NationalGeographicTravellerUKJanuaryFebruary2021

DAY ONE GRAND DISCOVERIES TOP 5

IMAGES: MALTA TOURISM AUTHORITY; 4CORNERS MORNING AFTERNOON EVENING Feasts and
festivals
Panoramas abound in hilly Winding streets lead you to the Make your way down to the
Valletta, and its old city walls offer remains of the 19th-century harbourside, and flag down a FEAST OF ST PAUL’S
the ideal vantage point. Start with Royal Opera House, decimated wooden dghajsa (traditional SHIPWRECK, VALLETTA
sunrise at the City Gate. As the during the Second World rowing boat) to cross to the Honouring the arrival of
light falls upon a swathe of church War but artfully restored by tiny fortified city of Vittoriosa, Christianity in Malta, the
cupolas, absorb views from Msida architect Renzo Piano to create known as Birgu in Maltese. winter feast sees the islands’
in the west to Sliema in the north. today’s open-air theatre, Pjazza Explore the Malta At War streets festooned in bright
Look out, too, to Manoel Island, Teatru Rjal. It’s a short stroll Museum to learn about its garlands and showered with
site of a ruined 17th-century across Republic Street to the role in the Second World War, paper confetti, as devotees
lazzaretto (plague hospital). Next, Grandmaster’s Palace with its during which it endured more follow a trail led by the
head to St John’s Co-Cathedral green gallariji (typically Maltese than 3,000 air raids. Next up, clergy. 10 February.
to see the final resting place of wooden balconies found all over head to the Norman House, a
Jean Parisot de la Valette, the Valletta). Rest your feet at the rare 13th-century example of HOLY WEEK
Order of St John’s most illustrious Upper Barrakka Gardens and Sicolo-Norman architecture and Widely considered the most
Grand Master, who laid the city’s gaze out to the Grand Harbour, believed to be one of the oldest exciting time to experience
first stone in 1566. The church is where the Great Siege of Malta buildings in Vittoriosa; owner Malta’s culture, Holy Week
modest on the outside, but the took place in 1565, before lunch and restorer Charlie Bugeja offers sees towns and villages
interior is a different story: the at the elegant Harbour Club. Set guided tours by appointment. throughout the islands
floor is made up of 376 tombs inside a converted 17th-century No doubt you’ve worked up an celebrate time-honoured
decorated with inlaid marble, and boathouse, the restaurant serves appetite by now, so swing by Tal- traditions in the days leading
Caravaggio’s masterpiece, The tasty and beautifully presented Petut for some authentic Maltese up Good Friday.
Beheading of St John the Baptist, dishes such as Acquerello risotto cuisine, such as hearty stewed
adorns the wall. with calamari with chive oil. rabbit and twice-baked pork. FEAST OF THE
ASSUMPTION, GOZO
Sleepy Gozo gets woken up
each August as marching
bands and revelling locals
parade through candle-lit
streets, with festivities
reaching a crescendo in
Victoria on the final day.
Celebrations take place for
around a week either side of
15 August.

KARNIVAL TA’MALTA
The Maltese spend the week
preceding Ash Wednesday
parading floats through the
streets, hosting balls and
comparing grotesque masks
and elaborate fancy dress.
The tradition is believed to
have been introduced by
Grand Master Piero de Ponte
in the 1500s.

NOTTE BIANCA,
VALLETTA
For one night only each
October, the capital’s
museums, palaces and
galleries open their doors to
the public free of charge, and
streets, piazzas and gardens
— including those belonging
to some of Valletta’s major
landmarks — play host
to performances by local
and international artists.
visitmalta.com/events

Jan/Feb 2021 49

Theirsepalelursxounrayl care!
a family tradition since 1892

Hotel Eiger | CH-3825 Mürren | Fon +41 (0)33 856 54 54 | www.hoteleiger.com | [email protected]

WEEKENDER

LEFT: Traditional fishing
boats, Marsaxlokk
PREVIOUS PAGE, FROM LEFT:
View of Valletta from a boat;
Villegaignon Street in Mdina,
Malta’s former capital

DAY TWO CAFES, CAVES AND CAPITALS TOP 3

IMAGE: AWL IMAGES MORNING AFTERNOON EVENING Prehistoric
sites
Make for the historic fishing Pack a picnic and head west. Continue up the coast and veer
village of Marsaxlokk in Malta’s The soaring cliffs at Had-Dingli, inland to historic Mdina, Malta’s GGANTIJA TEMPLES
south and marvel at the colourful the islands’ highest point, mark former capital, dubbed the ‘Silent A majestic sight on a Gozo
luzzijiet — traditional fishing boats the starting point of a wild and City’. It’s anything but silent by hilltop, these limestone
vibrantly painted with the Eye of windswept seven-mile hike to day, but an evening stroll here megaliths are among the
Horus. Crunch into fresh pastizzi the cobalt waters of the Blue reveals the fortified city at its planet’s most ancient
(filled savoury pastries) from Grotto. Follow the marked ‘red mellow, lamplit best. Only around freestanding prehistoric
one of the nearby cafes as you route’ past a number of ancient 250 people reside inside the walls structures, older than
watch the fishermen varnish their relics, including millennia-old and vehicle access is mostly off- both Stonehenge and the
boats and mend their nets before cart ruts carved into the rock limits. Time here is best-spent Pyramids of Giza. The stones
heading out to sea. Every Sunday, (the chaotic crisscrossings have strolling the angular streets are believed to form a temple
the village hosts a busy fish market earned the site the moniker of (designed both for defence and where fertility rituals were
— it’s one of Malta’s biggest and ‘Clapham Junction’) and the to keep the city cool), dotted with practised by an ancient cult
liveliest, where restaurateurs prehistoric temples of Mnajdra baroque palazzi, small galleries and local lore says they were
handpick the season’s best catch; and Hagar Qim. The route ends at and museums. Make your way laid by a giantess.
typically lampuki (common Wied iz-Zurrieq, where you can to Bastion Square for sweeping
dolphinfish), tuna and swordfish. admire caverns, rock arches and views of the Maltese countryside, THE HYPOGEUM OF
As you leave, look out for Fort the Blue Grotto (in fact a series then while away the evening HAL SAFLIENI
San Lucian on a nearby cliff. The of grottoes). From here, a bus can at The Medina Restaurant, set This underground necropolis
early 17th-century fortress and whisk you back to Had-Dingli for in a romantic, vine-covered in Paola is where 7,000
watchtower was built following a pick-me-up of sweetly spiced courtyard. Try the local imqaret people were laid to rest;
an Ottoman attack that a local Maltese coffee from Carmen’s dessert: date fritters with helwa their remains, and the
woman had supposedly foreseen. refreshment truck. tat-tork (tahini fudge) ice cream. network of chambers they
were entombed in, were
discovered following a
construction accident in
1902. One of the site’s
best-known figurines, The
Sleeping Lady, is now on
display at Valletta’s Museum
of Archaeology. Tickets to
the Hypogeum are extremely
limited, so book well ahead.

TARXIEN TEMPLES
A huddle of megaliths
forming a series of
interconnected chambers
make these unusually ornate
temples. Phallic structures
and carved stone spirals
said to represent ovaries
are believed to convey the
temples’ purpose as a place
of ritualistic fertility sacrifice.
heritagemalta.org

Jan/Feb 2021 51

WEEKENDER

RHYTHM
& BOOZE

From May to
October in
Valletta, Friday
evenings are
for live jazz and
cheap cocktails.
Squeeze into
a spot on the
stone steps next
to The Bridge
Bar and bathe in
the sinking sun,
as the music
eases you into
the weekend.

THREE MORE GOZO WALKING ROUTES LEFT: Looking out over
Ramla Bay from Calypso’s
The tiny island of Gozo covers an area of just 26 square miles, and with little road traffic and a variety of Cave, Gozo
jaw-dropping coastal scenery, it’s ideal for exploring on foot or by bicycle. These three routes — each
around six miles in length — take in some of the island’s highlights. MORE INFO
visitmalta.com
BEST FOR NATURE BEST FOR INTRIGUE BEST FOR TRADITIONS visitgozo.com IMAGE: 4CORNERS
Set off from the village of San Begin at the basilica of Ta’ Pinu, Silver filigree, lacemaking and heritagemalta.org
Lawrenz over the hills and along a revered site of pilgrimage and glassblowing are among Gozo’s
the island’s rugged northeastern one of the island’s most famous most famous crafts, and though HOW TO DO IT
coast to Marsalforn. The walk churches. Next, journey to the handmade goods can be Air Malta, EasyJet and
takes in some of the island’s the Cittadella in Victoria, the found in Victoria’s shops and British Airways fly direct to
most beautiful scenery, passing heart of Gozo’s military history, surrounding villages, you can Malta Luqa International
gaping caves, fossil-studded including the tragic Ottoman observe the artisans at work in Airport, where car rentals
cliffs and sun-baked scrubland. siege of 1551. A plaque marks the open studios at the Ta’ Dbiegi and public transport services
It’s a beautiful backdrop that’s home of Bernardo Dupuo, who Crafts Village in Kercem, set in a to Valletta are available.
distinctly Gozitan, dotted with took his and his family’s lives to former military barracks. From airmalta.com easyjet.com
clumps of prickly pear cacti, hay spare them from being enslaved there, head to Mekren’s Bakery ba.com
bales and swaying wild fennel. by the Ottomans. Finish up at in Nadur, a tiny establishment The ferry to Gozo departs
En route, take time to admire Ramla Bay, location of Calypso’s churning out ftira (Maltese-style from Cirkewwa every 45
Wied il-Mielah, a dramatic Cave, believed to be the home pizza) and qassatat (ricotta pies) minutes, arriving in Mgarr,
limestone arch over the sea — a of the famous nymph in Homer’s from its stone oven. Next, make where public transport is
smaller but excellent alternative Odyssey. You can’t miss the statue your way to the coast west of available. gozochannel.com
to the now-collapsed Azure of the Madonna on the red-sand Marsalforn, where the Cini family Rooms at the Rosselli in
Window — before taking a beach, either; it was erected has been harvesting sea salt on the Valletta are available from
refreshing dip in the Wied il- by three fishermen in the 19th Xwejni Salt Pans for generations, £193, B&B. rossellimalta.com
Ghasri inlet, whose rocky slopes century following their safe return in a practice said to have been
are covered in wildflowers. after a storm at sea. started by the Romans.

