Scotland

Scotland has many treasures crammed into its compact territory – big skies, ancient architecture, spectacular wildlife, superb seafood and hospitable, down-to-earth people.

Scotland harbours some of the largest wilderness areas left in Western Europe. In this wildlife haven you can see golden eagles soar above the lochs and mountains of the northern Highlands, spot otters tumbling in the kelp along the shores of the Outer Hebrides, and watch minke whales breach off the coast of Mull. Scotland's also an adventure playground: you can tramp the tundra plateaus of the Cairngorms, balance along tightrope ridges strung between the peaks of the Cuillin, sea kayak among the seal-haunted isles of the Outer Hebrides, and take a speedboat ride into the white water of the Corryvreckan whirlpool.

Scotland Alba - Capital Edinburgh - Area 77933 km2 - Population 5,433,300 - Attractions Edinburgh castle, Isle of skye, Eilean Donan castle, Loch Ness lake, St Andrews Gulf Club

Thailand

Friendly and food-obsessed, hedonistic and historic, cultured and curious, Thailand tempts visitors with a smile as golden as the country's glittering temples and tropical beaches.

The celestial world is a close confidant in this Buddhist nation, and religious devotion is colourful and ubiquitous. Gleaming temples and golden Buddhas frame both the rural and the urban landscape.

With a luxuriously long coastline (actually, two coastlines) and over 1400 jungle-topped islands anchored in azure waters, Thailand is a tropical getaway fit for everyone, whether hedonist or hermit, prince or pauper. The country's coast is one giant playground, with plenty going on wherever the sand meets the sea. You can snorkel the gentle waters off Ko Lipe, dive with whale sharks around Ko Tao, scale the sea cliffs of Krabi, kiteboard in Hua Hin, party on Ko Phi-Phi and recuperate at a health resort on Ko Samui.

Thailand ราชอาณาจักรไทย - Capital Bangkok - Area 513,120 km2 - Population 66,558,935 Attractions Wat Pho temple, Grand palace, Jim Thompson house, Chatuchak weekend market, Street Food, Chiang Mai treks, Krabi beaches, Ko Phi-Phi parties

Dubai

Dubai is a stirring alchemy of profound traditions and ambitious futuristic vision wrapped into starkly evocative desert splendour.

It's hard not to admire Dubai for its indefatigable verve, ambition and ability to dream up and realise projects that elsewhere would never get off the drawing board. This is a superlative-craving society that has birthed audaciously high buildings and palm-shaped islands.

This diversity expresses itself in the culinary landscape, fashion, music and performance. Although rooted in Islamic tradition, this is an open society where it’s easy for newcomers and visitors to connect with myriad experiences, be it eating like a Bedouin, dancing on the beach, shopping for local art or riding a camel in the desert. Dubai is a fertile environment conducive to breaking down cultural barriers and preconceptions.

Dubai دبي‎, - Capital Dubai - Area 4114 km2 - Population 3,400,800 - Attractions The creek, Burj Khalifa, Shopping, Dune Bashing, Hatta Hiking, The Palm, Burj Al Arab, Golden Beaches, Golf

Mongolia

Rugged Mongolia is an adventure destination where travellers can experience nomadic culture and vast, untouched landscapes.

Mongolians are fully aware of the unique beauty of their country. Ask locals and they will probably start gushing about the spectacular countryside, vast steppes, rugged mountains, clear lakes and abundant wildlife and livestock. Some areas are so remote you could drive a full day and see almost no signs of human habitation.

Mongolia's nomadic culture is famous – visitors can sleep in a herder's ger (traditional felt yurt), help round up the sheep, ride horses and simply 'get back to nature'. The legacy of Chinggis Khaan and resurgent nationalist pride sharpens the experience. A culture of tremendous hospitality makes locals more accessible. In a world beset by locks and gates, it's refreshing to meet people willing to open their doors to strangers.

Mongolia Монгол Улс - Capital Ulaanbaatar - Area 1,566,000 - Population 3,353,470 - Attractions Naadam festival, Horse riding, Sleeping in a Yurt, Siberian lakes, Crossing the steppes, Desert of Gobi

Namibia

If Namibia is 'Africa for beginners', as is often said, what a wonderful place to start.

