THE NEW WONDERS of the WORLD
Unlike their more famous counterparts, these truly magnificent sights are still largely crowd-free. That’s why we’re calling them…
MANY of us have had the good fortune to visit some of the great wonders of our planet — perhaps the Pyramids, Taj Mahal or Great Wall of China, or terrific natural spectacles like the Grand Canyon and Victoria Falls.
There is just one problem: the number of tourists who descend on these showstoppers. There are many more marvels to be seen that are just as impressive but less busy or commercialised. From majestic landscapes and ancient ruins to an art deco gem, here’s our top ten less-visited wonders of the world, and how to experience them.
CORAL TREASURES
RECENTLY featured on BBC Two’s Wilderness With Simon Reeve, the Coral Triangle is so rich with fish and coral that scientists have dubbed it a ‘species factory’.
Stretching across the Pacific from the Philippines to Bali and the Solomon Islands, its bullseye is a remote corner of eastern Indonesia known as Raja Ampat. Here you can go exploring on a phinisi (traditional wooden sailing boat). OUR TIP: Travel between November and March for calm seas and a good chance of spotting manta rays. BOOK IT: A ten-night, allinclusive group voyage costs from €8,110pp, including transfers, meals and activities (responsibletravel.com). Flights from Gatwick to Sorong via Jakarta are extra, from €1,228 return (qatar airways.com).
CROWD-FREE MAYAN RUINS
CARACOL is the largest of many magnificent but rarely busy Mayan ruins sprinkled across Belize, a still barely discovered English-speaking country in Central America that is slightly larger than Wales.
Some 1,300 years ago this was a flourishing city with 150,000 residents, now its lofty temples and broad plazas are a jungle-wrapped home for toucans and black howler monkeys. OUR TIP: Stay at Blancaneaux Lodge, a 90-minute drive away, which is owned by film director and winemaker Francis Ford Coppola. BOOK IT: An eight-night tour combining beach and rainforest, spending three at Blancaneaux Lodge, costs from €4,610pp, including flights from Gatwick to Belize City via Cancun, transfers and breakfast (rainbowtours.co.uk).
WET AND WILD IN BRAZIL
CLINGING to the borders of Paraguay, Bolivia and Brazil, the Pantanal is the largest tropical wetland on the planet and home to a thrilling wildlife that includes giant otters, the maned wolf and the gorgeously blue, 3ft long hyacinth macaw. It has the greatest concentration of caimans (crocodiles) in the world plus around 5,000 jaguars. OUR TIP: May to October is the dry season when it’s easier to spot animals. BOOK IT: A nine-night Wildlife Of The Pantanal group tour, visiting three lodges, costs from €6,950pp, including flights to Cuiaba via Sao Paulo, transfers, meals and excursions (wildlifeworldwide.com).
VIETNAM’S SECRET
WITH its towering run of jagged karst pinnacles, Ninh Binh is as dramatic a sight as the better-known Halong Bay, but doesn’t come with hordes of trippers. Two hours south of Hanoi and bordered by rivers, farms and temples, it’s best discovered by bike or by gliding downstream on a sampan. OUR TIP: Visit in October and November when water levels are high and the rice fields are ready for harvest. BOOK IT: A 12-night Landscapes Of Vietnam tour, which spends two nights in Ninh Binh, costs from €3.960pp, including flights into Hanoi and back from Ho Chi Minh City, transfers, most meals and some excursions ( insideasiatours. com).
HOT ROCKS IN NEVADA
ONLY an hour’s drive from Las Vegas, the Valley of Fire State Park is an overlooked natural wonder. Get ready for swirling red sandstone formations that look like streaky bacon, 4,000-yearold rock carvings and hiking trails to suit all levels. OUR TIP: Nevada is perfect for a road trip with many routes from two to five days — go from October to April when it’s cooler. BOOK IT: KLM fly from Dublin to Las Vegas, from €526 return (klm.ie). Plan an itinerary with travelnevada.com and parks.nv.gov.
ANCIENT TIBET
SET at just over 12,000ft, the gargantuan Potala Palace in Lhasa dates from the 17th century and has over 1,000 rooms housing a wealth of Buddhist treasures.
The adventurous way to get there is on the world’s highest railway which runs across the stark Tibetan plateau from Xining. OUR TIP: The weather is warmest from June to September. BOOK IT: A ten-day Ancient City Of Lhasa tour costs from €3,120pp, including a two-night train ride to Lhasa plus accommodation and some meals and excursions (world expeditions.com).
Flights from Heathrow to Chengdu and back from Lhasa are extra, from €1,353 return (airchina.co.uk).
FLY OVER NAMIBIA
THE Namib Desert is believed to be the oldest in the world, barely inhabited by humans but with a remarkably adapted wildlife that includes elephants, lions, rhino and, on the smaller side, geckos. Then there’s the chance to climb colossal sand dunes, meet the indigenous Himba and explore the shipwreckstrewn Skeleton Coast. OUR TIP: Distances are vast so hop around by small plane savouring the mesmerising views over time-worn Africa. BOOK IT: A seven-day safari costs from €4,223pp based on four travellers flying together, including meals and safari activities (travellocal.com). Flights from Heathrow to Windhoek via Frankfurt are extra, from €1,394 return (lufthansa.com).
ART DECO JEWEL
REBUILT in the 1930s after an earthquake, Napier is a genteel port in New Zealand that has close to 150 colourful and well-preserved art deco buildings that are a joy to explore.
Decorated with sunbursts and fountains, they include a theatre with original neon and chrome fittings and a bank adorned with stylised hammerhead sharks. Framing this, the Hawke’s Bay region is famous for its beaches, wineries and food. OUR TIP: Napier fits in well with a North Island tour flying into Auckland then back from the Kiwi capital, Wellington.
Island Classic self-drive tour, spending a night in Napier, costs from €2,279pp, including some excursions (discover-the-world.com). Flights from Heathrow to Auckland and back from Wellington are extra, from €1,645 return (airnewzealand.co.uk).
DOMINICA’S BOILING LAKE
STEAMING waters that boil like a witches’ cauldron lie at the heart of the mountainous Caribbean isle of Dominica.
At 230ft wide and set at an altitude of 2,600ft, the bubbling grey lake offers a rare glimpse of the earth’s violent interior in the World Heritage-listed Morne Trois Pitons National Park. OUR TIP: If you don’t fancy the 12-mile hike, hang on till the end of next year when a cable car will open. BOOK IT: Seven nights at Fort Young Hotel costs from €1,970pp B&B, including flights from Gatwick via Barbados and transfers (caribtours.co.uk).
CRUISE THE KIMBERLEY
AUSTRALIA’S immense and empty northwest corner has become an exciting destination for expedition cruises voyaging between Broome and Darwin.
Highlights include natural wonders that are a result of extraordinary tides, such as the Montgomery Reef which appears to rise from the ocean, and the Horizontal Falls, where huge volumes of water get squeezed through cliff passages. OUR TIP: Add on some time in Broome to enjoy its enormous beach, Asian cuisine and pearl farms. BOOK IT: A nine-night Kimberley Coast Adventure cruise aboard the 140passenger Heritage Adventurer costs from €8,110pp, including meals, drinks and excursions (aptouring. co.uk). Flights from Heathrow to Broome and back from Darwin are extra, from €1,753 pp return ( qantas. com).