1
CMYK Explore ultimate destinations around the world. Read about related destinations and tips by logging onto www.facebook/ETtravelindia Scan the QR code on your smart phone and access our fan page on the go CONTACT US: Mail your queries and feedback to us at [email protected] R egular travellers are always looking to push their limits... try the best and the most exciting. Whatever the activity, we want to visit destinations that wear their specialities on their sleeve — loud and proud. In this week’s issue of ET-Travel, we select destinations across the globe that offer you just that ‘Ultimate’ experience. For those interested in culture, the highlands of Mongolia come calling, while nature lovers can head to British Columbia and come face to face with bears. Gourmands, we direct you towards Morocco, where spices mix with tradition to bring to the table delicacies that will make your mouth water. We’ve selected places that have something unique to offer... that envelope you in their speciality and send you back home enriched with a new experience. WORK OF ART: Study the works of famed artists like Manet while at the Musee d’Orsay in Paris INTO THE BLUE: Scuba dive to check out beautifully coloured soft coral and fish while in Taveuni, Vatulele or Mamanucas, Fiji. April to October is the best time to explore the Fijiian sea bed NAPA VALLEY, USA The vineyards of Napa Valley in California, USA, are some of the best in the world. Get onboard the Napa Valley Wine Train and visit various vineyards along the region. Try the Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon wines enjoying a hot air balloon ride over this viticultural area. WOW! Pont Alexandre III along with the Left Bank is an artist’s hub. Hobnob with painters, sculptors and poets as you enjoy a meal at a cafe here HEAT IT UP! Feel like you’re at the centre of the world at the active volcano of Mount Nyiragongo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo BAM! Learn a few moves from street Capoeira artistes LOCAL TREATS: Dine at a roof top restaurant or be part of the bustling market scene in Marrakech, Morocco MOROCCO Great for: Food Subjected to Berber, Moorish, French, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean African, Iberian and Arab influences, Moroccan cuisine is spicy and many of its dishes have a history to them. Beef, lamb and chicken preparations are served most often along with couscous. Preparing good mint tea is considered as an art form and the souks (markets) offer many tea joints. Street food like kebabs and barbosa (made with escargot) are a must try while in Djemma el Fna square in Marrakech. www.visitmorocco.com PARIS Great for: Art and Architecture For ages, artists from across the world made their way to Paris in search of inspiration and appreciation. Today, the place has a rich reservoir of art and architecture to showcase. Head over to Musee d’Orsay, home to great Impressionist works by Degas, Renoir and Van Gogh and others. The locality (Left Bank) is a mecca for art enthusiasts. Visit Boulevard Saint-Germain, Boulevard Saint-Michel and Rue de Rennes. en.parisinfo.com BRAZIL Great for: Adventure and Action Whichever direction you look, Brazil exudes ‘action’. Birthplace of Capoeira, a rigorous martial art, watch as street artistes perform to a drum beat. Sign up for a sweat breaking workshop while here. In Rio, don’t forget to paraglide from Pedra Bonita and get an aerial view of the coastal city. For a wilder experience, head for the Amazon jungle for a boat safari and come thrillingly close to alligators, anacondas and dolphins. Also try the helicopter safaris. www.visitbrasil.com MONGOLIA Great for: Culture Unique and relatively unexplored travel destination, Mongolia’s culture has seen very little dilution. Meet with Kazakh hunters who use trained eagles to hunt and maybe even find your way to one of the secret shaman houses. Check out the cave paintings in the Khoud Tsenker region or head to National Museum of Mongolian History to understand the culture better. While here, stay in a traditional yurt fixed up with modern day luxuries. www.visitmongolia.com Compiled by Lara Rebello [email protected] DANCE WITH US: Get an up-close performance by a Rwandan dance group while at the Virunga National Park in DR of the Congo TEA TIME: Join in picking tea leaves on a Puer tea estate in the Yunnan Province ANCIENT CITY: Lijiang’s Old Town in China oozes old world charm with its canals and bridges HAWK’S EYE: Meet with local tribes while in the Ulgii Province, Mongolia LAZY DAYS: Clear waters, coral reefs, untouched islets and friendly tribes-people, together make Fiji a relaxed escape from the bustling city. Take a boat and head out to one of the uninhabit- ed islands for a day picnic. www.fijime.com Ultimate Ultimate Travel List Travel List The The ET-Travel recommends destinations that will top your vacation memories THURSDAY 24 JANUARY 2013 MUMBAI, DELHI, BANGALORE ADVERTORIAL, TRAVEL PROMOTIONAL FEATURE Been on an ultimate vacation recently? Send us your photos and info at [email protected] or upload them on www.facebook/ettravelindia and the best ones will be printed in the next issue of ET-Travel B ritish Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest, a landscape of forests, deep fjords and looming snow peaks, is among the last intact temperate rainforests on earth. Home to grizzly bears, whales and wolves, it’s also the only place on the planet to find the Kermode, or Spirit bear, a rare white-coated black bear. Viewing these creatures in their natural habitat is so magical that the Great Bear Rainforest was listed as one of the “Best Trips” for 2013. Getting here? Fly into one of the coast’s floating eco-lodges. Accessible only by sea or air, these remote lodges, moored in sheltered coves, offer comfortable, and even luxurious, eco-friendly bases for exploring the rainforest. At Great Bear Lodge, for example, guests and guides explore the wilds by foot, boat or kayak before sitting down to meals of fresh-caught seafood. With just five bedrooms, this cosy wind-and solar-powered lodge keeps its environmental footprint small. Set in the village of Klemtu and evoking a traditional long house, Spirit Bear Lodge, operated by Aboriginal people of the Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nation, offers cultural insights and ecological adventures, including a chance to explore the Kitasoo Spirit Bear Conservancy. Grizzly bears are the focus at Knight Inlet Lodge, moored in one of BC’s richest bear habitats. Sea kayaking, rainforest walks and inlet cruises are on the adventure menu too. The luxurious King Pacific Lodge, one of the first in Canada to offer carbon neutral vacations, is anchored in the heart of Spirit Bear territory. Here, salmon fishing, kayaking and helicopter excursions meet organic fine dining and spa services. Of course, seeing a Spirit Bear is not guaranteed (they are notoriously elusive creatures); having the trip of a lifetime is, however, pretty much assured. For more information visit: www.britishcolumbia.travel IN NATURE: Go boating on the waters in Great Bear Rainforest TAKE THE LEAP: New Zealand offers brilliant opportunities for bungee jumping. Head over to AJ Hackett in Queenstown, one of the world’s best bungee points ULTIMATE EXPERIENCES WORLD SPECIAL © Steven Kazlowski/Science Faction/Corbis © David Bank/JAI/Corbis © Yadid Levy/Robert Harding World Imagery/Corbis © Last Refuge/Robert Harding World Imagery/Corbis © Sergio Pitamitz/Robert Harding World Imagery/Corbis © Wolfgang Kaehler/Corbis © gabriela hasbun/Aurora Photos/Corbis © Alex Treadway/National Geographic Society/Corbis © Andrew Rowat/Corbis © Hugh Sitton/Corbis © Stephen Frink/CORBIS © Macduff Everton/Corbis © Tibor Bognar/Corbis © Imagemore Co., Ltd./Corbis Great Bear Rainforest in BC Spirit Bear
