, whose founder Paul Walker is based in Greenland for part of the year. ‘There have been one or two polar bear sightings in the area, so be prepared for that!’ Saunders says.
OUT THE GRAND CANYON IN FISH RIVER CANYON, NAMIBIA
Nominated by: Adventurer Charley Boorman, whose autobiography Long Way Back is available from bookstores and on Amazon.
Every year, the celebrated globetrotter-on-two-wheels runs motorcycle tours through Africa and passes through Fish River Canyon. He never tires of its beauty – or, indeed, the rest of Namibia. ‘Namibia is famous for its Skeleton Coast and diamond area,’ says Boorman, ‘and it is one of the ancient deserts of the world. It’s an incredible place to travel and camp.’ You can see zebra, buffalo, wild boar and more, he says, and in the north there are lots of elephants, as you’re getting close to Botswana where there is a healthy population. ‘We really need to look after elephants as they are endangered,’ says Boorman, ‘and charities like Tusk are doing great work to raise awareness.’
Fish River Canyon is down in the southern fringes of Namibia and lays claim to being Africa’s biggest canyon; Boorman says you should try and spend the night or stop for coffee and cake at a place called The Roadhouse. It’s a quirky petrol station/hotel/restaurant and boasts some joyously eye-catching décor.
OUT TREK TO EVEREST BASE CAMP IN CLIMB ISLAND PEAK
Nominated by: Jason Rawles, adventure guide and team development coach (jasonrawles.com)
Just off the main trail to Mount Everest in Nepal, Island Peak is a tantalising and tempting alternative to hanging around at Everest’s base camp, and Rawles says that you’ll need a guide and around two weeks to acclimatise if you want to scale this 6,189m mountain. ‘While this is achievable for many people, and it may be your first experience of crampons and fixed ropes, it still needs caution and to be taken very seriously,’ says Rawles, who is leading a team to the summit in October/ November 2019.
Rawles quit a life in IT sales to pursue his passion for the outdoors and helping people to achieve their adventure aspirations, and reckons Island Peak – or Imja Tse as the locals call it – is a terrific goal for anyone with a positive attitude and the willingness to listen. ‘Don’t let inexperience stop you,’ he says. ‘Everyone starts somewhere.’
OUT RIDE A CAMEL IN THE SAHARA IN GET A CAMEL TO HAUL YOUR GEAR ACROSS THE GOBI DESERT IN MONGOLIA
Nominated by: adventurer Ripley Davenport, who did the latter in 2011 (ripleydavenport.com).
‘The Gobi rewards the traveller with an unspoiled striking vastness that’s hard to beat,’ says Davenport of the desert. ‘It’s renowned for its mountains, dunes, nomadic people and their hospitality and curiosity, wild animals and its rich history. In the wind, the mountains roar and the sand dunes emit a song – and, being a high-altitude desert, the night sky is ignited with stars.’
Riding a camel might be a bucket list staple, but Davenport doesn’t recommend it: ‘They like company and attention, but they’re complicated and unpredictable and bouncier than a horse,’ he warns, ‘and an inexperienced rider would feel the burden of the journey on their back.’ When it comes to carrying gear, though, camels are unrivalled. ‘They are perfectly designed for extended desert travel,’ he says, ‘and their physiology is superbly adapted to endure the unforgiving climates.’
Travelling on foot across Asia’s largest desert with camel support is an epic adventure that would likely take two-tofour months; Davenport did the 1,100 mile trip from Bulgan to Sainshand in 51 days.