By paffy on May 16, 2013 Category: Pics, Travel
Tasting tours and tulips, fish fries and far-flung festivals … Just in time for spring, our editors have selected ten trips that will awaken your senses—and your sense of adventure. Share your favorite and tell us your own trip ideas in the comments.Holi Festival, Jaipur, India
Holi Festival, Jaipur, India
Photograph by Leeuwenberg, Hollandse Hoogte/Redux
Jaipur, capital of northwest India’s
Rajasthan state, owes its “Pink City” nickname to terra-cotta-hued
building facades within the Old City walls. Each spring, a tide of
raucous revelers magnifies the Technicolor-like glow during the frenetic
city’s Holi celebrations. Heralding the arrival of spring, Holi—the
Hindu “Festival of Colors”—is marked throughout India and around the
world (beginning March 27 this year). In traveler-friendly Rajasthan—Land
of Kings—locals and visitors jubilantly join impromptu and organized
color eruptions. Prepare to be doused with brightly tinted powders and
scented water. Long-sleeve shirts, pants, and a layer of sun block help
minimize skin staining, but count on tossing your clothes at festival’s
end. Jaipur ushers in Holi with its annual Elephant Festival
March 26. Held at the Jaipur polo grounds, the festivities include
elephant polo and tug-of-war matches, as well as a parade of elaborately
painted pachyderms. Splurge on a luxury tent at the Oberoi Rajvilas to soak your Holi colors away in a vintage, claw-foot tub.Waikato, North Island, New Zealand
Waikato, North Island, New Zealand
Photograph by Chris McLennan, Alamy
From Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, it’s about an hour’s drive south to the northern reaches of the Waikato region—a
25,000-square-mile mix of rolling farmland, black-sand beaches,
volcanic mountains, and glowworm-laden caves. Fans of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey flock here to tour the Hobbiton Movie Set in Matamata. Adventure seekers can rappel and raft through the Waitomo Caves with the Legendary Black Water Rafting Company or ride the waves at Raglan, the iconic surf beach of Endless Summer fame. Waikato is also home to Tūrangawaewae Marae,
the official residence of the reigning Māori monarch and site of
Turangawaewae Regatta Day’s (March 15 to 16) impressive parade of war
canoes on the 264-mile Waikato River, New Zealand’s longest. Get a
bird’s-eye view of the region via hot air balloon at Balloons Over Waikato (April 3 to 7), or on helicopter transfer from Auckland Airport to Taupo’s plush Huka Lodge, the exclusive, 25-room Relais & Châteaux retreat near Huka Falls.Take a Scenic Road Trip on New Zealand's North Island >>
Tulpenfestival, Noordoostpolder, Netherlands
Tulpenfestival, Noordoostpolder, Netherlands
Photograph by Siebe Swart, Redux
Late
March through mid-May, precise rows of blooming tulips unfurl like
crayon-colored ribbons across the flat Dutch landscape. While not as
famous as North and South Holland’s Bollenstreek (Bulb District), central Flevoland
is home to about 5,000 acres of bulb fields—tops in the country. Most
of the fields are located in Noordoostpolder—the Netherlands' youngest
tulip-growing area—located about an hour’s drive northeast of Amsterdam.
During the annual Countus Tulpenfestival,
April 18 to May 6, clearly marked routes make it easy to drive, bike,
hike, or ride via special horse-drawn carriage and covered wagon tours
along the polder’s most vibrant commercial fields. The fertile land here
used to be part of a shallow North Sea inlet (Zuiderzee) reclaimed for
agricultural use beginning in the 1920s through a complex system of
pumping stations and dikes. On Noordoostpolder’s west coast, walk the
brick-paved streets of historic Urk.
