A cruise on the extraordinarily biodiverse watery wilderness offers a father and son close encounters with eagles, pelicans and glossy ibisThe synthetic-sounding call of a lone bird rises notably above a riot of birdsong. On the horizon, a purplish sunset is reflected in the vast waters of Europe’s largest wetland. “It’s like another world,” says Charlie...

At the start of a 3,000-mile journey down the Amazon, our writer witnesses the benefits of community tourism projects on a less crowded option to the Inca Trail‘It’s very simple,” Bruce says. “If travellers go far, on long-haul journeys, they should go for longer.” I’m sitting in a Peruvian mountain village with Bruce Poon Tip, founder of G Adventures,...

Go with the flow on these tranquil river and lake trips from Sweden to RomaniaIn the hills above Riva del Garda in Trentino is Lago di Tenno, a beautiful blue-green mountain lake. It’s small enough to walk around in under an hour, enclosed on all sides with lovely mountain views, but it’s the swimming that will bring you back again and again. The clear...

Sometimes you need to leave to really see the place you came from. Years after sailing solo to Greece, every time I return I’m astounded by what I find I’m staring at a seahorse. At the little spines on its head. A spiky crown. Like a unicorn under water. Such sightings are always precious, but this one feels unique because I’ve convinced myself that...

Boozy, tongue-popping Apfelwein is the toast of the host city. Here’s where to sample it with your frankfurtersI am sitting in Atschel, a cosy, if crowded Apfelweinwirtschaft (apple wine tavern) in Sachsenhausen, south of the River Main from Frankfurt’s central Römerberg plaza. Germany’s financial capital is one of the host cities for Euro 2024, and...

Trains from Britain to Spain put me a taxi ride away from Ribeira Sacra – an unspoiled region of river gorges, chestnut groves and rich historyModes of transport always dictate the shape of the human landscape. When travel took to the rails in the 19th century, vast palaces of railway stations were built all over Europe. And now, on a train journey...