On the border with North Korea, Changbai Shan is China’s largest nature reserve and by far the top attraction in the surrounding region. The park itself is beautifully rugged with bitch trees and pine trees making way to a far more sparse other-worldly landscape once you get above 2000m / 6500ft, but it is the walk up the north slope to the Heaven Lake sitting 2,200m / 7200ft on the top of Paektu Mountain that is the highlight. The mountain itself is little know outside of this part of the world, but it is an important mythological and cultural symbol for parts of China and certainly for Korea, for example it is in both North and South Korea’s national anthems and is on the national emblem of the North
We visited here at the slightly unusual time of mid October which, because the place is waiting to make its transition from summer visitors to opening up for those visiting the ski slopes later in the year, certainly made it a bit harder to reach and in particular harder to find a place open. But the flip side was that, for China, it felt we had the walk up to the Heaven Lake almost all to ourselves, which made for a quite unique experience
Top tip – try to stay at the Lanjing Spa Holiday Inn which is only 500m from the north gate entrance. It has a feeling of being secluded to very much adds to the otherworldly feel. Most likely at this time of year you’ll be able to get a discount. No worries if can’t get a spot there, you can stay in Baihe and just get a taxi for 40mins or so to the entrance gate
Chiang Mai is a good spot to spend a day or so checking out the temples and markets, or a bit longer if you take one of the famous cooking courses. But the highlight is heading out into the mountains and jungle on a 3 day trek that will let you stay with some of the the hill-tribe villages, interact with the elephants and go rafting down the rivers
The only problem is that these treks have now turned into a bit of an industry and the market is full of companies that provide the “standard package” that most likely won’t meet your idea of adventure and, worse, may be keeping the elephants in very poor conditions
Bests suggestion is to thoroughly do your research for which company you go with; lean more towards a multi-day trek (there won’t be any “authentic” experiences in a day trip of Chiang Mai); or potentially move move a little further north to near the Chiang Rai / Tha Ton area. It’s worth making the effort though because its a great experience
Just outside of Krabi Town you have the wide ranging hill temple complex of Wat Tham Seua. It’s worth checking out for the views for miles around after what is a gruelling steep 1,237 step climb to the top of the impossibly sharp limestone karst formation. It also has some nearby monkeys to play with and some pounding waterfalls that you can jump around in
It’s certainly worth a visit if you are passing through Krabi, which many do as it is a central transport hub when travelling from the east to west coast of Thailand. But I wouldn’t prioritise this over time nearby in Railay climbing or kayaking around the limestone cliffs by the beach (which looks to be the real highlight of Krabi), nor over Thailand’s southern islands, such as Koh Samui and Koh Panghan on the east and Koh Phi-Phi and Phuket on the west
The Victorian High Country is a part of Australia that few have heard of, yet its gorgeous historic gateway towns, clear mountain air and snow in winter, wineries and gourmet food, and, of course, its stunning mountain scenery make it a magical destination. The highlight for us was climbing along the Razorback to the summit of Mount Feathertop, the second tallest mountain in the state of Victoria at 1,922m / 6,306ft and with immense views across the surrounding mountains
The hike itself starts at the carpark for the Diamantina Hut and is a there-and-back hike in total 22km / 13.5miles almost dead straight along the ridge. Overall, its a moderate difficulty hike – there are some flattish bits but with a steep bit around a third of the way in and a very steep final ascent to the top. Total elevation gain of 870m / 2850ft and the whole thing will take you up to 7 hours in total
Main tip – whilst the elevation helps to reduce the temperature quite a bit in the summer, the route is very exposed so sun screen is a must (along with enough water)
Extra tip – the whole Victorian High Country area really is a magical spot. Be sure to give yourself at least a day or two to explore around the towns of Beachworth and Bright, and with all the beautiful scenery in-between
The Blue Mountains are one of the (many) natural highlights of Australia, with their scenic lookouts over rugged sandstone cliffs, blue-tinged eucalyptus forests and sweeping canyons for some excellent bush-walks, so it is no wonder they have been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The added benefit is that they are very accessible on a day trip from central Sydney, which takes 2 hours to Katoomba and includes some wonderful scenery on the way