52 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel

Bar on two
magical shores

For those seeking complete body Feel the gentle warmth of the
and mind relaxation, for adventurers Mediterranean sun at sunset on one
craving an exciting, active holiday, of the local beaches, experience the
but also for people keen to enjoy bay of Bar from the walls of Old Bar,
visit the churches on Lake Skadar,
cultural or spiritual offer of a place
or wishing a little bit of all this, Bar take a stroll through centuries-old
in Montenegro offers numberless chestnut forests, savour the fine
attractive possibilities.
Crmničko wine. Rent a bike or kayak
or simply walk to the Old Olive
Tree and meditate in silence in its
ancient shade. For anyone who

knows the true and lasting values of
a tourist experience, Bar is an ideal
destination.

WEBSITE INSTAGRAM FACEBOOK
www.bar.travel bar.travel bartravelmontenegro



IMAGE: AWL IMAGES NEIGHBOURHOOD

EDINBURGH

While still renowned for its grand, imposing aesthetic, the Scottish capital
has been busy sprucing up once-gritty parts of town into happening new

neighbourhoods. Words: Jamie Lafferty

It’s impossible to ignore Edinburgh’s assets: the clifftop castle, Princes Street
Gardens, the duelling architectural styles of the UNESCO-endorsed Old and New

Towns. It’s little wonder the city, which is home to many of the country’s best
restaurants and hotels, receives almost as many tourists every year as Scotland
has residents. The city’s old Trainspotting-tinged reputation has long been blown

away by a polish of its centuries-old magnificence, and out of the centre,
formerly rundown neighbourhoods have benefitted too, while still maintaining

their character and charm. Historically known as ‘Auld Reekie’ (literally ‘Old
Smokey’), today Edinburgh’s atmosphere is as clear as its ambition.

Jan/Feb 2021 55

NEIGHBOURHOOD

Leith corner restaurant resplendent in white, it has FROM LEFT: View along
a modern Scottish menu that’s so seasonal the Water of Leith;
In the decades since Irvine Welsh’s it tends to change from day to day. Today’s Darren and Aleks Murray,
Trainspotting was released (the novel is roast North Sea coley will be long gone by the owners of Borough;
largely set here and its streets appear in the time you read this. shopfronts along Dundas
film), the once-notorious neighbourhood of Street, Stockbridge; duck
Leith has blossomed into something very These days, there are two Michelin-starred breast and confit leg
different. It hasn’t simply improved or been restaurants in Leith (Martin Wishart and croquette, Fingal
mildly gentrified, it’s — whisper it — become Kitchin), and it’s not unreasonable to believe PREVIOUS PAGE:
just a wee bit posh, too. Borough could soon join them. “If we got
one, it’d be an ego boost, but we’d try not to Colourful buildings
To walk around, it’s clear the transition change our price point,” says Darren. “But along West Bow/Victoria
hasn’t been wholesale: parts of the port are it’d be very satisfying and really help the Street, in the heart of the
still in use and, while the harbour has been business,” adds Aleks quickly. Old Town
rejuvenated, there are still tower blocks
looming in the distance. In the end, there’s A short walk from Borough, cottage
no getting away from the neighbourhood’s industry gin distillers have also been born,
reputational challenges, right? leaning into Leith’s past as a port. “We’re
in an area that has incredible distilling
“That’s nonsense — I’ve only ever seen a and industrial heritage,” says Ian Stirling,
couple of fights,” says Darren Murray, chef founder of the Port of Leith Distillery. “Leith
and co-owner of Borough, in the heart of was once the epicentre of the Scottish
Leith. “Maybe it was different here in the whisky industry.”
1970s and ’80s, but really we’ve had nae
trouble, we’ve always gone out with nae fear.” Next year, Stirling will open his own
whisky distillery in Leith, but for the
“We live across from the famous Banana time being he’s sharing a unit with James
Flats,” adds co-owner and wife Aleks, Porteous’s Electric Spirit Co. Neither are
referring to Cables Wynd House, the originally from here, but neither would want
austere but enduring housing block, which to be anywhere else. “We embrace the fact
also featured in Trainspotting. “People are that Leith is a really cool place to be as a
friendly. We hear the parties and, to be producer,” says Porteous. “But equally, we
honest, it sounds kind of fun.” don’t want to see it turn into Disney World
— we want it to keep its identity.”
Borough itself could hardly be more
different from those grim icons. A small

56 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel

NEIGHBOURHOOD

IMAGES: PICFAIR; TILL BRITZE PHOTOGRAPHY; 4CORNERS Stockbridge “The whole vibe of Stockbridge is When in Edinburgh
something you fall in love with,” says chef
If Leith is up-and-coming, then Stockbridge Tom Kitchin, just as a lunch service begins AFTERNOON TEA AT FINGAL
has up-and-come. Only a 10-minute walk at his excellently named gastropub, The A one-time lighthouse service
from Edinburgh’s most prominent retail Scran & Scallie. “When we started up, this vessel, today Fingal is a floating
artery, Princes Street, Stockbridge feels like was sort of the wrong end of Stockbridge, hotel that invokes the golden
a town of its own, a ferociously well-to-do which is crazy now you think about it. It’s an age of ocean cruising. Visited by
island in the midst of the wider city. incredible area, a really nice neighbourhood.” the Queen and frequented by
celebrities, its restaurant offers
To walk through its centre is to see that Kitchin’s eponymous restaurant, with its
this is no ordinary Scottish high street. cherished Michelin star, is located in Leith, a spectacular afternoon tea.
There’s George Mewes Cheese; there are and has a very different feel to this former fingal.co.uk
cakemakers and furniture restorers; art pizzeria. Here, the brickwork has been left
galleries and picture framers; wine shops exposed and the wooden furniture clearly PORTOBELLO
and wine bars; an almost preposterous doesn’t come from a single set. “It’s much Long since swallowed by the
number of delis and bakeries; even more home-cooking style, much more wider city, Portobello still has the
more restaurants; I.J. Mellis, another pubby,” says the chef. “We call it our ‘happy feel of a seaside town. There’s
cheesemonger; and, tucked just off the place’ because people are so relaxed here. everything you’d expect: long
high street, a cricket ground — as rare in We have things like ham and chips, the fish promenades, ice cream and, at
Scotland as snow in Arabia. pie. We can’t take them off the menu because St Andrews Restaurant, what
locals will be like: ‘Hey, where’s my fish pie?’” some insist is the best fish and
The Stockbridge farmers’ market is one chips in Scotland. porty.org.uk
of the nation’s largest and, once you’ve Kitchin tells me it’s not unusual to see his
gorged yourself on freshly made pies and staff running along the street from Bowers ARTHUR’S SEAT
washed it down with a locally brewed IPA, (the fancy butcher a few doors down) with The hike to the top of the city’s
the 200-year-old Royal Botanic Garden fresh produce slung over their shoulders. The most prominent peak makes for
Edinburgh has more than 13,000 plant result is that, as well as the menu’s popular an ideal half-day trip, especially
species to contemplate and admire. perennials, seasonal recommendations come as Visit Scotland now provides a
along that are equally irresistible. During my free audio guide in the form of a
That’s assuming you aren’t content to just visit, I follow the chef’s advice and have some
contemplate and admire the loveliness of of the early season grouse. It’s not exactly podcast. visitscotland.com
Stockbridge itself, a place unashamed by its pub grub, but it’s probably the finest game
affluence, confident without seeming cocky bird I’ve ever eaten — and very Stockbridge. ROYAL YACHT BRITANNIA
— a fine place to visit or live, so long as you Decommissioned in 1997, HMY
can afford to do so. Britannia is now permanently
berthed in Leith and each year
draws more than 300,000 people,
who come to wonder about what
life must have been like on board.

royalyachtbritannia.co.uk

HOUSE OF GODS
Having opened at the end of 2019

in the Old Town, this boutique
hotel is something special.
It also has one of the coolest

cocktail bars in the city and just
22 super-stylish rooms.
houseofgodshotel.com

Jan/Feb 2021 57

NEIGHBOURHOOD

The historic centre to the delay of the abolition of slavery, Princes Street Gardens, IMAGE: GETTY
resulting in a further half a million Africans which runs between the
There’s an inevitability to visiting both being sent across the Atlantic as slaves in the
Edinburgh’s Old and New Towns that late 18th century. His imposing statue won’t Old and New Towns
makes the distinction between them seem be removed, but a plaque detailing a fuller
increasingly unimportant. What to say history of his life has been commissioned. MORE INFO
about these spectacular neighbourhoods, Even this, though, has been met with
which preserve the city’s Reformation-era resistance. Borough.
and Georgian history so perfectly? New boroughrestaurant.com
properties pop up occasionally, like Cheval “One of the men on the council is a Port of Leith Distillery.
The Edinburgh Grand, which offers high- descendent of Dundas and very keen not to leithdistillery.com
end serviced apartments as an alternative have his ancestor’s reputation besmirched Electric Spirit Co.
to the increasingly controversial influence in any way,” explains Williams, who runs her electricspirit.co
of Airbnb, but building new, from scratch, is tours most weekends outside of winter. “But The Scran & Scallie.
very difficult in this part of the city. others from the family have said they’re fine scranandscallie.com
with the truth about his involvement.” Black History Walking Tour.
It’s to every Edinburgher’s relief that eventbrite.co.uk
enemy planes passed over their city en route Since the rise of the Black Lives Matter
to bombing Glasgow into an uglier future movement, Williams’ tour has been getting Edinburgh is one of the best-
during the Second World War. That mercy more attention. Moving through the city, connected cities in the UK, with direct
means some of Britain’s finest architecture it lays bare what some people have long trains and domestic flights to major
is still here, piled in such an overwhelming known, if not fully reconciled: that many of cities around the country. The serviced
abundance as to seem to defy easy Edinburgh’s beautiful buildings were paid apartments of Cheval The Edinburgh
navigation, never mind understanding. for with suffering of others. Grand are ideal for longer stays.
From £112. chevalcollection.com
So how to look at all this now? “Through a Of the dozens of walking tours on offer For information on events around the
new lens,” suggests Lisa Williams, as we sit around the Scottish capital — ghosts! city: theskinny.co.uk
on a bench beneath the Melville Monument Harry Potter! — this is doubtless one of
in the centre of St Andrew’s Square. We the more serious. It’s also one of the most
met at the usual starting point of her Black informative, too. It’s not just about bashing
History Walking Tour, beneath a likeness of British imperial history, but crucially, about
Henry Dundas, a politician who contributed better understanding.

58 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel

WHEN YOGA MEETS
THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA

Balance your chakras, focus on your pranayama and start your day on a
sailing retreat, feeling refreshed and ready to discover the Ionian Sea in
Betreat style. Try yoga nidra, hatha yoga, meditation, hiking, gastronomy

classes, sailing tuition and more on an unforgettable Greek getaway.

