Tarragona to Lleida

Hotels in Catalonia

When you have had your fill of the hedonism of the Catalan coast, it is time to head inland, to explore the agricultural heartlands of Catalonia where the villages have their own folklore, culture and customs, local festivals rooted in medieval tradition, and magnificent regional food and wines. The people of this fiercely independent, semi-autonomous province have a strong sense of nationalism. They are Catalan first and Spanish second, their identity clearly visible in their preference for speaking in their native tongue, a language very different from the Castillian Spanish spoken elsewhere.

 

Inhabited since prehIstoric times, Tarragona, on the Costa Dorada, was the base from which the Romans set out to colonize Iberia. It is beautifully situated on a rocky outcrop overlooking the sea with a walled old quarter and impressively intact Roman remains both in and around the town. A 115 km (70 mi) cycling tour of the back roads to the pleasant inland town of Lleida on the River Segre gives you an insight into Catalan rural culture as you meander through the pretty farmlands from village to village, whliling along country lanes, passing dry-stonewalled terraces of fruit and olive groves, visiting ancient chapels and monasteries, old farm buildings and windmills along the way.

 

Although this part of Spain is heavily dependent on tourism, the old quarters of the villages are still devoted entirely to food production, with a co-operative in each village. You pass the vineyards of Montsant and see the olive oil factory at El Soleras at work, the famous olive villages of Les Garrigues and the historic curiosity of the old oil mill at Albatarrec. You will be able to gorge yourself on wonderful regional dishes as you exercise them off, ending your bike ride glowing with well-being at the gateway to the Pyrenees.

 

HOW

By bike

WHEN TO GO

October for the olive harvest.

TIME IT TAKES

Two days

HIGHLIGHTS

World Heritage monuments of Tarragona.

Monastery of Poblet.

Stone huts of Ulldemolins.

Seu Vena, Lleida - 12th-15th century Cathedral.

YOU SHOULD KNOW

This is easy cycling over gently undulating or flat terrain.

Hotels in Catalonia

 

Skeleton Coast

Hotels in Namibia

The Skeleton Coast stretches from Swakopmund to the Angolan border 500 km (300 m) north. This is an inhospitable place, where immense stretches of beach are beaten by breakers, engulfed by fog  and cut off by trackless, shifting dunes. Early Portuguese sailors knew it as 'The Sands of Hell', for the crew of a foundering ship was doomed. The skeletons on this coastline are not just human: the bleached bones of innumerable whales, dating from the whaling industry's heyday, as well as the remains of countless ships swept ashore during the mercantile era, dot the sands. 

 

Pounded by the sea and blasted by sand the latter have been reduced to scraps of rusty metal, scattered planks and shattered masts, while the wrecks of later vessels, though more intact, are inaccessible.

The narrow strip of dunes was proclaimed a Nature Reserve in 1971. This ancient, untouched wilderness has a fascinating ecosystem - although ahnost rainless, the desert is moistened by the dense fogs that are brought by the icy Benuela Current and blown inshore. 

 

Plants and lichens adapt to the extreme conditions by taking on strange forms. Visits are limited to minimize human impact on this ecologically sensitive area. The coast road runs along the margin of the dunes, but there is no access. The northern section is a private concession, and offers fly-in safaris. However, a sightseeing flight from Swakopmund is a good option - these low-level flights allow a view of the vast graveyard of the shore and the mesmerising changing shapes and colours of the dunes.

 

HOW

By plane

WHEN TO GO

May to October

TIME IT TAKES

About three hours

HIGHLIGHTS

The remote wrecks, including the Dunedin Star, which ran aground in 1942.

The Ugab Formations, a moon-landscape whose black ridges contrast with the white desert.

The Clay Castles, fragile mud deposits laid down along the Hoarusib River when the area was a lake.

Sarusa Springs Oasis - a perennial water source.

YOU SHOULD KNOW

The dense coastal fogs occur most mornings and evenings.

Hotels in Namibia

 

Namib Desert

Hotels in Namibia

The name 'Namib' means 'Vast Dry Plain', and the Namib Desert extends along the Atlantic coast, with vast seas of towering dunes rolling inland towards gravel plains and isolated mountain ranges. This is one of the oldest and driest deserts in the world.

Windhoek, Namibia's capital, is a graceful city set on low hills; the road southwest (C26) crosses lovely countryside and desert hills. South of Solitaire on the C14 a signed road leads south to Sesriem and the Namib Dunes. These are 'dynamic' dunes - they shift and change shape, sculpted by the wind. They are made of quartz sand, and their colours also change, from cream to copper, red to violet. Some of these enormous sandhills are easily accessible, by foot or 4x4.

 

Sossusvlei, 60 km (37 m) deeper into the desert is the most photographed place in Namibia. It consists of a huge clay pan surrounded by massive red dunes, some as high as 300 m (975 ft). · When the Tsauchab River fills and spills into it, this briefly becomes a turquoise lake, flocked by aquatic birds. The park opens at sunrise and closes at sunset; to experience the glorious technicolour effects it is necessary to stay around Sesriem.

