December 2022/January 2023

Wanderlust

The magazine for people with a passion for travel

Wanderlust2 min read
Contributors
Travel influencer Tebogo goes in search of Cape Town's finest ‘stays with a view’: “The Mother City is home to some of South Africa's most historic hotels. It&339;s not just about the setting, the best addresses have a timeless glamour and tell the s
Wanderlust2 min read
Welcome
If I could go back in time, I would choose an era when I could travel alongside some of history's great explorers: Marco Polo, Amerigo Vespucci, Vasco da Gama, Gertrude Bell… the list goes on. How thrilling it must have felt to go somewhere undiscove
Wanderlust1 min read
Wanderlust
Taking The Road Less Travelled Shoe 1993 Get In Touch LONDON OFFICE Capital House, 25 Chapel St, Marylebone, London NW1 5DH Subscriptions +44(0)1371 853641, subs@wanderlust.co.uk Advertising +44(0)20 3771 7190, sales@wanderlust.co.uk EDITORIAL CONTEN
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Viewfinder
Cartagena is a city of bold images and complicated histories, as new book Cartagena Grace by Lauren Santo Domingo and Johanna Ortiz shows. The city's UNESCO-listed Old Town may owe its look to the coffers or King Philip II of Spain, but it bristles w
Wanderlust1 min read
Churchill, Canada
The western shoreline of Canada's Hudson Bay sees a huge build-up of polar bears in autumn, as they cluster around the water in anticipation of the ice thickening enough for them to fish. This area is one of the best polar-bear viewing spots in the w
Wanderlust2 min read
Gibraltar
The highlight: At just 6.8 square kilometres in size, ‘Gib’ – as the locals call it – has more to see than most people give it credit for. With its position at the southern tip of Europe, the UK overseas territory is a melting pot of British, Spanish
Wanderlust1 min read
#wanderlustmag
“I saw this young gorilla while trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda. The little ones were all so playful!” Adele Muscat “Visiting the mud volcanoes of the Gobustan State Reserve, not far from Baku in Azerbaijan.” Christine Conway “Standing
Wanderlust1 min read
Early spring, Iceland
One of the great joys of working at this magazine is seeing the annual entries for our Wanderlust Photo of the Year competition pour in. The judges gather, their forthright opinions are shared (in good spirits) and the winners are chosen. This incred
Wanderlust1 min read
Journal
Grapevine 27 Armchair travel 32 Arts & crafts: Uganda 34 World food: Guatemala 36 Sustainable travel 42 Interview: Ade Adepitan 44 WanderSleeps: South Africa 52 Dream sleep: Australia 58 Christmas gifts 62 Dispatches: Thailand 66 ■
Wanderlust1 min read
On Our Radar
A new Genghis Khan Museum has opened its doors in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, just on the edge of Sukhbaatar Square. Its collection stretches back more than 2,000 yea rs, with some 12,000 artefacts presenting the history of the Mongolian Kings and the nom
Wanderlust3 min read
What's New
As January approaches, we can expect a new European Green Capital. Grenoble will be passing its crown on to Tallinn, the 13th city to receive this title. With its UNESCO-listed historic centre, the Estonian capital is one of the best-preserved mediev
Wanderlust3 min read
Longing For A Quieter Life?
Do you have to live on the edge to feel alive? Sue Perkins: Perfectly Legal (Netflix) certainly gives that theory a bit of welly during the self-deprecating presenter's journey through Colombia, Mexico, Brazil and Bolivia. She meets a local comedian
Wanderlust2 min read
Read This!
IN ASSOCIATION WITH Readers get 10% off by using the code ‘Wandering’ on the Stanfords website: www.stanfords.co.uk. Wanderlust members can get 25% off — see p30 by Edward Dusinberre Faber & Faber; £19 Combining travel writing with insights into the
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THE Wanderlust CLUB
We love the Lorton & Horn range of quality travel wallets, organisers and other travel goods, and you will too. Made from high-quality vegetable-tanned leather (there are also vegan versions) and available in a range of desirable colours, they are no
Wanderlust1 min read
New Sleeps
Located to the south of UNESCO-listed biosphere Sian Ka'an, Casa Chablé (pictured top) offers the ultimate seclusion on a private islet in Mexico. This luxury boutique hotel, just 35km from Tulum, is surrounded by five hectares of tropical jungle and
Wanderlust2 min read
5 Ugandan Crafts With An Eco-twist
The Baganda people of southern Uganda produce bark fabric — which is on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list — by boiling the inner bark of a mutuba sapling and pounding it until it stretches like dough. After drying in the sunshine, it turns t
Wanderlust3 min readRegional & Ethnic
Flavours Of The Maya
Until its Spanish conquest in the 16th and 17th centuries, Guatemala was the land of the Maya, who built magnificent jungle cities and cultivated crops like corn (maize), beans and squashes. Today their towering temples lie in ruins, but around 6.5 m
Wanderlust1 min read
Where To Buy…
You can buy bark cloth in its natural caramel hue, or dyed the colour of creamy coffee, at Masaka's open-air central market (note: the thicker the cloth, the better the quality). Connect with Bukomansimbi Organic Tree Farmers Association on Facebook
Wanderlust3 min read
Travel Fit For All
“More hotels in London invite dogs to stay in their rooms than they do disabled people,” Richard Thompson, founder of Inclu Travel, explains. It rings true; I've seen the press releases and marketing campaigns to confirm it. And while it might be inc
Wanderlust1 min readRegional & Ethnic
Did You Know?