Few countries in Africa can match Namibia's sheer natural beauty. The country's name derives from its (and the world's) oldest desert, the Namib, and there are few more stirring desert realms on the planet, from the sand sea and perfect dead-tree valleys at Sossusvlei to the otherworldliness of sand dunes plunging down to the sea at Sandwich Harbour and the Skeleton Coast. Inland, running through the heart of the country, a spine of mountains creates glorious scenery – the Naukluft Mountains, the Brandberg, Spitzkoppe, Damaraland and the jaw-dropping Fish River Canyon.

Make no mistake: Namibia is one of Southern Africa's best places to watch wildlife, at least in the country's north. Etosha National Park belongs in the elite wildlife-watching destinations – big cats, elephants, black rhinos and plains game in abundance.

Namibia's human story is every bit as interesting as that written in the rocks, soil and sand of the country. Through their architecture and museums, Lüderitz, Swakopmund and Windhoek tell a complicated story of colonial settlement and oppression, while elsewhere the chance to interact with the many traditional people who call Namibia home will likely provide you with some of your most memorable moments. The Himba, in the country's far northwest, and the San in the east, in particular are soulful people with whom an encounter carries an older, deeper wisdom.

Namibia Namibië - Capital Windhoek - Area 825,615 km2 - Population 2,746,745 - Attractions Namib desert, Sossusvlei, Skeleton coast, Etosha national park, Windhoek, Himba tribes

Bhutan

Bhutan is no ordinary place. It is the last great Himalayan kingdom, shrouded in mystery and magic, where a traditional Buddhist culture carefully embraces global developments.

The Bhutanese pride themselves on a sustainable approach to tourism in line with the philosophy of Gross National Happiness. Foreign visitors famously pay a minimum tariff of US$250 per day, making it seem one of the world's more expensive destinations.

The pristine eastern Himalayan landscape, where snow-capped peaks rise above primeval forests and beautiful traditional villages is just breathtaking! To this picture-book landscape add majestic fortress-like dzongs and monasteries, many of which act as a stage for spectacular tsechus (dance festivals) attended by an almost medieval-looking audience. Then there are the textiles and handicrafts, outrageous archery competitions, high-altitude trekking trails, and stunning flora and fauna. If it's not Shangri-La, it's as close as it gets.

Bhutan འབྲུག་རྒྱལ་ཁབ - Capital Thimphu - Area 38,394 km2 - Population 741,700 - Attractions Thimphu Valley, Tiger’s Nest Monatery, Paro Tsechu (Festival), Himalayan Trecks, Punakha Dzong, Gross National Happiness

Japan

Japan is truly timeless, a place where ancient traditions are fused with modern life as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

On the surface Japan appears exceedingly modern, but travelling around it offers numerous opportunities to connect with the country's traditional culture. Spend the night in a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn), sleeping on futons and tatami mats, and padding through well-worn wooden halls to the bathhouse (or go one step further and sleep in an old farmhouse). Meditate with monks or learn how to whisk bitter matcha (powdered green tea) into a froth. From the splendour of a Kyoto geisha dance to the spare beauty of a Zen rock garden, Japan has the power to enthral even the most jaded traveller.

Japan  日本 - Capital Tokyo - Area 377,975 km2 - Population 126,150,000 - Attractions Mount Fuji, Higashiyama District - Kyoto, Shibuya city - Tokyo, Blossom Season, Wedded Rocks

Ethiopia

Ethiopia is like nowhere else on the planet, a beautiful country blessed with a peerless history, fabulous wildlife and some of Africa's most soulful peoples.

Ethiopia is one of Africa's most beautiful countries and its landscapes are epic in both scale and beauty. Here is a place where you can trek more than 3000m above sea level (the Simien and Bale mountains) or visit the lowest place on the African continent, the Danakil Depression. In between, there are lush highlands and stirring deserts, vertiginous canyons and sweeping savannah, vast lakes and high plateaus. If you look hard enough, you'll also find landmarks of great significance, from the source of the Blue Nile to, again, the mesmerisingly desolate Danakil Depression, peppered with an astonishing 25% of Africa’s active volcanoes.

Ethiopia, the only African country to have escaped European colonialism, has retained much of its cultural identity and its story is one of Africa's most fascinating. It all begins with Lucy, one of our most celebrated ancient ancestors, moves effortlessly into the realm of ancient Aksum with its oblelisks and echoes of the Queen of Sheba, and then takes on power and passion as Christianity, with mysterious echoes of Ancient Israel, takes centre stage

Ethiopia  ኢትዮጵያ - Capital Addis Ababa - Area 1,104,300 km2 - Population 109,224,414 - Attractions Simien Mountains, Danakil Depression, Labilela Churches, Omo Valley tribes, Erta Ale Volcano

Peru

Peru is as complex as its most intricate and exquisite weavings. Festivals mark ancient rites, the urban vanguard fuels innovation and nature bestows splendid diversity.

