50 best trips for 2013
The definitive list! How do you fancy eye-balling a polar bear? Or walking in Edmund Hillary’s footsteps? We’ve found next year’s best new trips to help you decide where to travel in 2013…
Festivals and events
1. Nepal: A mountainous moment
Follow in the footsteps of Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay on Mountain Kingdoms’ Everest Base Camp 60th Anniversary Trek. Led by three-times Everest summiteer Tashi Tenzing, grandson of Tenzing Norgay, you’re in safe hands. As you hike, Tashi will entertain with tales of the region and its inspirational people. Reaching Base Camp (5,364m) on 29 May – the date of the first ascent – try ice climbing, chat to those aiming for the summit and join in the celebrations.
Who: Mountain Kingdoms
When: 16 May 2013
How long: 20 nights
How much: £3,795 (incl flights)
2. Antarctica: Watch floes and films
Set sail aboard the luxurious Sea Spirit with Quark Expeditions for a world first – the inaugural Floating Polar Film Festival. Documentaries on ecology and adventure will screen on the vessel, complementing the Antarctic voyage, which takes in the Falkland Islands, penguin-rich South Georgia and the sparkling ice and profuse wildlife of the White Continent.
Who:Quark Expeditions
When: 2 Nov 2013
How long: 23 days
How much: £8,950 (excl flights)
3. Bhutan: Celebrate with birds and Buddhists
The Bhutanese love a tsechu (a religious celebration on the 10th day of every month), and the East to West – A Journey Across Bhutan trip from Mountain Kingdoms is timed to join festivities in Trashigang, in the country’s far east.
Celebrate with the locals before heading west, for gentle treks, visits to dzongs (fortress temples) and into Gangtey Valley to watch black-necked cranes. Paro’s Tiger’s Nest Monastery makes a grand finale.
Who: Mountain Kingdoms
When: 8 Nov 2013
How long: 21 days
How much: £4,195 (incl flights)
4. Japan: Be cool
Explore’s Sapporo Snow Festival expedition is full of winter sparkle. You can marvel at the skills of the Sapporo festival’s ice-artists – over 400 glistening sculptures dot the northern city.
Then, for a lower key but no less magical event, head to nearby Otaru for the Snow Light Path Festival. Add on the frosted sights of Kyoto, the hot-spring-loving snow monkeys of Yudanaka and time in buzzing Tokyo and you have one very cool trip.
Who:Explore
When: 5 Feb 2013
How long: 12 nights
How much: £3,961 (incl flights)
