Table of contents for June 2016 in Wanderlust

“Lions in India? Hah hah, you mean tigers...” is the typical response I get when mentioning the lions of Gujarat in conversation. But there really are lions to be found in India. We seek them out (p82) to hear all about this great conservation success story. We can all fall into the trap of stereotyping a place, so this issue we’ve made it our mission to overturn some travel preconceptions. So, rather than Tanzania’s wildebeest migration, we bring you the wild chimpanzees of Mahale National Park (p116). And, as the USA National Park Service celebrates turning 100, instead of iconic landscapes, we showcase its parks’ equally iconic American wildlife (p34) – and tell you where best to see them. While we all feel we know Greece, we set out to…

BILL ODDIE Wildlife expert One of Britain’s best-loved wildlife experts, Bill has championed birdwatching and conservation throughout his career. He speaks to us about his travels, including the unique landscape of Patagonia (p18) Mountain, desert, ocean or jungle… which are you? Desert – Arizona’s Sonora desert is one of my absolute knockout destinations. First great travel experience? In Britain – visiting Northumberland and the Farne Islands was my first time going anywhere. Favourite journey? The train journey to Penzance on the Great Western Express. If you’ve been going for a long time, you can see changes – 30 years ago you’d see a few herons, but now there’s so much more, like egrets. Top five places worldwide? Fair Isle, Scotland; New York; Isles of Scilly; Armenia; the Biebrza Marshes and…

Thanks to TV shows such as I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, the sight of someone popping a grasshopper or a handful of ants into their mouth to chew on isn’t as rare as it used to be. Yet for travellers they’re a fairly common item on the planet’s collective menu. In fact, about two billion of us consume bugs regularly – nearly a third of the world’s population. It’s not a recent thing either: cave paintings discovered in Spain, dating from 30,000 to 9,000 BC, depict the range of edible insects consumed by humans. There’s a reason they’re so popular: high in protein, bugs are usually used as alternatives to meat, or as snacks in their own right. This is why you’ll find grasshoppers fried with chillies…

Since the 2015 Nepal earthquake, there has been renewed urgency to visit the country where tourism really does make a difference. The gripping central essay of Kingdoms in the Air (Grove Press, £18), by salty journo Bob Shacochis, is a lengthy, lived-in account of his pre-quake visit to Kathmandu and should give you all the impetus you need, and more. The other essays included here take Bob to Siberia, Mozambique and South America – all insightful, evocative and clear-eyed. The ‘great train journey’ has long been a fine way to see a country and meet the people who call it home. Tom Chesshyre’s affectionate Ticket to Ride (Summersdale, £10) takes him around the world – not including Africa – on 49 unusual train journeys, exploring why that rolling travel experience…

ALSO SPOT: Bison • Wild horses • Elk • Brown bears • Bighorn sheep Grey wolves were absent from Yellowstone for 70 years, the victim of a hunting policy in the 1920s that saw its native packs decimated by farmers defending their livestock. They were reintroduced, somewhat controversially, in 1995, and today some 100 wiry-limbed grey wolves stalk the park limits – just listen for their spine-tingling howls! Roadside sightings are fairly common, but Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley is the closest thing to a guarantee. Packs roam here most of the year and ‘wolf watchers’ will usually share their gossip. Dawn and dusk are the best spotting times. Also try Little America, across from Slough Creek, or further south in Hayden Valley where Grizzly Overlook affords a fine stakeout. If you are not put off…

ALSO SPOT: Bison • Bighorn sheep • Pronghorns • Beavers • Burrowing owls While a large chunk of the Badlands is taken up with a 160km wall of tortured-looking, gully-pocked pinnacles, the rest is wild prairie. Under these dusty plains sprawl huge ‘towns’ of black-tailed prairie dogs (so-named because of their tiny bark, despite being rodents) – the meerkats of the US. Prairie dogs burrow to escape hot summers, cold winters and high winds – which is all the time here. Drive the 40km of gravel that is Sage Creek Rim Road and you’ll pass Roberts Prairie Dog Town. This former homestead has one of the largest black-tailed prairie dog colonies in the US. Smaller ‘towns’ can also be glimpsed in the fields of grazing bison en route. Badlands has a lot of walks,…

