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Best Of The World 2023

Travel inspiration is everywhere. The question is where to go next. Here's our annual list of enlightened destinations for the year aheadplaces filled with wonder, rewarding to travellers of all ages, and supportive of local communities and ecosystems. Framed by five categories (Community, Nature, Culture, Family, Adventure), these destinations are under the radar, ahead of the curve, and ready for you to start exploring.

Α ΗΟΜΕ IN THE HILLS

Skyview by Empyrean is a onestop destination for adventure and leisure in Jammu

ENTER THE PICTURE POSTCARD

A stylish luxury hotel in Thimphu's northern outskirts is where illustrious Bhutanese and travellers alike are finding their happy place

48 Hours : Seattle Leads The Way

The jewel of the Pacific Northwest is one of America’s greenest and grooviest culture capitals

BIG BINGE: DUBAI FOR THE JET-SETTING GOURMAND

Delightful degustation menus, French brasseries with art-inspired menus and Japanese diners excelling at nostalgia—the Dubai Food Festival 2022 justified the city’s status as one of the world’s premier food capitals

CULTURE COOL - UNDER THE EMIRATI SUN

Home to one of the world’s grandest mosques, an exciting emerging arts district on Saadiyat Island and an entertainment hub promising genuine thrills, Abu Dhabi has arrived in the league of extraordinary family destinations

ONLY IN OTTAWA

ACTIVE ADVENTURES, BUZZY BREWERIES AND NEIGHBOURHOODS THRIVING WITH BARS AND BOUTIQUES— CANADA'S BIJOU CAPITAL HAS PLENTY TO DISCOVER BEYOND THE HALLS OF PARLIAMENT

OF FRENCH FINESSE

QUENELLE DE BROCHET IS A REGIONAL LEGACY DISH HAILING FROM LYON. THE OVAL, POACHED PIKE DUMPLINGS ARE BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN INVENTED BY A PASTRY CHEF TO REGULATE FISH OVERPOPULATION

Coorg: A WILD ROAST

Back in another timber den of Karnataka, native wildlife and humble stories surprise Suhas Dwarkanath as he sips on a bold cup of robusta.

DIVING INTO RAS AL KHAIMAH

THE U.A.E'S NORTHERNMOST EMIRATE IS ALL ABOUT ENJOYING NATURAL TREASURES, FROM SOARING OVER THE AL-HAJAR MOUNTAINS ON THE WORLD'S LONGEST ZIPLINE TO PERUSING PRECIOUS PEARLS BY THE SEASHORE

OF SEA, SAND, AND SERENITY

Thrilling encounters with the ocean's unknown, wandering in paradise, and chasing sunsets defines a getaway at the Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa

ΑΝ OCEAN OF ZEN

At Ozen Reserve Bolifushi, days are coloured with surreal sunsets, fantastic feasts, and underwater adventures

A WADE IN THE WATER

Lavish indulgences over and underwater at Baa Atoll's the Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort pamper your senses

TROPIC OF TECHNICOLOUR

Gill-to-tail feasts, sizzling sunsets and a rainbow marine life-venture beyond the grand blues at Hilton Maldives Amingiri Resort & Spa

MUCH ADO OR NOTHING

At LUX South Ari Atoll, indulgence has no limits. Whether you choose the exhilaration of a shark chase or the lulling langour of a post-massage reading session

BEFORE SUNSET

A first-timer to the Maldives finds unexpected R&R and much to do, even as a nonswimmer visiting in the off-season, at Le Meridien Maldives Resort & Spa-one of the archipelago's stylish new island resorts

ALL-SEASON SPLENDOUR

At Four Seasons Maldives' twin properties of Kuda Huraa and Landaa Giraavaru, conservation and opulence go hand in-hand, allowing guests to immerse in a responsible holiday

Brewing on an Ancient Land: Wayanad

A coffee connoisseur's road trip across Kerala's Wayanad reveals the storied history of the beverage, rooted in spice trade and accidental discoveries.

From Bean to Cup CHIKKAMAGALURU

How far will you go for coffee-out of your bed to the bubbling moka pot in the kitchen, to your favourite café for that morning kick? The search for a perfect and flavourful start to the day sends some on an all-India road trip across the country's top plantations.

THE YEAR OF THE WAY

DURING THE AUSPICIOUS JACOBEAN HOLY YEAR, A WRITER HIKES WITH HIS DAD ALONG THE CAMINO PRIMITIVO IN NORTHERN SPAIN, BACKPACKING TO THE MEDIEVAL-ERA CITY OF SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA AND ENCOUNTERING ACTS OF KINDNESS EVERY STEP OF THE JOURNEY

BOUNDING ALONG THE ECR

A CHENNAI WRITER TURNS HER NEXT ROAD ADVENTURE INTO A QUEST FOR THE BEST OF WORLD CUISINE AROUND THE CITY-ON A 45-KILOMETRE STRETCH OF THE EAST COAST ROAD.

STRIDERS ON THE STORM

THINK CARAVANNING OR OVERLANDING ON A MOTORCYCLE WOULD BE YOUR LIFE'S GRANDEST ADVENTURE? TAKE A HIKE INSTEAD. THE BEST AND PUREST FORM OF SLOW TRAVEL IS THE OLD LONGDISTANCE TRAIL, AND QUITE A FEW OF THEM ACROSS THE WORLD ARE ON THE HORIZON NOW.

Qatar's Field of Dreams

As host of the upcoming FIFA World Cup, the entire nation is busy preparing for the grand event. But even beyond the Beautiful Game, the smorgasbord of experiences in the capital city of Doha will make it to any bucket list

BIG TIME RUSH

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH SHARKS IN THE INDIAN OCEAN, FLOATING OVER A FOREST CANOPY LIKE A CLOUD, AND PLUNGING DOWN CLIFFS ON THE HIGHEST GORGE SWING KWAZULU-NATAL PROVINCE IS A HOTBED FOR THE ADVENTUROUS OF HEART

Copenhagen's Coolest Cribs

When it comes to hotels, the design-focused Danish capital has it all, from glamorous five-stars to futuristic pod hotels and eco-conscious urban hangouts in the heart of the action

THE BIG BINGE - GOOD OLD GOAN SPIRIT

Tavernas were once a pillar of Goan social life. Today, a new generation of Goans stand against the tide of their dwindling numbers, giving them hip makeovers while highlighting the sense of character that made them special in the first place

Indigenous INSIGHTS

Bribri leader, Bernanda Morales, explains how, in her village of Yorkin, just upriver from the Caribbean coast, she’s brought back the Bribri language from the brink of extinction, creating a sustainable tourism destination in the process

HANDLING THE heat

Talkative San José chef José González closed a much-loved restaurant to run an urban farm where he hosts tours for food enthusiasts, shining a light on the country’s rich produce and underserved culinary traditions

THE SPOTLI GHT

ALL ROADS LEAD TO INDIA

In Conversation with Amitav Ghosh - Rage against the Anthropocene

Can spirituality work where science and evolution have failed? What share of climate change does our rising need for travel account for? One of India's foremost writers answers