TAKE CARE OF YOUR EXISTENCE

Discover our exclusive retreats at: www.betreat.ch | @betreat_switzerland
EXPLORE. CONNECT. ENJOY.

SLEEP IMAGES: GETTY; SOHO HOUSE

LOS ANGELES

California’s biggest city might overwhelm on a first encounter, but picking
the right hotel in one of its many dynamic districts can offer a true taste of

the City of Angels. Words: Julia Buckley

It has sugary-sand beaches, trail-lined canyons, celebs galore and world-class
theme parks. However, Los Angeles’ vast size and notorious traffic often leave
first-time visitors nonplussed. The key? Getting your location right. You can

have the best hotel room in the world, but if it’s putting a two-hour, traffic-
snarled drive between you and your morning tour, you won’t be rushing back to

LA in a hurry. West Hollywood is the place to be for quintessential Angeleno
nightlife, while the beaches are close to Highway 1 and the Getty Center, and for
the theme parks you’ll want the San Fernando Valley. The most exciting area of
all is, arguably, Downtown, where flash bars and restaurants are opening up in
once-derelict warehouses. While LA can sometimes be hard to get a feel for, the
hotel scene does a great job of bringing the city’s themes together. From uber-lux

boltholes to hippy hangouts, this is a city that’s crystallised in its hotels.

60 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel

Best for celeb-spotting

SOHO WAREHOUSE

Soho House’s only Tinseltown outpost with
bedrooms isn’t quite as exclusive as you’d
imagine — and that’s a good thing. Sure, there
might be one or two celebs on the seventh-
floor pool deck, but your attention will be
on the local wall art, the mid-century-style
furniture and details like original graffiti
from when this was a derelict warehouse.
This is, of course, the world’s most famous
private members club, but Warehouse, which
opened in late 2019, allows non-members
to stay on a case-by-case basis. Guests have
complete access to the club, so you can lie on
the poolside mattresses, brunch in the garden
or enjoy the free cocktail trolley that visits
the rooms nightly.
ROOMS: From $215 (£166), B&B.
sohowarehouse.com

Jan/Feb 2021 61

SLEEP

Best for ocean views IMAGES: © 2017 LISA ROMEREIN; BENOIT LINERO; © ANNA MALMBERG

SHUTTERS ON THE BEACH

Right on Santa Monica Beach, Shutters can
be your quintessential LA stay — if you’re
prepared to spend. Splash out on an Ocean
Front Room and you’ll fall asleep to the
sound of the Pacific and wake up to see
rollerbladers swishing past on the boardwalk
below. Lesser categories will get you an
equally delightful room, albeit without
the view — expect a breezy, New England-
style mix of enormous wood-framed bed,
bookshelves and shutters opening onto a
Jacuzzi-equipped bathroom .
ROOMS: From $495 (£382) or $725 (£560) for
Ocean Front. shuttersonthebeach.com

Best for bold brilliance

NOMAD

If you think the Corinthian columns outside
and lavishly coffered ceiling at reception
look good, you’ll be knocked for six by the
restaurant at this 1928-build conversion
— the huge, theatre-like former Bank of
Italy, with florid arches, wrought-iron
balconies and a human-height door of the
safe downstairs, now housing the toilets.
Designed by Jacques Garcia, the rooms
are a sultry take on art deco, with lashings
of chrome, freestanding bathtubs, velvet-
upholstered furniture and carelessly cool
art above the beds. The rooftop pool has
spectacular views, but it’s that restaurant
that will stick in the memory.
ROOMS: From $207 (£160). thenomadhotel.com

62 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel

SLEEP

Best for downtown vibes

FREEHAND

No, it’s not the jetlag; this really does feel like
another world. Fall asleep in Gotham City
— your moody room crafted from an old
office, complete with original doors — and
wake up to breakfast in Palm Springs, with
the mid-century Exchange restaurant’s
delicate chairs, banquettes and wood-
panelled walls. This superb conversion of a
1924 office block is beloved by hipsters for
its two bars; the Broken Shaker beside the
rooftop pool is the place to be. Rooms have a
retro feel, with period tiled bathroom floors,
low-slung beds and huge windows. There are
dorms as well as en suites, sleeping anything
from four to eight.
ROOMS: From $125 (£96). freehandhotels.com

Jan/Feb 2021 63

Escape on a holiday like no other.

Over 70% of the world’s Black-browed
Albatross population

Imagine a place that is so far off the beaten track you have miles of stunning landscape, beach-
es and magnificent bird life all to yourself. Imagine a silence that is only broken by the call of the
birds, and your own footsteps as you explore these beautiful islands in the South Atlantic Ocean.
This is the Falkland Islands, one of the last great wilderness destinations where your trip be-
comes an adventure. Four wheel drives are our mode of transport, and our little planes will take
you to islands abundant with penguins, albatrosses and petrels that are there for you alone to
discover and enjoy.
At the end of each day you can look forward to traditional cosy Falkland Islands hospitality in
the hotels, lodges and guesthouses scattered around the islands.

More than 220 species of birds,
home to 5 species of penguins

@FITB Tourism
@FITB Tourism
ilovethefalklands
+500 22215
[email protected]
falklandislands.com

SLEEP

Best for Cali cool

1 HOTEL WEST

HOLLYWOOD

Rowdy West Hollywood’s all about the
nightlife — apart from this incongruously
Zen pad on raucous Sunset Boulevard.
This is the other Los Angeles: one where
there’s a Hollywood sign ‘sculpted’ in
moss by a living wall, where the check-
in desk is a reclaimed Aleppo pine from
the San Fernando Valley, and the house
car giving guests free local rides is a
Tesla. This small, nature-loving chain
is all about eco touches, from cork and
hessian walls to the lack of plastic. Rooms
are modern rustic and from the pool
deck (where there’s free yoga), you have
spectacular views to the Pacific, and a
beehive-filled veg garden below.
ROOMS: From $327 (£250). 1hotels.com

IMAGE: ERIC LAIGNEL Best for family fun Best for thrills and spills Best for luxury living

MAGIC CASTLE HOTEL THE GARLAND BEVERLY WILSHIRE

Parking, laundry, breakfast, afternoon tea, ice cream Most hotels in the San Fernando Valley are by-the- LA hotels don’t get much fancier than this Four
— pretty much everything you could want is free at numbers blocks for those visiting Universal Studios. Seasons property in Beverly Hills, just where Rodeo
this old-timey hotel. It’s unbelievable value in a city Drive hits Wilshire Boulevard. This 1928-built property
that charges for everything, and guests can even get Not this one. Built in 1972 as a motel by actress
rare access to the nearby Magic Castle — Hollywood’s Beverly Garland, it got a $20m (£15.4m) facelift in was the setting for the movie Pretty Woman, and
super-exclusive magic club — with a dinner booking. 2015, making this the closest thing North Hollywood although the decor today seems more luxury-by-
It’s not luxurious, however; the huge rooms are one has to a boutique hotel. Today, the rooms are a fun numbers than cutting-edge, it does have a Michelin-
step up from a motel, with chic wooden flooring, giant retro clash of geometric carpets, brightly patterned starred restaurant, CUT, a grotto-style pool and an
curtains and peppy orange furniture. It’s also popular 18ft onyx-clad bar. An al fresco lunch at The Blvd is the
TVs and kitchenettes in most. perfect place for hours of people-watching, too.
ROOMS: From $199 (£153), B&B. magiccastlehotel.com thanks to its free shuttle to Universal Studios.
ROOMS: From $175 (£135). thegarland.com ROOMS: From $520 (£402). fourseasons.com

Jan/Feb 2021 65

SLEEP IMAGE: PIXELLAB PHOTOGRAPHY & DESIGN, LLC

Best for art aficionados
KIMPTON LA PEER

Kimptons is known for its free nightly wine
hour, but here in West Hollywood’s western
design district, standing very-taut-cheek-by-
jowl with Gwyneth Paltrow’s favourite vegan
restaurant, you may prefer the kombucha tea
that’s on tap every morning. Local designer
Gulla Jónsdóttir revamped the art deco
building in 2018, with sinuous sculptures in
the public areas and a chrome-slicked Italian
restaurant by the pool. An abstract sculpture
by artist Retna sits in the courtyard. The
slightly boxy rooms are plainer, though
brilliantly kitted out with a full bar of spirits.
ROOMS: From $361 (£280). lapeerhotel.com

Best for retro fun

THE CHARLIE

This is where to go for a taste of old-school
Tinseltown glamour — a semi-hidden
collection of cottage-style bungalows linked
by a rambling English garden, tucked away
in West Hollywood. All 14 rooms are named
after celebrities who have stayed over the
years, from previous owner Charlie Chaplin
to Marilyn Monroe, and while the setting
is traditional, the rooms are rather stylish,
whether that’s slick grey headboards, leather
armchairs or movie posters on the walls.
ROOMS: From $349 (£270).
thecharliehotel.com

British Airways flies direct
from Heathrow to Los Angeles
from £310 return. ba.com
More info: visitwesthollywood.com
discoverlosangeles.com

66 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel

EXPLORE YOUR SENSES

Rincón de la Vieja, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Visit www.sensoria.cr to learn more about our tours:
Waterfalls | Thermals | Bird Watching | Forest Therapy | VIP | Weddings & Events | Private Bookings

Contact us at [email protected] or call +506 2228-6229

Can’t visit us?
We’ll come to you!

Visit sensorialife.com for more on nature, wellbeing & sustainability.

68 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel

IMAGE: GETTY BESTOF
THE

WORLD

The joy of travel comes from the unexpected. And while the pandemic
was just that, bringing journeys to a standstill, it’s certainly not quieted

our curiosity. With the new year comes the promise of a return to
travel, and we’re eager to get going. The editors of the 16 editions of
National Geographic Traveller around the world have lined up 35 of the

very best places our planet has to offer for 2021 and beyond:
superlative destinations that speak of resilient communities, smart
sustainability efforts and unforgettable experiences for post-pandemic
explorations. The world is full of wonders — even if they’re hard to
reach right now — so take this time to plot and plan your next journey

and lay the foundation for that much-dreamed-about big trip

WORDS THE GLOBAL EDITORS OF NATIONAL GEOGR APHIC TR AVELLER

Jan/Feb 2021 69

BEST OF THE WORLD

SUS TAINABILIT Y

From carbon-neutral cities in the
making to destinations offering a
blueprint for sustainable nature
and wildlife tourism, these are the
pick of the places that aim to
safeguard our precious planet’s
natural wonders

COSTA RICA

CELEBR ATIONS FOR THE PIONEER OF
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

So, you want to escape? Imagine a country that’s one-
quarter national park, a place where you could hike
in a rainforest in the morning and surf tropical waves
in the afternoon. Imagine an adventure Eden where
sustainability was a strategy long before the world caught
on, where jaguars prowl in the jungle, harpy eagles fly
and Jesus Christ lizards walk on water before your eyes.

