You could gain some serious altitude in Nepal and Albuquerque, beat the crowds in Jordan and Cornwall, meet the Grand Canyon’s match in Mexico or hustle for a truffle in the hills of northern Italy.
Here are Lonely Planet’s recommendations for October travel, courtesy of our experts.
Everyone has seen the news reports from the 25 April earthquake in Nepal, but most reports neglected to mention that most of Nepal was untouched by the disaster, including the most popular trekking areas. With the clearing of the monsoon rains, October is once again peak season for trekking, and the Annapurna region is a great, nay epic, place to start.
From the gateway town of Pokhara, which saw little damage from the tremor, classic trekking routes such as the Annapurna Circuit and Annapurna Sanctuary Trek climb breathlessly into the Himalaya, offering the kind of views normally reserved for mountaineers. Pokhara is easy to reach from Kathmandu, also fully open for business, and it’s easy to make arrangements for a trek on arrival. In the process, you’ll be performing a valuable social service, helping Nepal to rebuild after the disaster by investing directly in the local economy.
Jordan’s tourism industry is in a real dip right now, with visitors put off by conflict in the wider region. So despite the fact that the country itself is still peaceful and .
If you don’t have hundreds of euros to spare to purchase your own truffle, you can get your fill of truffle-laced dishes in the town’s many excellent restaurants. For the thrill of the chase, join a truffle hunt with the Consorzio Turistico Langhe Monferrato Roero, and follow a specially trained dog through the woods, sniffing out truffles hidden amongst tree roots.
Every October, hundreds of technicoloured hot-air balloons take to the skies of New Mexico for the world-renowned Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. What started as a small gathering of 13 balloons in 1972 has grown to become the largest balloon event in the world. This year marks the 44th balloon fiesta, which takes place from 3-11 October.
The nine-day extravaganza features carnival events, musical performances, a fireworks show, and of course ballooning competitions. The 360-acre Balloon Fiesta Park is packed to the brim with booths selling everything from traditional New Mexican food to balloon memorabilia. And if you’re a ballooning fan, head to the Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum , to browse through its impressive collection of memorabilia dedicated to the world’s oldest aviation sport, ballooning.
Nellie Huang - Blogger at wildjunket.com and LP Pathfinder. Follow her on Twitter @wildjunket.
