It’s like plunging under the North Pole: my mind-stretching ice dive in the French Alps
Move over wild swimming … ice diving in a frozen mountain lake and camping under the Milky Way connects you with nature at its most raw and magical
Alternative wonders: why Yemen’s ancient terraces are a supreme human creation
The soil, treasured for centuries, turns steep Yemini slopes into fertile and productive land. Coffee grown here was served at London’s first coffee house in 1652
Alternative wonders: why the stone citadel of Sigiriya in Sri Lanka is my rock of ages
The landscape is not the dead relic of a foregone age. It is a living reminder of how knowledge tailored to the local ecology is essential
Alternative wonders: why Egypt’s Colossi of Memnon are my giants of history
Emerging from the heat shimmer, these two enormous statues in Luxor appear completely otherwordly – like giants in a wheat field
Alternative wonders: why Tibet’s Samye monastery is my spiritual inspiration
The region’s first Buddhist monastery is a complex of chapels and stupa towers from a vast mandala – a symbolic and spiritual representation of the whole universe
A sprawling megacity of multi-level madness: why Chongqing in China is my wonder of the world
This megacity is like Hong Kong on steroids – a vertically sprawling, astonishing urban phenomenon that can only be understood in three dimensions
From a feisty goddess to stone phalluses: why Turkey’s Temple of Artemis is my wonder of the world
The temple was an inspiration for countless Greek and Roman temples that followed and is twice the size of the Parthenon
‘The river that runs in the sky’: readers choose their wonders of the world
From Margate to Uzbekistan our tipsters reveal the special sites that made a lasting impression on them
Off the Cretan track: a skiing adventure on the Greek island
Away from Crete’s sandy shores, tall peaks dominate the landscape, offering great skiing without the crowds – or ski lifts
‘Skiing, hiking and ice-fishing from the door’: readers’ favourite Nordic winter trips
Our tipsters wrap up warm and head to northern Europe, finding glacier lakes, frozen seas, snowy forests, reindeer herds and – happily – saunas and hot tubs
Exploring the Silk Roads: 10 stunning sites in 10 countries from Turkey to China
There are extraordinary places to see and adventures to be had along the strands of the ancient Asian trade route
On the Silk Roads: adventure and historical riches in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan
A new British Museum exhibition gives a taste of the rich cultures along these ancient routes, but a trip to central Asia offers much more – stunning architecture, moreish food and wild trekking
Rail to the Reef: an easy train journey to one of the greatest natural wonders
A sleeper train with ‘thoughtful touches’ along the Queensland coast offers diverse and diver-friendly access points to the Great Barrier Reef
Clean air, crystal waters and carefree adventure in the Austrian Alps
The lakeside resort of Zell am See is big on outdoor fun, hearty food and stunning views
Spanish steppes: an epic hike across the wild plains of Extremadura
The Via de la Plata is one of Spain’s toughest pilgrim routes, weaving through a landscape of isolated steppes and fortress cities in the country’s least-known region