squaremeal.co.uk | 147

travel

Zimbabwe

Bolstering Zimbabwe's

tourism renaissance, the

luxurious Linkwasha safari

camp opens in Hwange

National Park in May (from

£365 p/day all inclusive;

wilderness-safaris.com).

Armenia

This little-visited nation

of ancient churches and

snow-capped mountains

is edging onto the radar,

with Kirker starting tours

in May (eight nights from

£2,496; kirkerholidays.com).

Burma

Burma's tourism boom is

set to increase after the

opening of borders with

Thailand. Intrepid o� ers

tours of both countries by

land (14 days from £1,360;

intrepidtravel.com).

ALSO OFF THE BEATEN TRACK

travel

Synonymous with black magic and brutal

dictators, Haiti had a fearsome reputation

no amount of PR witchcraft or wizardry

could dispel - or so it once seemed. Recent

years have seen UK government travel

warnings to the country relaxed, with much

of the damage from the devastating 2010

earthquake now repaired. 2015 sees a slew

of tour operators o� ering itineraries to one of

the last unexplored pockets of the Caribbean.

Wild Frontiers' new 'Haiti: The

Undiscovered Caribbean' tour takes in

some of the country's signature experiences:

from hiking the breezy trails of La Visite

National Park to encounters with the island's

Vodou culture in Port-au-Prince. The grand

 nale is visiting the Citadelle Laferrière: a

set of fearsome forti cations that make

Warwick and Windsor look as wimpy as the

Disneyland castle. The largest fortress in the

Americas, it was built to defend Haitians from

the French and boasts a formidable set of

rusting cannons.

Eleven-day tours begin 2 September. From

£2,695, exc ights; wildfrontierstravel.com

Make Haiti

on the rails

Forget about Cuba: 2015 is the year

Haiti becomes the Caribbean's

hottest emerging destination

WHILE THE

SUN SHINES

Viking Cruises have traditionally confined themselves to

rivers. This year, however, the company takes its cue from

its namesake warriors by launching on the high seas. From

May, new ocean liner the Viking Star will sail everywhere

from Norwegian fjords to Mediterranean islands.

Horned helmets are in short supply, but an on-board spa

and two pools provide ample compensation (eight night

Mediterranean cruises from £1,899; vikingcruises.co.uk).

The most interesting new routes this year are with budget

airlines: Ryanair begins flying from Stansted to Ponta

Delgada airport in the Azores from 4 April (from £65) as

well as to the genteel resort of Deauville, Normandy from

3 April (from £40; ryanair.com). Meanwhile easyJet starts

flights from Gatwick to the much-underrated Croatian

town of Pula from 23 June (from £72) and to Figari, in

southern Corsica, from 14 June (from £113; easyjet.com).

This May, Eurostar commences direct services from

London St Pancras to Lyon (from £89; eurostar.com) and

Marseilles (from £99 - see p.148 for how to spend 24

hours in Marseilles). Also keep an eye out for the arrival of

posh new Eurostar trains later this year. On the other side

of the world, October sees luxury sleeper the Eastern and

Oriental Express rattling up to the northern Thai city of

Chiang Mai (two nights from £1,580; belmond.com).

Meanwhile, G Adventures' 'Highlights

of Haiti' trip introduces guests to the

pristine beaches of the southern coast,

as well as the old co� ee port and artists'

colony of Jacmel. Participants can paddle

in the nearby Bassins Bleu (above) - three

interconnecting turquoise pools that could

have been the set for a shampoo advert.

Ten-day tours from £1,599 excluding ights;

gadventures.co.uk

2015

2015

2015

in the air

on the sea