I’ve called out in another travel entry (
2 days hidden highlights of Hong Kong) that Hong Kong will surprise you with just how much natural beauty and tropical paradise is on its doorstep, and nothing shows this better than the day trip to the eastern beach of Tai Long Wan. In my opinion, HK’s most beautiful beach for both sand quality, water quality and surroundings. It’s stunning as you walk over the nearby headland to see the two main beaches with Sharp Peak looming over both of them and, as you get the sampan boat back, not for the first time you’ll be just amazed that you’re in HK
Plan for getting there and back – Getting there and back you’ve got 2 options: road or sea. For road – either take a taxi direct to the Sai Wan Pavilion inside Sai Kung National park, or a bus to the entrance of the National Park (Sai Kung Country Park Visitor Centre – 45/60mins from Central) and then taxi from there to the pavilion (15mins). Must be a taxi as Ubers are not allowed in the park. Once there, it’s an hour walk down to the main beach of Ham Tim. For sea, take one of the speed boats from Sai Kung Public Pier, which you can reach in 45mins from Central. Takes around 30mins and HK$120 / US$15 per person. Can get a little bumpy as you get towards Tai Long Wan, but only for 10mins or so, and along the way you’ll see the UNESCO World Heritage rock formations that hug the coast. My suggestion is to take the taxi to the Sai Wan Pavilion, walk to Ham Tim as you pass by some of the small beaches and villages, chill out on the beach, walk over to the longer Tai Long Wan beach (just around the headland from Ham Tim), and then make your way back via speed boat to Sai Kung Town for some food in one of the seafront seafood restaurants
If looking for a bit more adventure when up in Tai Long Wan, the nearby rockpools are fun and the climb up to Sharp Peak (3 hours round trip) is well worth it for the views. I could write all day about Tai Long Wan, but won’t – instead, Sassy does a great summary here with all the details you need https://www.sassyhongkong.com/whats-on-hk-tai-long-wan-guide-beach-eat-drink-camping/
Its obviously hard not to prioritise the classic highlights of Hong Kong, such as the Star Ferry, view from the Peak etc – and I’ve written a review for top tips on these here at 2 days for the famous highlights of Hong Kong – but if you’re looking for a tropical beach and fun adventure getting there, you won’t be disappointed in Tai Long Wan
My girlfriend and I went on a 6month trip around Latin America (excluding Brazil). Started in the far South in the Tierra del Fuego in Argentina and, broadly, made our way up the west coast to the Yucatan Peninsular of Mexico. Best large scale trip I’ve done, and wanted to share the overall itinerary and tips here to hopefully help those who are considering something similar
A few high level points:
- Other than the flights there and the first hotel, there were only three things we booked in advance: the Inca Trail (which we knew we needed to for permits); plus for Patagonia a trip through Torres del Paine National Park and a ferry through the fjords (as we were going at peak season and only a couple of weeks after we landed). Everything else, we booked when in Latin America and, in our opinion, that is the best way to do it – gives you the freedom to relax in the places you find that you love and be super flexible to do what you want to do
- Total costs – my girlfriend and I went in our 30s, with no kids and on sabbaticals from work. We’re not poor, but certainly not mega wealthy. We didn’t stay in super expensive hotels (other than for the occasional splurge), flew economy and used a bit of common sense for timings of certain expensive items, but never held back on doing the things we wanted to do. Some examples of big ticket items: US$5k for a week diving in the remote Wolf & Darwin Islands in the Galapagos; US$1.2k for 4 days in Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia; US$800 for a helicopter trip to see the El Mirador Mayan ruins in the Guatemalan jungle; US$700 for the Inca Trail. Total cost of the whole trip was US$34k each. This included all flights, transport, hotels, activities, food, drink, guides, screwing things up, credit card fees – the lot. Expensive, but so are most Experiences of a Lifetime
- It’s not about trying to “do everything” – in a place as large as Latin America, you couldn’t even if you tried – so don’t think of things as a big tick box exercise. Brazil, for example, we knew we couldn’t do justice whilst also trying to enjoy all the other amazing places we’d heard of, so left it for next time
- In the similar vain, make sure you give yourself big chunks of time to chill out. Not only to recharge the batteries, but also because most places are enjoyed when you spend time to soak up the feel for the place. There were some places . . . like Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, Buenos Aires in Argentina, Isla Mujeres in Mexico, Bocas del Toro in Panama . . . where I could have spent weeks there just because the general vibe of the place was so wonderful
