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Join millions of pilgrims on the banks of the Ganges, Sangham, Yamuna or Sarasvati for the holy Hindu festival, Kumbh Mela. Over 55 days, you can wash away your past sins in the sacred Indian waters and seek enlightenment from revered sadhus (holy men). Kumbh Mela is the largest spiritual gathering in the world and rotates the location every three years, meaning the festival only occurs at one location every 12 years.
The festival kicks off on a date determined by zodiac positions of the sun, the moon and Jupiter – when the sun and moon enter Capricorn, and Jupiter enters Aries. Kumbh Mela has been described as ‘the world’s most massive act of faith’, – but the ‘great’ cleanse, Maha Kumbh Melis only occurs once every 144 years… stay alive until 2145 and you may just get to see it.
region: Asia
An ancient fort meets modern luxury
Those who’ve travelled around Rajasthan will tell you that around every bend in the road you’ll see an ancient fort. This, after all, was the land where local tribes fought off invaders and each other for centuries.
Alila Hotels and Resorts has converted a 230-year-old fort into a luxury hotel, with 59 suites, a wellness centre, pool, four restaurants and a juice bar. Like all Alila properties, there will also be an on-site concierge team organising guest activities, from culinary expeditions to cultural journeys. Plus, the hotel is just an hour from the Pink City of Jaipur.
The treehouse hiding in Bangkok
The tuk-tuk choked, concrete-clad streets of Bangkok don’t exactly scream of eco-friendly escapades, but Bangkok Tree House sits in a green lung in the midst of the smog. Bunk down for a night in the tropical treetops of Bang Krachao Island. This boutique hotel offers four unique rooms, each with a nod to nature. In keeping with their eco-friendly mission, there’s no fumigation, so it’s a bug’s life all round, but the setting more than makes up for any creepy crawlies.
If you’re a nature-lover, the View with a Room is pure paradise – a bamboo open-air villa set seven metres above the ground with only the sun and stars for light. During the day borrow a bike (they’re free) and explore the jungle, waterways and temples. When you return take a dip in the natural swimming pond then head to the 24-hour ice-cream bar for a cool treat.
The six-storey treehouse on steroids
Imagine a house that resembles something out of The Jetsons. Now think about how difficult that would be to build. Not only has it happened on the banks of Bali’s Ayung River, but this spectacular six-storey abode has also been created entirely from bamboo. Up to 11 people can be accommodated in Sharma Springs’ four bedrooms. Many of the living areas are open at the sides, allowing guests to feel at home in the forest, and there’s an office space (just in case you feel like you have to stay forever), media room, kids’ play room and a private garden with a pool. It’s part of a planned sustainable community only 25 minutes from Ubud, so you can head into town if you feel the need to escape all this peace and quiet.
Live in a wooden elephant in Asia
Dumbo would be proud to know that one of the world’s most unusual eco-hotels takes his shape. The two-storey Kumbuk River Elephant Villa has an open lounge on the upper deck and two extra-large bedrooms downstairs, all crafted from wood and straw. With its lush river location, about 260 kilometres from Colombo, guests can take advantage of all the resort’s activities, including nature walks, bird watching and rafting. If living inside an elephant doesn’t soothe your pangs for pachyderms, take a day trip to Yala National Park where you can spot leopards, water buffalo, sloth bears and, of course, Sri Lankan elephants.
Shack up in Hong Kong’s hottest hotel
Patterned marble, galvanised steel, textured concrete and raw timber are the over-riding materials used in the 66 rooms of this boutique hotel, Tuve. It seems like minimalism in the extreme, with local architects Design Systems using a series of photos of a Swedish lake – rocks partly submerged and mists swirling – as the unlikely inspiration. Natural light is also utilised, with translucent wired glass, a material more often seen in offices, separating bed and bathroom. In the ground floor restaurant, Silver Room, where folds of metal create privacy between tables, the menu has a decidedly Japan-meets-Italy vibe. It won’t be everyone’s stripped-back glass of fizzy water, but it’s certainly a game changer
in bigger-is-better Hong Kong.
Stay in a Chinese mansion like no other
You may not have heard of this Chinese city, but we’re going to give you an excellent reason to add it to your itinerary. Sure, its Old Town is listed by UNESCO – it has some of the best preserved Ming and Qing architecture in the country – but you can pretend you’ve entered another era in this renovated mansion once owned by a silk merchant. The 19 rooms at Jing’s Residence – all arranged around a courtyard – have a local air: bed heads are crafted from lacquer or silk, floors are made of bamboo and ceilings of rice paper, and beds are fashioned like traditional kangs, the heated, raised sleeping platforms of northern China. Take part in a hotpot meal in the courtyard, relax in the spa or spend some time wandering the streets of Pingyao and browsing in the curio shops.
The festival banishing Nepal’s demons
Held each year, the Tiji Festival takes over the ancient fortress city of Lo Manthang, Nepal. In a mass of music, colour, masks and dance, the event commemorates the defeat of the demons responsible for suffering, and aims to bring peace and protection to the world.
Shots by David Ducoin, LightMediation
All aboard the Trans-Siberian Railway
Having enchanted travellers for decades, the Trans-Siberian Railway celebrated its hundredth birthday in 2016. Weaving through Eurasia from Beijing to Saint Petersburg, this 9289-kilometre journey is the ultimate adventure. Explore China’s Forbidden City and soak up the history of the Great Wall, then settle into your carriage. Lose yourself in ever-changing landscapes as you’re whisked to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s capital.
Drive to Khustain National Park, where indigenous takhi (Asian wild horses) roam the grasslands, and spend a night at a traditional ger (yurt) camp living as the nomads do. Next, it’s full steam ahead into Russia. Visit the glassy waters of Lake Baikal in southern Siberia, and marvel at the unique architecture and eye-popping colours of St Basil’s Cathedral and the Kremlin in Moscow, before arriving at your final destination, Saint Petersburg. It might seem like a long journey, but there’s no better way to watch the world fly by than on this once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
Get smokin’ hot on a volcano safari
Smouldering volcanos and mummies sound more like what you’d find on the set of an Indiana Jones film rather than an island holiday, but a trip to remote Papua New Guinea offers more than snorkelling and beautiful beaches – although it has plenty of those, too. Head to Rabaul, on the island of New Britain, for a two-week volcano-viewing adventure with filmmaker and photojournalist Ulla Lohmann and climbing instructor Basti Hofmann. This once bustling city was destroyed by violent eruptions more than 20 years ago, and while soot-covered ruins remain, so does a resilient community.
Learn about the region’s seismic activity with a volcanologist, meet local foragers who gather megapode eggs buried two metres under volcanic ash, and spend your nights in simple guesthouses and tents pitched within view of the chugging cone. For one night you’ll sleep on a deserted island surrounded by an incredible reef, where you’ll practise your sunset photography and capture shots of the Milky Way. Jet back to Lae on the mainland for the second week and travel into the jungle to see the mummies of the Anga clan. In remote villages the bodies of the deceased are smoked for up to 30 days to preserve their flesh and are then cared for to ensure their spirits don’t misbehave. Toward the end of your trip you’ll bid sunlight goodbye and enter a vast limestone cave full of stalagmites, rock paintings and a burial ledge scattered with remains. It’s an experience unlike any you’ve ever imagined, and one you’ll never forget.