Visitors flock to the glorious Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, yet this feted site is just a flash in a 5000-year history of Peruvian settlement. Explore the dusty remnants of Chan Chan, the largest pre-Columbian ruins in all the Americas. Stroll in the paved streets of Cuzco, the historic capital of the Inca empire from the 13th century until the 16th-century Spanish conquest.

Lima’s great museums reveal in full detail the sophistication, skill and passion of these lost civilizations. Visit remote communities and see how old ways live on.

Peru Piruw - Capital Lima - Area 1,285,216 km2 - Population 32,824,358 - Attractions Machu Picchu, Cuzco, Inca trail, Colonial Arequipa, Salt pans of Maras, Lima museums, festivals

North Korea

There is quite simply nowhere on Earth like North Korea. Now on its third hereditary ruler, this nominally communist state has defied all expectations and survived the collapse of the Soviet Union to become a nuclear power. A visit to North Korea offers a glimpse of the world's most isolated nation, where the internet and much of the 21st century remain relatively unknown, and millions live their lives in the shadow of an all-encompassing personality cult.

The compromises required to travel here are significant. You’ll be accompanied by two state-employed guides at all times and hear a one-sided account of history while being bussed from sight to sight. Those who can’t accept this might be better off staying away – but those who can will undertake a fascinating journey into another, unsettling world.

North Korea 조선민주주의인민공화국 - Capital Pyongyang - Area 120,540 km2 - Population 25,549,604 - Attractions Mass Games, Mansuade Grand Monument, Goguryeo Tumulus, Pyongyang Metro, Triumphal Arch, USS Pueblo, DMZ

Myanmar

It's a new era for this extraordinary and complex land, where the landscape is scattered with gilded pagodas and the traditional ways of Asia endure.

‘This is Burma', wrote Rudyard Kipling. ‘It will be quite unlike any land you know about.’ Amazingly, over a century later, Myanmar retains the power to surprise and delight even the most jaded of travellers. Be dazzled by the 'winking wonder' of Shwedagon Paya. Contemplate the 4000 sacred stupas scattered across the plains of Bagan. Stare in disbelief at the Golden Rock at Mt Kyaiktiyo, teetering impossibly on the edge of a chasm. These are all important Buddhist sights in a country where pious monks are more revered than rock stars.

In a nation of multiple ethnic groups, exploring Myanmar can sometimes feel like you've stumbled into a living edition of National Geographic, c 1910. For all the recent changes, Myanmar remains at heart a rural nation of traditional values. You'll encounter men wearing the sarong-like longyi and chewing betel nut, spitting the blood-red juice onto the ground, women with faces smothered in thanakha (a natural sunblock), and cheroot-smoking grannies. Trishaws still ply city streets, while the horse or bullock and cart is common rural transport. Drinking tea – a British colonial custom – is enthusiastically embraced in thousands of teahouses.

Myanmar  မြန်မာ - Capital Nay Pyi Taw - Area 676,578 km2 - Population 53, 582,855 - Attractions Shwedagon Paya, Kyaiktiyo Gold Rock, U Bein Bridge, Mandalay Monastery, Bagan Air Balloon, Inle Lake

Pakistan

Pakistan is the difficult child of South Asia – blessed with abundant natural and historical riches, but plagued by political instability, which has kept the country off the radar for all but the most hardened explorers.

With armed groups targetting everyone from the government to mountaineers, visitor numbers to Pakistan have slowed to a trickle, which is a shame, as this remains one of Asia's most fascinating destinations. The teeming cities of the south lie on a continuum with the ancient cities of northern India, while the rugged north is a wild frontier that has changed only superficially since Mughal times. In between are scatted ruins and arid deserts, and capping Pakistan to the north is the western spur of the Himalayan mountain range, including K2, the world's second highest mountain.

Pakistan's number one attraction is a bubble of serenity in a troubled land. Stretching north from the Northwest Frontier to Kashgar in China, the Karakoram is one of the world's most epic highways, an astonishing feat of engineering forced against the odds through the tortured bedrock of the Karakoram mountains. Above Gilgit, the primary safety concern is not rebels but the risk of veering off the road while entranced by the natural beauty of the Hunza Valley or the snow-capped summit of Nanga Parbat.

