Swimming with whale sharks, rubbing nose with polar bears, slithering down dark tunnels: these are just some of the options we give you. Only those who have the quest for adventure and the urge to actually see the world need to read on... Rachna Bisht-Rawat on the must listings in your travel diary.
# 1. Where glaciers meet the sea - Patagonia
Watch glaciers meet the sea; walk on footbridges close to the ice wall, listen to the hollow sound of ice detaching; watch a bunch of penguins stride across the horizon and sample Welsh tea served by the descendents of the first settlers. Visit Patagonia where the two glaciers - Perito Moreno and Ventisquero Negro (the former white, the latter grey from volcanic ash) attract their own fans. Quite like Hillary Clinton and Barrack Obama! Interspersed with lakes, islands, hills and rivers, also penguins, whales, dolphins and sea lions, this is a trip for the Animal Planet freak. While in the area, don't miss Tronador Hill which owes its name to the roars generated by falling ice blocks. Also tour its coasts populated by sea lions and sea elephants. Or touch 180 km south from Madryn where in the Punta Tombo Natural Protected Area you can enjoy the company of Magellanic penguins, half a million of which come here year after year.
Stay options: Within Valdes Peninsula, Puerto Piramides is the peak tourist attraction. It is a small, cozy town with lodging facilities as well as restaurants. For more details check www.splendia.com/ArgentinePatagonia, www.patagonia-travel-cruises.com
# 2. Strangled slowly by the jungle - Ta Prohm (Cambodia)
For those who like a taste of the eerie, even on summer holidays, the perfect destination is Ancestral Brahma or Ta Prohm as the locals call it. Visit Cambodia for the temple that has been crushed to near death by the reptilian roots of giant silk and cotton strangler fig trees. Ta Prohm was claimed by the jungle for 400 years before it was rediscovered. Though Indian archeologists and engineers are helping in the restoration of Ta Prohm, the idea is to simply maintain the state of picturesque disrepair while not letting the jungle crumble it to dust in its suffocating embracing.
It is definitely more fascinating than the Angkor Wat temple complex (Angelina Jolie thought so too - this is the place where Tomb Raider was shot). Built in the late 12th century, the temple once housed 12,500 people (including 18 high priests and 615 dancers). After the fall of the Khymer empire in the 15th century, it was abandoned for centuries and is now a major tourist attraction.
Reaching there:
Take a flight from Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok to Siem Reap. Hire a cab for the day (prices begin at $25, or take a tuk-tuk (slower and cheaper). Temples are best visited early morning or evening. For details check www.tourismcambodia.com
Stay options: www.lonelyplanet.com/bookings is the best place to check for accommodation. Stay options start at $5 for budget travellers and go to $200 for those able to afford high luxury (read Raffles Grand Hotel D’Angkor, www.raffles.com).
# 3. Surviving on rat meat and serpentine skills - Cu Chi tunnels (Vietnam)
For those with ‘snakey’ instincts and the desire to slither deep into dark holes, a must-try are the tunnels of Cu Chi. Hidden trap doors custom made for the petite Vietnamese frame (for most your waistline needs to be less than 32 inches) lead into an amazing interconnected 250 km underground maze. These tunnels kept more than 10,000 people of the Viet Cong alive in merciless bombing during war with the Americans. Not only are tourists given a choice to travel the tunnels but also a taste of rat meat and rice (eat like the Viet Cong!) This trip is strictly not recommended for claustrophobic vegetarians.
For the above mentioned, a better option would be Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) with its quaint cyclos (think of Indian rickshaws front-side-back) that can be hired for US$2.00 an hour, rented bicycles and boat rides on the Saigon River.
Reaching there:
Tan Son Nhat International Airport is 7 km from the city centre. You could fly direct (new flights promised on Vietnam Air for Rs 22,000, return) or from Bangkok. Check flights on www.vietnamair.com.vn Book a day trip to Cu Chi. Tours cost $4, entry into the tunnel costs 65,000 dong.
Stay options: Accommodation to suit all budgets is spread out across the city. Try Mondial (mondial.htl@bdvn.vnd.net at $35) or Riverside (closer to $140 www.riversidehotelsaigon.com) if you are loaded.
# 4. The Beatles and River Mersey - Liverpool (UK)
This one is a definite must do for culture vultures this year. For long synonymous with the Fab Four (The Beatles to the musically challenged), two football clubs and some of the best museums out of London, Liverpool celebrates its 800th birthday (and its designation as European Capital of Culture), as it trots out everything and everyone, from Turner Prize artists to young emerging bands like the Zutons. But make no mistake: The headliner is Paul McCartney, who is returning to play the 'Liverpool Sound' concert (www.liverpool08.com). Book early and visit this year to participate in the celebrations.