 

The road northwest towards Swakopmund, the C14, runs along the eastern edge of the dunes then through the Gaub Pass and the Kuiseb Pass, turning west to cross the Namib-Naukluft Park, an area of gravel plains and occasional hills. It reaches the coast at Walvis Bay, a busy harbour town. Swakopmund, 30 km (19 M) north, is an attractive German-colonial seaside resort, and Namibia's most popular holiday destination, with a wide range of adventure sports on offer on land and sea.

 

HOW

By car

WHEN TO GO

May to October

TIME IT TAKES

Two days plus

HIGHLIGHTS

Sossusvlei - climb one of the dunes and look down over the waves of the Sand Dune Sea.

Escape the crowds at Hidden Vlei, a low landscape surrounded by lonely dunes.

Bird watching at Walvis Bay. Huge numbers of flamingoes visit the surrounding wetlands.

YOU SHOULD KNOW

Visitors to Sossusvlei need a park entry permit.

4x4s can drive up to the Pan; other - vehicles use a car park a long, hot walk. away – take water.

Hotels in Namibia

Panama Canal and Lake Gutan

Hotels in Panama

For sheer drama it is difficult to top the 77 km (48 mi) passage through the Panama Canal. Built to cut sailing times between the east and west coasts of America, one twentieth of the world's shipping now passes through its locks. It is the perfect marriage of engineering efficiency and Italianate architecture that makes it a true wonder of the modern world. The locks themselves utilize the waters of the surrounding rainforest to send vessels on their way through improbably narrow passages. 

 

The region's rivers and lakes are dammed, and, along with the locks, these dams control the release of 236 million litres (52 million gallons) of freshwater per passing vessel. Where else in the world can you lean over the side of large cruise ship and touch land?

When the ship is ready to change locks, it is mesmensmg to look down from the stem. With only 10 m (33 ft) between propellers and lock gates the commotion caused by the water is quite incredible. 

 

The canal marks the lowest point at which you can cross the American Continental Divide as you sail through the 13 km (8 mi) of the dramatic Gaillard Cut, where the mountain was literally sliced open to allow passage. Such is the dramatic nature of the scenery that it appears to the eye that you are heading straight towards a cliff as you head through the final lock that takes you into Lake Gutan.

Here there is a chance to disembark or simply marvel at the sheer volume of shipping waiting to pass through the canal.

 

HOW

By ship

WHEN TO GO

The climate is pretty constant all year round.

TIME IT TAKES

Allow a full day for a round trip through the canal and onto the lake.

HIGHLIGHTS

Marvelling at the mechanics of it all.

The evergreen tropical jungle, which adorns both sides of the canal.

The contrast between the bubbling excitement of the canal and the · tranquility of Lake Gatun.

Watching passing ships travel close by in the opposite direction on the section between Culebra cut and Lake Gutan.

YOU SHOULD KNOW

The delicate eco-system that surrounds the canal is threatened by deforestation, as a result of illegal logging.

Hotels in Panama

 

Cerro Chirripo

Hotels in Costa Rica

There can be few more intense fusions of pleasure and pain than the hike up Cerro Chirripo, with its 18km (11mi) climb to a 3000m (10000ft) high summit. If the gradient doesn't slow you down, then the diminishing oxygen at altitude will add extra pressure to the lungs. The rewards, however, for making it to the top are bountiful. On a clear day it's possible to see both the Pacific and the Caribbean by just turning your head!

 

A permit is needed to make this climb and the monies raised go towards trail maintenance and the employment of park rangers. So with ticket in hand and a rucksack stocked for all eventualities, it is time to breathe in the tropical air and start the climb. Everything from sun block to a sleeping bag is essential, as the hot tropical sun can easily burn you and it has been known to snow near the summit. Thankfully you don't need the added burden of a tent, as there are a couple of dormitory-style huts along the way.

 

As befits a jungle environment, the slippery trail can make progress hard work. Short of out-and-out mountaineering this is probably the most difficult 18 km (11.25 mi) you will ever travel in your life. Its inaccessibility is what keeps this area special and free from the development and exploitation that blights much of Central America. Besides the challenge of climbing Costa Rica's highest peak, there are numerous trails that wind through more ecological zones than you will find in most entire countries.

 

HOW

On foot

WHEN TO GO

Year round. though it's less hot from November to March.

TIME IT TAKES

Allow two or three days to climb the mountain or at least a week to enjoy the surrounding National Park.

HIGHLIGHTS

The sheer thrill of it all - the sounds of the jungle, the forest scenery and the panoramic views from the top.

The surrounding National park – as close to a pristine jungle as you could wish to experience.

The descent - climbing the mountain requires so much energy that it is sometimes difficult to take in the amazing jungle location. The descent, though not easy, affords you that luxury.

YOU SHOULD KNOW

Do not be tempted to start the climb without a permit. Sometimes the rangers say there is a long waiting list, when in fact there is none.

Hotels in Costa Rica