Three top tips:
#1 If possible, limit your time in Katoomba – when getting the train, the stop you want is Katoomba which is also where many of the famous sites and activities are, and where the majority of the fellow tourist traffic is. For sure give yourself the time for Echo Point to see the Blue Mountains’ most famous site – the Three Sisters Rock Formations that stick out across the canyon and the prime photo taking spot. But see if you can head out of Katoomba to get away from the crowds. That being said, if the crowds aren’t too busy, the Skyway Gondola and Scenic Railway are great fun, especially the 2.5km / 1.5miles forest boardwalk at the foot of the railway
#2 Head to Blackheath and the Grand Canyon Walk – Blackheath is 2 stops up from Katoomba and you find the fellow tourist numbers dropping substantially. From Blackheath, take a taxi to Evans Lookout and from there its a spectacular 5km / 3miles of the Grand Canyon Walk. Will take around 3 hours and very much worth it
#3 Stay overnight – whilst you can easily check out the Blue Mountains on a day trip from Sydney, the best way to experience them is the evening and early morning before the masses of tourists arrive. Wandering around looking over the distant views of the Three Sisters in the early evening and waking up early to have some of the trails largely to yourself – magical
Western Australia’s southwest is primarily known for its wonderful wines around the Margaret River region, but its forests are also simply magnificent with some of the tallest trees in the world around the suitably named “Valley of the Giants”
Its certainly worth half a day to explore and the best way to do it is:
- Drive through the area – in particular on the Great Forest Trees Drive near the Shannon River
- Walk the Valley of the Giants Treetop Walk – a walkway suspended 40m / 130ft high that allows you to walk through the forest canopy
- Climb the Gloucester Tree – a giant Karri tree with a 58m / 190ft viewing platform at the top, making it the second tallest tree lookout in the world. But it isn’t so much the height that is unusual. Instead, it is the 153 spikes that ring the tree and are the method for climbing it that stands out. For those even remotely scared of heights, this is a truly terrifying experience wrapped up as a family friendly activity – especially as people have to pass you by on the way up or down. Only 20% of people make it to the top lookout . . . and back down again – respect if you do
The Gloucester Tree and Treetop Walk can get a little busy (relatively), so I would suggest prioritising the Great Forest Tree Drive as there are various options to be able to stop and have a walk around with the forest largely to yourself, including a 8km Great Forest Trees Walk across the Shannon River. The drive is also in between Gloucester Tree and Treetop Walk, so you can then chose to drive to either as part of your route
The 3,800km / 2350mile route from Adelaide to Darwin via Uluru is one of the world’s great roadtrips. You have the world-class destinations of Uluru (Ayers Rock), Kata Tjuta (the Olgas), the Kings Canyon, Kakadu National Park and the Barossa Wine region, but the real highlight is the sheer isolation and feeling of adventure of the trip as you drive through some of the most desolate places in the world and that bright red sand centre that lets you know you’re right in the centre of the continent
Kakadu is the highlight of the top half of Australia’s Northern Territory. A vast national park where the combination of scorching dry seasons and flooded wet seasons have created sharp rock formations and billabongs that attract a variety of wildlife and make it feel like the definition of what you have in mind when you think of Australian Wilderness. In addition, its one of the best places in the country to experience the traditional Aboriginal way of life with its ancient rock art
Only a brief travel entry on this occasion as we only had a day in this wonderful place, but is to head out to one of the many hikes that finish with a refreshing swim in the rock pools and views across the national park. Motorcar Falls was in particular beautiful
New Zealand’s South Island has some of the most rugged natural beauty of anywhere in the world with world famous sites such as the fjords of Milford Sound, the Frans Joseph and Fox glaciers, and the adrenaline sports of Queenstown, yet is also super accessible by road and very compact to get around. The combination of these factors makes it one of the most appealing places for a roadtrip and I’ve listed below a great 10 day itinerary to get the best of the island
Sensational views of the mountains and lakes as you jump from Bob’s Peak and ride the winds through the clouds. The hike up is worth the day alone. A must do for this part of the world