ALSO SPOT: Elk • White-tailed deer • Coyotes • Salamanders • Fireflies In the Great Smoky Mountains NP, black bears grow up to 225kg and, with roughly 1,500 bears padding the forests here, there’s roughly one per square kilometre, which is as exciting as it is mildly intimidating. They spend their time foraging to build up fat reserves for the long winter sleep, and to spot one is always a breathtaking moment. As stumbling across black bears on park trails is common, you’ll need to keep making noise while you walk – no one likes surprises, least of all bears. Some wander near campsites in search of food, but open areas are the best (and safest) places for sightings. Cataloochee Valley, where the park’s vast elk herds roam, and the 18km road around Cades…

ALSO SPOT: Horned puffins • Orcas • Fin, sei, minke and grey whales Sea otters are some of the most uniquely adapted species on Earth. Lacking the blubber of other sea mammals, they rely on dense fur (for which they were nearly hunted to extinction) to trap warm air close to their skin – and they’re adorable. Spot them in the coastal swells off South-east Alaska, diving for shellfish and languidly grooming in its shallow waters. The sea otters closest to shore tend to be used to boats, whereas those further out simply dive when you get too close. Consequently, Seward’s small boat harbour is a good spot to linger, as otters often drift into the entrance area between the jetties. Larger ‘rafts’ of otters (up to five at a time) can…

When visiting Germany, the temptation is to head for its cities. The history of Berlin, the culinary culture of Munich and the Gothic grandeur of Cologne all offer compelling reasons. But beyond its urban centres, a wealth of medieval villages, scenic valleys and vineyards await discovery. Picturesque hiking routes scythe Germany’s vast rural expanse, skirting palaces, mills, mountains and lakes, and providing visitors with a main artery into the countryside – so get out and explore! Away from the roads, these scenic trails trace the hills, opening up valleys and sky-scraping peaks to walkers and cyclists. Many weave villages and towns where customs have remained unchanged for centuries, and where hospitality means a hearty local meal. Away from Germany’s cities, life is slower, the air purer and the walks more…

Novice paddler Sarah Little found the best route from A to B was by water. She shares some tips from her Mekong adventure… What made you choose to go on a kayaking trip? Our group decided to go kayaking because there was a town in Laos we needed to reach and we wanted to do something fun to get there. We were close to the Mekong river and thought travelling down that would be far better than bus or coach options – you can see much more and it’s active. How easy did you find it? In the beginning it’s a little tough to judge your rowing strength, and you do end up spinning in circles. But once you get into a rhythm, it’s great. As soon as you get…

‘The inner ear detects the position of the body by sensing the movement of tiny grains of chalk that float within semi-circular ear canals’ PARDON? It is always a good plan to sort any niggling symptoms before each trip. If you aren’t hearing too well, it is worth asking your GP if your ear canals are full of wax. If they are, the treatment is to put a drop of olive oil in each ear every night for two weeks then book in to see the practice nurse for syringing. If time is short, over-the-counter treatments such as Waxsol (docusate sodium BP 0.5%) makes the wax softer and less likely to trap water within the ear when swimming. It can save pain later, and the alternative of digging with cotton…

POCKETS Different styles of shorts offer a varying number of pockets, so it’s a personal choice as to how many you think you’ll need. Look for ones that are a good size and also mesh lined to help with ventilation. Also looked for a zipped option if you want to keep something from falling out. INSECT PROTECTION Some travel shorts come impregnated with insect repellent (either with a lifetime guarantee or for a limited number of washes), others won’t. Don’t forget that you can always treat the material yourself. As with any treated clothing, it’s only the part of your body that it covers that will be protected, so use repellent on your exposed legs. FABRIC Look for soft fabric that is also breathable and good at wicking (moving sweat…

VITAL STATISTICS Capital: Manila Population: 98 million Languages: Tagalog and regional dialects. English is also widely spoken. Time: GMT+8 Visas: Not required by British nationals for up to 30 days. Money: Philippine peso (PHP), currently around PHP67 to the UK£. When to go Mostly dry and pleasant with average temperatures of 26°C in Manila during January, which is the most popular time to visit. Hot, humid and wet with monsoonal typhoons during June and July. Health & safety No vaccinations are required for entry into the Philippines, although it is recommended that you be up to date with your jabs. Malaria is not a big concern but precautions should be taken if travelling around Palawan. Tap water is best avoided and protection against the sun is advisable. The Philippines is…

