Wanderlust UK – September 2019

24 wanderlust.co.ukSeptember 2019

beanadventure:wewould

ndeatramenandyakitoriand

men,andshabuandtempuraandramen,

dsoon.Thisismyfamilywe’retalking

outhere;foodhadtobeabigpartofit.

RaynerwantstogivehisfamilyagrandtimeinJapaninhis

book,MyLastSupper(GuardianFaber;£17);out 5 Sept

CostaRica’senvironmental

reputationisalreadysky-high,

soperhapsitwon’tsurpriseyou

tolearnthatthiseco-friendly

nationhasrecentlycreatedits

29thNationalPark.Located

ashortdistancefromBagaces,

MiravallesVolcanoNPlooksset

tobea­ineadditiontoits

collectionofwildreserves.

Theprotectionofendangered

speciesandendemicplantsis

highonthepark’slistof

priorities,withjaguars,ocelots,

cougarsandtapirsoftenfound

inthearea,manytypically

spottedprowlingintheshadow

ofMiravallesVolcano,the

tallestintheGuanacaste

mountainrange(2,028m)–and

agreatspotforhiking.

Travellerscanalsotrek

alongsidegushingwaterfalls

andcrossdaringhanging

bridges,beforesoakinginthe

park’sthermalhotsprings–

ahugeadvantageofthe

copiousgeothermalactivity

goingoninthearea.We,for

one,can’twaittovisit.

It’sthattimeofyearagain.UNESCOhas

updateditslistofWorldHeritagesitesto

includetheancienttemplecomplexof

Bagan.LocatedinBurma(Myanmar),its

templeshave‘inallybeenrecognisedfor

theirculturalsigni‘icance,despitebeing‘irst

nominatedforlistingin1995.TheUNdecision

acknowledgeso”iciale•ortstoconservethe

templesandatlastveneratesasitetravellers

havelongadored.Iceland’sVatnajokullNP

andIraq’sBabylonruinsarealsoworthy

additionstothelist.TheremainsofBabylon’s

templesandtheatreo•ersasnapshotofan

ancientworld,whiletheformer’sprimeval

landscapeisasighttobehold,withvolcanoes

andicecavesscatteringthisvastfrozenpark.

GIVEN THE GREEN LIGHT

HOT LIST

Anders Blomqvist; John-Arandhara; Shutterstock; Johan Kauppi Arctic Bath

EXPLORE THE GRAPEVINE

You’ll be walking on water – literally – at the world’s

‘irst Arctic ‘loating hotel and spa in northern

Sweden. Designed to adapt to local conditions,

theArctic Bath hotel freezes into the ice of the

Lule River in winter and, when that melts, it just

‘loats in place during summer. Guests can enjoy

the bene‘its of cold-water and hot-water plunge

pools, sauna treatments and a wide range of

wellness treatments, from massages to more

bespoke crystal healing sessions. Bookings are

now open for trips between February 2020 and

February 2021; a three-day stay in a ‘loating cabin,

including a guided northern lights hunt, starts at

£2,595pp.www.othemap.travel/arctic-bath

They all float...