Author: Astone Miya
-
Casablanca
In the 1930s, only two French achievements are said to have surprised the Americans: the First World War and Casablanca. A boom town, nicknamed ‘the African Marseilles’, ‘Casa’ was a city where you could drive around at 130 kph and where the streets were filled with luxurious cars. The city grew from a small trading…
-
Go Birdwatching in Colombia
The array of birds in Colombia is astonishing – this is the country with the most species in the world. Ben Box explores the burgeoning birdwatching opportunities in the Coffee Zone Valle de Cocora, Colombia In Colombia’s Eje Cafetero (coffee axis), houses with wide eaves and verandas cling to ridges, nestling amid coffee bushes, fruit…
-
Peak practice: 5 mountains to master
Climbing a mountain doesn’t have to involve crampons and oxygen masks – and to celebrate International Mountain Day on 11 December, here’s an aspiration list of achievable peaks to scale. From Morocco and Japan to Guatemala, St Kitts and Tanzania, we’ve summit for everyone! Mt Toubkal (4,167m), Morocco Best for: hiking amid Berber villages The…
-
6 Best Colombia National Parks
Colombia has 42 Parques Nacionales Naturales (PNN), as well as numerous other sanctuaries and reserves, spread throughout the country, covering virtually every type of terrain, and comprising more than 20% of the national territory. Although some are very remote and difficult to access, others offer visitors the best chance to get to know the country’s…
-
The Palaces of Fès
Hidden in the narrow streets of the Douh, Zerbatana and Ziat neighbourhoods, just east of the Batha, are some truly huge 19th- and early 20th-century palaces. The heirs have long since migrated to more promising elsewheres, and the high-ceilinged rooms are semi-squatted by poor relatives or rural migrants. If your time is limited, try to…
-
Best of Argentina
1 San Telmo The oldest barrio in Buenos Aires, colonial San Telmo is destination number one for an authentic tango experience. But it’s more than antique shops, bustling street fairs, poetic cafés and fish-netted dancers twirling in milongas. Here tourists, artists, vagabonds and business people mingle, strolling the cobbled streets and frequenting the dive bars,…
-
Close Encounters of the Bird Kind
Shetland is famous for its birds. As well its huge seabird colonies, the islands attract Arctic species and are an important crossroads for migrating birds. Over 340 species have been recorded on Fair Isle, including rare and exotic birds from Asia and America. Twenty-one out of the 24 seabirds common to Britain breed in Shetland.…
-
Complete Guide to Visiting Larache
Bigger than Asilah, and rather less bijou, Larache is a relaxed, faded seaside town, with a good beach and not too many tourists. A halfway house between Spanish and Moroccan urban life, it is a sleepy sort of place, with views over the ocean and the Loukkos estuary, plus the evocatively named, 16th-century Château de…
-
The Vilcabamba Syndrome
At the time a tiny isolated village, Vilcabamba attracted international attention in the 1960s when researchers announced that it was home to one of the oldest living populations in the world. It was said that people here often lived well over 100 years, some as old as 135. Although doubt was subsequently cast on some of…
-
Iguazú Falls in Argentina
Any trip to Argentina should include the Iguazú Falls. They’re the biggest falls in South America – half as high again as Niagara – and a spectacular experience. In all, there are 275 falls stretching over 2.7 km but the main attraction is the Garganta del Diablo (devil’s throat), where walkways take you right above…