BEST OF THE WORLD 2022
Adventure
PALAU
GO SHARK DIVING IN THE PACIFIC
Step off the plane at Palau International Airport and the stamp in your passport will include the Palau Pledge, which all visitors must sign, promising that ‘the only footprints I shall leave are those that will wash away’. The pledge was drafted by and for the children of this remote western Pacific archipelago to help protect its culture and environment from the negative impacts of tourism.
Some 80% of Palau’s waters — recognised by National Geographic’s Pristine Seas project as one of the richest marine ecosystems on the planet — is preserved as the Palau National Marine Sanctuary. At 193,000sq miles, the sanctuary is one of the world’s largest protected marine areas, safeguarding more than 700 species of coral and 1,300 species of fish.
During the 20th annual Shark Week Palau, from 27 February to 6 March 2022, divers can observe and participate in citizen science-assisted counts of numerous shark species. Daily dive sites are chosen for their abundant sharks and other marine life, including large aggregations of manta rays and thousands of spawning fish. Snorkellers can join a February or November Oceanic Society tour of Palau’s UNESCO World Heritage-listed Rock Islands Southern Lagoon.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER (INDIA)
CHANKILLO, PERU
VISIT A NEWLY LISTED UNESCO TREASURE
Six hours north of Lima, in Peru’s largely undiscovered north, stand 13 time-worn mounds spread across a hillside like the ridged backbone of a dinosaur. More than 2,300 years old, these towers form the oldest astronomical observatory in the Americas. In July 2021, they were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Thor Heyerdahl mentions them in his classic travelogue Kon-Tiki, but hypotheses about their use weren’t formalised until 2007. Located in the Casma-Sechín river basin, this pre-Incan 300-metre-long chain of towers allowed the sun-worshipping inhabitants to observe the sunrise and sunset to plan their planting and harvesting seasons, as well as religious festivals.
Other attractions in the area include the UNESCO-listed sites of Chan Chan, the largest pre-Columbian city in South America, and the Huaca de la Luna (Temple of the Moon) in the Moche Valley. Also worth a visit are the pre-Incan settlement of Chavín de Huántar in the Huayhuash mountain range and Kuélap, a medieval citadel nicknamed the ‘Machu Picchu of the North’.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER (UK)
RIVER SEINE, FRANCE
CYCLE FROM PARIS TO THE ENGLISH CHANNEL
La Seine à Vélo is a picture perfect new cycling trail worthy of French painter Monet, whose former house and famous water lilies in Giverny can be visited en route. But the 270-mile Paris-to-the-sea path, which opened in October 2020, offers lesser-known masterpieces, too, such as the colourful street art that brightens the Canal Saint-Denis in Paris.
Along the trail’s 15 stages, bikers also pass through protected natural areas, including Normandy’s Grande Noë Bird Reserve, located along a major migratory flyway. While rolling across Normandy, they can visit the ruins of Jumièges Abbey, founded around 654, and take a Benedictine monk-led tour of Abbey of St Wandrille, a centuries-old working abbey. The tearoom and gardens of Château de Bizy, a royal residence built in 1740, offer a moment’s respite from the two-wheeled trek.
And, while Monet isn’t the only reason to ride the trail, pedal-pushers who love paintings should allow extra time for the Giverny Museum of Impressionism, which explores the revolutionary 19th-century art movement.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER (FRANCE)
COSTA RICA
GO ON A COAST-TO-COAST TREK
Stretching across Costa Rica from the Caribbean to the Pacific, El Camino de Costa Rica is a 174-mile window into life far off the well-trodden tourist path. The 16-stage hiking route primarily follows public roads as it passes through remote villages and towns, indigenous Cabecar lands and protected natural areas. It’s designed to spark economic activity in rural districts: local families, nonprofits and a network of micro-entrepreneurs provide most of
