12 great destinations for 2012: The first six months
Looking for inspiration for 2012? Here’s our month-by-month guide to the planet’s coolest destinations
JANUARY – Antarctica
After the success of the epic BBC series Frozen Planet, interest in the great white continent is at an all time high. Penguins, it seems, are the new black. And white.
Granted, it might prove difficult getting down to Antarctica this season. But you can get your southern polar fix at the Natural History Museum in London. An exhibition about Captain Scott’s last expedition begins on January 20, featuring rare artefacts used by Scott’s team and scientific specimens. There’s also a life-sized representation of Scott’s hut that survives in Antarctica.
Cool!
Antarctica travel guide | Plan a trip… More
You could win tickets to see Scott’s Last Expedition at the Natural History Museum with Wanderlust | Find out more here
FEBRUARY – Northern Lights
The Northern Lights are one of the most sublime and mystical sights on the planet. The ethereal glow is caused by high-energy electrons colliding with oxygen atoms and nitrogen molecules. All you need to know is that the Aurora Borealis is entering the most lively phase of its 11-year cycle and your chances of seeing them are the best for years.
In fact, the biggest dilemma you’ll face is where you want to watch Mother Nature’s most psychedelic light show. From a dog sled in Norway? With Sami reindeer herders in Swedish Lapland? In a log cabin in Finland? Or the Blue Lagoon in Iceland?
The choice is yours.
Northern Lights travel guide | Plan a trip… More
Top 6 places to see the Northern Lights | Inspire me… More
MARCH – Petra
In 1812 a young Swiss explorer called Johann Ludwig Burckhardt ‘rediscovered’ the ruins of a wondrous ‘rose-red’ city hidden among impenetrable mountains in what is now Jordan. Burckhardt knew immediately he had found the ancient Nabataean city of Petra, and his drawings and descriptions caused a sensation in the West. It has enthralled, astounded and awed visitors ever since.
Jordan is celebrating that ‘discovery’, 200 years on, with a series of bicentennial events and activities. Of course, Petra is more than just the iconic Treasury Building, and the comfortable temperature in March is perfect for longer hikes to the more remote, and less crowded attractions.
Petra, Jordan travel guide | Plan a trip… More