The take-off was a lot smoother than it had been in 1964. Back then, I was in a canvas bucket seat in an Argosy transport aircraft, my fellow passengers cradling sterling submachine guns in their laps. This time, I was in the tender care of a busy airline and was thoroughly scanned for weapons before boarding. Times change. In 1964, I was headed to the state of Sarawak in Borneo to play a part in protecting the newly independent Malaysia from the military threat then posed by President Sukarno of Indonesia. I could expect a very different Malaysia this time. We descended towards Kuching, the capital of Sarawak. When I last saw it, Kuching was a small town where kerosene lamps lit many of its buildings. What greeted me now…

Chasing mythical creatures. I spent a night searching for dragons in the Swiss Alps. Dom Tulett Dreaming of the Azores. We have been wanting to go there ever since reading about it in @wanderlustmag! TheTPJournal Exploring lesser-known areas of the UAE. Falling in love with the desert in the other emirates: Sharjah and Fujairah. KayTro Plotting strolls in some of England’s best countryside. There are some great walks where I am caravanning for the next month – the North York Moors. Matthew Blurton Seeking adventure in Madagascar. It’s definitely on my wanderlist! Thanks @wanderlustmag LindaPeters64 Endorsing Britain’s scenery. Having lived in the Lake District and hiked as much as possible during my three-and-a-half years in the UK, it’s stunning. Suzanne Tremblay Realising there’s nothing better than your own country. Been…

Zoe Tucker Travel Specialist for Vietnam, Rickshaw Travel, (rickshawtravel.co.uk) Zoe recounts many of her fondest memories How long have you worked for Rickshaw Travel? A year. What did you do before and what attracted you to the job? After studying tourism management at Bournemouth University, I worked for a couple of different travel companies but when I saw the job advert for Rickshaw Travel, I just had to apply. Its style of travelled really appealed and they are a fun and friendly bunch! What do you like about your role? I like that my role is really varied. I spend time speaking to our customers, help other departments to improve our products, write content and blogs and still have time to help out with other tasks. What challenges have you…

Before you arrive Nairobi’s reputation for crime, often dubbed ‘Nairobbery’, sadly precedes it. Consequently, many visitors opt to skip Kenya’s capital. But common sense prevails here: take taxis at night, don’t flash your cash around and you will be fine. Behind the lurid headlines, Nairobi is a city of warm hospitality, with phenomenal wildlife attractions and emerald forests all within its limits. On its doorstep also lies the Great Rift Valley, where treks up dormant volcanoes and along lush green mountain ridges reward tenacious hikers. At its centre, the capital is a rich melting pot and a meeting point for many of Kenya’s ethnic groups, making it a likeable blend of old and new. Explore traditions and rustic eateries alongside a new wave of hip neighbourhoods and restaurants that have…

Get orientated Carved into a towering granite rock face and rising high above Sri Lanka’s countryside, Dambulla Cave Temple (aka Golden Temple Dambulla) is a remarkable example of religious devotion and royal largesse colliding to exquisite effect. The temple actually spreads over five caves and was first used as a hideout by King Valagamba of Anuradhapura in 102BC, when he was overthrown just five months into his reign. For 14 years he laid low, and when he took back his throne in 85 BC he rewarded the monks who had sheltered him by turning the grottoes into a vast temple complex. Since its transformation, the caves have become an important pilgrimage site for Buddhists. Beyond a gabled entrance, the temples are decked in lavish painted murals and boast over 150…

The train hissed slowly into Ljubljana. On the way from Salzburg I had passed Alpine valleys melting and budding in the first sunshine of the year. It was the perfect introduction to Slovenia’s lush capital. Leaving the station, I took one of the city’s kavalirs – free electric buggies – to my hotel in the car-free city centre and breathed deeply. The speed here was lively but not hectic, with most people either drinking on terrace cafés or strolling the banks of the Ljubljanica river. Cyclists came and went, travelling at what I call ‘European urban speed’ – considerate, kind, calm. None of your head-to-toe Lycra-clad London cyclists here. A short walk from my hotel – Ljubljana is the size of a small town – took me under willow trees,…

1 Travelling is safer than going to work – P45s at the ready; p12 2 Becoming a drone pilot is both time-consuming (six months training) and costly (£2,000); p71 3 Asiatic lions are on the up. There were less than 20 over a century ago, now there’s over 500; p82 4 The Philippines is growing – 400 islands have been added to its portfolio of over 7,000; p98 5 There’s a banquet of edible insects out there for you to gorge on – over 1,500 species to be precise; p16…

