LEISURE 4517 August 2019 THE WEEKTravelThe Mayan civilisation of South
America was in deep decline long before
the Spanish arrived, says Sarah Gilbert
in Wanderlust magazine. In Guatemala,
many of its “jungle-clad cities” had
been abandoned by the ninth century
and its population greatly reduced. So
it’s amystery how this culture and its
traditions have survived beyond the
Spanish conquest of the 16th century
and, more recently,a“brutal” civil war.
Today, 40% of Guatemala’s population
is indigenous, largely descended from
the Maya.Athree-night glamping trek
“up, down and along ancient Mayan
trails”, from Antigua to Lake Atitlán,
takes you to the heart of “a civilisation
that seems far from gone”.
The “challenging” trek covers up to nine milesaday, climbing
to 2,745 metres. Beyond the city,abroad trail leads toacloud
forest, shrouded by an “impenetrable mist”. The higher it goes,
the more “otherworldly” the landscape becomes, sprinkled with
bromeliads, old man’s beard and abundant ferns. Crossing
valleys, slopes, rivers and deep gorges,
you’ll follow the trail along spectacular
landscapes, passing small family farms
and rural communities. At night, camps
offer “spacious safari-style tents”,
double mattresses, “marshmallow-soft
pillows” and dinner under the stars –
while far in the distance, Mount Fuego
performs its nightly volcanic “display
of lava pyrotechnics”.
One camp hosts an evening cookery
lesson; in another village you can see
women weaving on traditional looms.
For amore spiritual insight, head to
San Andrés Itzapa’s Temple of San
Simón, where “believers wait patiently
in line” before the effigy of Maximón,
as San Simón is known locally, to leave
offerings of alcohol, tobacco and food. To some, this “hard-
drinking, heavy-smoking” Mayan deity isasaint; to others he is
the devil, who has survived the arrival of Catholicism. Either way,
he remainsa“potent force” in this ancient culture that is “still
very much alive”.Visit journeylatinamerica.co.uk.This week’s dream: on Guatemala’s Mayan trailGetting the flavour of...Private island holiday
Spend7nights full-board at
the Santo Stefano Resort in
Sardinia’s stunning Maddalena
archipelago. From £862pp,
including London flights. 020-
8973 2292, sardatur-holidays.
co.uk. Depart 14 September.
Modern Warsaw b&b
Stay at the lovely Vienna
House Mokotow hotel for
5nights, with easy access to
the city centre, from £266pp,
including Liverpool flights.
020-3897 1185, loveholidays.
com. Depart 26 September.Four-star Madeira
A7-night stay at the Golden
Residence Hotel, which enjoys
outstanding views of the scenic
coast, costs from £887pp full-
board, including Bristol flights.
020-3368 6221, broadway
travel.com. Depart3October.Honolulu luxury
Seven nights room-only at
the delightful and friendly
Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel
cost from £1,819pp, including
Manchester flights. 0344-739
1142, virginholidays.co.uk.
Depart4October.ANorthern Irish cliff path
The Gobbins Cliff Path on Northern
Ireland’s north coast offers “hardcore rock
climbing with none of the effort”, says
Nicola Brady in The Times.Awinding trail
of “crooked stone steps and tiny tunnels”,
it hugs the cliffs of the Irish Sea, offering up
wildly beautiful views and fleeting glimpses
of “wonky-faced” puffins. Only 30 minutes
from Belfast, it’s part of the 153-mile
Causeway Coastal Route–named for the
famous Unesco rock formation that’s one of
its highlights. It “twists and turns” from the
capital all the way to Derry, past “choppy
little bays” and impressive landmarks. One
of those is the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge,
a“rickety”, swinging 100ft-high crossing
that would test anyone’s nerve. Standing on
it, with the wind whipping past, is “enough
to make you question your life choices”. Yet
the “views are stonkingly beautiful”–ifonly
you could “bring yourself to look down”.Cow cuddling in New York state
As therapists go, Bella is one of the best:
she’s “calm, accommodating” and has the
patience to “listen to endless problems
without so much asajudgemental moo”,
says Elisa Mala in The Independent. She’s
one of two Highland-Angus cows on
Mountain Horse Farm,a33-acre b&b in
Finger Lakes, NY, that provides an animal-
based therapy known as “cow cuddling”.In a“lush, secluded pasture”, clients can
enjoya“heartfelt chat with the bovines” as
they chew the cud. It’s like equine therapy,
except that cows tend to lie down in the
grass, where participants can join them for
“a warm embrace”. Bella and her fellow
therapist Bonnie are part ofaherd that is not
raised for dairy or beef–they “get to live a
natural life”. Sessions cost around £60 per
couple, per hour, and since there’sahigh risk
of being slobbered on, the right clothing is
“important”.Visit mountainhorsefarm.com.Acruise that’saforce for good
In recent years, cruise ships have been getting
abad press, yet in one place, they’ve become
aforce for good. On Chile’s Magdalena
Island, one of the country’s most important
Magellanic penguin colonies, visiting cruise
ships are actually helping the penguins to
thrive, says Lesley Bellew in The Daily
Telegraph.Astudy has shown that
populations breed “more successfully next
to paths where cruise passengers visit”. The
human presence deters their biggest threat –
skuas, the “large predatory seabirds” that
feed on chicks. The penguins themselves are
“unfazed” by people coming to peer at them;
Magellanic pairs return “to the same burrow
every year”, and seeing them is one of the
highlights of an expedition on the ship
Ventus Australis, which tours the fjords
of Patagonia.Visit australis.com.EquinoxNew York
Instead of champagne on arrival,
guests at this luxury new opening
are offered “a reviving vitamin IV
drip”, says Susan d’Arcy in The
Sunday Times. Not surprising–it’s
the first hotel by “America’s most
exclusive fitness club”, and sits in
the redeveloped Hudson Yards
overlooking The Vessel sculpture.
Here, you won’t getaroom but
a“sleep chamber”,awalnut-and
marble-decked cocoon that’s
“serenity itself”, with “superior”
soundproofing, “next-generation”
gadgets andarevelatory minibar.
There’salap pool, an “outdoor
poser’s pool” andahigh-tech gym.
The restaurant, Electric Lemon,
serves supremely healthy food
that somehow tastes anything but.
Doubles from £650;
equinox-hotels.comHotel of the week“A civilisation that seems far from gone”Last-minute offers from top travel companies