That country is Costa Rica. 2021 is the bicentennial
of its independence, an anniversary it aims to celebrate
by becoming the world’s first carbon-neutral country.
Already one of the greenest nations, conservation has
been cultivated here since the 1970s, with drives to
protect areas, close zoos and reverse deforestation.

For a deep immersion, plot a course for the Osa
Peninsula at the tip of Costa Rica’s southern Pacific
coast; an astonishing 2.5% of the Earth’s biodiversity is
squeezed into 0.001% of its surface area. This was one
of the last frontiers to be inhabited in Costa Rica, when
the discovery of gold prompted a wave of migration in
the 1930s. Today, the gold rush has gone, and much of the
region is accessible only by boat, horse or hiking trail.

Some 80% of the peninsula is protected; much of it
in Corcovado National Park, where visitors can follow
guided trails with local groups like Caminos de Osa
or Dos Brazos de Rio Tigre. Based out of luxury and
backpacker jungle lodges around Drake Bay, activity
options range from rainforest hikes to mangrove swamp
tours, whale-watching, snorkelling or diving at Isla del
Cano and surfing at Cabo Matapalo.

2020 will be remembered as a year with few upsides,
but a desire to re-connect with nature and the great
outdoors was certainly one. James Thornton of Intrepid
Travel, itself a carbon-neutral travel company, says:
“Time outdoors after a year of lockdowns and increased
screen time will seem more important than ever”.

Costa Rica has been laying the green groundwork
for decades. In 2021, its message could be perfectly
tailor-made for post-pandemic trips. caminosdeosa.com
corcovadoeltigre.com visitcostarica.com TRAVELLER UK

70 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel

IMAGES: GETTY BEST OF THE WORLD

GABON

AFRICA’S ‘LAST EDEN’
Gabon is a rare natural beauty. With 13 national parks
encompassing 11% of its land, this is a place where
elephants and hippos roam free; where dense inland
forests, which make up 80% of its landmass, are home to
critically endangered western lowland gorillas.

A remote central African spot, not all of Gabon’s
national parks are readily accessible, but beach-
blessed Loango is a boon for wildlife-lovers. Set on a
lush river, just inland from Gabon’s Atlantic coastline,
Loango Lodge offers electrifying encounters with a
local population of western lowland gorillas. Closely
regulated, just one group of four visitors per day is
permitted to set out into the forest to try and find them;
an exclusive, sustainable wildlife experience that’s
hard to top. In the north of the country, near the coastal
capital of Libreville, Pongara is one of five national parks
protecting important sea turtle habitats. Beachfront
Pongara Lodge is the place for front-row views of
critically endangered leatherbacks and migratory
whales and dolphins. Global investment in the country’s
transportation networks should soon make Gabon easier
to reach; a sustainable development strategy that also
promises to expand eco-tourism — helping ensure the
country’s wildest places stay wild. loango-tourism.com
gabonwildlifecamps.com TRAVELER NETHERLANDS

FROM LEFT: A view over Drake Bay, near Corcovado National Park,
Costa Rica; mandrill baboon, Gabon
PREVIOUS PAGES: Gazing at the Perito Moreno Glacier, Los
Glaciares National Park, Argentina

Jan/Feb 2021 71

BEST OF THE WORLD

DENVER, USA

A GREEN GIANT IN THE
AMERICAN WEST
Heading towards its 2023 goal of
using 100% renewable electricity,
Denver will add 125 miles of new
bike lanes and, in 2021, solar
gardens in municipal car parks,
rooftops and vacant land. All this has
helped the Colorado capital earn a
coveted LEED for Cities Platinum
Certification. denver.org TRAVELER US

ALONISSOS, GREECE

DIVE INTO THE PARTHENON
OF SHIPWRECKS
The National Marine Park of
Alonissos & Northern Sporades is a
watery wonderland for divers. Zone
A is a Special Protection Area, and
is largely off limits to humans, while
Zone B includes the Peristera ancient
shipwreck site, recently opened as
an underwater museum accessible
to recreational divers. alonissos.gr

TRAVELER INDIA

NEW CALEDONIA

WHERE MARINE LIFE THRIVES
IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC
Humpback whales and green sea
turtles throng the French territory
Pacific island, home to one of the
world’s most extensive reef systems.
Visits to its Coral Sea Natural Park are
strictly regulated in order to conserve
one of Earth’s last virgin reefs.
newcaledonia.travel TRAVELER FRANCE

COPENHAGEN,
DENMARK

EUROPE’ S SUSTAINABLE
CITY PIONEER
On track to become the world’s
first carbon-neutral capital by
2025, Copenhagen has five times
more bicycles than cars. Head for
CopenHill, a pioneering waste-to-
energy power plant, now home to
a rooftop green space with hiking
trails, a ski slope and climbing wall.
visitcopenhagen.com TRAVELER ITALY

FREIBURG, GERMANY

SCHOOLING THE WORLD ON
GREEN PRACTICES
The historic university city of
Freiburg, gateway to the Black
Forest and covered in woodland, is
powered by solar, biomass, wind and
hydroelectricity. Urban gardens and
car-free living incentives were baked
into the sustainable model area of
Vauban, now Freiburg’s most densely
populated, buzzing district.
visit.freiburg.de TRAVELER GERMANY

72 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel

BEST OF THE WORLD

Amos Rex contemporary art gallery, Helsinki
LEFT FROM TOP: Kokkinokastro, an orange-sand

beach on Alonnisos, Sporades Islands, Greece;
a green sea turtle swimming above a shallow
coral reef, New Caledonia

IMAGES: GETTY; LOLA AKINMADE AKERSTROM HELSINKI, FINLAND As well as highlighting what to see and do, the
microsite also shines a sustainable spotlight on places to
SUSTAINABLE TR AVEL, MADE E A SY eat, drink and shop. These include Juuri, a sustainability-
focused restaurant which has been working with small,
Sustainability isn’t just a buzz word in Helsinki. The organic producers for 15 years, and sibling restaurant
Finnish capital has vowed to be carbon neutral by 2035 Pikha, which has upped its vegetarian and vegan options,
and it’s part of the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance. in order to cut down on guests’ carbon footprint. There’s
Helsinki’s bid to go green has also involved tourism, also an innovative burger bar, Bun2Bun, which has
with a campaign by the city’s tourist board to ‘Think swapped beef for vegan ‘mince’, and uses biodegradable
Sustainably’, which shows you how to put together the cutlery and wrappers.
perfect city break while going easy on the planet.
Finland’s design scene is of course legendary, and the
The Think Sustainably microsite on the tourist website has crafted a sustainability checklist, which
board’s website has all the information you need — not allows customers to rent merchandise, among other
just pointing you in the direction of where and what is things. But it’s a blessing for shoppers, too, directing
sustainable but explaining why. For example, the ‘what travellers to places such as Pure Waste, where clothes
to do’ page carries an interview with a representative are made from 100% recycled material, and LUMI, which
from the Amos Rex contemporary art gallery, talking produces eco-friendly bags and accessories. To get that
about museum ventilation and renewable energy. Even cosy Nordic feel, Lapuan Kankurit sells handwoven soft
the Löyly sauna — which has the potential to be the most furnishings with colour-popping modern patterns. With
wasteful of all attractions — has worked out an efficient your sustainable trip mapped out, you’ll feel better about
wood-burning programme to heat the saunas. making the journey. myhelsinki.fi/en/think-sustainably

TRAVELLER UK

Jan/Feb 2021 73

BEST OF THE WORLD

NATURE & WILDLIFE

Discover the wonders of the
natural world at wildlife
rehabilitation centres and
rewilding projects, as well as in
the unique flora and fauna of our
planet’s most remote corners

SCOTLAND, UK

REWILDING THE HIGHLANDS AND BEYOND

Scotland can be wild. The kind of wild that leaves your
boots muddy and your hair mussed; the kind that crowds
the horizon with hills and valleys; where eagles soar, stags
bellow and otters play.

For some, however, it’s not wild enough. Pine forests
that were home to bears and wolves once carpeted much
of the land here. Centuries of tree-felling and overgrazing
have resulted in a radically different landscape. So,
while we might swoon at today’s green mountains, many
conservationists are keen to reshape the Highlands into
what they once were. This is where rewilding comes in.

The 39sq-mile Alladale Wilderness Reserve, set
in rampant glen-and-loch scenery an hour north of
Inverness, is adopting this approach. Since 2003, it’s
planted close to a million native trees, restored damaged
peatland and reintroduced a now-thriving population
of red squirrels. Owner Paul Lister is also the founder
of The European Nature Trust, a charity that uses travel
experiences to raise money for conservation and wildlife
causes across the continent.

Alladale is also engaged in a breeding programme for
rare Scottish wildcats — and it’s not stopping there. A
longer-term aim is to bring back wolves, on a controlled
scale, partly with a view to regulating the region’s
population of tree-browsing deer. Regardless of whether
the scheme goes ahead, a 2021 stay at the reserve is a
howlingly good prospect.

