My first two trips to the Himalayas, to Poon Hill and Everest Base Camp, were magical yet inexperience and fear held me back from living them to the full. During my third trip, this time to Mera Peak, I gained all the confidence and experience I needed. That's why I'm going back next year to cover two iconic Himalayan Treks and live them to the max...

Climbing wearily up onto the Deurali La above the small settlement of Goripani we stood amongst lines of Buddhist Prayer Flags strewn among the rocks and fluttering in the morning breeze. This was my first trek to Nepal and the first time I had come upon these flags in the mountains. As Thakur, my guide, told me all about them I found myself contem...

Located near the base of the Joshinestu Kogen National Park, the Jigokudani Yaen Koen (otherwise known as the Snow Monkey Park) is home to a very special troop of monkeys. Created in 1964, the park was established as a conservation area in which the monkeys - Japanese macaques to be exact - would have a refuge within what was already their natural ...

Most of us would associate the city of Sambalpur in Western Odisha with the world famous Hirakud Dam, Sambalpuri saree or the burning cauldron it becomes during summers. Connected to the capital city via the splendid NH 6, Sambalpur boasts of some unique attractions in the country – one of which is the leaning temple of Huma.​ ​Huma Approximately 3...

Kyushu Kyushu, the second largest of four main islands in Japan, takes in the seven prefectures of Saga, Oita, Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Miyazaki. With a subtropical climate, Kyushu is a year-round destination renowned for hot springs, local delicacies and areas of natural beauty. Referred to as the Land of Fire due to volcanic activi...

Specialist small-ship expedition cruise company, Heritage Expeditions supports the critically endangered spoon-billed sandpiper. Its Siberia's Forgotten Coast tour, which explores Kamchatka's remote coastline, has supported the release of healthy chicks into the wild. With eggs collected from the Arctic breeding grounds, 22 spoon-billed sandpiper c...