A day trip to Panama’s Bocas del Toro province usually starts with an exploration of Bocas Town on the main Island, Isla Colón. The central hub has plenty of restaurants, cafes and shops, but after a quick tour of the town, negotiate a deal with the local taxi boats to branch out and explore other nearby islands.
Isla Solarte is an easy 15-minute boat ride from Bocas Town and, using the relaxed bohemian resort of Bambuda Lodge as a base for the day, you can get your fix of the Panamanian jungle in short jaunts from the poolside bar. The jungle is full of life, and one of the main targets for photographers is the red frog – although poisonous it is no threat to humans. After a short walk into the jungle, return to Bambuda for a cold cocktail and lunch in the lush, serene surroundings.
The easiest way to do this excursion is to find a water taxi in Bocas Town and negotiate a pick-up time to get back after a few hours on the island.
On this unique expedition into the Congo Basin you’ll get up close to the bonobo, humankind’s closest kin. Plunged into the world’s second largest forest system, you’ll visit rehabilitation and reintroduction sanctuaries for orphaned bonobos rescued from deforestation and the illegal bushmeat trade.
Travel the waters in a dugout canoe (the only way as there are no forest paths here) to spot them before making your way to Lomako-Yokokala Faunal Reserve, a protected research and conservation area. Trek through tangled jungle, observing the bonobos in their natural habitat while learning about the efforts to protect these apes. You black-and-white colobus, red tailed guenocs and Wolf’s mona monkeys black-and-white colobus, red tailed guenocs and Wolf’s mona monkeys
Come face to face with Japan’s oldest living trees. The UNESCO World Heritage-listed forests of Yakushima are inhabited by flourishing yakusugi (Japanese cedar), some which are believed to be more than 7000 years old. To ensure the natural growth of these magnificent trees remains undisturbed – they’re also the habitat of many animals including red-bottomed macaque monkeys and white sika deer – trails have been created to wind around the tangled roots and mossy stones.
With miles of terrain to cover, you have every chance of getting a glimpse of these local creatures in this magical place. For adventurous visitors who want more than a day trip, there are cabins available within the forest that can be used overnight by hikers and campers.
Big Corn is one of the islands that delivers everything you would hope for in a Caribbean hideaway: sandy beaches and calm azure waters on one side and dense coral reef on the other. Locals are relaxed and friendly – not because they are working the tourist crowds (there aren’t any), but because that’s just the lifestyle.
If you want to pack in as much of the island as possible in a day – it’s one of the destinations on Hurtigruten’s Discover Cayes, Coves and Reefs itinerary – hire a golf cart and head off.
A day spent on the island with your own buggy is pure joy, zinging from beach to bar and exploring the island. Drive around the perimeter road to the north shore where the dense coral reef meets the shoreline. Stop in at any of the little dive shacks, like Dos Tiburones, and the locals will point out perfect snorkelling spots. With a single step off the beach you’ll be immersed in coral gardens, clear water and aquarium-like conditions.
When you’ve taken in life beneath the surface, fire up the buggy again and head off to the next spot. There isn’t a better way to choose your own adventure, before rejoining your fellow travellers aboard your floating home.
The peculiar trees in Poland’s Crooked Forest in Krzywy Las look more like an upside down question mark – a fitting shape for the puzzling place. Shrouded in mystery, the trees were planted in the 1920s and 30s, however the question behind the warped shape of these pines, while largely debated for decades, remains unknown.
Some theorise that tanks passing during World War Two pushed them aside and they have been stuck ever since. Others believe they were covered by a heavy snowstorm in the early years of their lives and when spring came they could no longer stand tall. Surrounded by a larger forest of straight growing pines unaffected by this bizarre event, the true reason is likely to remain a secret.
A thirty-minute drive from the city of Szczecin in Poland’s northwest, the forest is easily accessible for those who are keen walkamong the unusual formations and ponder the theories of this fascinating enigma.
Although unassuming from the surface, La Jolla Cove hides more than just a colourful array of marine life. Sprouting from the rocky reefs that blanket the ocean floor, with stalks reaching between nine to 25 metres in height, is a stunning kelp forest. Swaying dreamily in the underwater currents, flashes of red and orange-hued native fish and colourful reefs are a vibrant contrast against the green and brown kelp and, if you’re lucky, you’ll spot an excitable sea lion twirling through the tall stalks.
