Six regions · twenty-five places
Destinations
The countries and regions we plan, grouped the way the map groups them. Where we have been ourselves, the tile says so. Where we have not, it says that too, and we tell you how we check.
Four places have a full guide so far: Indonesia, Peru, Colombia and Antarctica. Every other tile goes straight to a short enquiry, and we answer it the same way.
Southeast Asia and the far east
Reefs, rice terraces, river towns and two of the great harbour cities. The region we have travelled most in the last two years.
7 places · all visited
Indonesia
Raja Ampat by phinisi, Komodo, Bali and the volcano dawns of North Sulawesi.
Read the guide →
Laos
Slow river days, karst country and the quiet of Luang Prabang.
Ask about Laos →
Malaysia and Borneo
Kuala Lumpur for a few nights, then the rainforest and its wildlife.
Ask about Malaysia →
Thailand
Bangkok at either end, and a coast with mangrove canals and wild elephants.
Ask about Thailand →
Singapore
Five nights is about right. A good first or last stop on an Asia journey.
Ask about Singapore →
Japan
Cities by rail, ryokan nights in between, and the seasons planned for.
Ask about Japan →
Hong Kong
The harbour, the Peak and the outlying islands, often paired with a longer trip.
Ask about Hong Kong →When to go
Seasons in Asia
Raja Ampat is calm October to April, Japan is at its best in spring and autumn, and northern Laos turns hazy in March and April.
Open the planner →From the journal
Ten days aboard the Emperor Harmoni
Our field report from a phinisi in Raja Ampat: the cabins, the crew, the reefs and what we would change.
Read the report →Latin America
Altitude, cloud forest, cenotes and coffee country. The places we have returned to most often over the last fifteen years.
7 places · 6 visited
Peru
Arequipa, the Colca, Cusco and Machu Picchu, taken at the pace altitude asks for.
Read the guide →
Colombia
The walk to Ciudad Perdida, then slow days in the coffee region.
Read the guide →
Mexico
The Yucatan by early starts: Chichen Itza, Sian Ka'an and the cenotes.
Ask about Mexico →
Costa Rica and Panama
Volcanoes, cloud forest and the southern Pacific, then across the border to Boquete and the islands.
Read the guide →
Ecuador
Quito and the Andes, and the Galapagos by small ship.
Ask about Ecuador →
Nicaragua
Colonial towns, volcanoes and a quiet Pacific coast.
Ask about Nicaragua →
Patagonia
Torres del Paine and the Argentine lakes, planned through partners we trust.
Ask about Patagonia →When to go
Seasons in Latin America
Peru is dry May to September and the Inca Trail closes every February. Colombia has two drier spells. The Galapagos works all year.
Open the planner →Journeys
Three set routes to start from
Peru at altitude, the Lost City trek with coffee country, and the Yucatan by cenote and ruin, each with an indicative price.
See the journeys →Polar
Expedition ships small enough to land from, chosen cabin by cabin. Polar trips reward booking well ahead, often a year or more.
2 places · 1 visited
Antarctica and South Georgia
The Peninsula, the king penguin beaches of South Georgia, and the Falklands when the sea allows.
See the journey →
The Arctic
Svalbard, Greenland and the Canadian high Arctic, in the short summer window.
Ask about the Arctic →When to go
Two short seasons
Antarctic ships sail November to March. The Arctic opens late May to early September, with the pack ice furthest north in July and August.
Open the planner →
Sandstone country in southern Jordan.
Africa and the Middle East
Safari timed to the water and the animals, gorilla permits secured first, and desert sites taken at the hours the crowds are not there.
4 places · all visited
Botswana
The Okavango Delta in flood: fewer camps, longer stays.
Ask about Botswana →
Rwanda
One hour with the gorillas, and a trip built to make it possible.
Ask about Rwanda →
Jordan
Petra before the buses, then Wadi Rum with nothing you must be at.
Ask about Jordan →
Egypt
Warm water on the Red Sea in February, and Luxor three hours away.
Ask about Egypt →When to go
Seasons in Africa and the Middle East
The Okavango flood peaks June to August, Mara River crossings run mostly August to October, and Jordan is best in spring and autumn.
Open the planner →Journeys
Two safaris, set out in full
The Okavango Delta by camp and mokoro, and gorilla trekking in Rwanda and Uganda, permits first.
See the journeys →Europe
One good base rather than five, and the shoulder months over high summer.
3 places · all visited
Italy
Florence from the hill above it, and Tuscany at an easy pace.
Ask about Italy →
Ireland
The west coast at a slower pace, with time on the water.
Ask about Ireland →
Portugal
The Douro in harvest, by river ship or from a quinta.
Ask about Portugal →North America
Close to home and easy to underestimate. Lodges and tents that take the landscape seriously.
2 places · both visited
Canadian Rockies
Yoho and the quieter valleys, with rail where it beats the highway.
Ask about the Rockies →
Utah
Zion and the red rock parks, from a tent that is a serious hotel.
Ask about Utah →Rail
The Rockies by train
Two days of daylight rail in a glass-domed coach, then Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper. Or the whole country on The Canadian.
See rail journeys →When to go
Close to home, still seasonal
July to September for open trails and thawed lakes in the Rockies; some high lakes stay frozen into June. Winter is for snow and quiet lodges.
Open the planner →
How we choose
How we decide where to send people
A place earns a tile here when we can plan it honestly: we know the season, the lodges, the transfers and what goes wrong.
We go first
Most of the places on this page we have travelled ourselves, and slept in the hotels we suggest. The tag on each tile is literal.
Partners for the rest
Where we have not been, we work through operators and ground teams we have used before, and we say so on the quote.
Season before place
We would rather move your month than send you somewhere in the wrong one. Timing decides more than the hotel does.
The person, not the list
A country is a starting point. Your pace, your knees, your sea legs and your budget decide which part of it suits you.
Somewhere else
Your place is not on this page
That is a normal first note. Tell us where and roughly when. If it is somewhere we do not know well enough to plan, we will say so plainly rather than guess.
Nothing is booked until you have a written quote in front of you, and the first conversation commits you to nothing.