Great Escapes: 500 Unforgettable Travel Experiences

394 Pages·2010·32.393 MB·English

by  Richard Hammond, Jeremy Smith

GREAT
ESCAPES
500 unforgettable travel experiences

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PUBLISHING INFORMATION
This 2nd edition published October 2010 by
Rough Guides Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL
14 Local Shopping Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi 110017, India
Distributed by the Penguin Group
Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL
Penguin Group (USA) 375 Hudson Street, NY 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Australia) 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia
Penguin Books Canada Ltd, 10 Alcorn Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4V 1E4
Penguin Group (NZ) 67 Apollo Drive, Mairangi Bay, Auckland 1310, New Zealand
Typeset in Century Schoolbook and Berthold Akzidenz Grotesque to an original design by Diana Jarvis
Printed and bound in China
© Richard Hammond and Jeremy Smith 2010
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher
except for the quotation of brief passages in reviews.
392pp includes index
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN: 978-1-84836-905-4
The publishers and authors have done their best to ensure the accuracy and currency of all the
information in Great Escapes, however, they can accept no responsibility
for any loss, injury, or inconvenience sustained by any traveller as a result of information or advice contained in the guide.
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CREDITS
Editor: James Rice Contributing editor: Lucy White Managing editor: Jo Kirby
Design and layout: Diana Jarvis Picture editor: Nicole Newman Cartography: Ed Wright
Cover design: Chloë Roberts & Diana Jarvis Production: Rebecca Short Proofreader: Janet McCann
Additional design input: Scott Stickland, Dan May, Michelle Bhatia, Cosima Dinkel, Joseph Freiberger, Edward Steer, Emily Taylor, Mark Thomas
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
The carbon emissions associated with the plane, train, bus, car and boat trips taken during the production of this book
have been offset by the authors and Rough Guides, including a donation to the World Land Trust.
CONTACT US
If you think you’ve got an experience worthy of consideration as a Great Escape – or want to give your own take on one of
the experiences included – we’d love to hear from you. If you want to submit photos of your experience, all the better.
Send in suggestions to [email protected].
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CONTENTS
Introduction 6
.....................................................................................................................
Great Britain and Ireland 8
................................................................................
Western Europe 46
....................................................................................................
Mediterranean Islands 76
...................................................................................
Scandinavia 92
................................................................................................................
Eastern Europe and the Aegean 110
..................................................
Northern Africa and the Middle East 124
........................................
Southern Africa 156
..................................................................................................
North America 188
.....................................................................................................
Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean 218
..................
South America 250
....................................................................................................
Central and East Asia 276
................................................................................
Southeast Asia 292
...................................................................................................
The Indian Subcontinent 316
.........................................................................
Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific 346
.............
Make the most of your trip 373
...................................................................
Index 385
...............................................................................................................................
FEATURES
Green festivals in the UK ................................................................................44
Take the train to the slopes ............................................................................74
Rail and sail to the Med ....................................................................................90
Going green ..............................................................................................................108
Miscellany....................................................................................................................122
The New Travellers .............................................................................................154
Carbon offsetting .................................................................................................186
Mapping your world ...........................................................................................216
Eco labels and awards ...................................................................................248
Live with the locals .............................................................................................274
Volunteering .............................................................................................................290
Local voices ...............................................................................................................314
Travelling by cargo ship ..................................................................................344
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INTRODUCTION
Kayaking around the Scottish isles, snow-shoeing in the
Pyrenees, wild swimming in Finland, learning to dance
in Rio, walking across the Serengeti… these are just
some of the hundreds of Great Escapes featured in this
book – unusual, alternative and incredible experiences
that will inspire you to see the world in a new light.
So what makes the best kind of Escape? For some,
it’s finding that quiet patch of paradise far from the
distractions of twenty-first century living, for others
it’s about getting to know another culture, seeking out
less touristy places, such as local markets and festivals,
and making meaningful connections with local people.
For those who see travel as an adventure, it’s about
trekking off-the-beaten path to enjoy a special landscape,
going on safari to track elusive big game, diving in
pristine tropical coral reefs or hurtling down the winter
wonderland through fresh powder and pine. Experiences
have always been at the heart of Rough Guides, and
in this book we feature the kinds of experiences where
the people at the destination – the wildlife guides, the
mountain porters, the local communities – genuinely
benefit from the business you bring. We believe
these kinds of experiences make for more rewarding
encounters. After all, who better to show you around the
countryside than someone passionate about protecting it;
your dinner tends to be better when the cook has grown
and harvested the ingredients; the most inspiring person
to take you on safari is likely to be a local guide whose
ancestors have lived on the land for thousands of years.
It is also possible to have some of the best travel
experiences while keeping your environmental impact
to a minimum – on your journey and at your destination
– by choosing carefully how you travel and the nature
of the place you stay at. We feature experiences that
also have a positive impact in other ways – where you
can contribute to the conservation of wildlife and local
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heritage, and support local economies. And the good news
is this doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice any notions of
comfort or adventure: the experiences we’ve selected are
(hopefully) ones you’d love to do anyway – the difference
is you can rest assured that your presence in some way
benefits the locality, from beautifully crafted treehouses
in the South of France to eco-chic hotels in Thailand.
Along the way, consider taking more time: often the
best travel experiences are as much about enjoying the
journey as the destination itself, in contrast to fly-and-
flop ‘we could be anywhere’ holidays. Wherever possible,
information is given on how to ‘slow travel’ by public
transport to the starting point of all the experiences
featured.
Finally, a note of caution: while many progressive
travel companies are putting environmental and social
issues at the heart of their business, there are also lots of
unscrupulous businesses jumping on the eco bandwagon
– meaning it can be difficult to tell the green from the
greenwash, or environmental spin. We have done our best
to make sure all of the experiences featured in this book
make a real difference to the lives of local people and
the planet, and reflect a new, progressive way to see the
world. We hope you enjoy the journey.
Richard Hammond and Jeremy Smith
INTRODUCTION 7
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