Hikers and hermits can reenact an episode of Lost in the dripping coastal
jungles. And when you’re Robinson Crusoed out, hit the bar scene that rages
until dawn.”
The plan: the island is very much about backpacks and buoyancy aids -
don’t bother looking for preprepped packages. Of the beach-bungalow dive
resorts, Big Blue Diving (00 66-77 456415, www.bigbluediving.com
) has digs from £3 to £17 per night; its three-day Padi open-water course
costs a knockdown £150. Or how about a skippered yacht charter with Island
Cruises (77 457002, www.island-cruises.org
) - four days for four from £1,000. A bus-ferry combo ticket to Ko Tao from
Bangkok costs about £14 (www.lomprayah.com
); or you can fly to Ko Samui (www.bangkokair.
com ) from Bangkok from about £177 return, and catch the fast ferry (www.lomprayah.com
); or fly to Ko Samui from London via Bangkok from £640, through Opodo (www.opodo.co.uk
).
5 LANGUEDOC France They say: “This Cinderella of the south was once
overshadowed by gorgeous Provence and the brash Côte d’Azur. Now, she stands
as their equal, displaying a discreet charm that her more-visited siblings
lost long ago. Bas-Languedoc has long, sandy beaches and dynamic towns:
Montpellier, Sète and Nîmes. Haut-Languedoc, split by deep gorges and topped
by wild upland plateaux, is for outdoor fun.”
The plan: for world-conquering cassoulet and castellations, base
yourself in Carcassonne. The Hotel Montmorency (00 33-4 68 11 96 70, www.lemontmorency.com
; doubles from £50) is a picturesque perch; and La Cotte de Mailles
restaurant (04 68 72 36 24) has a mean way with a bean. For a languid
Languedoc tour, a four-night, six-berth independent cruise along the Canal
du Midi with Le Boat (023 9222 4252, www.leboat.co.uk
) costs from £749; Belle France (0870 405 4056, www.bellefrance.co.uk
) has a sevennight soft-pedalling cycle tour from £889pp. Or pitch up at
Camping Couderc in Ste-Enimie (www.campingcouderc.fr
) and drift through the gorgeous Gorges du Tarn on its kayak trails. Fly to
Carcassonne from Stansted with Ryanair (0871 246 0000, www.ryanair.com
).
6 NAM HA Laos They say: “The mountains, waterfalls and lofty plateaux,
coupled with the culture of some 30 ethnic groups, create the ideal
landscape for eco-trekking. Die-hard adventurers can tackle leeches and
thigh-destroying slopes on a true jungle trek; budding anthropologists can
people-watch by ambling through ethnic villages.”
The plan: the Nam Ha National Protected Area has an eco-enlightened
tourism policy: organised treks in small groups only, each led by local
villagers who know all about the fauna and folklore of the province. That
means leopards as well as leeches, and homestays among the Akha
tribespeople.
The best base is the Boat Landing Guest House (www.theboatlanding.com
; doubles from £17, B&B) in Luang Nam Tha, where Green Discovery (www.greendiscoverylaos.com
) does rafting, kayaking and mountain-biking, as well as one-day treks from
£38, seven days from £215. It features in Audley’s two-week Northern Laos
itinerary (01993 838125, www.audleytravel.com
; from £2,450pp); or Mountain Kingdoms (0845 330 8579, www.mountainkingdoms.com
) has a group trek: 23 days from £2,595pp.
7 THE BIG ISLAND Hawaii They say: “It may be less glam than its smaller
siblings, but the Big Island has all the necessary tropical delights (plus
lava-spewing volcanoes), and is less crowded and less expensive. You can
stargaze from Mauna Kea, ride horses over grassy ranch land, and trip across
lava wastes until you're face to face with glowing magma - oh, and bake to a
crisp on white-sand (and black-sand, and greensand) beaches.”
The plan: adventure’s the key word here - and for heli-hiking,
waterfall-swimming, seeing stars, you name it, Hawaii Forest & Trail (www.hawaii-forest.com
) can fix it.
Kona Village Resort (www.konavillage.com
) is the classiest hideaway on the island; seven nights there, with flights
and car hire, start from £2,009pp, with United Vacations (0844 499 2229, www.unitedvacations.co.uk
).
8 SAN ANDRES & PROVIDENCIA Colombia They say: “The two main islands
of Colombia’s Caribbean archipelago have a yin and yang quality. San Andres
offers wetbikes, submarine rides and Segway tours; Providencia is content
with dreamy seascapes and genuine island hospitality.”
The plan: San Andres is overtouristed with Colombian holidaymakers, but
tiny Providencia is lovely, an untarnished corner of the Caribbean that
outdazzles any paradise postcard. Satena Airways hops across daily from San
Andres (£70; www.satena.com ), and
Body Contact (00 57 8 514 8283, www.oldprovidence.com.co
) can sort out your scuba, sport-fishing, hiking and horseback excursions.
Even so, it’s best done as a short flop at the end of a more intrepid
mainland foray. Perhaps a 16-day tour of Colombia and Panama with Journey
Latin America (020 8747 8315, www.journeylatinamerica.co.uk
): from £2,998pp, plus about £520 for three days on Providencia.
9 SVALBARD, Norway They say:“Craggy peaks, dark fjords, glaciers and
purest white snow... the ‘Cold Coast’ is Norway enhanced: colder, purer,
more sparsely populated, more expensive - and a cool 1,000km nearer to the
North Pole. It’s the only place in Europe where polar bears roam.”
The plan: most sign up for a polar boat safari, circumnavigating
Spitsbergen, the main island, and featuring daily dinghy excursions among
the ice floes to look for whales, walruses, reindeer and (of course) polar
bears. The best time is early August, and the ship of choice is the Vavilov,
featured on Exodus’s 12-day voyage (0845 863 9600, www.exodus.co.uk
; from £3,353pp). Also consider Naturetrek (01962 733051, www.naturetrek.co.uk
).
The other option is to fly from Oslo to Longyearbyen, with SAS (www.flysas.com
), and take day trips - tracking bears by snowmobile, hiking on glaciers,
even learning to captain your own husky team. Svalbard Tourism (www.svalbard.net
) lists lots of options. Original Travel (020 7978 7333, www.originaltravel.co.uk
) offers a thrill-packed four-day break there, from £1,375pp.
10 YUNNAN China They say:“Yunnan is China’s It destination. Look
forward to spirit-recharging sunsets along the famed Tiger Leaping Gorge
trek; sunrises atop the Yuanyang rice terraces; back-alley meanders in the
time-warp towns of Lijiang and Dali; and an ice-cold beer in Xishuangbanna
after a jungle trek.”
The plan: the classic Yunnan triangular tour is out from the capital,
Kunming, to explore Dali, Lijiang and Zhongdian - cobbled market towns
connected by panoramic train and bus rides, and crowded with temples, t’ai
chi and (in Zhongdian) Tibetan colour. If you’re feeling flush, Banyan Tree (www.banyantree.com
) has opened hotels in both Lijiang (doubles from £264) and Zhongdian (from
£242).
Several tour operators offer best-of-Yunnan itineraries: Peregrine Adventures
(0844 736 0170, www.peregrineadventures.com
) has a 10-day group tour from £506pp, not including international flights.
Air China (020 7744 0800, www.airchina.co.uk
) has fares from Heathrow to Kunming from £808. Transindus (020 8566 2729, www.transindus.com
) can tailor-make a two-week private trip from £2,500pp, with flights.
Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2009 is published on October 15, at £15.99 (www.lonelyplanet.com
)