It’s not the only rewilding project; the Scottish Beaver
Trial has successfully reintroduced beavers to Knapdale,
in the west of the country. Meanwhile, this summer
saw the first breeding pair of golden eagles at rewilding
estate of Dundreggan, close to Loch Ness, for 40 years.
Travellers keen to immerse themselves in Scotland’s
rewilding movement have other options, too. Charity
Scotland: The Big Picture is running 10 rewilding-themed
retreats in 2021, among them a ‘wilderness weekend’ at
Alladale and trips to the Cairngorms and remote Knoydart
peninsula. theeuropeannaturetrust.com alladale.com
scotlandbigpicture.com scottishbeavers.org.uk
treesforlife.org.uk/dundreggan TRAVELLER UK

74 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel

Aurora borealis over BEST OF THE WORLD
tipi in Yellowknife,
THE CERRADO, BRAZIL
Northwest Territories
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Autumn THE CLOSEST THING TO
JURASSIC PARK
colours on the Isle of Skye, Covering nearly a quarter of Brazil’s
Scottish Highlands; red deer, land surface, this marvel is eclipsed
Scottish Highlands; sea kayaker for environmental attention by
on Lake Superior, Isle Royale its neighbour, the Amazon. It’s
the source of several major South
IMAGES: GETTY; ALAMY American rivers and home to 5%
of the planet’s plants and animals,
yet the Cerrado is suffering from
deforestation. Travel with operators
that help fund the conservation of
its unique wonders, including 10,000
species of plant, as well as tapirs,
vulnerable armadillo and anteater
species, and the buriti palm, nesting
tree of choice for over 850 bird
species. semcerrado.org.br TRAVELER US

LORD HOWE ISLAND,
AUSTRALIA

A LAST PARADISE IN THE
TA SMAN SE A
One of Earth’s most isolated
ecosystems, known to its handful
of residents as ‘the last paradise’,
this tiny island permits a maximum
of 400 visitors at any one time. Its
reefs host over 500 types of fish, and
threatened species including the
whale shark and hawksbill turtle.
The island’s Protecting Paradise
programme enlists volunteers
to remove invasive species and
conserve such endemics as the
endangered Lord Howe Island stick
insect, believed extinct until 2001.
lhirodenteradicationproject.org

TRAVELER US

ISLE ROYALE ,
MICHIGAN, USA

WHERE WOLVE S AND
MOOSE ROAM
This island in the north west of
Lake Superior is populated
with unique mammal species,
descendants of the hardy creatures
who can managed to cross the lake.
Moose sightings are frequent as are
— after rewilding efforts — wolves.
nps.gov/isro TRAVELER US

YELLOWKNIFE,
NORTHWEST
TERRITORIES, CANADA

YEAR-ROUND AURORA
A Gold Rush city on the edge of the
Arctic, Yellowknife sparkles with
the Northern Lights 240 nights a
year. Amid boreal forest, learn its
elemental secrets from the Dené
people, stewards of the land for
millennia. extraordinaryyk.com

TRAVELER CZECHIA

Jan/Feb 2021 75

VERDA LAW / NWTT

yellowknifeMARTIN MALE / NWTT

Northwest COREY MYERS / NWTT
Territories

GEORGE FISCHER / NWTT

Timeless, Enduring,

Spectacular.

On the north shore of Great Slave Lake, you’ll find Yellowknife, Northwest Territories,
a rugged yet cosmopolitan capital that’s home to big city amenities with a small town
charm. Existing in harmony with the unspoiled Northern Canadian wilderness in
every direction, Yellowknife is home to rich Indigenous cultures, a thriving arts scene
and the world’s best Northern Lights. With wild rivers, pristine lakes and outdoor
adventure literally at your doorstep, spectacular sights, sounds and thrills await you in
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada.

spectacularnwt.com

BEST OF THE WORLD

A mother leopard with her
cub, Kruger National Park

IMAGE: GETTY SOUTH AFRICA Other reserves focus on closer encounters with the
wildlife rather than distancing from other guests. The
SAFARIS FOR A NEW ERA Shamwari Private Game Reserve, near Port Elizabeth, has
reopened its wildlife rehabilitation centre. It focuses on
Of all Africa’s great wildlife destinations, South Africa injured and orphaned animals, with the aim of returning
is easily the best set up for independent travel. Anyone them to the wild rather than letting them get habituated
queasy about trying to social distance in a tour group to humans. Guests can visit the centre during their stay to
can self-drive around the Big Five in wild havens such learn about the conservation and rehabilitation efforts.
as Kruger and Addo Elelphant National Parks and
Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park. Online booking systems with The most daring new addition, however, is the Kruger
arrival windows have been set up in the parks to reduce Shalati. Here, a train has been parked atop a historic
face-to-face contact where possible, but otherwise the bridge at Skukuza Camp in Kruger National Park and
freedom to explore at will remains. turned in luxury hotel accommodation. The 13 converted
carriages line up behind an overhanging pool dangling
Spotting rhinos from the window of a hire car is the off the bridge, and wildlife can be spotted wandering
most affordable way of doing the South African safari down to the river below.
thing, but extra spending brings extra perks. The
Samara Private Game Reserve, in the Eastern Cape, has To further whet the appetite for post-lockdown visits
introduced fly-camping experiences for guests travelling to South Africa, travel company andBeyond now offers
in groups of one to six. These start with a bush walk, private virtual safaris alongside its live-streamed game
before sleeping out in comfortable tents in a remote part drives. The private experiences focus on interpreting
of the 67,000-acre reserve. A guide and wildlife tracker animal sightings and 10% of the fees goes to helps to
cook dinner over the fire. fund crucial conservation initiatives. samara.co.za
shamwari.com krugershalati.com andbeyond.com

TRAVELLER UK

Jan/Feb 2021 77

BEST OF THE WORLD

ADVENTURE

This year brings exciting new
tours to Ethiopia, Greenland
and Argentina, and with a total
solar eclipse in Antarctica,
an unforgettable adventure
is on the cards

GREENLAND Visitor walking down Jacko Steps IMAGES: GETTY
to Layou River, Dominica
NEW TERRAIN FOR SERIOUS ADVENTURERS ABOVE: Sea kayakers paddling below
an iceberg in the Greenland Sea,
For many of us, the year ahead will be about seeking out Tasiilaq, Greenland
a very particular sort of escapism, to places where the
views unravel to eternity and the stresses of you-know-
what seem far away. Step forward Greenland. The world’s
largest island remains one of the most remote corners
on the planet: an iceberg-fringed, high-latitude realm of
glaciers, fjords and mountains.

New for 2021, Quark Expeditions’ Greenland
Adventure: Explore by Sea, Land & Air voyage is a first
for polar travel: the expedition itinerary has been put
together in conjunction with the island’s community.
Local and national partners have helped to create a
trip that uses rigid-inflatable landing craft and twin-
engine helicopters, resulting in a range of seriously
adventurous off-ship activities based in and around the
southeast fjords. The nine-day July voyage takes place on
Ultramarine, the newest ship in the Quark fleet.

For an alternative Greenland experience, meanwhile,
Norwegian operator Fifty Degrees North has introduced
a six-day small group tour to the island’s west coast.
Centred on the coastal town of Ilulissat, around 185
miles north of the Arctic Circle, the itinerary includes
kayaking, whale-spotting and an overnight stay on the
wonderfully named Disko Island.

Travellers wanting to move more slowly across the map
should look to the 103-mile Arctic Circle Trail, one of the
world’s greatest summer long-distance walks. Stretching
between Kangerlussuaq and Sisimiut, in the west of
Greenland, the trail can be done self-supported (there are
ten rustic huts en route, free for use by hikers), although
specialist operators such as Monkey Mountaineering
and Snowdonia Climbing are offering guided packages
for 2021.

For Brits, reaching Greenland by air has traditionally
been a rather convoluted process, with travellers needing
to arrive via either Iceland or Denmark. Options may
increase, however, with the news that two of its airports
(Ilulissat in the north west and Nuuk in the south
west) are being renovated to attract more international
flights. quarkexpeditions.com uk.fiftydegreesnorth.com
monkeymountaineering.com snowdoniaclimbing.co.uk
visitgreenland.com TRAVELLER UK

78 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel

BEST OF THE WORLD

CARIAN TRAIL,
TURKEY

HIKE THROUGH HISTORY ON
AN ANCIENT TRADE ROUTE
Lace up your walking boots and
escape the crowds: Turkey’s longest
hiking trail offers a window into the
country’s lesser-visited, southwest
shores and hinterlands. The 530-
mile route, completed in 2013, has
its roots in ancient history — some
stone paths are said to have been
laid by Alexander the Great’s men
over 2,000 years ago. In an exciting
addition to the trail, a new project
aims to develop and promote one of
its most underrated attractions: the
Latmos rock paintings. Nearly 180
of the Neolithic daubings have been
found in the Latmos Mountains, many
interpreted as being symbols of peace
and brotherhood, further elevating
the historic importance of the Carian
Trail as an ancient trading route.
cariantrail.com TRAVELER TURKEY

DOMINICA

THE CARIBBEAN ISLAND
BOUNCING BACK
New jobs in adventure tourism are
at the heart of an effort to restore
and protect the hurricane-damaged
island. Key to this is the Citizenship
by Investment programme, which
grants legal citizenship to overseas
contributors who fund projects
such as hurricane-proof homes
and a geothermal power plant.
discoverdominica.com TRAVELER US

LOS GLACIARES
NATIONAL PARK,
ARGENTINA

A KINGDOM OF ICE
Nearly 300 glaciers cover almost half
of this spectacular park, and travellers
can ice-hike them to discover
frozen waterfalls, ice caves and
underground rivers, before toasting
their adventures with a whisky ‘on
the rocks’ (glacial ice). argentina.travel

TRAVELER LATIN AMERICA

SVANETI REGION,
GEORGIA

A LAND OF WARM WELCOMES
Although still remote, the dramatic
northwest Svaneti region is now
accessible to intrepid adventurers
via the Upper Svaneti section of the
Transcaucasian Trail, a long-distance
network aiming to link the Caucasian
states of Georgia, Armenia and
Azerbaijan. transcaucasiantrail.org

TRAVELER POLAND

Jan/Feb 2021 79



BEST OF THE WORLD

Gentoo penguins, Antarctica

IMAGE: GETTY A N TA R C T I C A Argentina) just after 7.30am on the morning in question,
you’ll be treated to a full eclipse a short distance above
ALL E YE S ON A SOUTHERLY SOL AR ECLIP SE the horizon. The fact that Antarctica enjoys around 22
hours of daylight a day at this time of year is only likely to
Here’s a prediction you can be quite confident about: make the experience even more dreamlike.
the morning of Friday 4 December 2021 won’t be easily
forgotten in Antarctica. Not because of the iceberg-laden Unsurprisingly, expedition cruise operators are
bays, the silent, white mountains or the edge-of-the- making the most of the occasion by laying on dedicated
earth penguin colonies — although all the above will be eclipse sailings. Hurtigruten has two separate cruises
on hand to keep travellers’ mouths agape — but because taking place and will have a professional astronomer
of something else entirely. A total solar eclipse will be on board, as well as distributing special solar-filter
visible here for just the second time in human history: sunglasses. One of these cruises will take place on
the ice fields of Antarctica caught in the Moon’s shadow. the hybrid-powered MS Roald Amundsen, which was
inaugurated in 2019. Other options include Silversea,
To make the prospect even more enticing, the eclipse which has multiple eclipse cruises of its own, and
will be viewable from the part of the continent that’s the wildlife specialists Naturetrek, which is chartering a
easiest to visit, and at a time of year that falls within the 116-berth ship for the event. All cruises will also offer
expedition cruising season. If you’re fortunate enough the chance to appreciate the precious beauty and
to be on or around the Antarctic Peninsula (the usual extraordinary wildlife of a part of the world unlike any
destination for ships departing the port of Ushuaia in other. hurtigruten.co.uk silversea.com naturetrek.co.uk

TRAVELLER UK

Jan/Feb 2021 81

BEST OF THE WORLD

CULTURE & HIS TORY

Whether you’re interested
in the arts, culinary culture
or history, 2021 brings a
host of new museums,
festivals and dates
to remember

PORTO, PORTUGAL

OLD-WORLD WINE IN A BOLD NEW SETTING

The introduction of cheap flight routes has led to Porto
soaring in the city break rankings in recent years.
Its dramatic, hilly layout lends itself to surprising
discoveries: landscaped lookout points are snuck into the
gaps between precipitous winding streets and, down on
the banks of the Douro River, the Ribeira neighbourhood
hints at the city’s rich Age of Discovery heritage.