Guatemala is the birthplace of chocolate, which was discovered by the Maya. They consumed it as a bitter drink flavoured with chilli and spices, and even buried their royals with chocolate pots as offerings to the gods. Cacao pods were so valuable th
Wanderlust1 min read
Companies Who Are Leading The Way
Located in the UNESCO biosphere reserve of Baa Atoll, Amilla (amilla.com) was the first resort in the world to be verified by Inclucare, the UK-based experts in accessible and inclusive hospitality. Adaptive yoga classes, beach wheelchairs and calmin
Wanderlust7 min read
Ade Adepitan
Has travel always been an interest? Yeah, I've always had this wanderlust: a passion to travel, to see the world, to meet people. I guess it began at home, watching TV. I used to watch all the re-runs of Whicker's World, and then later on, Michael Pa
Wanderlust6 min read
Escape To The Cape
From its location, on a private quay between the V&A Waterfront and the yacht basin, Cape Grace more than lives up to its name. Its setting certainly helps, with guests cheerfully removed from the busier shopping areas of Cape Town's wharf. Instead,
Wanderlust2 min read
Longitude 131°, Australia
Leaving no trace is something to which all conscientious travellers aspire. At Longitude 131°, a glamping site on a secluded sand dune close to the border of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, it's practically in the manifesto. This property is made up
Wanderlust2 min read
6 Travel Gift Ideas For Christmas
Find X5 Pro smartphone, £1,049 Want to travel light and leave the DSLR camera behind yet still take photos you'll be proud of? OPPO's latest smartphone was co-developed with Hasselblad and takes remarkably good images and videos, including in low lig
Wanderlust7 min read
Back To The Forest
Amid tangled vines and stepping-stone crossings where the cool stream lapped my feet, I paused. The sound of snapping bamboo heralded the arrival of a herd of five Asian elephants. Their wrinkled hides were sticky with red riverbank mud and they brow
Wanderlust1 min read
Need To Know
A six-day adventure in Om Koi costs US$700 (£627) per person, including transportation from your hotel in Chiang Mai, all meals, guides, activities and homestay accommodation. Trips run with a minimum of four people and are currently booked through t
Wanderlust12 min read
Tales Of The Sea
“Take a look. Go on. What do you think that island is made of?” asked my guide Dirk Laifoo, handing me a pair of binoculars and gesturing northward. I took them and squinted at a jagged mass of dark brown bobbing on the open sea. My mouth fell open.
Wanderlust22 min read
Heart Of A Nation
A series of huge projects are changing the face of Saudi Arabia, but none is more symbolic than the restoration of its old capital, finds Lyn Hughes “Many people don't know Saudi food,” explained Hadeel Al Mutawa, the female founder of Takya restaura
Wanderlust1 min read
Six Ethical Elephant Adventures
The inspirational Lek Chailert (herself a Karen woman) has spent years supporting elephants across Thailand. Her excellent sanctuary currently hosts 118 pachyderms, many of them elderly retirees from logging or tourism. It allows day visits as well a
Wanderlust19 min read
Sustainable SPAIN
Valencia may be known for its paella and world-class architecture and design but the city is also at the forefront of some of Spain's most innovative sustainable initiatives. Already shortlisted to become the EU's Green Capital 2024, the city has a 1
Wanderlust16 min read
Alternative Winter Experiences
While Shetland plays host to the fiery Up Helly Aa festival every January, the little fishing town of Stonehaven, near Aberdeen, lights up just as spectacularly for Hogmanay. The Fireball Ceremony sees locals swinging flaming wire cages parade the ma
Wanderlust13 min read
A History Written In Stone
The Great Lakes. Even its name conjures something vast and brooding. Yet my first encounter with a region that spans the US-Canada border showed it to be far from what I'd imagined. Its waters slid between a rich caramel and a deep turquoise colour,
Wanderlust1 min read
At A Glance
Population: 529,410 Average max July temperature: 25.2°C Famous for: Founding of the Polish state; colourful main market square; active, student-fuelled club scene Population: 198,613 Average max July temperature: 25.1°C Famous for: Birthplace of Nic
Wanderlust1 min read
Discover
Double bill: Poznań & Toruń 168 Hidden USA: Capital Region 170 Indigenous: Lithuania 174 World heritage: Villa de Leyva 176 British break: Isles of Scilly 178 Off grid: Nuuk, Greenland 182 Short break: North Rhine-Westphalia 186 Top guide: Craig Wick