Pakistan اِسلامی جمہوریہ پاكِستان  - Capital Islamabad - Area 881,913 km2 - Population 212,228,286 - Attractions Karachi Beaches, Wagah Border Parade, Lahore Fort, Shah Faisal Mosque, Karakoram Highway, Chitral Fort, Smuggler’s Bazaar

Bali

The mere mention of Bali evokes thoughts of a paradise. It's more than a place; it's a mood, an aspiration, a tropical state of mind.

The rich and diverse culture of Bali - the Island of Gods- plays out at all levels of life, from the exquisite flower-petal offerings placed everywhere, to the processions of joyfully garbed locals shutting down major roads as they march to one of the myriad temple ceremonies, to the otherworldly traditional music and dance performed island-wide. Almost everything has spiritual meaning. The middle of Bali is dominated by the dramatic volcanoes of the central mountains and hillside temples such as Pura Luhur Batukau (one of the island's estimated 10,000 temples), while the tallest peak, Gunung Agung, is the island's spiritual centre.

On Bali you can lose yourself in the chaos of Kuta or sybaritic pleasures of Seminyak and Kerobokan, surf wild beaches in the south or just hang out on Nusa Lembongan. You can go family-friendly in Sanur or savour a lavish getaway on the Bukit Peninsula. Ubud is the heart of Bali, a place where the culture of the island is most accessible, and it shares the island's most beautiful rice fields and ancient monuments with east and west Bali. North and west Bali are thinly populated but have the kind of diving and surfing that make any journey worthwhile.

Bali ᬩᬮᬶ - Capital Denpasar - Area 5,780 km2 - Population 4,362,000 - Attractions Uluwatu Temple, Jimbaran Seafood, Semyniak Shopping, Canggu Beaches, Ubud, Nusa Penida

Uzbekistan

From Tachkent to Monyak, following the ancient hubs on the Silk Road trade route between the East and the West -Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand- travel with me in the historic and modern Uzbekistan…

The region’s cradle of culture for more than two millennia, Uzbekistan is the proud home to a spellbinding arsenal of architecture and ancient cities, all deeply infused with the bloody, fascinating history of the Silk Road. In terms of sights alone, Uzbekistan is Central Asia's biggest draw and most impressive showstopper.

Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva never fail to impress visitors with their fabulous mosques, medressas and mausoleums, while its more eccentric attractions, such as the fast disappearing Aral Sea, the fortresses of desperately remote Karakalpakstan, its boom town capital Tashkent and the ecotourism opportunities of the Nuratau Mountains, mean that even the most diverse tastes can be catered for.

Uzbekistan Oʻzbekiston - Capital Tashkent - Area 448,978 km2 - Population 33,761,968 - Attractions Silk Road Hubs (Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand), Fergana Valley, Moynaq

Jordan

A safe haven in a region of conflict, Jordan has delighted visitors for centuries with its World Heritage Sites, friendly towns and inspiring desert landscapes.

Jordan has a tradition of welcoming visitors: camel caravans plied the legendary King’s Highway transporting frankincense in exchange for spices while Nabataean tradesmen, Roman legionnaires, Muslim armies and zealous Crusaders all passed through the land, leaving behind impressive monuments.

Petra, the ancient Nabataean city locked in the heart of Jordan’s sandstone escarpments, is the jewel in the crown of the country’s many antiquities. Ever since explorer Jean Louis Burckhardt brought news of the pink-hued necropolis back to Europe in the 19th century, the walk through the Siq to the Treasury (Petra’s defining monument) has impressed even the most travel weary of visitors.

Take a ride through Wadi Rum at sunset, and it's easy to see why TE Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) was so drawn to this land of weathered sandstone and reddened dunes. But Jordan's desert landscapes are not confined to the southeast: they encompass a salt sea at the lowest point on earth and oasis of palm trees.

Jordan الأردن - Capital Amman - Area 89,342 km2 - Population 10,407,793 - Attractions Petra, Wadi Rum, Dead Sea, Jerash

Sri Lanka

Endless beaches, timeless ruins, welcoming people, oodles of elephants, rolling surf, cheap prices, fun trains, famous tea and flavourful food make Sri Lanka irresistible.

Across the island, that thing that goes bump in the night might be an elephant heading to a favourite waterhole. Safari tours of Sri Lanka’s pleasantly relaxed national parks encounter leopards, water buffaloes, all manner of birds and a passel of primates.

