Cracking spot for a short break, especially to escape the European winter. I’m writing this a few years later so only a very short entry, but my key tips after spending 3 days there:
Marrakech has 2 sides – the first side is the mayhem of it all, with the markets and busy streets. The second is the hidden and private residences that often sit behind the non-descript walls in what appear to be super dull streets. You can be walking down one of these streets and then suddenly knock on the right door and find yourself in a little contained oasis paradise. Very much part of the allure
So, it pays to do a bit of research to see which of these little hidden paradises you’d like to check out
Get yourself lost in some of the narrow chaotic medina lanes – you’re going to get lost anyway, so just embrace it!
See if you can arrange yourself a day trip into the nearby mountains, which feel a world away from the business of Marrakech. This was probably our highlight
Tallinn’s UNESCO-world heritage listed Old Town, with its complete 2.5km / 1.5mile medieval defensive wall and various hidden bars and restaurants, is one of the prettiest Old Towns in Europe and, when combined with a short ferry ride over to Helsinki and its harbourside, makes for quite a fun European getaway for a long weekend, even in the winter
The winter weather didn’t spoil things from a Tallinn perspective. If anything it made the Old Town prettier with all the snow and cosy when you go from the freezing dark outside to the warm interiors of the bars and restaurants serving the hot spiced cider. Helsinki, however, felt very cold because the buildings were more spread out and the harbourside was very exposed to the wind. It was still worth heading over from Tallinn as part of the round trip, but I wouldn’t suggest Helsinki in winter on its own
5 high level Travel Tips:
1. Stay in the Tallinn Old Town rather than further outside. It may be a little more expensive, but it represents the key atmosphere you want to experience for the trip
2. Be sure to give the local fish breakfasts a good go. We were amazed by just how good they were with the combination of fish, cheese and breads
3. Be sure to try to hot spiced cider. Its an acquired taste but, if you like it, its a gorgeous drink to have when you come in from the cold
4. Getting to Helsinki is super easy. At time of writing, there were 9 daily options to take and take only around 2.5hours
5. Wrap up warmly – it regularly drops to minus 10 Celsius / 50 Fahrenheit
Serengeti National Park is one of the world’s premier wildlife destinations, hosting some of the largest terrestrial animals in the world across a vast 15,000 square km / 6,000 square mile area. The name alone conjures up memories of being a kid watching your first wildlife documentary on TV, and the reality doesn’t disappoint.
The “Big 5” of lions, leopards, elephant, rhinos and buffalo are in abundance, along with thousands and thousands of wildebeest, gazelle and impala that form part of the world famous “Great Migration”. And, to top it all, the Ngorongoro Crater offers the world’s largest unbroken crater for sensational views. All combined, its a sensational safari and one of the world’s best animal travel experiences.
Doesn’t get the top Wow-factor score just because of the intense number of fellow tourists sometimes. But, if included as part of 3 week overland trip camping from Victoria Falls to Nairobi, you’ve got one of the best travel experiences anywhere in the world and comfortably ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ .
Malta represents a great option for a 3-4 day European trip. The Old Town of Valetta is about as pretty an Mediterranean old town as you can get and is a delight to wander around. The various beaches scattered across the islands have some wonderfully picturesque spots for swimming and lazing the days away. And its history – Malta has been ruled over the centuries by the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Knights of St John, French and British – gives a variety of spots that will satisfy even the most demanding culture vulture for a short trip. Add into the mix its warm climate (perfect for Europe’s winter months) and just how compact it is (you can drive from one side to the other in under an hour), and you’ve got a cracking spot for that 3-4 day trip
Whilst I only visited for a short time for lash / partying (and, quite unusually, took practically no photos), here are the top highlights I took from the visit:
Highlight #1 – Valetta. Gorgeous Old Town that will naturally be one of the key places you spend your time. We visited in summer, which meant that it was scorching in the daytime, but was actually quite nice because you can wander around some of the practically deserted streets and churches without hoards of tourists, and get to watch the place come alive as the late afternoon sun starts to set and cool the place down. As with all Old Towns, the best tip is to put away the map and just get yourself lost in the various back alleys and giving yourself that wonderful few moments of feeling like you truly are transported back before the changes of the modern world and the thousands of fellow tourists
Highlight #2 – Mdina and Rabat. Just how picturesque the setting is is reflected in its choice for various exotic filming locations for the TV show Game of Thrones. Even more so that Valetta, Mdina felt like one of those places that transports you back in time as you wander through the honey-coloured buildings and look out across the views from the walls of this hilltop ancient capital of Malta