‘We got this shot of a baby seal on the beach, and a whale swoops into the frame and grabs it, then lets it go’ When you agreed to meet, I presumed you would live in deepest Norfolk or somewhere in the countryside… You wanted to go somewhere interesting, then realised: Oh god, he’s in Hampstead, London. I’ve read on several occasions that I live in Norfolk, and people often refuse to believe me when I say that I don’t. I have never ever lived in the countryside! Did your love of nature start young – travelling the UK as a child? We didn’t have many family holidays. My mother was in a psychiatric hospital all my childhood, so I really didn’t know her that well. The only thing she…

YES Jenny Fletcher, concerned traveller “I am worried, but not with regards to how easy it might be to travel. My concern is the potential rise in cost. We’ve already seen the pound fall against the Euro. If we can’t trade easily with the EU, will this push up the costs of travel and accommodation? And would we still be entitled to an EHIC card? If not, medical treatment would need to be paid for when travelling Europe.” NO Cathy Aitken, Wanderlust reader “Definitely not. Air fares are usually based on the popularity of destinations, distance or other factors – and not on the fact that we are in the EU. If we leave, I don’t think the remaining countries will want to discourage tourists and lose their financial input.…

ALSO SPOT: Orcas • Porpoises • Peregrine falcons • Ospreys • Golden eagles There are few more iconic American sights than that of a bald eagle in flight, its white head glinting in the cold light. The San Juan Islands play host to over 125 nesting pairs – one of the highest densities anywhere in the lower 48 States. Many are year-round residents, patrolling the island’s shorelines preying on salmon or looming over the prairies looking for rabbits, affording plenty of spotting opportunities. There are around 300 different species of birdlife on San Juan. Bald eagles tend to settle in the far north and north-west but breeding pairs can be seen nesting within the National Historical Park at American Camp, an old US army base dating back to Revolution days set in the more-southerly…

EPIRUS DURATION: 11 DAYS Hiking, rafting, canyoning, castles, beaches ROUTE: Préveza • Párga • Karavostási • Ióannina • Zagóri region WHEN TO GO? June–September is the best time for trekking in the Zagóri region– during winter, the mountains lie under thick snow; Párga and Karavostási can be very busy during mid-summer. Some of the best trekking in Greece beckons between the stone-built villages and bridges of Zagóri, strung in the shadow of the Týmfi range. But getting there is just as satisfying, weaving in and out of the medieval villages and towns of Epirus in the west of the country. Start in Préveza before working your way to the city of Párga, pausing at ancient Nikópolis to see its early-Christian mosaics and Roman museum. Once at Párga, take time to…

Sarah Ahern, Greece product manager at adventure tour operator Exodus (exodus.co.uk), shares her thoughts on finding the perfect Greek island escape… WHY GO: The Greek islands boast archaeological treasures, history, culture, views overlooking an azure-coloured sea and, of course, fine food. Add to this a Mediterranean climate with mild winters and hot, dry summers and you can see why they’re great to explore on foot! WHERE TO GO: Visiting more than one island is a must. Each offers something different, from idyllic scenery and remote villages to dramatic coastlines, beautiful beaches and wonderful walks. Try the lesser-visited islands of Naxos, the mountainous cultural centre of ancient Greece, and Evia, a hidden treasure and walkers’ paradise. WHAT TO EAT: I can’t say enough about the food! From Greek yoghurt and honey…

We’d been on a short trek in Nepal and our five-year-old son had been complaining about his ear. I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t take much notice but my husband took a look and said: “I think there is something moving in there!” A small tick had crawled inside his ear and dined so well that it was trapped between the folds of his outer ear. The blood-bloated tick fell out when we waggled the ear, and when my boy saw his parasite he took great delight in jumping on it. The lymph nodes on one side of his neck subsequently became a bit inflamed but he escaped infection. Ticks can often spread a variety of nasty infections, so seek medical help if bitten.…

