Hunt for a metropolitan masterpiece down the cobblestone streets of Buenos Aires, bask in the relaxed porteño lifestyle and photograph some of the world’s best street art.
Study intricate murals, cute cartoons and famous sketches as you make your way around on a relaxed street art tour. Your guide, Aigul, will illuminate the politics behind many of the paintings and explain the history of their quirky creators. Learn about influential artists like Blu, Jaz and Gualicho, then celebrate the city’s appreciation for arte urbano with a drink at the first street art gallery-cum-bar.
Ditch any preconceived notions you may have of Afghanistan and step into the remote Wakhan Corridor. For 21 days you’ll traverse high passes, icy rivers and valleys on horseback, yak and your own two feet as you make your way through this rugged region. Ride through the Showr Pass, trek to Lake Zorkel and barter with nomadic Kyrgyz communities. On the last day, take in the spectacular Hindu Kush and soak in the hot springs of Sargaz. Not for the faint of heart, this is one tough trip, but its rewards are many.
If you’re keen to get off the grid, the Caribbean islets of Los Roques are tough to beat. This cluster of 350 islands, cays and atolls is awash with powder-white sand, eye-popping technicolour reefs and dazzling waters coloured in every shade of blue. Declared a national park in 1972, the archipelago has a cap on tourists and restricts development, ensuring the islands remain unspoilt.
El Gran Roque, the largest and only populated island, is dotted with rustic pousadas (hotels), markets and dive shops, yet still retains its local charm. Explore the surrounding islands – you’re spoilt for choice – and enjoy the chance to swim, snorkel and sand-flop in total seclusion. This just might be the paradise you’ve been searching for.
You’ve probably never considered a bus tour to be a particularly cool way to explore a city, but then you’ve probably never heard of Colombia’s Rumba in Chiva. These night tours of Cartagena swap the usual dull, double-decker buses and pre-recorded audio guides for rustic, brightly coloured chiva buses, where party-loving revellers cram onto rows of benches. Add free-flowing rum, a three-piece band and empanadas to line your stomach, and you’ve got a recipe for a brilliantly trashy night out on the town.
After rumbling around the city to check out the best sights, you’ll be deposited at a nightclub. Your party bus will linger for an hour or so, but it’s far more fun to party like a local, so wave your wheels goodbye and make your way home at dawn.
The ‘liquid rainbow’ that runs through the tiny town of La Macarena, between the Andes and the Amazon, is considered the most beautiful river in the world for a reason – we guarantee you’ve never seen anything like it. For a few short months each year, the Caño Cristales bursts with colour – bold swathes of pink, red, yellow, orange and green – giving the crystal-clear water a festive appearance.
The source of this kaleidoscope of colour? The aquatic flower Macarenia clavigera, which blooms in a riot of hues, creating an Instagram-worthy natural phenomenon.
There’s no denying Machu Picchu is a stunning sight, but with thousands of visitors passing through its temples and rocky ruins every day, it’s not as if you’re going to feel like Hiram Bingham. If you’re not afraid to get a little hot and sweaty, take a trip instead to Choquequirao, high above the Apurímac River outside of Cusco. After a two-day trek, you’ll find yourself, with perhaps a handful of other hardy souls, wandering these magical Incan ruins.
One of the most amazing features is a series of terraces embellished with figures of llamas created from white stone. The only way out is the way you came, so it’s down the valley and back up again along steep switchbacks bathed in sunlight. Be sure to keep an eye out for huge shadows of the Andean condors that soar overhead. Some say this is the toughest trek in Peru, so consider engaging the help of a touring company in Cusco.
Follow the path of the pilgrims to Rishikesh, the ‘City of the Divine,’ and take part in the International Yoga Festival. You’ll meet soulful gurus and long-haired hippies by the thousands as limber up and join in the festivities, which take place annually around the beginning of March.
Learn from the spiritual masters of India and join the throng to perform 108 Sun Salutations en masse at sunrise. Okay, so that means a 4am wake-up, but we know that you can drag yourself out of bed for this special occasion!
Niagara eat your heart out. Kaieteur Falls in central Guyana is the largest single-drop waterfall in the world and five times higher than its North American cousin. The falls plunge 251 metres over a sandstone cliff (the biggest drop is 226 metres), with an Olympic swimming pool-sized torrent thundering over the precipice every four seconds.
Fly over these world-class cascades for a spectacular bird’s-eye perspective, then explore the falls, Potaro River and the surrounding rainforest on foot, keeping a lookout for golden frogs hiding in giant bromeliads, and colourful cock-of-the-rock birds.
While the reunification of Germany in 1989–90 is generally regarded as an all-round awesome occurrence – not least because at one stage it featured David Hasselhoff standing atop the partially demolished Berlin Wall thundering out a rendition of ‘Looking for Freedom’ – not all neighbouring suburbs of the nation’s capital city were able to kiss and make up after their 30-year divorce. The districts of Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg, for example, still meet annually on the Oberbaumbrücke (Upper Tree Bridge) to lob water bombs, eggs and rotten fruit and veg at each other.
As everyone knows, a food fight is the most logical way to prove who is best, and the victor is the side that forces the other completely off the bridge. The battle takes place in September, and if you’re keen to get amongst it, then it’s probably worth knowing that the Friedrichshain fruit-throwers are the usual champs, while Kreuzberg’s carrot-lobbing record sucks. Join the underdog – pelt a potato at those uppity Friedrichshainians!
Airports suck, right? Well, yes, but it’s not all bad, especially when you land in Munich.
After hours cooped up in a confined space, how about some physical exertion to get the blood pumping and ward off the dreaded DVT? Start your holiday early with a hit out at the airport’s beach volleyball court, or enjoy a round of mini golf on an 18-hole course at the on-site visitor park.
Afterwards, step into the cockpit of a Boeing 737 flight simulator and test your mettle behind the controls. You can also join a tour where you’ll explore the airport’s nerve centre, taking in the maintenance hangars and engine-testing facility, as well as some of the quirkier items seized by customs.
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