September
September
Hike in The Rila Mountains, Bulgaria
Why now? Catch the tail end of the summer hiking season.
The Rila Mountains might be small (2629 sq km) but they are beautiful, boasting 180 perennial lakes and streams and numerous mineral springs (rila comes from the Thracian word for ‘mountains of water’), and Mt Musala (2925m), the highest peak in the Balkans. The mountains are steep but the spectacular views, flora and fauna make the hard work worth it. One popular three-day hike starts at Malîovitsa, visits the magnificent Sedemte Ezera (Seven Lakes) and finishes at Rila Monastery, Bulgaria’s largest and most renowned monastery. A more sustained sevenday outing involves a north-south crossing of the range from Klisura to Hizha Predel. Mountain huts, or hizha, provide dormitory accommodation. Many serve meals but these can be basic, so it may be advisable to bring food: inquire first. www.rilanationalpark.org/en
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Parque Nacional Madidi, Bolivia
Why now? Bask in the dry season.
The Río Madidi watershed is one of South America’s most intact ecosystems. Most of it is protected by the 18,000-sq-km Parque Nacional Madidi, which takes in a range of habitats, from steaming lowland rainforests to 5500m Andean peaks. This little-trodden utopia is home to a mind-boggling variety of Amazonian wildlife, including 44% of all New World mammal species, 38% of tropical amphibian species, over 10% of the world’s bird species and more animal and plant species than any other South American reserve. Most of the park is effectively inaccessible, which is why it remains such a treasure, but Madidi also has a special Unesco designation permitting indigenous inhabitants to use traditional forest resources. There’s only one accommodation option in the park: Chalalán Ecolodge, on the idyllic oxbow lake, Laguna Chalalán. This simple but comfortable lodge, surrounded by relatively untouched rainforest, allows visitors to amble through the jungle and appreciate its incredible richness. Although the flora and fauna are lovely, sounds more than sights provide the magic here: the incredible dawn bird chorus, the evening frog symphony, the collective whine of zillions of insects, the roar of bucketing tropical rainstorms and, in the early morning, the thunder-like chorus of every howler monkey within a 100km radius. If all this sounds too primeval, be comforted: Madidi is also home to the world’s first dot-com animal. With the discovery of a new titi monkey in 2004, park authorities decided on a unique fundraising opportunity - they auctioned the naming rights. An internet gaming company secured the rights for US$650,000, and the monkey’s common name officially became GoldenPalace.com monkey. www.chalalan.com (in Spanish).
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Swim with Humpback Whales, Tonga
Why now? It’s the middle of the whale season.
Whale-watching tours are offered throughout the world, but only on the Tongan island group of Vava’u can you actually swim beside the whales, a controversial if exhilarating brush with nature. Humpback whales come to these waters between July and November, and visitors to the town of Neiafu can board boats, cruise up to the whales and snorkel around them. It’s a controversial practice - some say the regular presence of boats and humans in the water disturbs the mothers and calves just when they are most vulnerable, and may force them to abandon the area before they are ready. One tour operator in Neiafu refuses to allow swimming for this reason. But many people who have swum with whales say they experience a sense of mutual curiosity, rather than alarm or distress.
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Travel the Silk Road, Central Asia
Why now? To cross through Central Asia after its baking summer.
Geographically, the famed Silk Road was never a single road, but rather a fragile network of shifting intercontinental caravan tracks that wended through some of the highest mountains and bleakest deserts on earth, and along which the prized thread silk travelled west from China. The network had its main eastern terminus at the Chinese capital, Ch’ang-an (modern Xi’an), and frayed like rope as it crossed Central Asia to Constantinople or Antioch in Syria. Today, almost any overland crossing between Xi’an and the Middle East will follow strands of this celebrated trading route. Classic Silk Road stops include Kashgar (China), Samarkand (Uzbekistan) and Bukhara (Uzbekistan).
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Okavango Delta by Mokoro, Botswana
Why now? From July to September water levels are high and the weather is dry.
The Okavango River is Southern Africa’s third-longest waterway, the ‘river that never sees the sea’, with more than 18 billion cubic metres of water spreading and sprawling annually through the inland delta, a maze of lagoons, channels and islands covering an area of almost 16,000 sq km. The abundant water attracts vast numbers of wildlife - elephants, zebras, buffaloes, wildebeests, giraffes, hippos, kudus and innumerable birds. The best way to see them is by mokoro, a traditional dugout canoe ideally suited to the shallow delta waters. They can accommodate two passengers and some limited luggage, and are propelled by a poler who stands at the back of the canoe. Day trips can be taken from the city of Maun, or you can glide across the delta for several days.
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Hike around Mt Kailash, Tibet
Why now? Get here before the winter snows do (usually October).
