tourism

Chile’s Atacama

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Distant Chile is the longest nation on Earth, snaking its way down the side of South America. Its geography is monumentally diverse, starting in the north with the Atacama Desert.

This is the most otherworldly and magical place on Earth that I’ve visited. Between the barren, mesmerising landscape there are vast salt pans inhabited by flamingos, geysers which only bubble into life before sunrise, and Martian sunsets cloaking lunar terrain. A photographic spectacle.

Visitors are looked after well in this at times inhospitable place – you can even have drinks to witness the sunset and a hot breakfast rustled out of nowhere to see off the freezing dawn.

It may be a long journey to Chile, but the rewards are there.

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Cape Town flavours

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Cape Town is an excellent place to start your travels around South Africa. I arrived after a tour of amazing Namibia, and it proved to be a tonic after that country’s unrelenting climate and vast desert terrain.

It’s a city that has it all, sitting by the ocean and bounded by a rugged mountain backdrop dotted with breathtaking viewpoints. 

There are also little coastal towns on the Cape Peninsula, beautiful botanical gardens and the irresistibly photogenic neighbourhood of Bo-Kaap. And don’t forget the cute Boulders penguins.

Cape Town is geared up for tourists but it’s plain to see why visitors flock here. It’s well worth following the herd.

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Glorious Georgia

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This small country is sandwiched between the Black Sea and Caucasus Mountains and packs a punch way beyond its size.

Georgia is steeped in history and studded with impressive monasteries, richly decorated churches and rustic castles. Combine that with its mountainous terrain, and you have the real Game of Thrones country.

Its attractive capital Tbilisi bristles with life and energy – definitely worth considering as a long weekend destination.

Unlike its historically introspective neighbour Armenia, Georgia looks to Europe for its future destiny and has a palpable dynamism. It’s a country I would definitely visit again.

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Rapa Nui

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This tiny speck of land in the eastern Pacific is better known as Easter Island. A territory of Chile, it’s renowned for its collection of stone statues (moai) which even have their own emoji.

Their presence dominates any visit to the island and they’re an integral part of all photography. But there’s more to Easter Island, including an astonishing freshwater caldera, a tropical beach and its only town Hanga Rua, filled with an abundance of wonderful restaurants.

As for the stone statues, there are various theories about them. Our guide told us they represented ancestors, while the civilisation fell apart partly because so much effort was put into creating them.

The island is a five-hour flight from Chile’s capital Santiago and undoubtedly worth a visit – you’ll find nothing like it anywhere else.

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Welcome to Ethiopia

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This was my first taste of sub-Saharan Africa and I was a little apprehensive before departing.

I chose Ethiopia because of its unique place on the continent – the only ancient country never to have been truly colonised by Europeans.

A lot of the ancient culture still stands in the guise of rock-hewn churches and magnificent castles. Add in some spectacular landscape and you have somewhere well worth visiting.

Ethiopia is a developing country which takes some getting used to. But the odd hotel shower that doesn’t work is part of the experience. 

Most of all it’s a proud, bustling nation that’s a long way from the harrowing images of famine we witnessed in the 1980s.

I’ll revisit Ethiopia soon with a post about its people.

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