ROYAL ROBBINS Backcountry Short £40 The test: At the budget end of the scale come these quick-drying, wrinkle-resistant shorts, with a UPF of 50+, four pockets on the front (with one zipped and one velcro – the men’s version has two cargo-style pockets instead) and two pockets on the back (both velcro). The fabric is soft and an adjustable waist makes for a good fit; however, these were the shortest on test and they did rise up a fair bit when sitting. The waistband is at a good height, though not lined. At 186g (size 12) they are the fourth lightest. IN BRIEF Design: Features: Comfort: Cut: Value: Overall: royalrobbins.co.uk RAB Freeway/Offwidth £45 The test: For something more pared down, this is the new offering from Rab (Offwidth is the…

Colombia Wanderlust forum user Chris Prior recounts tales from his 16-day bike trip The highlight: The friendliness of the people! Must see: The colonial towns of Villa de Leyva and Cartagena; the mountainous coffee-growing region around Honda; and the gold museum in Bogotá. Top tip: Learn some Spanish. Foreigners are not common and English is not widely spoken, but Colombians are keen to talk and want to know why you are there. Cautionary tale: Riding on loose gravel. Beware of articulated lorries overtaking on the wrong side of narrow mountain roads. I wish I’d known... How common ATMs are. It would have been cheaper and more convenient than buying dollars to exchange. Anything else? Go! Colombia is a wonderful and welcoming country. The violence of the drug cartels is long…

Submerged art installations are arguably the next big thing at diving hotspots, with the world’s first underwater sculpture museum having opened in Lanzarote this February. So you’d imagine the above image was simply another elaborate art piece. But it’s not – it’s the real thing. Emerging from the muddy depths of Egypt’s Aboukir Bay, near Alexandria, divers uncovered a colossal granite statue of the Egyptian god Hapy (above). It had lain buried for centuries in silt and clay at the mouth of the Nile, just one of many relics recovered from the ‘lost’ cities of Canopus and Thonis-Heracleion between 1996 and 2012. Now on loan at London’s British Museum, 200 of these artefacts can be seen at its Sunken Cities: Egypt’s Lost Worlds exhibition (until 27 Nov), with their story…

PHOEBE SMITH • EDITOR • Testing the best shorts on the market ahead of the summer sunshine SEE PAGE 79 TOM HAWKER • PRODUCTION EDITOR • Picking out his next meal at his namesake food courts in Singapore SEE PAGE 20 GARETH CLARK • SUB EDITOR/WRITER • Catching the food bug – literally – by crunching on crispy crickets SEE PAGE 16 RHODRI ANDREWS • EDITORIAL ASSISTANT • Mentally making his own pilgrimage to Dambulla’s cave temples SEE PAGE 139…

‘One company toldWanderlust a customer had cancelled a trip to the Galápagos due to the April earthquake in Ecuador – 1,000km away’ Do you ever get the feeling the world is trying to make you believe that you are risking your life by travelling? Media headlines have been dominated by terrorism (Paris and Brussels) and the Zika virus (South America; the Caribbean), not to mention drones (and birds) hitting planes. The papers are clear: we’re safer at home. It’s no wonder that tour operators we spoke to said people are even cancelling trips to places utterly unaffected by current events. One company told us that a customer cancelled their trip to the Galápagos due to April’s earthquake in Ecuador – 1,000km away. But should we be concerned? No, says Wanderlust…

GLOBETROTTERS CLUB London, 4 June www.globetrotters.co.uk The Church of Scotland, Crown Court, Covent Garden, WC2B 5EZ. Doors open at 2.15pm. £6; £3 for members. Call 020 7193 2586 to book. Jeanie Copland recounts her rail adventure crossing China and into Vietnam; Olie Hunter Smart reminisces about kayaking the Amazon. UNCOVERING THE REAL ANGKOR London, 13 June www.rgs.org Royal Geographical Society, 1 Kensington Gore, SW7 2AR. From 6:30pm. £15; £12 for members. Tickets available at eventbrite.co.uk Join Global Heritage Fund UK and SOAS as they unveil the full extent of the Khmer Empire through their ground-breaking laser scans. MUCKLE TOON ADVENTURE FESTIVAL Langholm, 17-19 June www.muckletoonadventurefestival.co.uk Langholm, Dumfriesshire, DG13 0ES. Tickets for events from £5. Call 01387 381196 to book. Now in its third year, this festival is a feast for…

