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WHY GO NOW
Enjoy a private audience with Ramses IIHOW TO GO
A good way to experience Abu Simbel is as part of a Nile cruise. Outfitters cruising the river
include National Geographic Expeditions, Oberoi, and Abercrombie & Kent.Tourism to Egypt is rebounding from its steep decline in the wake of the 2011 Arab Spring revolution. However,
the feeling of having a destination to yourself still can be found at Abu Simbel, deep in the south of Egypt near
its border with Sudan. Originally cut into a rock cliff by the Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II (ca. 1303–ca. 1213 B.C.),
the temples at Abu Simbel are at once archaeological treasures and marvels of modern engineering. Buried
by sand for millennia, the towering landmarks were unearthed by archaeologists in 1813 and saved from the
rising waters of Lake Nassar—the gigantic reservoir created by the damming of the mighty Nile at Aswan—by
a monumental five-year relocation effort launched by the Egyptian government and UNESCO in 1960.
Before vast areas were flooded, the temples were meticulously disassembled, moved, and reconstructed
on higher ground, 200 feet above the cliff. Together with several additional Nubian monuments, the temple
complex was named a World Heritage site in 1979. Wander from one dimly lit chamber to another through the
98-foot-tall Great Temple, guarded by four gigantic figures of Ramses II. Stand awestruck in front of images
of the pharaoh and Nefertari, his beloved queen, engraved on the walls more than 3,000 years ago. Take your
time: Chances are few people will be jostling for your view.ABU SIMBEL
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OCEANIND.
OCEANIF YOU LIKE
LEGENDARY PHARAOHSEGYPT
WHEN TO GOFEB-MAR
WHY GO NOW
Admire aesthetic trends
in the tropicsHOW TO GO
Visit galleries and attend a performance of Kathakali, the classical
dance drama of Kerala, on National Geographic’s seven-day “South
India: Explore Kerala” trip. natgeoexpeditions.com/exploreThe oldest European settlement in India is gaining notice as a
buzzing new arts hub. Seaside Kochi, located in Kerala state on the
southwestern Malabar Coast, was founded in 1500 by Portugal,
first in a parade of colonial powers (Holland and England followed)
to rule the tropical port city. This multilayered colonial past is most
present in historic Fort Kochi, the waterfront district where several
Dutch- and British-era properties house galleries and cafés.
The four-month-long Kochi-Muziris Biennale is the largest event
of its kind in South Asia. Launched in 2012, the biennale showcases
contemporary international, Indian, and cross-cultural visual art and
experiences, such as Singaporean-Indian artist and writer Shubibi
Rao’s 2018 “The Pelagic Tracts,“ a multifaceted deep dive into a
world where books are the most prized commodity.
Rao is curator of the fifth biennale, set to run from December
12, 2020, to April 10, 2021. Among the likely biennale venues are
David Bungalow, built about 1695 by the Dutch East India Company,
and the 1867 Aspinwall House, a former British trading company
compound. Events also are staged in nearby Mattancherry, home to
Kochi’s centuries-old Jewish Quarter.VISITFORT KOCHI
CITIES9.
9632°^ N,^76.
2459°^ EINDIAN
OCEANINDIAN
OCEANASIAIF YOU LIKE
CONTEMPORARY ARTWHEN TO GODEC-APR
INDIA
VISITColossal statues
of Egyptian
pharaoh
Ramses II guard
the entrance to
Abu Simbel‘s
main temple.BEST TRIPS 20 20
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(TEMPLE);^
PREVIOUSP
AGES:^ BRENTS
TIRTON/NATI
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LEPHANTS)