December
December
Hike at Torres Del Paine, Chile
Why now? The shoulder summer season of December is one of the best trekking times.
Soaring more than 2000m above the Patagonian steppe, the Torres del Paine (Towers of Paine) are spectacular granite pillars that dominate the landscape of what is arguably South America’s finest national park, Parque Nacional Torres del Paine. For hikers, this 181-sq-km park is an unequalled destination, with a well-developed trail network and refugios and camping grounds at strategic spots. For most trekkers the question is whether to circuit or to ‘W’. Circuiting takes around eight days, while the popular W trek, named for the route’s in-and-out shape, takes around five. Most hikers start both routes from Laguna Amarga - the W climbs to the spectacular Torr-es del Paine Lookout, immediately below the towers. With their mighty columns ringed by shelf glaciers and meltwater-streaked rocks, this is one of Patagonia’s classic scenes. The W goes on via Los Cuernos and Lago Pehoé to Lago Grey, where the unstable, 200m-thick snout of Glaciar Grey continually sends blocks of ice - some as big as a house - plunging into the freezing waters. Patagonia’s notoriously strong winds drive the icebergs across the lake to strand on the shore. Walking the complete Torres del Paine circuit takes in the W plus the more remote back side of the massif. There are eight refugios for trekkers in the park, and the availability of hired camping equipment at all refugios and at Campamento Los Perros has made it theoretically possible to trek the circuit or the W without carrying a tent. For hikers on the circuit, however, this means covering the most difficult and remote stretch between Campamento Los Perros and Refugio Grey, including the crossing of the circuit’s highest pass, in a long day. Some hikers find this is beyond them.
Why not check out the Thorn Tree forum at lonelyplanet.com to find out more?
Cycle The Mekong Delta, Vietnam
Why now? The rains have moved on and the temperature is bearable
You want flat? You’ve got it on the sprawling delta of one of the world’s great rivers. The Mekong River begins on the Tibetan Plateau and travels 4500km, and through six countries, to the pancake-flat rice bowl of southern Vietnam. Here, you might well ride over more bridges than in any other part of the world. Water will be the dominant theme of your ride - as well as the massive Mekong there are countless tributaries, canals and streams along the way. A good tour (of about four days) begins in Ho Chi Minh City, joining the Mekong at My Thuan and pedalling on to Chau Doc on the Cambodian border. The traffic is pretty busy between Ho Chi Minh City and Cantho but the wide roads make the traffic bearable.
Why not check out the Thorn Tree forum at lonelyplanet.com to find out more?
Antarctica
Why now? December offers up to 20 hours of daylight and the chance to see hatching penguins.
The earth’s most isolated continent, Antarctica must be earned, through either a long, often uncomfortable voyage or an expensive flight. Weather and ice - not clocks or calendars - set the schedule, and itineraries are always subject to the continent’s changing moods. What you’ll find here, however, is a spectacular wilderness of snow, ice and rock, teeming with wildlife. Unless you’re planning your own expedition, you’ll visit Antarctica as part of a group tour, most likely on a ship. The most popular Antarctica trip involves an exploration of the Antarctic Peninsula, one of the continent’s richest breeding grounds for seabirds, seals and penguins. Trips leave from Ushuaia, on South America’s Tierra del Fuego, and you’ll most likely make your first landing at one of the South Shetland Islands, a 540km chain of islands at the northern end of the Antarctic Peninsula with spectacular scenery and abundant wildlife. On the Antarctic Peninsula your schedule will depend on the expedition leader’s judgment, though most tours ultimately visit the same landing sites because they offer easy access to wildlife, a station or a museum. Likely landings include the former British base-turned-museum at Port Lockroy; Neko Harbor, where the glacier across from the landing site often calves with a thunderous roar; and the US Palmer research station. You’ll almost certainly call in at Paradise Harbor, described in tour brochures as ‘the most aptly named place in the world’. That may be overstating it a little but with its majestic icebergs and reflections of the surrounding mountains, Paradise Harbor is undeniably beautiful. It’s a favorite place for ‘Zodiac cruising’ around the ice that’s calved from the glacier at the head of the bay. The Antarctic tour season is short - about four months, with each month offering its own highlights. Coming in December, at the height of the austral summer, you’ll find penguins hatching eggs and feeding chicks, and you’ll have up to 20 hours of sunlight every day.
Why not check out the Thorn Tree forum at lonelyplanet.com to find out more?
Train Surf El Nariz Del Diablo, Ecuador
Why now? The more the merrier atop the train, so come now as the Ecuadorian high season begins.