And now there’s a new reason to visit Porto: World
of Wine, based in the riverside Vila Nova de Gaia
district, which has long been where port wine from the
Douro Valley has been stored for export. Set in former
warehouses, its six museums cover the history of wine,
cork and drinking vessels, as well as chocolate, fashion
and city history. There are also restaurants, shops and a
wine school. The new attraction serves as the centrepiece
of a newly invigorated cultural district. It’s a brave new
opening for our times, a 55,000sq metre space that cost
£95m and took five years to come to fruition.
wow.pt visitportugal.com TRAVELLER UK

COVE NTRY, UK

COMMUNIT Y AT THE CORE OF THIS YE AR’ S
UK CIT Y OF CULTURE

‘Sending someone to Coventry’ used to be a punishment,
but how things have changed. The UK’s City of Culture for
2021, which brought us Lady Godiva and the jet engine,
will focus on making the arts accessible as part of an
overhaul of a traditional ‘city of culture’ programme. From
15 May through to May 2022, the calendar is packed with
events, including the Turner Prize (29 September to 12
January, at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum).

Much of what’s on offer will revolve around social
responsibility. There’s CastAway, an all-female dance
show focused on the single-use plastic crisis (staged on
the water in Coventry’s Canal Basin in August), while CVX
Festival (12-15 August) will bring together role models to
work with the city’s youth on social change and unity.
This is unmistakably a lineup for a post-Covid world, with
community-strengthening at its core. coventry2021.co.uk
TRAVELLER UK

82 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel

BEST OF THE WORLD

GUAM, USA // RE VISITING GYEONGJU, SOUTH KOREA //

MAGELLAN’S LEGACY IN AN ANCIENT KINGDOM THAT

THE PACIFIC STILL GLITTERS

The quincentenary of Ferdinand 2021’s Culture City of East Asia,
Magellan’s arrival on the a so-called ‘museum without
Micronesian island is being walls’ is home to an abundance of
marked with respectful fanfare astonishing archaeological sites,
in March 2021, when a Spanish thanks to its nearly thousand-year
naval vessel will call as part of a reign as capital of the ancient
commemorative voyage. This time, kingdom of Silla (57 BC to AD 935).
the indigenous Chamorro will have Highlights from this golden age
the chance to tell their story and include UNESCO World Heritage
share their realities of living on this Site-listed Buddhist art, and
US territorial outpost. treasures from jewel-sparkling
visittheusa.co.uk/state/guam tombs. english.visitkorea.or.kr

TRAVELER US TRAVELER KOREA

TONGLU, CHINA // A STORIED TULSA, OKLAHOMA, USA

CHINESE LANDSCAPE GETS ITS // A BR AVE NEW HUB FOR

FIRST ART FESTIVAL DISCUSSIONS ON RACE

Set in the mountains of Zhejiang Greenwood Rising, Tulsa’s new
province, the county of Tonglu ‘Black Wall Street’ history centre,
— the inspiration for generations has risen up where one of the
of Chinese artists and writers worst incidents of racial violence
— will be host to modern art in US history took place in 1921.
installations along the Fuchun A century on, the museum aims
River for the inaugural Tonglu to address the issue of systemic
Art Triennale in spring 2021. racism in the country.
cnto.org.uk TRAVELER CHINA tulsa2021.org/rising TRAVELER US

IMAGES: GETTY; ALAMY Azulejo tiles at the Capela VITORIA GASTEIZ, SPAIN // PUEBLO NATIONS, NEW
das Almas, Porto
JAZZ LEGENDS IN A MEXICO, USA // NATIVE
RIGHT: Performers at the
Festival of Pacific Arts, in CULTUR AL CAPITAL VOICES OF THE SOUTHWEST

Hagatna, Guam, share a Culture runs through the veins As monuments to Native
traditional dance of this Basque city, host to the American oppressors are
Vitoria-Gasteiz Jazz Festival toppling, calls rise to honour
each July. It’s also home to Po’pay, who led the 1680 Pueblo
an unusual celebration that Revolt that ousted the Spanish
honours the Virgen Blanca from native homelands. Start
(‘white Madonna’), involving an exploration of the state’s
an effigy of a Basque villager 19 Pueblos, each a sovereign
whizzing down a zip-wire to nation with distinct traditions,
kickstart the annual festivities. at Albuquerque’s Indian Pueblo
tourism.euskadi.eus VIAJES Cultural Center. indianpueblo.org
newmexico.org TRAVELER US
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SPAIN

Jan/Feb 2021 83

Escape to Rosalie Bay

AN ECO-BOUTIQUE RESORT IN DOMINICA, INSPIRED BY NATURE

Amid the wilds of the Caribbean’s ‘Nature Island’, find peace at this resort in Dominica. As you
stroll through the intimate, hand-built sanctuary, you’ll find your cares fade away. Time seems
to slow down, allowing you to reconnect with nature, yourself and loved ones. Watch sea turtles
nest on a black sand beach, unwind with nurturing spa treatments and organic cuisine and
immerse your senses in unsurpassed natural beauty. It’s a trip that’s sure to be simply magical.
[email protected] • WWW.ROSALIEBAYDOMINICA.COM
TO BOOK, OR FOR MORE INFO, CALL (767)-446-1010 OR WHATSAPP (767)275-2533

BEST OF THE WORLD

FAMILY TR AVEL

Explore new horizons on your family getaways this year, with
trips that take in European castles, Olympic Japan, First Nations
culture in Canada and space-age travel in the US

IMAGE: GETTY ABOVE: Pathway along ENGLAND COAST England has a long history of coastal hiking, first
the Jurassic Coast formalising its love affair with seaside yomps in the 1970s
in Dorset PATH, UK with the establishment of the 630-mile South West Coast
Path. The England Coast Path absorbs such existing
BE ATING A TR AIL ALONG ENGL AND’ S stretches, as well as adding dozens of new sections.
RUGGED COASTLINES
Each segment of shore has a unique character, so
A colossal undertaking reaches fruition in 2021 as the whatever your family’s interests and hiking abilities,
England Coast Path — the world’s longest seafront there are seaside trips to suit. While some stretches offer
walking trail, stretching nearly 2,800 miles — is unveiled unspoiled scenery and muddy trails, others have been
in its entirety. curated with premium facilities and points of interest.
Opened in September 2020, the 40-mile segment dubbed
How does a small nation successfully vie for this ‘Cumbria’s Hidden Coast’, winding from Whitehaven
global title? The answer lies in England’s geography: to Millom, in the North West, offers new cycling paths
peer closely at a map of the UK and you’ll see land and the chance to try activities like rock climbing
meets water in an uneven zigzag of estuaries, inlets at Muncaster Castle. Meanwhile, in the South East,
and promontories. That rugged seascape, awash with a new trail — christened ‘England’s Creative Coast’
secretive coves, windswept bluffs and welcoming — links artworks and plots out a geocaching tour across
port towns, has been intrinsic to shaping the nation’s Sussex, Kent and Essex.
fortunes and character. The new England Coast Path
aims to bring this prized patrimony to the people This record-setting new National Trail arrives at a time
— and, in so doing, protect the landscape for generations when many families are rediscovering the joys of travel
to come. within the UK. Stay up to date as the final sections are
launched by visiting the Natural England section of gov.uk.
visitengland.com TRAVELLER UK

Jan/Feb 2021 85

BEST OF THE WORLD BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA MONTENEGRO // BIKE S, HIKE S IMAGES: GETTY

Forest walk, // A FOCUS ON FIRST NATIONS AND ZIP WIRE ADVENTURES
North Vancouver, The Balkan state looks set for
British Columbia IN THE WEST breakthrough year. Five national
BELOW: Brasov’s main parks protect over 60 peaks and
square, Piata Sfatului, With an Indigenous history a glittering slice of Adriatic coast,
Transylvania spanning 10,000 years, British where hiking, biking, canyoning
Columbia is an ideal place to and rafting are options on offer
86 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel embark on a travel experience from the likes of Responsible
hosted by First Nations, Inuit, and Travel, Families Worldwide, and
Métis communities. The provincial Utracks; while Tailormade Rail’s
capital, Victoria, is a great base new trip puts all this within train
from which to explore the cultures access. visit-montenegro.com
of Vancouver Island. Hire an TRAVELLER UK
RV to explore this wild island’s
ocean-front indigenous-owned FLORIDA, USA //
campsites, prime spots for whale-
spotting. Look out for orcas, grey, LAUNCHPAD FOR
humpback, and minke whales,
plus dolphins, otters and sea lions. INSPIR ATIONAL JOURNE YS
With the new era of US launches
Vancouver itself offers child- upon us, Florida’s sunny Space
friendly options, including Talaysay Coast has never been more of a
Tours’ Talking Trees Tour: a blast. Its 72 miles encompass Cape
90-minute forest ramble through Canaveral Air Force Station and
Stanley Park, where Squamish and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center,
Shíshálh cultural ambassadors home to SpaceX launches and
explain how First Nations people 100ft-high rockets that stand like
across southern British Columbia mighty monuments. New for 2021
have used the land for food, is Planet Play, an out-of-this-world
medicine, and technology for interactive area where kids can
countless generations. ‘walk’ on the sun and slide through
tourismvancouver.com canada.ca an asteroid field. visitflorida.com
kennedyspacecenter.com
TRAVELER US TRAVELER RUSSIA

