National Geographic Traveller (UK) November 2022

James March Modern Slovenia is young, but its hills and yawning valleys hide recipes stretching back centuries. My journey across its ragged north was a window into how this small nation has evolved into a dynamic democracy while never forgetting its roots. SLOVENIA P.56 Hannah Summers Food market, rainforest or beach, you won’t hear music in Colombia without seeing some serious hip-swaying to go with it. It creates an infectious energy — one that will have even the most rhythmically challenged travellers toe-tapping to the beat. COLOMBIA P.72 Ben Lerwill Spending time in Tanzania’s Ruaha National Park was a joy. While the park is around 13 times larger than the better-known Maasai Mara, it draws just a fraction of the visitor numbers. The wildlife’s superb, while seeing other vehicles is…

Pristine rainforest and bountiful coffee regions, Pacific and Atlantic coastlines with untouched beaches, ancient ruins, captivating cities and a beguiling spirit… there are times when it seems like Colombia is one of the world’s bestkept secrets. Disney’s Encanto film last year gave it a helpful push, but the country has been gaining steam on its own for a while. From under a million visitors a year in 2005, to almost five million in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Colombia has, in just over a decade, emerged as one of the world’s most alluring destinations. Responsible and sustainable tourism have thankfully proved to be the cornerstone of this growth, with conservation and protection of its wildlife and heritage essential to this new-found popularity. And a new president, elected in June,…

WHAT’S NEW • FOOD • ON THE TRAIL • WHERE TO STAY • FAMILY • INSIDE GUIDE • STAY AT HOME • BOOKS This is my wife dressed up as a La Catrina, an icon of the Day of the Dead, which takes place on 2 November each year. La Catrina juxtaposes the macabre with the elegant, representing how Mexicans perceive the afterlife. It’s our favourite tradition, and we always look for new costumes and locations in which to shoot. Here, she’s wearing a typical dress from the state of Chiapas in a field of cempasúchil (Mexican marigold), in the Central Mexican town of Calimaya. These flowers are traditionally used to decorate tombs, cemeteries and homes during the festival, and their scent was overwhelming. SERGIO CARRASCO • PHOTOGRAPHER @sca3226…

The nipa palm forest is the green lung of Tinh Khe, a commune in the Quang Ngai province of Vietnam. Home to storks and brackish water species, the forest provides resources to local fisherfolk and farmers, who use nipa palm leaves to roof houses and create decorative items. Departing from the centre of Quang Ngai city, I travelled about nine miles to be here in the early morning, when the palm leaves shine in the sunlight. I used a Flycam device to get a bird’s eye view of the beauty of this forest. The green scenery was entirely captivating. CAO KY NHAN • PHOTOGRAPHER caokynhanimages.com @caokynhanimages Part of a photo series that was highly commended in the Drone Photo Awards 2022. droneawards.photo…

It’s been 20 years since the release of Peter Jackson’s The Fellowship of the Ring, and with hit series The Rings of Power on Amazon Prime having launched in September, New Zealand’s reputation as the real-life Middle-earth continues to have a profound effect on the country’s tourism industry. In the decade after The Lord of the Rings films premiered, Variety reported that international visits to capital city Wellington leapt by a staggering 87%. According to Tourism New Zealand, a third of all travellers visited a film location during their stay. Naturally, the best way to retrace Bilbo Baggins’ unexpected journey is to start at Hobbiton. At this film set, which opened in 1999 in Waikato, visitors can amble through hobbit-size vegetable patches and sip a Southfarthing beer at the Green…

Nasjonalmuseet, Oslo Norway has a new king in the world of curation and, fittingly, it comes bearing a crown. An illuminated exhibition hall adorns the roof of Oslo’s National Museum, which became the largest museum in the Nordic region when it opened in June. A permanent collection comprising 6,500 objects chronicles the history of Norwegian art, from the near-millennium-old Baldishol Tapestry, discovered among the ruins of an old church, to works by Norway’s favourite expressionist, Edvard Munch, including his earliest version of The Scream. nasjonalmuseet.no Museum of Broadway, New York This November, the curtain finally comes up on the eagerly anticipated New York venue, which enwraps visitors in the vibrant, glamorous world of Broadway theatre. After an overview of how a thoroughfare once lined with car garages became the heart…