VITAL STATISTICS Capital: Sydney Population: 7.5 million Language(s): English is the de facto official language. Various indigenous and minority languages are also in use. Time: GMT+10 (Oct-Apr GMT+11); Broken Hill is +9.5; Lord Howe Island is +10.5 International dialling code: +61 Visas: Visas should be obtained prior to travel. If applying for an eVisitor visa, these can be obtained online for free at www.border.gov.au and allow for visits lasting up to three months over the period of a year. Money: Australian dollar (AUD), currently around AUD1.93 to the UK£. When to go Summer: plenty of sunshine and average temperatures of around 26°C in and around Sydney. A great time for enjoying the outdoors. Autumn: warm weather with less humidity than summer. One of the best times to visit. Winter: milder…

ALSO SPOT: Mainland USA’s only crocodiles • The endangered Florida panther • Alligators • Giant Burmese pythons • Flamingos The gentle West Indian manatee summers in the freshwaters of Florida’s Everglades, grazing the shallows of the Gulf Coast for up to eight hours a day. With around 6,000 left in US waters, these doe-eyed sea cows moved off the ‘endangered’ list this year but remain a treasured sight for visitors. Manatees are slow-moving and love the shallows – look for their noses when they come up to breathe. For a wild encounter, boat or kayak the Wilderness Waterway, a 160km liquid funnel beginning at the park’s Everglades City docks that launches you among Florida’s ‘Ten Thousand Islands’. Paddle deep into mangrove-studded creeks where manatees (not to mention crocs, ’gators and turtles) roam away from…

ALSO SPOT: Beluga whales • Orcas • Otters • Caribou • Wolverines Every year, thousands of salmon migrate to Alaska to spawn. For Katmai NP’s 2,200 native brown bears (Alaska’s largest coastal grizzlies), it’s the last big feed before hibernation, and here they jostle for the best fishing positions, trying (and often failing) to catch their slippery prey in an unforgettable sight. Many visitors fly to Katmai’s Brooks Camp along the Brooks River, which has three bear-viewing platforms within a 1.9km walk. The most popular lies at Brooks Falls where you can watch bears fumbling sockeye salmon as they leap up the ledge. Away from the masses, try trips to the park’s fringes, with Hallo Bay best in June and Moraine Creek and Geographic Harbor good in August. Among the volcanoes, glaciers and sapphire…

ALSO SPOT: Mountain lions • Black bears • Coyotes • Tarantulas • Colima warblers Known for its vivid birdlife, the canyons and woodlands of the Chisos Mountains thrum with a recorded 15 species of hummingbird. Summer brings the larger Lucifer, magnificent and blue-throated varieties – common to Mexico and Central America – but you can still see birds near the river as late as early winter. Look out for mountain sage in bloom (July–September) – hummingbirds flock to its sweet red flowers. Try following the Outer Mountain Loop trail deep into the Chisos foothills (to Blue Creek) to see purple-throated Lucifers in spring; they move higher up in summer, when you can spot them along the Window Trail. The most commonly sighted bird, the broad-tail, can be found in Laguna Meadows (take the trail…

VITAL STATISTICS Capital: Athens Population: 10.9 million Language: Greek Time: GMT+3 (Mar-Oct GMT+2) International dialling code: +30 Visas: Not required by UK nationals Money: Euro (€), currently around €1.3 to the UK£. ATMs commonly available. When to go Low season: the coldest months in Greece – snow is possible up in the hills. It can get quite chilly but there are still plenty of clear days. Shoulder seasons: best months to visit. The crowds start to thin, the flowers begin to bloom in spring while the autumn colours look resplendent. High season: very hot and can be packed with visitors, especially in the main cities and on popular islands. Health & safety No specific vaccinations needed. Wear sunscreen and a hat. Take a valid EHIC; organise comprehensive travel insurance (wanderlustinsurance.co.uk).…

1 Silfra, Iceland  Silfra, in Thingvellir National Park, is a water-filled fissure that lies between the North American and Eurasian continental plates. Dive or snorkel along it – the visibility underwater is great and you can see up to 70m away. 2 Nissedal, Norway  The Spectacular ‘potholes’ formed during the last Ice Age in Nissedal have since filled with water, making this an ideal secret-swimming spot. The river that once flowed here is now dammed, and on hot days the site becomes an amazing natural waterpark. 3 Hveragil, Iceland  This remote and remarkable hot spring runs through a narrow lava canyon and boasts several small waterfalls. Hike to it and experience a fairytale canyon swathed in steam, then soak in its pools and shower under waterfalls. A very special place.…