The only way to truly experience it is to suit up and take the plunge. As you glide between the long, rippling ribbons of kelp, you’ll feel as though you’ve left the world behind and entered the pathway to Atlantis – not bad for a place just a 20-minute drive from the busy streets of downtown San Diego. There are a number of dive companies that offer guided scuba tours of the spectacular aquatic world, so you’ve got plenty of opportunities to experience it.
Sculpted by water over many millennia, gouging the earth’s rock and soil, Tsingy de Bemaraha is a forest unlike any other. Vast caverns and jagged limestone karst towers pucker the land, some peaking at 100 metres tall, like something straight out of an Indiana Jones movie.
While the landscape appears unforgiving, this geological phenomenon and UNESCO World Heritage Site on the west coast of Madagascar is home to a range of wildlife – simply peer down into the cavernous depths of the tsingy where vegetation has taken root for a glimpse of lemurs, birds and reptiles, many of which don’t exist anywhere else in the world.
The unfriendly terrain and its location has also meant that much of the forest has remained mostly void of human contact, which has ensured the preservation of this stunning mineral landscape. Don’t fret though; this doesn’t put it out of your reach. Despite the tough environment, a series of ladders, suspension bridges and trails have been mapped out, each with varying levels of difficulty.
There are also guides for hire at the park’s entrance to help keen adventurers tackle the peaks firsthand. Just don’t look down.
Getting to the ice cave is half the fun; taking control of a dog sled to venture into the great white wilderness part of the adventure. Kicking things off in the dog yard, you are introduced to 300 eager huskies waiting for their next tour. While you’re equipped with an exposure suit, your guide will harness and prepare the dogs for an epic adventure across frozen river beds, glaciers and on to an ice cave at the Scott Turner Glacier.
Cave access is via a small opening where you unceremoniously reverse through an inconspicuous entry before the caverns of silky-smooth ice layers become illuminated only by your headlamp. With the headlamp off, the immersion in darkness is so absolute it feels heavy.
Hand-holding your camera to snap off a shot just won’t do justice to this magical fissure in an ice mass that is hundreds of meters deep and more than a thousand years old. Using the widest possible lens and a sturdy tripod, frame a shot that shows the scale, diversity and magnitude of the cavern. Set your focus to a point at the back of the cave and shoot on full manual settings. Set your aperture to f/7.1 to f/11 and use a cable release or shutter timer to ensure a shake-free result. The most important element os a shutter speed of 10 to 20 seconds. Be ready for the shot and, as soon as the camera commences the exposure, use your headlamp to ‘paint’ the walls of the cavern with light as quickly and evenly as possible. Don’t stop until the exposure is complete. That’s it!
For extra points, have a fellow explorer positioned in the photo as far from the camera as possible to provide a sense of scale and to provide contrast with a familiar, living element in this otherworldly scene.
Climbing into a saddle is a befitting way to exploring a rugged country steeped in history and legends. Meet your Freerein guide and get acquainted with your steed – you’ll be responsible for your horse’s care for the coming days – before you set out on your ride. On the four-day Welsh Prince Trail ride, you’ll begin by cantering along the velvet trails that score the Begwyns and Mynydd Epynt and overlook the Wye Valley, a breathtaking patchwork of greens, woodlands and babbling rivers.
Breathe in the fresh air as you climb Aberedw Hill, cross into the valley to Llanbedr Hill then walk the line at Hergest Ridge, the border between England and Wales. After a full day in the saddle, wind down beside a crackling fire and fill up on wholesome nosh at a cosy inn or bed and breakfast.
There are shorter rides available, and for those experienced on horseback, there’s also a number of self-guided riding tours available.
Food: it’s an important part of China’s culture. In Beijing, there is an array of flavours waiting to be discovered, so it would be shame to find yourself dining at a touristy run-of-the-mill restaurant. Instead, pile into your guided Lost Plate tuk-tuk, stocked with an endless supply of beer and soft drink for the night, and careen through the city’s busy streets and down hutongs (alleyways), all home to the kind of blink-and-you’ll-miss-it, family-run restaurants where locals meet for a hearty meal.
Sample barbecued meat and veg, discover the traditional cooking techniques behind Beijing’s famed pancakes and have a swig of baiju, a popular and potent grain-based spirit. Cap off the evening with a pint of craft beer at a secret microbrewery.
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