As the railway runs south from the city of Riobamba it makes a hair-raising descent from Alausí to Sibambe, down a death-defying stretch of track called El Nariz del Diablo (the Devil’s Nose). Built more than a century ago - and the only surviving section of the once spectacular Ferrocarril Transandino (Trans-Andean Railway), which ran from Guayaquil to Quito - a series of switchbacks was carved into the rock (and many lives were lost in the process) that would allow the train, by advancing and reversing, to ascend nearly 1000m to Alausí, at 2607m. The completion and first ascent of the Nariz del Diablo in 1902 was the most incredible feat of railway engineering the world had seen. The steep descent after Alausí is still accomplished by a series of switchbacks down the steep mountainside. Occasional rickety-looking bridges cross steep ravines, and the great game for daredevil passengers is to ride on the train’s flat roof, with nothing but empty space between them and the valleys far below. The local machos even stand up on the roof, especially when going through tunnels, where there is barely enough clearance for the sombrero jammed jauntily on their heads. In truth, the greatest hazard is probably the train’s emission of steam, soot and cinders during the ride, so don’t wear your tuxedo. The train leaves Alausí daily at 9.30am, and tickets go on sale at 8am. It usually arrives at Alausí from Riobamba and the roof is already often full with riders from Riobamba or tour groups who pile on while their guide stands in line to buy tickets. The trip takes around two hours to go through El Nariz del Diablo.
Why not check out the Thorn Tree forum at lonelyplanet.com to find out more?
Raft the source of The Nile, Uganda
Why now? Rafting is good year-round, with water levels constant, but December is one of the drier months in Jinja.
The source of the Nile out of Lake Victoria is one of the world’s most spectacular white-water rafting destinations, and a place where you come to tackle the ‘big four’ - the source’s four grade- five rapids - not the ‘big five’ usually sought in Africa. There are three companies offering rafting trips out of the town of Jinja (about 1.5 hours by bus from the Ugandan capital, Kampala), and the growing list of whitewater accoutrements is turning Jinja into one of Africa’s burgeoning adventure destinations. The brave-hearted can try riverboarding, in which you take on the Nile armed only with a boogie board, or take instruction in white-water kayaking. Or you can just drop in from the 44m-high Nile High Bungy at the Jinja Nile Resort.
Why not check out the Thorn Tree forum at lonelyplanet.com to find out more?
Lemur Track in Parc National D’andasibe-Mantadia, Madagascar
Why now? The park fills up during Madagascar’s high tourist season between July and September, though now is actually a better time to visit.
Parc National d’Andasibe-Mantadia consists of beautiful primary forest studded with lakes, and is the home of the rare indri, Madagascar’s largest lemur. The wondrous indri has been described as looking like a four-year-old child in a panda suit, and is famous for its eerie wailing cry, which sounds like something between a fire siren and the song of an operatic tenor - it’s an amazing creature to behold. There are about 60 family groups of two or five indris in the park; their cry, which can be heard up to 3km away, is used to define a particular group’s territory. Indris are active on and off throughout the day, beginning about an hour after daybreak, which is usually the best time to try to see them. www.parcs-madagascar.com/mantadia (in French).
Why not check out the Thorn Tree forum at lonelyplanet.com to find out more?
Elephant Trek in Mondulkiri Province, Cambodia
Why now? The ideal time to visit Cambodia is December and January, when humidity levels are low, there’s little rainfall and a cooling breeze whips across the land.
Nestled against the eastern border, Mondulkiri is Cambodia’s most sparsely populated province, with just two people per square kilometre. This has helped make it a great spot for elephant trekking. The villages of Phulung and Putang, near the provincial capital, Sen Monorom, are the most popular places to arrange a trek. Most of the guesthouses around Sen Monorom, as well as the tourist office, can arrange day treks, and it’s also possible to negotiate a longer trek with an overnight stay in a Pnong village. Two guesthouses - Long Vibol and Pech Kiri - organise overnight elephant treks in which you sleep on wooden platforms or camp. It can get uncomfortable riding an elephant after a couple of hours, so carry a pillow to ease the strain.
Why not check out the Thorn Tree forum at lonelyplanet.com to find out more?
Ski at The Cedars, Lebanon
Why now? Feel festive by skiing on the nearest snow to Bethlehem
Lebanon likes to boast that it’s the only country in which you can ski in the morning and swim in the Mediterranean in the afternoon. It’s an appealing mix in which to wind down from a busy year. Lebanon’s highest and oldest ski field, the Cedars, is located less than 30km from the Mediterranean coast and people have been skiing here since the 1920s. It’s less developed than other Lebanese ski resorts, but it’s the second-most popular, particularly for those who actually ski (rather than pose). And with runs that begin above 3000m, the season usually starts in mid-December, ahead of other resorts in the country. There are also numerous off-piste opportunities at the Cedars if you’re feeling more adventurous.
Why not check out the Thorn Tree forum at lonelyplanet.com to find out more?