Sorry, Maldives...
We love you, but we've got a new flame.
Brazil: The World Cup is still more than a year away, the Olympics nearly four. But after the resounding success of London 2012, the eyes of the nation - and, indeed the world - are already turning to Brazil. Rio de Janeiro is already gearing up for the 2016 Olympics. Its 2013 carnival in February is tipped to be the biggest and most popular yet. And considering what a spectacle Rio Carnival is, imagine its opening ceremony (we got a taste for it at London's closing ceremony in August, and it put our Spice Girls in the shade somewhat).
Amsterdam: Funny,
crazy, surprising things tend to happen in Amsterdam. And not just after a
visit to the magic-mushroom shop, either, evoked so brilliantly by Geoff Dyer
in Yoga For People Who Can't Be Bothered To Do It. It's a good-time city, and
even though it's getting all cleaned up now, we still love popping there for
long weekends of good times. There's something marvellous about a place of
cyclists and boat-folk. It is friendly, open-minded, and certain neighbourhoods
- picturesque on the canals, industrial down by the docks - buzz with
creativity. And 2013 is set to be buzzier still. Celebrations will include the
400th anniversary of the city's canals and the reopening of the Rijksmuseum
after a 10-year closure, just in time for Van Gogh's 160th birthday. It was
joined, in September 2012, by the renovated Stedelijk Museum of contemporary
art, which opened again after nine years off.
Congo: Its very name conjures up images of exoticism, quintessential Africa, of David
Livingstone and Joseph Conrad paddling up the Congo River into the great
unknown. And most of the Congo is still unknown. Its rainforest is the second
largest in the world, and it has barely been touched. Among it lives diverse
and abundant wildlife including mountain gorillas, African forest elephants,
bonobos or pygmy chimpanzees - all endangered, all found only in the Congo. It
also has the most monkeys in Central Africa. But until very recently, this
exceptional wildlife has remained out-of-bounds - the country wasn't safe for
tourism, and there was nowhere to stay anyway. Now the political situation has
settled down and there are two brand-new safari camps. Both are in the Republic
of Congo, ethically created by Wilderness Safaris. Lango Camp is in the
Odzala-Kokoua National Park; and Ngaga Camp is set deep in the forest, near to
where the mountain gorillas live.
Galapagos Islands:
Galápagos is one of the most fascinating places on earth, an evolutionary
melting pot. In the Pacific Ocean, around 500 miles off the coast of Ecuador,
the archipelago is renowned for its incredible number of rare and endemic
species. It's already at the top of many wishlists, for the intrepid and for
animal-lovers. So this three-part documentary by the UK's most beloved
naturalist, which shows the islands' unique wildlife in a more lifelike way
than ever, is bound to prompt many to go and see it for themselves. 'Galápagos
is full of drama, full of charismatic creatures,' says Attenborough. 'It is one
of the most wonderful places in the world. There are extraordinary creatures
living there, that live nowhere else… They have remained isolated for so long
that they still haven't become frightened of human beings.'
Kashmir: The most
exciting new place to ski, it turns out, is Kashmir. Up in northwestern region
of the Indian subcontinent, high in the Himalayas, the country's main ski
resort of Gulmarg has uncharted slopes where the skiing is about as off-piste
as it gets. It's got the world's highest gondola, which takes you up to
13,400 ft; a helicopter can take you higher still, for first descents. It is
possible to ski for hours without seeing any other people at all. Down at the
foot of the Pir Panjal range of mountains, meanwhile, Dal Lake offer an
altogether different landscape. It's a dreamy little world on water. Everyone
lives on houseboats; you go to market, through the misty morning sunlight, in a
canoe, where hawkers paddle up and tout garlands of flowers, none as beautiful
as the lilies floating on the lake's glassy surface. Only the intrepid have
dared to visit Kashmir in recent years, due to the political strife. But now,
in times of peace, we can't wait to go.
Mayan Riviera: Assuming that the world does not come to an end on 21 December 2012,
as the Mayan calendar foretells, the Mayan Riviera is set for a bounteous year
in 2013. On the eastern tip of Mexico, way out in the Caribbean Sea, the Mayan
Riviera was until recently a playground for America's rich and famous with
hippy leanings at weekends. But new direct flights with BA and Virgin from
London to Cancun make Mexico's Caribbean coast accessible (as little as 10
hours) for UK players, too. And a smattering of new rustic-chic little
properties which have opened around Tulum make great places to stay for
discerning travellers seeking barefoot luxury.
New Zealand: No
prizes for guessing why New Zealand is going to be firmly on the map in 2013.
In a word: Hobbits. The Lord of the Rings trilogy did great things for its
otherworldly mountainous interior, where it was shot; and now the biggest film
of the year, The Hobbit, will be prompting trips to the Antipodes all over
again. You can visit Hobbiton, the fairytale village of JRR Tolkien's
imagination, which was shot on a farm in the Waikato region of North Island
(there's even a tiny pub where you can eat and drink, overlooking the lake).
More dramatic is to head into the mountains of the Tongariro National Park,
used as the setting of Mordor. It is dramatically beautiful, completely
unspoilt; there are volcanoes and steam vents and emerald lakes to swim in; and
barely another soul around to spoil the view.
Panama: No longer
just a place where ships pass in the night, Panama is the cool Caribbean
destination of the moment. There is great change afoot; and it will continue to
change over the next few years, with interesting developments that will ensure
it becomes known for more than its legendary canal. Not least of these
developments is Frank Gehry's Museum of Biodiversity, already having something
of a Bilbao Effect. It is as striking as the Guggenheim, with trademark
shimmering waves in as many colours as the tropical fish that swim through the
Panama Canal from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea. A few miles
off-shore, the private, sustainably-developed Pearl Island will open,
surrounded by gloriously turquoise waters with 14 private beaches and a handful
of lodges to stay in and also to buy.
Oman: It's still an
unknown entity, most of Oman; a vast, unexplored nib on the Arabian Peninsula.
Yet this Arab state is beginning to register on the radar, chiefly thanks to a
couple of super-star hotels that offer perfect peace in remarkably isolated settings.
It is becoming quietly popular among those who eschew the glittering
skyscrapers of its neighbouring UAE, who have done Jordan and Morocco, and who
are looking for something off the beaten track. Oman has vast tracts unbeaten,
from hostile desert to the far-flung Musandam Peninsula, whose shores are the
palest blue. In Musandam, Six Senses Zighy Bay resort offers the kind of
privacy afforded only by the very rich. The only way to get there is by boat,
or driving across the desert in a 4x4 from Dubai and then - if you're up for it
- paragliding down the mountains to land at the hotel. The view from your villa
is of the Persian Gulf and little else, save the Sultan of Oman's boat, the
only craft on the horizon. And good news for those who'd rather get their highs
on a mountaintop: the lovely Alila Jabal Akhdar hotel is opening in
2013 in similarly glorious isolation, 2,000 metres up, overlooking a dramatic
gorge and the Hajar Mountains. Rugged and spectacular.
Courtesy of Cntraveller
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