Spotlight On: Off The Beaten Track
LITTLE HOTEL ON THE PRAIRIE
The Tailor, Australia
The family-owned Prairie Hotel is an Outback icon, in rural South Australia. At the heart of the remote township of Parachilna, it’s the perfect gateway to the Flinders Ranges and the Nilpena Ediacara fossil fields, and with just 12 rooms, it’s well-suited to full-property buyouts for a unique group experience. There’s an on-site art gallery showcasing contemporary and Indigenous art, and guided tours of the fossil fields can be arranged. The Gallery Restaurant is renowned for its ‘feral feast’ and native flavours, which are paired with drinks from the on-site Brew Bar and Parachilna Brew Project, South Australia's most remote brewery.
GO SOUTH
Ahipara, New Zealand
Southland, south of the foothills of the Southern alps, is a region often forgotten on the tourist trail. Its farmland and low population might sound underwhelming, but with help from the right locals you’ll get under the surface, and find beautiful wild beaches, rich history and friendly people. This is a rugged, rural destination with opportunities for guided walking, wildlife spotting, road tripping, shark diving and boat tours.
A WORLD APART
Sticky Rice Travel, Borneo
Known as Borneo’s ‘lost world’, Maliau Basin is one of the few remaining untouched tropical rainforests on Earth. A natural amphitheatre ringed by steep cliffs, the basin boasts a unique ecology and a primeval landscape including plateaus, forest and waterfalls. Far from well-trodden tourist tracks, there’s extraordinary flora and elusive fauna to be found, including the endangered sun bear and beautiful nepentheses and orchids native only to Borneo. Accommodation is rustic so this isn’t a destination for luxury-lovers; it’s a true adventure for serious trekkers and nature photographers in a hidden world that few visitors ever see.
SMALL TOWN LIFE
Banyan Tours, India
A visit to Bundi is to experience a quieter side of Rajasthan, one that has changed relatively little over the years. The old town, with its narrow lanes, step wells, small temples and local markets that are still very much part of everyday life, sits beneath a sprawling palace. The hotels are simple, so this is a stop for travellers who value character and atmosphere over luxury, but Bundi offers a wonderfully unhurried way to experience a smaller Rajasthani town – like much of India, at its best at sunrise and sunset.
FEELING BLUE
ITEM, Türkiye
After all the recent attention around The Odyssey, why not explore landscapes where myth and history still feel remarkably close. Adatepe Ida Blue Hotel is set among the historic stone houses of Adatepe village, at the foothills of Mount Ida, Ida Blue Adatepe making it an ideal base for exploring one of western Türkiye’s most fascinating areas. Visit the atmospheric stone villages of Mount Ida, discover the battlefields of Gallipoli, the ruins of Troy and the ancient streets of Assos. Add a visit to the Temple of Apollo Smintheus, a seafood lunch in Çanakkale, or a wine tasting at a local vineyard, and you’ll experience history, mythology and village life, all in a single adventure.
OPEN ATLAS
Plan-It Morocco Morocco
Encircled by ochre ramparts and framed by the High and Anti-Atlas, Taroudant offers a taste of a quieter, more intimate side of Morocco. Tourism has developed slowly here, preserving the everyday rhythm of its medina, souks and the surrounding Souss Valley. The hotels may not rival Morocco’s better-known destinations, but that is not the reason to visit; Taroudant is all about the experience: a strong sense of place, genuine local encounters and the pleasure of discovering somewhere that remains refreshingly under the radar.
ORINOCO FLOW
Galavanta, Colombia
Galavanta takes adventurous guests one hour from Bogotá by charter flight, to Savanna Lodge, in the wetland savannah of the Orinoco basin, a remote six-bungalow lodge each with a private dip pool. This is a region full of extraordinary wildlife, including capybaras, giant anteaters, deer, anacondas, caimans, and monkeys; with luck, guests may even see a puma or a jaguar. Led by a local or a private Galavanta guide, visitors explore by canoe, 4x4, on foot or on horseback, and can enjoy additional experiences including cattle herding alongside barefoot Llanero cowboys, Llanero culture experiences, and fishing.
TRADITIONAL TRAVEL
Enigma, Peru
Beyond Peru’s popular southern circuit, Ayacucho, known as the ‘City of Churches’ offers travellers a slower experience of Andean culture. Once the centre of the powerful Wari civilization, the city combines colonial architecture with living traditions, UNESCO-recognised arts and crafts and a wide, open landscape. Nearby Quinua is known for its distinctive ceramics, while surrounding archaeological sites reveal centuries of history. With tourism still on a relatively small scale, Ayacucho offers travellers the opportunity to spend time immersed in traditional Peruvian culture.
DESERT TO JUNGLE
Glove, Argentina and Chile
Explore one of northern Argentina’s most extraordinary and lesser-known corners on a journey that feels like crossing between two worlds. Begin among the colourful mountains of the Quebrada de Humahuaca, climb the trail into the high-altitude landscapes of the Puna, where you walk above the clouds, before descending into the lush subtropical forests of Jujuy. You’ll follow ancient paths between Huirahuasi, Molulo and San Lucas, staying in the homes of local communities and spending time with families who have lived in these isolated valleys for generations. This is a journey shaped as much by the people and experiences along the way as by the extraordinary landscapes.
WHAT A RIDE
Lares, Uruguay
Experience a part of Uruguay that few visitors ever reach, spending seven days in the saddle on Criollo horses in Rocha, on the wild Atlantic coast. Ride through protected wetlands, vast, empty beaches, palm forests and working estancias. Rocha is sparsely populated, largely undeveloped and shaped by the sea, wetlands and traditional ranching. Ride along deserted beaches and shifting dunes, through grasslands and woodland, and into the countryside where local gauchos still work the land and cattle. Each day brings a different setting; each one a memory to treasure forever.
GLACIAL PACES
Memories by Valberg, Iceland
In the heart of South Iceland, between the Eyjafjallajökull, Mýrdalsjökull, and Tindfjallajökull glaciers, Þórsmörk is an incredibly beautiful nature reserve; Icelandic nature at its wildest, with its own unique feel. Memories by Valberg offers a Super Jeep to Thorsmork tour, an exhilarating 4x4 trip with adventurous rides and crossings of unbridged glacial rivers. It also allows you to discover the wonders of Þórsmörk on foot: spectacular hiking options take in the astonishing views over Thorsmörk, Mýrdalsjökull and Gígjökull glaciers.