The 52km circuit or kora of Mt Kailash (6714m) is one of the most important pilgrimages in Asia, holy to Hindus, Buddhists, Bon-pos and Jains. Tibetan Buddhists believe that a single circuit cleanses the sins of one life, while 108 circuits brings nirvana in this life. The hike isn’t easy, since it crosses a 5630m pass, though some devout pilgrims walk it in a day. Four days is more comfortable, and if you think you’re doing it tough, look out for the pious pilgrims who circuit by prostrating themselves - lying on the ground, standing and walking to the point their hands reached on the ground before lying down once again.
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Dive in East Timor, East Timor
Why now? For clear water and the prospect of manta rays and whale sharks.
Scuba diving and snorkelling has been the most successful adventure activity to develop in East Timor since the country gained its independence in 2002. Coral reefs run close to shore, and divers only have to wade in and swim a few strokes to reach spectacular drop-offs. The reefs offer a colourful array of hard and soft corals with a vivid assortment of reef fish. Pelagics and open-water species such as tuna, bonito and mackerel are also regularly encountered, along with harmless reef sharks, manta rays, dolphins and dugongs. The water is clearest from April to September, with visibility typically 20m to 35m and water temperature around 26°C to 28°C. Dive operators can be found in the capital, Dili, with some dive sites very close to the city. Atauro Island, 30km north from Dili, also has superb diving and day trips can be made from Dili.
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Croatia
Why now? In September, the crowds will have thinned out and off-season accommodation rates are in place
In 2005 Croatia was voted both the ‘hot’ travel destination by Lonely Planet staff and the National Geographic Adventure destination of the year, which makes this Balkan nation difficult to resist. With almost 6000km of coastline and 1185 islands (of which only 66 are inhabited), it’s little surprise that much of the activity in Croatia takes place on the water. The long, rugged islands off the mountainous coast stretch all the way from Istria to Dubrovnik, making this a yachting paradise. Fine, deep channels with abundant anchorage and steady winds attract sailors from around the world, and throughout the region, yachts can tie up right in the middle of everything. There are countless possibilities for anyone carrying a folding sea kayak, especially among the Elafiti Islands and the Kornati Islands, while serious windsurfers gravitate to the town of Bol on Brac Island, where the wide bay perfectly catches the maestral (strong, steady westerly wind) that blows from April to October. The varied underwater topography of the Croatian coast has spurred a growing diving industry. From Istria to Dubrovnik, nearly every coastal resort has a dive centre. Although there’s a bit of everything along the coast, the primary attractions are shipwrecks and caves. The porous karst that forms the coastal mountains has created an astonishing variety of underwater caves, especially in the Kornati Islands. Shipwrecks are also a common sight, most notably the Baron Gautsch wreck near Rovinj. Remains of Roman wrecks with 1st-century amphorae can be found within reach of Dubrovnik, but special permission is necessary since they are protected cultural monuments. Climbers will find some of Europe’s best rockclimbing crags in Paklenica National Park (one of eight national parks that cover 7.5% of the country), which is also a great hiking drawcard. For the best views of the barren coastal mountains, climb Mt Ilija (961m) above Orebic, or Sveti Jure (1762m) from Makarska. September is the best month to visit Croatia since it’s lost some of its summer heat, though the sea remains warm, the crowds will have thinned out and off-season accommodation rates are in place. For more information, visit www.croatia.hr
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Surf the Qiantang Bore, China
Why now? To coincide with the year’s largest wave.
A spectacular natural phenomenon occurs when the highest tides of the lunar cycle cause a wall of water to thunder up the narrow mouth of the Qiantang River from Hangzhou Bay in southeastern China. It is the largest such tidal ‘bore’ in the world, creating a wave so mythical the Chinese call it the Silver Dragon. Up to 3km wide and more than 7m high, the wave travels up to 40km/h, and the roar of it can be heard from about 20km away. The Qiantang Bore occurs regularly through the year, when the highest tides occur at the beginning and middle of each lunar month, though the traditional time to witness it is as part of the Mid-Autumn Festival, around the 18th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. This date varies on Gregorian calendars but falls around the end of September a number of times before 2015. This is usually one of the highest bore tides of the year. The Qiantang Bore can be dangerous enough to watch - it was once said to have swept 10,000 people away - but it’s also been attempted by surfers. Nobody has stood for more than 11 seconds, and that rider’s support boat was capsized by the wave. The Qiantang River is one of up to 100 rivers around the world that experience these surge waves. Others include the Amazon, Dordogne and Severn Rivers. The latter, near Gloucester in England, is the heartland of bore surfing. Waves occur here over a four- or five-day period each month, and have been surfed for almost 10km. www.boreriders.com
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