Wanderlust Travel Hot List 2020

Wanderlust Travel Hot List 2020

KENYA

WHY IT’S HOT: IT’S TIME TO REDISCOVER CLASSIC AFRICA.

We say: For many, Kenya IS Africa: its acacia-dotted savannahs, teeming game parks, Rift Valley lakes and remote rusticluxe camps are the classic image of the continent. Security concerns following a spate of terrorist attacks have deterred some travellers in the past few years. But while the FCO urges against visits to specific areas of the country, many places are still on-limits, including the premier safari destinations – elephant-roamed Amboseli, mountainous Aberdare, uncrowded Laikipia, the matchless Masai Mara – as well as dazzling Indian Ocean resorts such as Mombasa, Watamu and Diani.

Tourist numbers are starting to increase – international arrivals in 2019 are predicted to be around 5% up on the previous year – but this still remains a great time to rediscover Kenya’s iconic wilderness without quite so many other people.

Don’t miss: Visit Ol Pejeta Conservancy for the chance to see two of the world’s only remaining northern white rhinos. Ol Pejeta is also a sanctuary for the endangered black rhino; after receiving four of the creatures in 1989, it set the target of housing 120 by 2020 – an aim already surpassed by late 2019, with 134 black rhinos now living on site.

NAMIBIA

WHY IT’S HOT: SHINING LIGHT OF COMMUNITY CONSERVATION IS FAB AT 30.

We say: Namibia is ageing extremely well. As the country gears up to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its independence from South Africa in 2020 – a big-budget affair that will culminate in a grand event in Windhoek on 21 March – it continues to offer an ever-more sustainable and responsible travel experience.