Leaving Las Vegas: ghost towns and alien encounters in rural Nevada
Viva Las Vegas! When Elvis Presley sang those words 50 years ago, he captured the essence of the famous desert resort city. Vegas is always full of life, from the surging crowds along the sidewalks of The Strip to the dramas playing out around the tables in its many casinos. There comes a time, thou
Off the beaten track in Borneo
From steaming jungle to the cloud-capped summit of Mt Kinabalu, Borneo’s natural wonders are undeniable. But the island is no longer the deserted paradise it once was.Package tours and cheap flights from Southeast Asia have placed Borneo firmly on the tourist trail, and solitude is becoming hard to
The train less taken: riding Siberias BAM
Branching off from Tayshet, a junction town on the Trans-Siberian railway, the BAM (Baikal-Amur Mainline) stretches for 3140km through Siberia, culminating in the port of Sovetskaya Gavan, across the Tatar Strait from Sakhalin Island. A hugely ambitious project originally conceived in the 1930s to a
The hidden charms of Languedoc
Unrelenting rain and an April chill greeted us as we navigated the cobbled streets and narrow roads in the hamlet of Gattigues, a petite village in France’s Languedoc-Roussillon. Several twists, turns and reverses later, we discovered our inn. Huddling under a coat, we dashed through the pastel blue
Exploring Indias remote Nubra Valley
Ladakh - the ‘Land of the High Passes’ - is among the most stunning parts of the Indian Himalayas. Wedged between Pakistan, Tibet and Xinjiang Province and India’s Himachal Pradesh, it forms the eastern part of the contested state of Jammu & Kashmir. North of Leh, Ladakh’s ‘capital’, lies a far
Hidden Honolulu: step away from the crowds in Hawaiis capital
Heading for Honolulu? Then you’re probably going to spend time in Waikiki. For many people, the popular beachfront district is all they see of the Hawaiian capital. However, there’s more to the city than tourist-thronged streets and beaches. When you feel like a break from the crowds, take time to c
Italys lesser
Perhaps you have already seen the art and archaeology in Rome, the lemons on the Amalfi Coast and the winking mosaics of Venice’s San Marco. Maybe you just don’t like crowds, or busy streets or tourist menus; or perhaps you just want to see a different side of Italy, one that’s more intimate and loc
Escape the concrete jungle: pockets of the past in modern Seoul
Concrete. Glass. Steel. That’s the common perception of Seoul. And when you consider the damage done to the city during the Korean War, followed by its rapid industrialisation, it’s not surprising that the first thing you notice about the South Korean capital is its modernity. Quiet alley in Seou
Alderney, Sark and Herm: exploring the lesser
How much adventure can you fit into a few square miles? When it comes to the least explored islands of the English Channel, the answer is far more than you might think.Alderney, Sark and Herm share many of the traveller-pleasing traits of their bigger, better-known neighbours, Jersey and Guernsey: f
Ten enchanting travel experiences in Greenland
So you think Greenland is a far-flung travel dream? Pinch yourself. This Arctic country might be huge, but a trip to western Greenland can take in a breathtaking range of sights, from Disko Bay’s iceberg studded waters to valleys so vast you’ll feel like the last hiker on Earth. Start with these 10
Mongolias lost secrets in pictures: the last Tuvan shaman
The high Altai Mountains region of far western Mongolia is a wild, dramatic and exhilarating land where eagles circling overhead are commonplace and glacier-ravaged mountains and ridges soar above 4100 metres. Tucked away in this remote corner of the world, near the borders of China, Kazakhstan and
Dont skip Tehrans unmissable sights
Tehran is the city travellers love to hate, with many avoiding a stay here altogether en route to Irans more popular tourist destinations. But as Mike Milotte discovers, the capitals gorgeous galleries, sociable locals and exhilarating pace give it a beautiful side too.Iranian friends and our guide/
Faraway in the Faroes: island hiking and wildlife watching in the north Atlantic
The Faroes are like nowhere else on earth. Adrift in the north Atlantic, these 18 forgotten islands are thrashed by furious swells and subject to some of the most fickle weather on the planet; all of which is forgiven the moment you clap eyes on their primordial beauty. They may be little but nature
Off the beaten path in Playa del Carmen
Playa del Carmen prides itself on being the anti-Cancún destination, and it’s true that the Riviera Maya beach town exudes a hipper, more laid-back vibe than gringo-friendly Cancún to the north. But make no mistake: Playa, as locals call it, is big-time touristy all the same. Having said that, the l
Mongolia’s lost secrets in pictures: the Kazakh horsemen
The wild and remote western edge of Mongolia is home to a group of Kazakh nomads. Here, among the soaring Altai Mountains, which climb up to 4100 metres, the nomads have lived an isolated existence for hundreds of years. On this rugged frontier, there are no paved roads and the horse is central to t
Exploring Toledo, Belize’s deep south
Sometimes referred to as the ‘forgotten district’ of Belize, sleepy Toledos pristine rainforests, traditional Maya villages and idyllic offshore islands remain largely untouched by tourism. For many travellers, it’s a too-hard-basket scenario – with Belize’s Southern Highway dead-ending in Punta Gor
Mongolias lost secrets in pictures: the golden eagle hunters
The Altai Mountains run from Siberia in Russia all the way down to Mongolia’s Gobi Desert. An enormous mountain range, it covers a vast area of over 16,000 kilometres and is studded with huge glacial lakes and permanently snow-covered peaks that rise above 4,500m. One of the world’s last true wilder
Seeking the yeti, mythical monster of Nepal, Tibet, India and Bhutan
Everyone has heard the stories. The grizzled mountaineer who stumbles from his tent high in the Himalaya to find enormous footprints in the snow. The lone trekker who spots a strange figure, standing upright on two legs, silhouetted against the mist on a remote mountain pass. Welcome to the mysterio
Back in the USSR: time
For people in Moldova, the recent events in Ukraine elicit a familiar, painful echo. A little over 20 years ago Moldova’s own mainly Russian enclave, Transdniestr, balked at moves toward greater independence. The tensions sparked a short but bitter civil war. These days, the border is quiet and the
Best of the Dampier Peninsula
With its turquoise lagoons and burnt-crimson cliffs, ancient footsteps and historic shell middens, Australia’s remote Dampier Peninsula is home to a number of Aboriginal Australian communities who welcome travellers to their spectacular land and share their traditional culture. In the most northwest
