Travel in Gabon

Paris might not be the city that never sleeps but when it's awake, it's all go, go, go. This season's no different, with so many events to put on your list that it's hard to decide what to do in Paris right now. While the fall's headliners are Paris Fashion Week and the Rugby World Cup, there's a ton of new art openings, exciting new restaurants, places to stay, and more, to explore off the runway and the field.

There's a scene in Succession, that near-Shakespearean takedown of the superrich, where eldest son Connor complains that he had to fly back “scheduled.” Family patriarch Logan Roy oozes sarcasm: “Oh, I'm sorry, son. That's really tough.” In fairness, to misquote Kate Moss, nothing tastes as good as private feels right now—especially when you're at 41,000 feet being served a menu concocted by Jean-Georges Vongerichten. The private airplane has been the poster child of elite travel ever since the original jet-setters started flying down to Acapulco, with Sinatra on the airwaves (or on board), in the 1950s. There's an eternal allure to taking off at a whim, unscheduled. Put simply: to freedom.

We wanted to pack a lot into our few days in Paris: the Mark Rothko exhibition at La Fondation Louis Vuitton (until April), and, for my techie husband, the new Maison Poincaré maths museum near the Sorbonne (monoglot polymaths can relax: it’s bilingual). We’d been too late to book for Serge Gainsbourg’s house on the Left Bank (already sold out for 2024!) but the new Quai de la Photo floating contemporary photography museum was showing work by the late Jane Birkin’s daughter, Kate Barry. We also wanted to wander round galleries in newly arty Rue Béranger in the Marais and maybe catch Franco-Gabonese artist Myriam Mihindou at Musée du Quai Branly.

Paris, the epicenter of culinary innovation, is abuzz with new dining destinations that are redefining the city's gastronomic landscape. From the opulent revival of iconic Art Nouveau bastions like Maxim's to the daring and adventurous flavors found at spots like Boubalé, showcasing the richness of Eastern European cuisine, the dining scene in the French capital has reached a fever pitch of excitement. This curated list unveils the top 10 hottest restaurants, each offering a unique blend of tradition, innovation, and a tantalizing journey through diverse culinary narratives, promising a feast for the senses and an exploration of Parisian dining at its most avant-garde.

This September 26, something exciting is brewing at the Ritz Paris. The celebrated hotel is about to unveil its brand-new fine-dining restaurant, Espadon, with Chef Eugénie Béziat at the helm. It's a big deal because Béziat is breaking the mold as the Ritz's first-ever female chef. Yes, you heard it right, and she's ready to bring her unique flair to the table.

It’s that time again to get behind the lens of some of the world's best wildlife photographers with a first selection of images entered in the 2023 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

It once contained one of the densest wildlife concentrations in Africa. But once the Mozambican Civil War broke out in 1977, the wildlife in Gorongosa National Park was one of the casualties; at one point, a count of zebras in the park was reduced from 3,500 to nine. Starting in 2004, though, American philanthropist Greg Carr working with the Mozambique government began the process of returning the wildlife population to this territory in what is regarded as the greatest restoration project on the continent. In a week long tour scheduled for September, 2024 and conducted by Natural World Safaris as part of the company’s Expeditions for Change program, those efforts will be on view in experiences that will resonate even to those on frequent safaris.

Good news and bad news from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as the agency has taken six countries off of their “do not travel” list. Gabon, South Korea, Spain, Czech Republic, Faroe Islands, and Uganda were all deemed as doing well enough in the pandemic to be moved down to the CDC’s Level 3 ranking (COVID-19 High).

If you like getting up close and personal with the animal kingdom on your travels, these trip ideas should appeal. From alligators to zebras — via reindeer, cheetahs, baboons and gorillas — we've herded together a veritable wildlife park to inspire you.