1 Pick your subject well  Simple subjects with well-defined shapes make the most interesting silhouettes. Complex and overlapping subjects can make a photo hard to read. If there are two or more silhouetted subjects in a photo, try to keep them separated. 2 Timing is everything  The direction and time of sunrise and sunset is very localised. Before you travel, it’s worth finding out where and when the sun rises at your intended destination. 3 Use your setting  There’s often a silhouette-friendly level of contrast when looking out from dimly-lit interiors onto brightly-lit exteriors. Using a doorway to frame your subject works well for this reason; it adds a natural frame and, if it’s a distinctive shape, helps to convey a sense of place. 4 Alter your settings  Digital camera…

Around us was the chaos of Vietnam. “So is this called Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City?” I asked my guide Ngoc. “You can use both,” she replied, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm behind thick-rimmed glasses. “Nobody will mind because you are a foreigner. I think Saigon is easier to say.” We slurped bun bò hue (a meaty broth) from cracked bowls down a narrow alley on the fringes of Ben Thanh Market. A lady tended to the tick and hiss of metal pots at her food cart. Puffs of insects floated like clouds around the fluorescent lights as the smell of cooked meat and sweet aniseed clung to the humid air. It was the first stop on our late-night food tour of Saigon. “Ok, let’s go,” Ngoc said, putting…

Funeral festival I was amazed to read your article on the funeral of Yohana Sidempa in Sulawesi [April 2016, issue 165], as I was also there. It all started at the Destinations Show. There, I saw a picture of a rice barn in an area I’d not heard of before, so, in the best interests of adventure travel, it was a case of ‘Let’s go there’. I arranged our schedule to coincide with this event but nothing could prepare us for the total invasion of our senses when we arrived at Yohana’s funeral. Dozens of live pigs lashed to bamboo poles were laid at the entrance to the village. Some had managed to loosen their bonds and were dragging the bamboo poles with them as they struggled for freedom. The…

VITAL STATISTICS Capital: Dodoma Population: 49 million Languages: Swahili, English Time: GMT+3 International dialling code: +255 Visas: British passport holders need a tourist or business visa to enter Tanzania. Get one from the Tanzania High Commission (from £40) before you travel, or you can get a single-entry visa at the airport on arrival (currently US$50/£36), though beware the queue. Money: Tanzanian Shilling (TZS) currently around TZS3,120 to the UK£. US$ are widely accepted. There are ATMs in major cities. Credit cards are accepted at most lodges, but you’ll need cash (US$) for tips. When to go The dry season and the best wildlife viewing months. Rainy season, with the masika (long rains) making March-April the wettest months. Chada Katavi is closed from 16 November to 31 May. Greystoke Mahale is…

Pura Aventura The Managing Director of the Latin America and Spain specialist loves Torres del Paine NP and giving something back to the locals How did Pura Aventura start? In late 1994 I was working in Santiago de Chile, translating rather dry technical documents for the UN Population Fund. At the news stands I kept seeing postcards of Torres del Paine. I met Diego Martín (Spanish co-founder) who was working as a volunteer park guard. I think he took pity on me wandering Patagonia wearing a poncho. It took 6 weeks to peel myself out of the park, before hitchhiking to Santiago. The landscapes, hospitality and acts of kindness shown to me left a deep impression. Pura Aventura wasn’t set up until a few years later but the seeds were…

• Essential Info Population: 3.363 million Language: Swahili and English are the two official languages Timezone: GMT+2 (Mar-Nov GMT+3) International dialling code: +254 Visas: Visas are available on arrival or in advance online (kenyahighcom.org.uk). A single-entry visa costs £30; a 90-day multiple-entry East African visa (Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda) costs £65. Currency: Kenyan shilling (KSH), currently around KSH147 to the UK£. Highest viewpoint: The Kenyatta International Conference Center offers a 360° view of the city from its central location. Health issues: Thanks to Nairobi’s high altitude, malaria is not a concern, but antimalarials will be needed elsewhere in Kenya. Check immunisations (diphtheria, hepatitis A, polio, tetanus and typhoid) are up to date. Do not drink the tap water; wash fruit and vegetables before eating. Recommended guidebook: Kenya (Lonely Planet, 2015);…