Highlight #3 – The Blue Lagoon. Based on the island of Comino, the Blue Lagoon is a delightfully picturesque spot for a swim and to chill on the waterfront. Just try to bring either heaps of sunscreen of some umbrellas as there is very little shade there. To get there you can easily take a standard sightseeing boat from either Silema, Bugibba or Golden Bay on main Malta Island
Havar is the most luxurious beach destination in Croatia. You’ve got the glitzy harbour with super yachts and world-class beach bars, a variety of adrenaline pumping lash centres in Havar Town coupled with more chilled out spots all around the island, and places like the Blue and Green caves to be explored by boat all around the island. Definitely one of the highlights of Croatia and the whole Balkans
You’ll typically read in guide books, “for such a small country, Montenegro punches above its weight”, but that really does Montenegro a disservice. I’d be a bit more ballsy and go as far as to say Montenegro’s coastline is the most beautiful in the world. It has the same beautiful clear water and beaches that follow down the Dalmatian Coast from Croatia (if you haven’t been to Croatia- just think very picturesque beaches with crystal clear water); yet with the backdrop of full blown mountains that meet right at the waterfront. When you throw into the mix the picture perfect terracotta roof islands of the likes of Sveti Stefan and dramatic Kotor Harbour with its medieval maze of lanes and Venetian Palaces, and you really do have one of the most beautiful places in the world
I spent 3 days passing through Albania on the way from Lake Ohrid in Macedonia to the coast of Montenegro and not sure I’d recommend it as a destination in its own right. The main reason being that the surrounding countries seem to have so much more to offer. The coast, whilst nice, cannot compete with the magnificent coastline of Montenegro or the nearby beaches in Greece; the interior is also nice, but it is a cut below the view you get over Lake Ohrid in Macedonia; and Tirana is ok to walk around but you’d never chose it over Sarajevo or the world famous Dubrovnik. It gets points for sheer randomness, for example the countryside is littered with 170,000 bunkers to help ward off potential invasion, but overall I’d put it down the list when it comes to places to visit in the Balkans
If you are keen though on a trip around this part of the world with its stunning castles and old towns, and some of the best coastline in the world all compactly housed within the Western Balkans’ 8 countries, see my 2-3 week itinerary for the highlights and general tips for this part of the world, –3 week trip around the Balkans States
You don’t have to head that far out of Ulan Bator to get a real feeling for the wilderness of Mongolia. Gorkhi-Terelj National Park is only 55km / 35miles from the busy, polluted city, yet feels light years away. Once you’re there, there is some fantastic hiking, traditional Buddhist temples nestled in the hills, and the opportunity to stay overnight in the Mongolian Gers (felt yurt huts). Whilst not as remote as some destinations in Mongolia, there are various spots that give you those giant views across the seemingly endless steppes and allow you to spend time with people that are still living the subsistence lifestyle much the same as hundreds of years before. A must if either staying in Ulan Bator or passing through on the Trans-Siberian Railway
I’ve listed some travel tips below, but the main tip I would give is to make sure you spend your evening(s) in one of the Mongolian Gers. Not one that is surrounded by village infrastructure, but one that is isolated and with no other gers in sight – it gives you a feel of what it must be like to live in the isolation here and was our highlight of the trip
Lake Baikal tears up the geographical statistics – at a depth of 1,637m / 5,315ft it is the world’s deepest lake, holding nearly one fifth of the world’s unfrozen fresh water, its catchment area is enormous with 300+ rivers flowing into it, and it is the geological feature that is slowly splitting the Asia continent in two. To top it all, the winters here get so brutal (temperature can drop down to minus 50 Celsius / 57 Fahrenheit) that in January to April even this vast lake freezes to the point that trucks use it as a highway. A key feature in the centre of the world’s largest land mass, it is simply vast and is by far the highlight of a Trans-Siberian trip
#1 Tip – I’ve listed some travel tips below, but the biggest one is to make sure you spend time on Olkhon Island – the serene jewel halfway up the west side of the lake
Hiking in the Ak-Suu mountain region of Kyrgyzstan must be the highlight of Central Asia. Snow capped mountains, remote lakes, thermal springs, great hiking routes, and a feeling of being in a place that the modern world has largely untouched as you still see farmers moving their animals to markets on the same routes you are hiking and people generally being open and friendly to help you. Also, without the usual hoards of tourists for a place so beautiful . . . I mean, how many people have Kyrgyzstan on their summer holiday list?!
As with all places in Kyrgyzstan, there isn’t really an established infrastructure to make things easy for you when you arrive, but this is all part of the charm and giving you that feeling of adventure. So, I’ve added some tips below for how to get the most out of the trip
