Destination guides
Read before you travel
Long-form, practical guides written by our curators: seasons month by month, the places worth basing yourself in, what to eat, and the small logistics that decide whether a trip runs smoothly.
Australia · Oceania
Australia
A continent-sized country where the distances decide the itinerary. How to choose between the east coast, the red centre and the west, and when each is at its best.
- Sydney
- Uluru
- Great Barrier Reef
Mauritius · Indian Ocean
Mauritius
An island you can drive across in two hours, with four distinct coasts, a volcanic interior and a Creole food culture that is reason enough to go.
- Le Morne
- Chamarel
- Blue Bay
Jordan · Middle East
Petra
A Nabataean capital carved into sandstone over two thousand years ago, best understood over two days rather than one — and best combined with Wadi Rum.
- The Treasury
- The Monastery
- The Siq
Kazakhstan · Central Asia
Almaty
Kazakhstan's green former capital, sitting directly beneath the Tien Shan — a city where you can ski, eat well and be in a canyon the size of a small Grand Canyon by lunchtime.
- Big Almaty Lake
- Charyn Canyon
- Shymbulak
Australia · Tropical North Queensland
Kuranda
The rainforest village above Cairns, reached by a 1890s mountain railway and returned from by cableway over the canopy — the best single day out in Tropical North Queensland.
- Skyrail
- Scenic Railway
- Barron Falls