Buy a coach ticket with a 'hop on, hop off' guide, take a walk through the fascinating architecture, cross the River Mersey on the world's oldest ferry system, hum your way through The Beatles Story ( museum) or simply have a pint of ale at the pub where they used to perform. When all that is done, saunter over to the riverside where the legendary Liver Birds sit atop the Liver building looking out across to the Wirral (The river-facing face of the clock is 6 feet larger in diameter than that of the clock tower at Westminster). And don't forget to visit Liverpool's Kimos - home to the world's finest Club Sandwich.
Getting there and around: Fly into the John Lennon International Airport or board any of the regular train services from Manchester (1hr) and London (3hr). Get a saver ticket for £52.10 on the day of travel or for as little as £12.50 if you book a couple of weeks in advance.
Stay options: From cheap hostel accommodation starting at £15 to the best in hospitality like Hope Street Hotel (host to none less than US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice). For details check
http://wikitravel.org/en/Liverpool or http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/england/liverpool/where-to-sleep
# 5. Crossing the frozen Sela Pass (Arunachal Pradesh)
It's a strange paradox. This is the place where brutal memories of the 62 war brush against the white fluttering flags of Buddhism and Monpa tribal children with rosy cheeks and running noses. For an out-of-this-world experience in your own country cross the chilly Sela Pass with its frozen lake and curious Yaks and climb into Tawang where the second largest Buddhist monastery in Asia sits serenely with its head in the clouds.
On way you will find a shrine to a dead soldier (Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat, MVC) who still patrols the pass at night (so say the soldiers) and returns with muddy boots every morning. You will find Yaks grazing on grass painstakingly pulled out from between the snow-covered rocks. And, you'll find bubbling streams and smiling soldiers guarding our borders at 13,714 feet. While you're there eat as the Monpas do. Traditional cuisine has a Tibetan flavour and makes a generous use of chili and yak milk cheese. Try the momos and dip your soup spoon into thukpa (noodles floating in steaming hot soup garnished with meat, vegetables and cheese).
Getting there: You can fly to Tezpur or Guwahati and then hire a jeep. Permits are mandatory but the holiday is well worth the trouble. Check for details on www.arunachaltourism.com or contact the Arunachal Pradesh Government office in Delhi 9011-23013956)
Stay options: You will have to stay at Tawang where there are many small motels in the quaint market place. Try Tourist Lodge (03794-22359, rates starting at Rs 500).
ANIMAL SAFARIS WITH A DIFFERENCE
# 1. Polar bearing in Canada
Those with the death wish of rubbing noses with a polar bear can check out the polar bear capital of the world - Churchill, in Manitoba, Canada - home to about 1000 of the bears. You can actually make your wish come true and live to tell the tale. Imagine the gasps of wonder when you tell a captivated audience how they peeped in from the glass window of your tundra buggy! Churchill is a frozen village on the edge of Hudson Bay from where guided polar bear tours embark on icebound safaris in 'tundra buggies'. You can have the hair-raising experience of curious bears sauntering over to stare in from the windows.
Reaching there: Fly down to Canada and then tie up with Natural Habitat Adventures or local outfitter Paul Ratson for one of his unique walking tours. For details check www.greatcanadiantravel.com, www.tundrabuggy.com
# 2. Swimming with the whale sharks - Coral Bay
Do you have the guts to pose in your bikini/ trunks with a whale shark flashing its 2000 watt, 300-tooth smile in the vicinity? If yes, try snorkeling in Coral Bay, one of the only places that will let you get close and personal with these big-sized ladies and gentlemen.A full day of swimming costs about AU$350 for adults, AU$220 for children and AU$1100 for a family. Pay before you get in. And if you don't return, no questions asked (Just a bad joke!)
The best time to see whale sharks is from March to June.
Reaching there: Skywest Airlines has daily flights to Learmonth Airport, 36 km south of Exmouth. There are transfers to Exmouth, or you can arrange tour operators to collect you and take you 155 km to Coral Bay. Most operators offer dive trips and courses. Greyhound Australia has a daily bus that runs the 1100km trek from Perth to Coral Bay and Exmouth. For details check
http://www.users.bigpond.com/coralbay/swim_with_whalesharks.htm; www.exmouthdiving.com.au/english/whereis.htm
Stay options: Good places to stay include Ningaloo Club Hostel and the Bayview Coral Bay Caravan Park, which also has lodge-style accommodation. If you're camping, Peoples Park is the place to be. Recommended operators include Coral Bay Adventures, Ningaloo Experience and Ningaloo Reef Dive.
# 3. Rhino rampage - Watching curvaceous backsides in Kaziranga
If being face to bottoms with the biggest backside in the animal kingdom is your trip in life, check out Kaziranga, Assam, where the great Indian one-horned rhinoceros grazes in total oblivion to the tourists around it gasping for breath and words. Rhinos are short-sighted hence it is very easy to get within sniffing distance on a jeep or an elephant. However, they are also foolhardy and have been known to attack tuskers, so it is wise to be just running distance away. The national park that completed 100 years in the year 2005 is acknowledged world over as one of the greatest conservation stories of the 20th century. Thanks to preservation efforts, from a dozen the number of rhinos has increased to an impressive 1700. Besides the rhinos, the park also boasts of some of the largest populations of mega herbivores such as Asiatic elephants, swamp deer and wild buffaloes. Also, if you are really lucky you can hope to spot the Royal Bengal Tiger.