- Safety – we weren’t robbed, but many people do either having a bag stolen or, unpleasantly, get robbed face to face. Other than a couple of cities, we generally felt super safe the places we went and tried to just apply common sense to reduce our risks
- Learn a bit of Spanish before you go – the app DuoLingo was great for getting us to a basic level that made a lot of difference. But also don’t be afraid to pull out google for simultaneous conversation translations to really be able to have a conversation with someone – some long trips became some of our highlights just from being able to properly talk with the driver / locals. I particularly remember a long taxi ride in Colombia where we went back and forward for 2 hours with the driver on everything from his home town to politics to football to his favourite movies to his family problems- never could have done that without Spanish or google. In a similar vein, and using the right level of common sense, don’t turn down an invite for drinks / dinner / house visit with locals. There are some truly unforgettable natural and cultural spots to see, but similarly an evening with a local family will be something likely to be just as unforgettable
- Whenever checking out a place or must-do-site, its easy to get templed / churched / ancient site / beached out. Always do a very basic bit of research to see if there is a more out of the ordinary way to experience it – by bike / drinking tour / kayaking / helicopter / whatever. Thats what we tried to do, and I hope it reflected in some of the cool stuff listed below
Panama City is definitely worth a visit. First up, you get quite the pleasant surprise when you arrive at just how developed it is with its shimmering glass skyscrapers all the way along the Pacific coastline and an efficient, clean feel that is very different to any other city in Central America. But its the colonial architecture of Casco Viejo Old Town on the waterfront and the great engineering feat of the Panama Canal that are the highlights
Considering you often have to fly through Panama City to get to where you’re going in this part of Central America, I’d actually say the city itself its a must visit if in the region. As someone who’s a bit geeky when it comes to engineering, I personally found watching the ships pass through the docks of the Panama Canal mesmerising
Although sorry for the particularly poor photos for this one!
If you look through a typical European highlights itinerary it will invariably be dominated by the cities. For instance, the Lonely Planet’s top itinerary for Europe is 12 cities and nothing else, and of its 24 overall European highlights, only 6 are not cities (the Norwegian Fjords, the Matterhorn, Greece’s Santorini, Montenegro’s Bay of Kotor, Transylvania, North Macedonia’s Lake Ohrid . . . if you’re interested). It’s understandable – Europe is a centre for culture and stunning capital cities, but it also has some world class experiences to be found outside of the cities and this itinerary gives you a flavour of those with a focus on its mountain and wine regions
With this itinerary you will enjoy:
- Mountains – the most spectacular views of Europe’s premier mountain regions with Switzerland’s “big three” of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau from Interlaken, and the Pyrenes’ Cirques de Gavarnie
- Wine regions – 4 of the best wine regions France has to offer with Bordeaux, Provence, Alsace and Champagne
- Lakes – 2 of the world’s truly stunning lakes with the simply magnificent Lake Como and the Swiss Lakes surrounding Interlaken
- Coastline – the epitome of luxury and style with the most famous stretch of coastline in Europe with the Cote d’Azur, its trio of corniches and Monaco
- Hilltop villages and rural regions – the prettiest in Europe with the hilltop villages and elegant treelined streets of Provence and the timbered fairytale villages of the Black Forrest
- Roman Ruins – some of the best preserved Roman Ruins with the Pont du Garde and the Arles Amphitheatre
- Driving – and of course, some of the best driving scenery in all of Europe as you pass from one mountain range to another and along some of the prettiest countryside on the continent
Interlaken is the gateway to the legendary Jungfrau region with its 3 immortal peaks of Switzerland’s “big three” – the Eiger (Ogre), Monch (Monk) and Jungfrau (Virgin) – and has, quite simply, some of the most stunning mountain views to be found anywhere in the world. There are many viewing spots and cable cars to chose from to get these views, but my top tip is to take the Mannlichen Cable Car from Grindelwald. It’s Europe’s longest cable car, so you have extended views on your 6.3km / 4mile, 19min journey to the top, and when up there, even in busy season, you’ll have loads of room because of the wide plateau at the top to make the short 10min walk to the crown of the hill for the amazing views of the “big three”. From here you also have a range of world-class hiking options
I focused on the hiking, which was wonderful, but there are three things I wish I’d also done:
- Taken the train up to the Junfraujoch station at 3454m. Looks sensational and definitely will next time!
