Travel in city Sanctuary

Costa Rica is one of the most stable countries in Central America, with welcoming Ticos, lodgings to suit every style and budget, and long-established operators offering an array of family friendly activities, from easy wildlife encounters with sloths and toucans to adrenaline-fueled adventures. 

It’s impossible to tell how big the black eagle really is until it alights on the oak tree in front of me, making the branches droop and creak as it clings to its perch like an elephant on a tightrope. With a wingspan of around three feet, this giant bird of prey is far less graceful on its talons than it was a moment ago, when it was gliding in broad arcs over the rippling green valley. As I clasp a cup of chai on a terrace 1,800 metres up in the Kumaon Hills, I’m close enough to see its peppercorn-coloured wing tips.

Recently listed for $12.5 million, and situated 50 minutes from Monaco, Les Moulins du Villars on the French Riviera is an estate with important historical significance and a special connection to Grace Kelly.

While travelling for wellness feels like a modern phenomenon, the Romans were known to travel to thermal baths as early as the 2nd century BC. The earliest spas—the Latin word for which, ‘salus per aquam,’ translates to ‘health from water’—were considered integral to a healthy life. Roman legionaries would sooth their sore muscles in natural spring water and thermal treatments were prescribed to relieve physical ailments. Centuries later and Italy continues to take their spas seriously.

One of the largest hospitality companies in the world is continuing to grow and evolve as market conditions change. Post-pandemic, people are working, traveling and vacationing in new ways. Marriott International is adapting to fit this new world by introducing (and continuing) innovative initiatives to stay relevant to both consumers and investors.

Close to the geographical heart of Australia, Alice Springs feels like a true desert town. Red earth laps its edges. The ocher walls of the West MacDonnell Ranges crowd its southern fringe. Pink-chested galahs wheel and screech overhead, and, lining the streets, gum trees give off the faintest smell of eucalyptus.

Antwerp's modern reputation as a progressive design hub rests on the shoulders of the Antwerp Six, the fashion avant-gardists who rose to prominence in the 1980s. But Belgium's largest city has been a hotbed for boundary pushers since Christophe Plantin established the world's biggest book-publishing workshop there in the 16th century. Its openness is due both to its port, Europe's second largest, and to its multiculturalism (more than 170 nationalities represented). The atmosphere is why Antwerp Six member Dries Van Noten has kept his label's headquarters in his village-like hometown. Now a new wave of cutting-edge creatives are behind buzzy hotels, renewed cultural icons, and an ascendant food-and-drink scene. 

These activities are on the bucket list of many tourists—they seem fun, and are often run by companies that promise that their services are “ethical” and “humane”. We’re talking about tourist attractions that sound exciting and exotic but are actually very cruel and harmful to animals.

Maybe you’ve been chasing national parks since the National Park Service celebrated its centennial in 2016. But have you ever made it to (or even heard of) Dark-Sky Reserves and Sanctuaries? These little-known protected parcels of land are some of the best places to stargaze in the world.

A solar eclipse is a rare event—not just on Earth, where a total eclipse only occurs in the same location once every century or so, but also in the whole universe. Thanks to the relative size and distances of both the sun and the moon, the fact that we can experience an eclipse at all is a cosmically improbable coincidence. So, if you’re feeling bad for missing a chance to watch 2017’s solar eclipse that spanned across the U.S., I’m here to validate your FOMO.

Australia enacted some of the most strict lockdown restrictions in 2020, which kept any and all tourists out. Then, in February, the country once again opened back up to Americans — just in time for the more comfortable Australian winter temperatures.

No matter how many photos you’ve seen, nothing prepares you for the wonderment of Machu Picchu. Abandoned a century after completion and forgotten for over three, the Lost City is now Peru’s crowning relic of the Inca Empire. Any Machu Picchu vacation starts with a good night’s sleep. Named for its thermal springs, Aguas Calientes (also known as Machu Picchu Pueblo) is the location for the majority of hotels near Machu Picchu. Otherwise, it’s possible to take a day trip from the Sacred Valley either by hopping on the train at Ollantaytambo or booking a tour. Across both areas, these are the best Machu Picchu hotels for exploring the sacred city of the Incas and connecting with Peruvian culture.

South Africa has diverse landscapes, from beautiful beaches to rugged mountains, making it a perfect destination for nature lovers. One of the unique accommodations in South Africa is the Stargazing Cube Misty Mountain Cube, located in the scenic Garden Route region.

Modern Bangkok, historical Hanoi and tourism-boom town Siem Reap — home to the world-famous Angkor Wat temples — are some of Southeast Asia's best drawcards, and see thousands of visitors every year.

Sierra Leone has everything adventurous travellers could want – exquisite, empty beaches fringed by palms, rainforest jungles with monkeys swinging through the trees, a fascinating heritage and warm, welcoming people. But its troubled history of civil war and Ebola means that few visitors actually make it here.

Southeast Asia is the quintessential backpacker destination – all noodle stands, grungy hostels and full moon parties, right? Not necessarily. There are still plenty of authentic Southeast Asian escapes. You just need to know where to find them. Start here.

Rough Guides writer Helen Abramson discovers the ups and downs of the Annapurna Base Camp trek in Nepal – all without the help of a porter or guide.

Ever since the 1950s glory days of the silver screen, film producers and directors such as Don Boyd (Elephant Rock, 1977) have raved about how the beauty, light and variety of the Indian Ocean island of Sri Lanka make it a perfect outdoor film set.

Many people mistake Sydney for Australia’s capital – and it’s easy to see why. Sydney has a truly cosmopolitan air, a moving-and-shaking business district, world-class galleries, a thriving LGBTQ community, and plenty of accommodation options to boot. Here’s our pick of where to stay in Sydney.

If the Inca Trail is booked up, or you don’t fancy camping, or you want to hike away from the crowds, there are more treks in Peru‘s Sacred Valley than you might think. Meera Dattani finds some beautiful alternatives to the Inca Trail worth your time, energy and camera-clicks, yet without the permit restrictions.

Blissful Bohol Island is part of the Visayas, the central island group of the Philippines. The 10th largest island in the country, it covers 4,821 km2, Although Bohol is known as an island itself, it comprises 75 islets in total, many of which are tiny are huddled around its northern shores.