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;
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;
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;
2015
2015
2015
in the air
on the sea