- Got involved with some of the adrenaline sports in what is one of the world’s adventure-sports meccas
- Europe’s longest toboggan run at Faulhorn
As an extra slightly more unusual recommendation, if you’re driving through this stunning part of the world and heading south or east, see if you can work your route through the Murmeltierpark Grimselpass. You’ll be rewarded with daunting views over the Grimselsee reservoir and dam which dominate the surrounding area
My favourite road trip – the contrasts of natural landscape along the way with snowy mountains, red / yellow deserts, and temperate rainforests; the tasters of the different culture snapshots of the US with conservative cowboys through to uber-liberal SoCal and Pacific North West; the sheer world-fame of some spots like Las Vegas, LA, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon; but more than anything – its a trip that is simply perfect for driving. The distances involved, the way the US in particular is set up for the drivers and the scenery to take in in between the obvious highlights is just world-beating
It’s also a super high octane trip – 4200 miles / 6760km of driving – the sort of thing you rattle off in your 20s, when you have the energy, 2 weeks of vacation and are keen to see and do everything. There’s something just so incredibly fun and fantastic about seeing one world-famous site one after the other in rapid succession – one day being in the likes of Yellowstone National Park, the next in Arches National Park, the next the Grand Canyon, the next Las Vegas, the next LA etc etc. An exciting whirlwind that creates a feeling most will never forget . . . and in a way equally spoils / sets the bar incredibly high for any other trip
A bit rushed? – on the trip itself, we didn’t feel overly rushed. Again, we had 2 weeks vacation and wanted to see as much of this part of the world as possible. For example, I actually found a day / half day in each of the national parks perfect to do a basic walk, see the main attractions and get the feel for them. But of course, it would have been nice to spend longer in each – perhaps take a 3 day hiking trip across one of them. Or perhaps see some of the other pieces we of course missed along the way. Ultimately, I always suggest avoiding the mass tourism standard experience on offer, and I shudder just thinking of trying to do this again, but in a part of the world that has world class sites one after the other, the gorging on them was great fun
Taking a boat down the Yangzi River through the heart of China is a great, if very Chinese, experience. Whilst the Yangzi is the longest and mightiest river in China, and the 3rd longest in the world, this part of the trip focuses only on the journey from Chongqing (a giant of a city with 31m people) to Yichang in a route that is around 20km and takes around 40 hours / 3 nights (you leave Chongqing in the evening). The highlights on the way are the impossibly steep and huge Three Gorges of Qutang, Wu and Xiling, the more picturesque Little Three Gorges which is an offshoot of the Yangzi, the vast Three Gorges Dam, the world’s largest dam, and a series of Ghost Towns that were deserted when their residents were moved across the river
Overall, its a must-do experience if around this part of China. Only downside is that it does get very busy – a true Chinese experience!
My key tip though is around the choice of cruise companies to go with. You can go with the international cruise companies, which will be the high level standard you expect and around US500, or with the local companies which are 100% catered towards the Chinese market, which means public tannoy systems, early starts, the classic megaphone-flag-style tours and typically more crowded (Chinese people have ZERO understanding of personal space). We went with the local boat option because we were living in China at the time, a bit money conscious and wanted the full blown experience. On balance, I’d say that if you can afford it, go with the international cruise company – I’m hesitant to use the word “better”, but you’ll most likely have a more relaxing and serene experience . . . without the megaphones. But, if you are looking to save a bit of money, the local boat will at least give you that full-on Chinese experience which will also be a great memory (once your ears recover)
Second tip – make sure to check what it is that you are paying for with the cruise company. Key items are that you are not paying for every ticket for every one of the temples etc along the way – they are a bit dull and samesy after a while and you can buy the tickets when there; and that your cruise includes a trip through the Little Three Gorges – the international ones will, but the local Chinese ones will often expect you to have arranged and paid for it