JAPAN // CINEMATIC SIGHTS HORTOBÁGY NATIONAL PARK,
HUNGARY // COWBOYS AND
AND OLYMPIC E XCITEMENT
CRANES ON OPEN PLAINS
With its mash-up of pop culture Home to Europe’s largest native
and ancient tradition, Japan is grassland, Hortobágy provides a
irresistible for families. The UK critical habitat for around 340 bird
ranked among the top 10 spending species, making it a top birding
nations here in 2019, among which spot. A few hundred shepherds
were a growing number of lucky and cowboys, called csikós, also
children. Head to Japan in 2021, roam the grassland, seen on
not only for the summer Olympics horse-drawn carriage tours, where
in Tokyo, but also for the opening riders show off their rodeo skills
of Super Nintendo World in Osaka’s by standing on the backs of two
Universal Studios. galloping horses. wowhungary.com
TRAVELER HUNGARY
For film fans, Studio Ghibli,
whose animated classics like TR ANS YLVANIA , ROMANIA //
Spirited Away and Ponyo were
released on Netflix over lockdown, FINDING REALITY IN A LAND
is found in suburban Tokyo, where
tours include an exclusive short OF GOTHIC FANTA SY
film. New for 2021, Studio Ghibli- Bram Stoker’s novel transformed
inspired campsite Hygge Circles Transylvania into Dracula’s gothic
Ugakei is a Nordic-Japanese, realm but what the author missed
sustainability-focused nature is Transylvania’s pastoral, old-
park with glamping cabins, an Europe reality, with wildflower
hour’s bullet train ride from the meadows, storybook castles, and
city of Nagoya. cobbled-lane villages. A farm stay
here offers families the chance to
Or go off-grid: the new Treeful unplug, with hiking in Carpathian
Treehouse EcoResort, four private Mountain forests, collecting
treehouses in the forest canopy, is eggs, milking sheep, and piling
the newest reason to beat a retreat haystacks. romaniatourism.com
to the beach-blessed Okinawa TRAVELER ROMANIA
peninsula. tokyo2020.org
usj.co.jp japan.travel

TRAVELLER UK

PARTNER CONTENT FOR HILTON LAKE COMO

ITALY’S

GREAT SILK CITY

Lake Como, famous around the world for its dramatic
scenery, is also a major centre of silk production. Take the
time to immerse yourself in the area’s luxurious heritage

Hemmed in by snow-capped peaks with TWO MORE SILK- ABOVE: The rooftop swimming
picture-perfect villages on the water, Lake RELATED ACTIVITIES pool at Hilton Lake Como, which
Como is known for its fabulous vistas. But TO TRY offers panoramic views over the
the scenic resort town is also renowned as the popular Villa Olmo, the lake and
country’s silk capital. Silk production in Como Museo della Seta: Como’s Silk the verdant hills in the distance
dates back to the 15th century, when the Duke Museum is one of the few places in the RIGHT: Colourful silk scarves for
of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, ordered mulberry world where you can see the entire silk sale in Bellagio, Lombardy
trees to be planted in the region. The leaves were manufacturing process, from silkworm
eaten by silkworms, and so began the process breeding to vibrant yarns. Don’t miss Essentials
of extracting, spinning and weaving silk. By the beautiful display of Chinese and
the 17th century, Italian silk was in demand Japanese silk labels — their designs are The hotel can be reached by car
throughout Europe and its manufacture works of art. museosetacomo.com or train. As well as 170 guest
continues today, with the majority of Italy’s rooms — including 18 suites, plus
high-end silk still being produced in the area. Shopping in the town centre: The family and lake-view rooms — it
hotel is just a short walk from Como’s offers several dining options, such
Visitors interested in Como’s past can learn centre with its elegant boutiques. One as the elegant Satin restaurant
about the area’s silk heritage and Hilton Lake of the oldest is A Picci; founded in 1919, and the rooftop Terrazza 241. The
Como, located just a short walk from both the it sells everything from handsewn ties hotel also features a rooftop pool,
Roman town centre and the lively waterfront, to colourful handkerchiefs. InComo is eforea Spa & Health Club and
provides the perfect base. The venue has been another well-known place to pick up meeting spaces.
built on the site of the Tintoria Subalpina stylish silk scarves. apicci.it incomo.com
factory, which specialised in silk printing
IMAGES: HILTON LAKE COMO; GETTY and dyeing between 1935 and 1997, and still
features nods to the property’s history. The
industrial touches throughout the building,
from the round windows and red bricks to the
shape of the facade, play homage to the factory
that was there before. Even the names of the
restaurant and lounge bar, Satin and Taffeta
respectively, hint at the site’s past.

The hotel’s design seamlessly blends
these traditional elements with 21st-century
architecture and comfort — think luxury
suites with glass ceilings, a concept spa and an
elegant rooftop infinity pool.

To find out more, visit hilton.com/en/hotels/mxpcohi-hilton-lake-como or call +1-888-225-9664

High on a hill

A WEEK IN THE CENTR AL PYRENEE S, TUCKED AWAY IN THE
SOUTHWE ST CORNER OF FR ANCE’ S OCCITANIA REGION,

REVEALS A PASTORAL LIFE LITTLE CHANGED IN CENTURIES.
HERE, AMONG MEDIEVAL MARKET TOWNS AND LUSH VALLEYS

STALKED BY BE ARS, THE PA ST’ S THRE AD SNAKE S ITS WAY
THROUGH THE E VERYDAY PRE SENT

WORDS ADRIAN PHILLIPS PHOTOGRAPHS MARKEL REDONDO

88 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel

Jan/Feb 2021 89

FRANCE

Goiat is a bear — a big bear,
weighing 250kg at least — and
he’s close by. He’s also hungry.

The day after tomorrow, news will break that he’s That was several months ago, and few people have FROM TOP: Walking
attacked and killed two sheep on the forested ridge to walked the track since. It’s left to the shepherds now. We with huskies from Base
our right. He’s probably lifting his snout in our direction turn a corner, and ahead is a stone shelter, set like a toy Nordique Sherpa in
at this very moment, sniffing the air with a nose seven in a rolling landscape of yellowing grassland. Nicolas has Peyradgudes; sheep
times more sensitive than a bloodhound’s. Yes, he’ll be spotted us from a distance and is picking his way down a and the Chapelle
aware of us. But we know none of this. We’re just walking steep slope. He’s been checking on his ewes (perhaps the des Templiers in the
a mountain path in southwest France on our way to meet very ewes that will soon fall prey to Goiat). “This is the background, near
a shepherd. hottest year I have seen,” he says, shaking his head. ‘The Piau-Engaly
sheep must go high to find good grass, but some of them PREVIOUS PAGES
The pitted track writhes up Montagne d’Areng from are pregnant and they lose their lambs in the strain of
the tiny village of Jézeau, and it’s not hard to imagine getting up there.” FROM LEFT: Pyrenees
bears among the pine trees of this lonely woodland glimpsed through the
in the Pyrenees. “This is a very pure forest,” says Éric, Nicolas isn’t what you’d expect of a shepherd, in his forest near Pont du Prat,
our guide, who lives in Jézeau. “Some of the trees are snowboarder sunglasses and a Rip Curl T-shirt. But his Loudenvielle; a husky
300 years old.” “The sounds are lovely,” adds Penny, my two sheepdogs give him away, each slumping into a from Base Nordique
walking companion. As we move over mossy banks and patch of shade. They’re collies, but many other shepherds Sherpa
across clearings edged with bracken, I tune in to the lazy here prefer a muscular Pyrenean breed called the patou.
summer buzz from hidden bees’ nests, the rattle of the “Those dogs have a bark to put the fear of god into
grasshoppers and the wing beats of a black woodpecker you,” says Penny. In years past, every French mountain
as it breaks from a dead tree. shepherd had a patou, but in the 19th century, with wolves
and bears becoming increasingly scarce, shepherds no
“There are just 50 bears in the French Pyrenees,” Penny longer required such fierce dogs to guard their flocks.
says. “The word is that a large one called Goiat has been Now the apex predators are back, the patous are back, too.
somewhere in this region for the past week or so — it’s
exciting!” Penny’s heart has been stitched into the fabric of “Hunters shot brown bears until quite recently,” Penny
this place since she moved here from the Lake District 13 explains. “As late as the 1980s, cubs were taken to be
years ago. She arranges low-impact tours that take visitors trained as dancing bears at fairs or in bars.” There are
beyond the thrills and spills of the ski resorts, introducing no pure-bred Pyrenean bears left. However, since 1996 a
them to nature and the pleasures of the pastoral life. reintroduction programme has brought bears like Goiat
from Slovenia, and the population is growing in the
One such pleasure is known as transhumance, a time- central Pyrenees.
honoured tradition at the start of each summer when
the farmers’ animals are driven up this pass from the “Wolves are coming too, spreading from Spain and
foothills — cattle, sheep, goats, even native Pyrenean Italy,” says Éric. “Bears might take one or two sheep, but
horses — on a migration to their mountain pastures. wolves will kill sheep after sheep after sheep.” Whole
“All the locals take part,” Penny tells me, “and there’s a flocks have fallen off cliffs as they run from predators
real festival atmosphere.” “We drink a lot of wine!” Éric in panic, and tensions are growing between those who
declares with relish. want to see such magnificent species restored to the

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Génos-Loudenvielle Lake, Louron Valley
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Marmot emerges from
its burrow in the Badet Valley; an out-of-service
toilet hut in the Badet Valley; Michel Valencian,

a shepherd in the Badet Valley

92 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel

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Walking with huskies from Base
Nordique Sherpa in Peyragudes

mountains and those who graze animals there. Penny the Pyrenees and its people. Nicolas joins in and the
works with a local organisation that teaches farmers cows look on. Somewhere, Goiat is listening.
how to better protect their animals at night using dogs
and electric fences. It’s a familiar tale in the 21st century: Happy days
the challenge of getting nature and man to coexist In the days that follow, I become more and more conscious
harmoniously. of the past ghosting into the present. Driving winding
roads, through trees turned autumnal by this deathly dry
Nicolas busies himself preparing a typical lunch of the summer, I chance upon an abandoned cottage with an
mountains, laying the spread on a stack of old pallets to empty doorway and windows gaping black. An old mill
form a makeshift table outside his hut. He talks little. stands in the middle of a cut cornfield, its roof splintered
The hut itself is tiny, its bare-stone walls concealing a and falling in. On a wildlife walk with Éric through
pair of rooms easily filled with his few pots and pans, a valley at Piau-Engaly, marmots whistle warnings
gas stove and mattress. There’s no electricity or running and griffon vultures circle overhead, but it’s a disused
water, not much of the 21st century. For a moment, I shepherd’s hut that holds my imagination. Overgrown
wonder at a young man’s choice to spend solitary months with nettles, it’s been here for two centuries, built tight
on the mountainside, but as we tuck into crusty bread against a looming boulder to protect it from avalanches.
and ruby-red slices of duck while the sun shines over the
valley, it all makes better sense. Such decaying buildings appear fleetingly, thrown
up by the landscape before being swallowed once more,
As we mop up the last morsels, the tinny clunking but each time they do I find myself strangely sensitive
of cowbells reaches our ears, faint at first, but growing to the lives that have been lived inside — the meals
louder as dozens of cream-coloured cows emerge along eaten, the arguments held, the families raised, the
the track. “Only the ‘queen’ cow wears a bell,” Éric says. problems pondered. I can only half-grasp these imagined
“When the shepherd finds the queen, he knows the rest memories, as though viewing photographs in dim light.
of the herd is there too.” There are four or five queens
here; several herds have joined forces. They form a But there’s no looking backwards during my morning
huddle a few metres away, chewing and staring at us with Happy — when you’re harnessed to a 45kg dog
while we chew and stare back at them. it’s very much full speed ahead. Keen to see more of
the countryside, I’ve come to Base Nordique Sherpa in
“I’m an old man,” middle-aged Éric announces, out of Peyragudes, a husky training centre that offers walking
the blue. “Pyrenees people are the oldest in Europe,” he tours through the forest. “To say hello to your dog, put
goes on to explain, proudly, telling me that his ancestors your hand under its muzzle and then make hugs,” advises
came from the Iberian Peninsula at a time when much of Elodie, who has charge of the 37 huskies, each with its
the rest of the continent was covered in ice. I understand own wooden kennel beside a stream. “Be careful with the
why his mind has turned to the past; the modern day big ones, though — when they make hugs they can knock
doesn’t have much of a hold on this moment in the you over,” she warns. Happy is certainly a big one; she’s a
mountains. He breaks into song, a long-ago song about