Wanderlust3 min read
Poznań & Toruń
Poznań traces its roots to the 8th century, before the founding of the Polish state. The country's first ruler, Mieszko I, was reputedly baptised here and remains buried, alongside several other former Polish leaders, at Poznań Cathedral. Over the ce
Wanderlust4 min read
US Capital Region
To outsiders, the Capital Region is often a confusing concept. ‘Is Washington, DC a state?’ is just about the most commonly asked question. (Answer: no, it's a district – cue puzzlement).Then there's what lies beyond America's political centre. There
Wanderlust1 min read
Need To Know
Geography: Capital Region consists of Washington, DC and the states of Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. Getting there: Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) welcomes daily non-stop flights from London Heathrow with British Airways (ba.com), A
Wanderlust2 min read
Things To Do
Just 24km from DC and home to the most dramatic falls on the Potomac River, the 323-hectare Great Falls Park in Virginia serves up a multitude of walking trails, rapids (classes 5-6) and what's left of the Patowmack Canal, built under George Washingt
Wanderlust4 min read
Karaim, Lithuania
You may not have been aware of it, but this was the ‘Year of the Karaim’ in Lithuania. At the official declaration, Lithuanian prime minister Ingrida Šimonyte described the Karaim people as a “unique treasure”, though official figures show there are
Wanderlust2 min read
Villa de Leyva
Less than a three-hour drive from Colombia's capital, Bogotá, lies one of the country's most quaint and engaging historic towns. Although still not well known to international audiences, Villa de Santa María de Leyva, as the town is formally known, w
Wanderlust1 min read
Need To Know
Location: Villa de Leyva lies 165km from Bogotá – a drive that can take up to three hours (or more during the weekend exodus of Bogatanos). The nearest international airport is Bogotá's El Dorado. Regular buses and minibuses connect it to different p
Wanderlust4 min read
Isles of Scilly
Some drove through the night, others took the sleeper train to Penzance, but we all arrived in good time for the morning boat to the Isles of Scilly. The long build-up is more than a necessity; it eases visitors into island life, where things move sl
Wanderlust5 min read
Nuuk, Greenland
Winter bathers strip down and fling themselves into Nuuk's icy fjord every Sunday morning, sandwiched between statues of a bronze Hans Egede (the Dano-Norwegian Lutheran missionary who founded the city) and a granite effigy to the Mother of the Sea.
Wanderlust1 min read
4 Top Things To Do
SHOP in the independent stores of Hugh Town on St Mary's. Slip into Silver Street Gallery for local art, peruse the beach-chic IoS-branded clothing of 49 Degrees and search for island mementos in Stone Shop and Tideline. When you're all shopped out,
Wanderlust1 min read
Need To Know
International dialling code: +299 Currency: The Danish krone (DKK), currently DKK8.37 to the UK£. Contactless payment is everywhere here (except on the bus!). Alternatively, there are ATMs in the city centre. Getting there: All flights to Greenland s
Wanderlust1 min read
4 Top Things To Do
Nuuk is a city of few roads but has 880+ private boats to call on. Nuuk Water Taxi (watertaxi.gl) operates from the Colonial Harbour and can take you whale watching, fishing or into the icefjord. Paradisdalen (Paradise Valley) – just behind the priso
Wanderlust6 min read
North Rhine-Westphalia
As destinations go, North Rhine-Westphalia is a rather unconventional one. This is not the Black Forest or Bavaria, with their castles, cobblestones and half-timbered villages. Instead, its heartland is a densely populated and scenically underwhelmin
Wanderlust1 min read
4 Top Things To Do
Watch the film RUHR 360° in the Portal of Industrial Heritage in Zeche Zollverein (€8/£7; zollverein.de). A mix of music and great imagery recreates the whole dance of industry that has been the lifeblood of the Ruhr. Then climb the steps to its roof
Wanderlust2 min read
Craig Wickham
What's so unique about Kangaroo Island? It delivers a microcosm of Australia: sheep and cattle farms, red dirt roads, deserted beaches, rugged coastline, eucalyptus trees to the horizon, friendly locals, delicious food and wine, and of course, marsup
Wanderlust1 min read
Letter Of The Month
I have just returned from a two-week circuit of the parks and canyons of Utah and Arizona in the USA. I thought that it would be useful to share some of what I encountered. For instance, the campgrounds and roads limit campers (RVs) to less than 22 f

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