Discover a favourite beach, meditate in a 2000-year-old temple, exchange smiles while strolling a mellow village, marvel at birds and wildflowers, try to keep count of the little dishes that come with your rice and curry. Wander past colonial gems in Colombo, then hit some epic surf.

When you’re ready to escape the tropical climate of the coast and lowlands, head for the hills, with their temperate, achingly green charms. Verdant tea plantations and rainforested peaks beckon walkers, trekkers and those who just want to see them from a spectacular train ride.

Sri Lanka ශ්‍රී ලංකා - Capital Colombo - Area 65,610 km2 - Population 21,670,000 - Attractions Weligama Beaches, Galle Fort, Uda National Park, Sigiriya Rock, Kandy, Dambatenne Tea Plantation

Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world. There are 851 known languages in the country of which 11 now have no known speakers. Most of the population of more than 8 million people lives in customary communities, which are as diverse as the languages. The country is one of the world's least explored, culturally and geographically. It is known to have numerous groups of uncontested peoples, and researchers believe there are many undiscovered species of plants and animals in the interior.

On the Sepik river, there is a tradition of wood carving, often in the form of plants or animals, representing ancestor spirits.

Seashells are no longer the currency of Papua New Guinea, as they were in some regions. This tradition is still present in local customs. In some cultures, to get a bride, a groom must bring a certain number of golden-edged clam shells as a bride price.

People of the highlands engage in colourful local rituals that are called "sing sings". They paint themselves and dress up with feathers, pearls and animal skins to represent birds, trees or mountain spirits. Sometimes an important event, such as a legendary battle, is enacted at such a musical festival.

Papua New Guinea Papua Niugini - Capital Port Moresby - Area 462,840 km2 - Population 8,606,323 - Attractions Port Moresby, Sepik River, Mount Hagen Festival, Highland Trekking

Cuba

Timeworn but magnificent, dilapidated but dignified, fun yet maddeningly frustrating – Cuba is a country of indefinable magic.

Cuba is like a prince in a poor man’s coat: behind the sometimes shabby facades, gold dust lingers. It’s these rich dichotomies that make travel here the exciting, exhilarating roller-coaster ride it is. Trapped in a time warp and reeling from an economic embargo that has grated for more than half a century, this is a country where you can wave goodbye to everyday assumptions and expect the unexpected. If Cuba were a book, it would be James Joyce's Ulysses: layered, hard to grasp, frequently misunderstood, but – above all – a classic.

Bereft of modern interference, Cuba’s colonial cities haven’t changed much since musket-toting pirates stalked the Caribbean. The atmosphere and architecture is particularly stirring in Havana, Trinidad, Remedios and Camagüey where grandiose squares and cobbled streets tell erstwhile tales of opulence and intrigue.

Cuba Republica de Cuba - Capital Havana - Area 109,884 km2 - Population 11,209,628 - Attractions Habana Vieja, El Malecón, Valle de vinales, Varadero, Live Music Scene

Egypt

With sand-covered tombs, austere pyramids and towering Pharaonic temples, Egypt brings out the explorer in all of us. Visit the Valley of the Kings in Luxor and see the glittering finds in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Hop off a Nile boat to visit Dendara, Edfu or one of the other waterside temples, cross Lake Nasser to see Ramses II’s masterpiece at Abu Simbel, or trek into the desert (white or black) to find the traces of Roman trading outposts.

Egypt once ruled an empire from Al Qahira – Cairo. The metropolis is packed with soaring minarets and medieval schools and mosques, some of the greatest architecture of medieval Islam. At the same time, Egypt’s native Christians, the Copts, have carried on their traditions that in many respects link back to the time of the pharaohs. Tap into the history in Cairo's early churches and in remote desert monasteries.

Egypt has empty beaches with nothing but a candlelit cabin, and a teeming coral reef offshore. The coast along the Red Sea has a rugged desert beauty above the waterline and a psychedelic vibrancy below. There is even more space and just as much beauty in Egypt’s vast deserts. Whether you’re watching the sun rise between the beautiful shapes of the White Desert or the shimmering horizon from the comfort of a hot spring in Siwa Oasis, Egypt’s landscapes are endlessly fascinating.

Egypt مِصر - Capital Cairo - Area 1,010,408 km2 - Population 100,075,480 - Attractions Pyramids of Giza, Siwa Oasis, White Desert Camping, Nile Cruise, Abu Simbel, the Library of Alexandria, Rea Sea Diving