Reaching there:
By Air: Tezpur is the closest airport about an hour's drive from Kaziranga. Guwahati is the nearest rail station. A five-hour taxi ride takes you to Kaziranga.
Stay options:
Bonani Lodge (0376-2662423) has rates start at Rs 380. It is an interesting cottage with a garden and restaurant. Aranya (2662429) is a government lodge with rates starting at Rs 450. Wild Grass (2546827, rates around Rs 1200) is a private resort about four km from the village.
Watch glaciers meet the sea; walk on footbridges close to the ice wall, listen to the hollow sound of ice detaching; watch a bunch of penguins stride across the horizon and sample Welsh tea served by the descendents of the first settlers. Visit Patagonia where the two glaciers - Perito Moreno and Ventisquero Negro (the former white, the latter grey from volcanic ash) attract their own fans. Quite like Hillary Clinton and Barrack Obama! Interspersed with lakes, islands, hills and rivers, also penguins, whales, dolphins and sea lions, this is a trip for the Animal Planet freak. While in the area, don't miss Tronador Hill which owes its name to the roars generated by falling ice blocks. Also tour its coasts populated by sea lions and sea elephants. Or touch 180 km south from Madryn where in the Punta Tombo Natural Protected Area you can enjoy the company of Magellanic penguins, half a million of which come here year after year.
For those who like a taste of the eerie, even on summer holidays, the perfect destination is Ancestral Brahma or Ta Prohm as the locals call it. Visit Cambodia for the temple that has been crushed to near death by the reptilian roots of giant silk and cotton strangler fig trees. Ta Prohm was claimed by the jungle for 400 years before it was rediscovered. Though Indian archeologists and engineers are helping in the restoration of Ta Prohm, the idea is to simply maintain the state of picturesque disrepair while not letting the jungle crumble it to dust in its suffocating embracing.
This one is a definite must do for culture vultures this year. For long synonymous with the Fab Four (The Beatles to the musically challenged), two football clubs and some of the best museums out of London, Liverpool celebrates its 800th birthday (and its designation as European Capital of Culture), as it trots out everything and everyone, from Turner Prize artists to young emerging bands like the Zutons. But make no mistake: The headliner is Paul McCartney, who is returning to play the 'Liverpool Sound' concert (www.liverpool08.com). Book early and visit this year to participate in the celebrations. 
It's a strange paradox. This is the place where brutal memories of the 62 war brush against the white fluttering flags of Buddhism and Monpa tribal children with rosy cheeks and running noses. For an out-of-this-world experience in your own country cross the chilly Sela Pass with its frozen lake and curious Yaks and climb into Tawang where the second largest Buddhist monastery in Asia sits serenely with its head in the clouds. 
Those with the death wish of rubbing noses with a polar bear can check out the polar bear capital of the world - Churchill, in Manitoba, Canada - home to about 1000 of the bears. You can actually make your wish come true and live to tell the tale. Imagine the gasps of wonder when you tell a captivated audience how they peeped in from the glass window of your tundra buggy! Churchill is a frozen village on the edge of Hudson Bay from where guided polar bear tours embark on icebound safaris in 'tundra buggies'. You can have the hair-raising experience of curious bears sauntering over to stare in from the windows. 
Do you have the guts to pose in your bikini/ trunks with a whale shark flashing its 2000 watt, 300-tooth smile in the vicinity? If yes, try snorkeling in Coral Bay, one of the only places that will let you get close and personal with these big-sized ladies and gentlemen.A full day of swimming costs about AU$350 for adults, AU$220 for children and AU$1100 for a family. Pay before you get in. And if you don't return, no questions asked (Just a bad joke!)
If being face to bottoms with the biggest backside in the animal kingdom is your trip in life, check out Kaziranga, Assam, where the great Indian one-horned rhinoceros grazes in total oblivion to the tourists around it gasping for breath and words. Rhinos are short-sighted hence it is very easy to get within sniffing distance on a jeep or an elephant. However, they are also foolhardy and have been known to attack tuskers, so it is wise to be just running distance away. The national park that completed 100 years in the year 2005 is acknowledged world over as one of the greatest conservation stories of the 20th century. Thanks to preservation efforts, from a dozen the number of rhinos has increased to an impressive 1700. Besides the rhinos, the park also boasts of some of the largest populations of mega herbivores such as Asiatic elephants, swamp deer and wild buffaloes. Also, if you are really lucky you can hope to spot the Royal Bengal Tiger.