Jan/Feb 2021 93

FRANCE

The picturesque town of Arreau on market day
FROM TOP RIGHT: a Bazadaise cow, a popular
breed in the Pyrenees; herbs for sale at
Arreau market

white-furred Greenland husky, a breed that’s loyal and
hard-working, but rather more foolish than the sleeker
Siberian huskies that are also kept here.

My first job is to put Happy into her harness, which
isn’t as easy as Elodie has made it appear during her
demonstration. Happy seems happiest snoozing in
the sun outside her kennel, and it requires quite some
tugging on her collar to convince her to sit up straight.
Once roused, she takes great pleasure in the whole
harness-applying game, joyously lapping at my face
whenever I bend down to place one of the loops over
her head. When her head is finally through a loop and
I’ve managed to coax her front paws through two other
loops, I discover her head is through a paw loop and one
paw through the head loop, and so the whole jolly, face-
licking charade begins again.

Eventually, the harness is in place, attached with a
rope to a thick belt around my waist, and Happy and I
join the back of the queue of eight dogs and eight tourist
walkers. Elodie paces back and forth along the line,
like a sergeant major on the parade ground. “When we
walk, keep the rope tight between you and your dog.
Remember, the dogs are strong. Lean backwards or you
might go flying like Superman.” Happy is sprawled on the
ground dozing again; I can’t imagine a dog less likely to
pull me off my feet.

And then, with a chorus of excited yelps and howls, the
dogs ahead of us are on the move, and Happy is up and
after them. Her head drops low and her rear legs scrabble
for purchase as she strains to shift my dead weight,
but she’s quickly into her stride and I’m tripping and
skidding as she drags me forward. “Happy, stop!”
I command desperately as I try to compose myself,
but she pretends not to hear, battling so hard to gain
ground on the pair in front that her panting sounds
almost asthmatic.

I’m a human ragdoll in her wake until, in a show of
remarkable fickleness, the whole pursuit is abruptly
forgotten as Happy becomes absorbed in locating the
source of some smell or other in a bush at the side of the
track. I catch my breath while she buries her head deep
in the foliage, and tug vainly on the rope in an attempt to
bring her back to the task in hand. Finally, and entirely
in her own time, she satisfies herself that all is well in the
bush, and takes off frantically after the others once more.
“Happy, stop…!”

Gradually, I gain better control of Happy’s movements,
and we settle into our walk. Having a powerful dog
attached to your waist is rather like having the benefit
of a motor on an electric bike, making any inclines a
breeze. We walk for two hours, following a circular route
on a dappled path that gently rises and falls through

94 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel

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Jan/Feb 2021 95

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FRANCE

The medieval town of
Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges,

dominated by its cathedral

the woods. On a distant hill, three deer are silhouetted piles of bonbons — all handmade by Bernardino in the
against the sky. It’s another hot day, and the dogs take laboratory-like kitchen next door. I watch him heating,
turns to drink and cool themselves in a stream that pouring and folding as he works on his creations. His
crosses the path. But this is easy work for them. speciality is the flocon, a praline-centred chocolate based
on a recipe dating to the 1800s. But Bernardino taps into
“In winter, they run this route in the snow, pulling the spirit of our own times too. “Our bestseller is the
sleds weighing 200kg,” Elodie tells me. “Sometimes they Chocolat Virus,” says Marie, handing me a chocolate ball
drag supplies up to people in the mountains. This walk dotted with strawberry and raspberry icing that apparently
is a holiday for them.” Like the patous and the collies, looks like a coronavirus cell under a microscope.
these are working dogs, fixtures of a pastoral life in the
mountains. Part of a barking, frenzied way of life, In the foothills 12 miles to the east, I explore the town of
it’s a tradition maintained, a link to the region’s past Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges, its 16th-century buildings
— albeit reshaped for its modern-day visitors. displaying magnificent half-timbering and herringbone
brickwork. Its imposing cathedral contains the remains of
Past and present its builder, St Bertrand, as well as an incongruous stuffed
My week in the Pyrenees is full of living traditions crocodile, which has dangled from a wall here for as long as
preserved, the past’s thread snaking its way through the anyone can remember.
everyday present. On Thursday morning, in the medieval
town of Arreau, stalls are set beneath the colonnades Today, walkers following the route to Santiago de
of the covered market, as they have been for centuries. Compostela, in northwest Spain, tread in the footsteps of
Traders cry their wares: jams made from myrtle berries, generations of pilgrims, an ever-growing plumb-line of
tomatoes as red as cricket balls, truckles of sheep’s people descending through the ages.
cheese and Noir de Bigorre pork sausages. I taste wine
from little cups as the producer swats at circling wasps. But it’s close by, at the Caves of Gargas, where
Elsewhere, a man spoons batter over a spit, making the mankind’s line drops deepest. A guide leads me through
classic gâteau à la broche, or tree cake, over an open fire. a hillside entrance into low-lit chambers with stalactites
The recipe is said to have been brought back by Napoleon that seem more soft than solid, bulging like jellyfish
from one of his campaigns. Nearby, the River Neste or cascading to the floor in great pleats like gathered
bubbles tirelessly beneath a stone bridge. curtains. These caves were discovered in 1906 but had
been occupied from prehistory up to the Middle Ages.
At La Barthe de Neste, I visit a pair of chocolatiers, Marie
and her brother Bernardino, at their shop, Les Flocons My guide points his torch at a wall, and from the gloom
Pyrénéens. The shelves heave with slabs of chocolate and emerge the outlines of dozens of hands, stencilled in
reds and blacks. “These were made 27,000 years ago,”
he whispers. “The cave people placed their hands on

Jan/Feb 2021 97

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ESSENTIALS

Tarbes FRANCE

10 Miles

CAVES OF GARGAS
Saint-Bertrand-de
-Comminges

Arreau MONTAGNE D’ARENG
PYRÉNÉES Jézeau
NATIONAL PARK
BASE NORDIQUE
SHERPA

Piau Engaly LOURON CASCADE DE
Pont du Prat VALLEY POUY MILLAS

PYRÉNÉ ES

S PA I N

the rock and sprayed pigment around them by blowing ABOVE: Signs to various Getting there & around
it from their mouths.” The handprints are all sizes, the scenic spots on a walk to
marks of men, women and children. Many have stunted Cascade de Pouy-Millas Airlines including British Airways and
or missing fingers, and some researchers conclude they EasyJet fly from London to Toulouse,
were lost through leprosy or ritual amputation. But I from where it’s a 2h drive into the ILLUSTRATION: JOHN PLUMER
prefer to imagine the hands weren’t damaged at all, French Pyrenees. EasyJet also flies from
that instead the fingers were deliberately bent to create Gatwick to Bordeaux (followed by a
unique identifiers — that this is a wall of signatures, of three-hour drive) and from Bristol to
names calling through the mists of time. Biarritz (followed by a 2h drive).
ba.com easyjet.com
On my last day, I trek an upland trail through the Louron Average flight time: 1h40m
Valley to see the Cascade de Pouy Millas. Penny had said it Alternatively, take a cross-Channel ferry
was a special, peaceful spot. At Pont du Prat, I join a forest and drive through France with a
path; underfoot, pine needles cushion my steps, while stop-over en route. DFDS offers regular
bunches of rowan berries hang above. A er half an hour, crossings to Calais from Dover. Brittany
the trees give way to a smooth rock ledge rock jutting over Ferries also runs overnight sailings from
the edge of the gorge. I inch out, testing each step, and Plymouth and Portsmouth to Bilbao,
there’s the waterfall to my right. It burnishes the cliff face from where it’s a four-hour drive.
the glossiest of blacks, and brings out seams of orange. dfds.com brittany-ferries.co.uk
Another option is to take the Eurostar
Moving back from the edge, I notice a series of huge, to Paris and then an onwards sleeper
flattened boulders a few metres further along the trail train to Toulouse, where car hire is
that can take me higher still. Erosion has scored them available. eurostar.com
with lines and crosses, so ordered and perfect they seem
fashioned by a skilled hand. I clamber to the top using When to go
crevices as handholds, and straighten to admire the
waterfall. And then I see the back of a man’s head. He’s The experiences outlined are available
standing at the foot of the boulders, staring into a pool from mid-June to the end of September.
beside the rushing head of the waterfall. He doesn’t notice Temperatures regularly reach the
me. I watch for a while before moving silently away, leaving mid-30Cs in the summer months,
him to cast his thoughts into the water, adding them to the although it can be considerably cooler
thoughts of all the others who’ve ever stumbled upon this in the mountains.
hidden place.
Places mentioned
98 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel
Base Nordique Sherpa.
sherpa-chien-traineau.fr
Les Flocons Pyrénéens artisan
chocolatier. lesfloconspyreneens.com
Caves of Gargas. grottesdegargas.fr

More info

Explore France. uk.france.fr

How to do it

ADVENTURE CREATORS’ tailor-made
Heart of the Pyrenees Experience costs
from €545 (£492) per person for seven
nights. The bespoke itinerary features
immersive experiences, and
accommodation. Options include
self-catering, guest houses and the new
family-friendly, four-star Mercure
Peyragudes Loudenvielle. Excludes
travel. adventurecreators.com