Don’t go there.. go here instead..
Wow your friends who regale you with tales of The inca Trail, orient experess and Great ocean road with these alternatives
NEW York, Angkor Wat, the Great Barrier Reef: everyone wants to visit them. But it’s time to dream of somewhere different. Our world is packed with incredible places we can miss if we stick to the tourist trail.
Here are our favourite off the beaten track gems from Go Here Instead: The Alternative Travel List.
Avebury: Alternative to Stonehenge
To really get hands-on with ancient stones and see the world from a 5000-year-old view, head to Avebury, 20 miles north of Stonehenge.
This mystic circle of stones, or henge, was erected around the same time. Its stones aren’t as big but the site is four times the size.
Wander among the stones touching them and join those hugging them.
Wilderness Festival: Alternative to Glastonbury
Every August, Wilderness Festival rolls into the Oxfordshire woodlands. Just 10,000 guests, a bunch of talented musicians and an indulgent number of gourmet food trucks assembles. This community-focused fest offers all Glastonbury’s musical magic with plenty of extras for good measure.
Wilderness is big on fancy dress with daily themes such as “What Comes Naturally” and “Maximalism”.
This is a festival for everyone with six different venues. And you can try axe-throwing or paddle board yoga.
Apolobamba Trek: Alternative to Inca Trail
Just across the border, the snow-blanketed peaks of Bolivia’s Cordillera Apolobamba mountain range boast some of South America’s finest, and wildest, hiking.
The five-day, 57 mile trail is untouched by tourism. Mountain paths were built to access gold mines, worked by the Inca.
Small Inca sites fill this route. It begins in the cobbled town of Curva, where the Kallawaya people reside. Healers, they use their knowledge of more than 800 herbs, travelling village to village.
Glassy valley lakes teem with trout and flamingos lend a dash of colour.
The Wild Atlantic Way: Alternative to Gt Ocean Rd
From the harbour town of Kinsale in the south to the Inishowen Peninsula in the north, the Wild Atlantic Way snakes along the whole of Ireland’s western seaboard. The undulating route covers 1554 miles.
While Australia’s Great Ocean Road was built in the 1920s, the Wild Atlantic Way developed organically.
From the sandy beaches of the Iveragh Peninsula in the south, through mountainous Galway and also taking in the 6000-year limestone bed of the Burren Park, it’s wild fun.
Rovos Rail Africa: Alternative to Orient Express
On old railway tracks criss-crossing Africa, the vintage wood-panelled carriages of a Rovos Rail train chug along at no more than 60mph. Like the Orient Express, it evokes the glamour of the Roaring 20s. Pretoria to Victoria Falls, with its rugged plains and Zimbabwe’s huge Hwange National Park where The Big Five roam are highlights. ■■Extracted by JANE MEMMlER from Go Here Instead: The Alternative Travel list (DK Eyewitness) £20.