This charming fishing village was a secluded Zuiderzee island until
1942, when the massive water-to-land reclamation project absorbed Urk
into the mainland.Drive Europe's Quintessential Spring Road Trip, the Flower Route, in the Netherlands >>
Kentucky Bourbon Trail Tour, Lexington to Louisville, Kentucky
Kentucky Bourbon Trail Tour, Lexington to Louisville, Kentucky
Photograph by Luke Sharrett, The New York Times/Redux
All
bourbon is whiskey, but only U.S.-distilled corn whiskey meeting
exacting standards (like being aged in new, charred white oak barrels)
can be called bourbon. The seven distilleries comprising the Kentucky Bourbon Trail tour—Four Roses, Heaven Hill Distilleries, Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Wild Turkey Bourbon, Woodford Reserve, and Town Branch—produce
about 95 percent of the world's bourbon. Guided tours and tastings
(don’t miss the chocolate-covered bourbon balls) are included at most
stops, many of which are tucked away on Bluegrass State back roads. The
tour isn’t a geographic route (distilleries are clustered mid-state from
Lexington west to Louisville), so plot your own path past thoroughbred
horse farms and historic small towns. Allow about three days to visit
all seven, plus a few micro-distilleries on the new Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour. Spend a night at the Woodford Inn
in Versailles (pronounced ver-SAYLZ) where the Friday night fish fry
includes live bluegrass music on the lawn. Early risers can watch the
racehorse training sessions (6 a.m. to 10 a.m. daily) at nearby Keeneland.Wind Through Bourbon Country on Kentucky's Bluegrass Byways >>
Danube Delta, Romania
Danube Delta, Romania
Photograph by Vadim Ghirda, AP
From
April to September, millions of migrating birds visit the Danube
Delta’s sandy islands, floating reed beds, cane fields, forests, and
freshwater lakes. Situated in southeastern Romania,
where the Danube River meets the Black Sea, the 2,200-square-mile
UNESCO Biosphere Reserve—and Europe’s largest continuous marshland—hosts
more than 300 species of birds, including white pelicans, red-breasted
geese, and pygmy cormorants. With few roads, travel is almost
exclusively by water. In the gateway village of Tulcea,
hire a private boat with an ARBDD-licensed Associatia de Ecoturism
guide, rent a kayak or rowboat, or hop one of the regular or fast
ferries serving the delta’s three main navigable channels—Chilia, Sfantu
Gheorghe, and Sulina. Ibis Tours, Naturetrek, and the Traveling Naturalist
are among the outfitters leading small-group, bird-watching tours into
the delta. Packages typically include Bucharest airport transfers,
meals, English-speaking guides, and basic lodging in floating pontons
(hotel boats). Near the fishing village of Murighiol (accessible by
car) visit the Halmyris archeological site to observe ongoing
excavations at the legendary Roman naval port and supply depot.Explore More of Romania in Bucharest >>
Madeira Flower Festival, Madeira Island, Portugal
Madeira Flower Festival, Madeira Island, Portugal
Photograph by Doug Houghton, Alamy
Madeira, Portugal’s
“Floating Garden of the Atlantic” is 310 miles off the African coast, a
90-minute flight from Lisbon. In Funchal, the island’s largest city,
buildings, streets, and storefronts bloom with floral murals,
sculptures, and intricate flowering carpets during the annual Flower
Festival (May 9 to 15). The main event is Sunday’s Flower Parade. Dozens
of elaborate floral floats and thousands of costumed folk dancers move
to the castanet rhythm of Madeira’s folkloric brinquinho—a
whimsical, puppetlike percussion instrument powered by dancing wooden
dolls. Saturday morning’s smaller Children’s Parade attracts hundreds of
flower-costumed youngsters, each carrying a single bloom. Snag a
viewing spot along Avenida Zarco’s black-and-white mosaic sidewalk, or
wait in the Praça do Município (Town Hall Square) to watch the children
build a blooming “Wall of Hope” with their flowers. Following the
parade, dress in your “smart casual” best for afternoon tea at the Old World Reid’s Palace Hotel. Book a Tea Terrace table to savor panoramic Atlantic views along with buttered scones and a pot of Reid’s signature blend.Hike Scenic Trails on Portugal's Southwest Coast >>
Mendoza, Argentina
Mendoza, Argentina
Photograph by Daniel Garcia, AFP/Getty Images
March ushers in the vendimia, or grape harvest festival, season in the high-altitude vineyards of Mendoza, Argentina’s premier wine-producing province. Hundreds of bodegas
(wineries) are spread across a 57,000-square-mile valley surrounded by
soaring Andean peaks. Catch an hour-long flight east from Santiago, Chile, to the bustling city of Mendoza, where you can sample over 90 regional wines by the glass and craft a custom blend at the Vines Tasting Room. From here, head south via remise
(private taxi), rental car, or light rail to neighboring Maipú. Tucked
among the orchards and vineyards are family-owned guesthouses like the
five-room Finca Terrada, where grapes are grown to produce the Terrada label’s artisanal Malbecs, Merlots, and Torrontés. At the 11-room Club Tapiz guests can lend a hand in the harvest. Rent a bike or book a personal bike tour at Mr. Hugo's
to visit Maipú’s wineries at a leisurely, albeit bumpy, pace. Many
small wineries don’t accept credit cards, and most are closed on
Sundays, so call ahead and carry plenty of pesos.See Photos of Argentina's Cultural Beauty >>
Cape MAYgration Shorebird and Horseshoe Crab Festival, Cape May County, New Jersey
Cape MAYgration Shorebird and Horseshoe Crab Festival, Cape May County, New Jersey
Photograph courtesy Queen Victoria Bed & Breakfast
Cape May, New Jersey’s southernmost county, was spared the wrath of Superstorm Sandy, so it’s business as usual at the Cape May Bird Observatory.
Visit during the annual Cape MAYgration Shorebird and Horseshoe Crab
Festival (May 16 to 19) to see North America’s second highest
concentration of spring shorebirds (Alaska’s Copper River Delta is
number one) and the world’s largest aggregation of breeding horseshoe
crabs. Delaware Bay is a critical refueling stop for the red knot on its
9,000-mile flight north to the Arctic from Tierra del Fuego. Each May,
hundreds of thousands of shorebirds descend on buffered bayside beaches
to feast on fertilized eggs deposited by waves of spawning horseshoe
crabs. Register online for boat tours, naturalist-led field trips, and
other programs to create a personalized festival itinerary. Spend at
least one morning listening to the songbird chorus at Higbee Beach,
returning in time for homemade granola at the Queen Victoria, the Albert Stevens, or another gingerbread-trimmed Victorian inn in the Cape May National Historic District.
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