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With the June 2017 opening of Bisate Lodge, Wilderness Safaris will bring its brand of conservation-minded luxury to Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, one of the only places in the world to see mountain gorillas in the wild. Set on 67 acres of private land, six forest villas and 12 rooms will feature Rwandan-style spherical thatched structures and handmade patterned fabrics. They’re set in an eroded volcanic cone, a natural amphitheater surrounded by a rich hagenia forest and massive stands of bamboo. Bisate is Wilderness’s biggest conservation project to date: The lodge is partnering with more than 100 area farm owners to rehabilitate gorilla habitats.

When in Port Vila, this is definitely not-to-be-missed. The best time to go would be the morning when there would be the least amount of visitors. The hike to the waterfall takes about 10-15 minutes and you’re free to go at your own pace. It is quite a pleasant hike and the paths are well laid-out. When you reach the waterfall, make sure you climb to the top, which is the best spot. The water is cool, fresh, perfect to go for a swim on a hot day. Alternatively, the most cost-effective way to get here would be by a tour. There are two departure times, at 9am or 2pm, whereby a shuttle picks you up from and then drops you off at your hotel. The duration is two and a half hours and it costs 2,500 Vatu, which is approximately $25. You can also go there solo, by bus or taxi.

This surfer town draws tourists keen to catch a wave, so it’s little wonder that it’s chockablock with folks who want to sell their wares to the visitors. From New Agey shops to a farmers market, there are lots of opportunities to shop and support the local economy. Be sure to bring cash, as many vendors don’t accept plastic.

On the banks of the river Zaan, time stopped three centuries ago at Zaanse Schans. In this recreation of a Dutch village in the 17th–18th centuries, stroll down streets lined with typical green wooden houses, manicured gardens and graceful bridges. Poke into tradesmen’s workshops, historic windmills and tiny boutiques. See how wooden clogs are made and watch pewter jewelry fashioned before your eyes. Discover how artisanal Dutch cheese is crafted and purchase a wheel of Gouda or Edam to take home. Refuel with coffee and apple pie in one of numerous restaurants within the village. Explore a few museums and round off your visit with a boat trip on the river. Although several museums at Zaanse Schans charge for admission, there’s no entry fee at the popular tourist attraction created by relocating houses, windmills, storehouses and barns to form a replica of a typical Zaanse village. Alongside clusters of windmills, characteristic wooden houses and unique shops, traditional Dutch crafts are showcased and the lifestyles of people who lived in Holland long before sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll entered the picture are revealed.

This low-key hotel in the sleepy town of Nosara is a surfer’s paradise. A two-minute walk through the jungle takes you to Playa Guiones, an idyllic beach with waves year-round. Begin your morning with a surf lesson, or, if you’re a seasoned pro, just rent a board from the hotel’s surf shack. Refuel with avocado toast or a mango, banana, and flaxseed smoothie at the juice bar, which is stocked with organic ingredients from the hotel’s own farm. Before your next surf session, join the staff on a native plant walk, take a Hatha yoga class, or, if your body craves more than a good stretch, book a massage or an energy balancing session at the Healing Centre. From $330. This appeared in the Jan/Feb 2016 issue.

Vegetarian food has never looked better than at WUJIE, a temple to some of the world’s freshest cuisine. Dishes here are creative, beautifully plated, and a mélange of textures. The kitchen makes all of its tofu and milks (almond, rice, etc.) in-house and uses seasonal and domestic ingredients whenever possible; so those mushrooms in your radish dumplings come straight from southern Yunnan province. WUJIE shies away from mock-meat dishes, though there are a few delicious exceptions, including a tonkotsu-inspired cutlet of minced mushrooms wrapped in tofu skin and doused in crispy panko crumbs. The Taiwanese-and-Chinese-fusion restaurant has three branches, one at the border of Xujiahui and the French Concession, another on the Bund (prix fixe menu only), and a third in Lujiazui, inside the Shanghai World Financial Center.

Spoken of in almost reverential terms by people that have traveled there, Sa Pa is often seen as a holy grail of destinations in Vietnam. Part of that is because of the environment—a cool mountain town that has lured visitors with its salubrious air and alpine scenery since the early 20th century, when the French constructed facilities for sick officers to recover—as well as its remoteness, located close to the Chinese border in the country’s extreme north. Most visitors come to Sa Pa for the hiking in the nearby valley peppered with minority-ethnic-group villages, or to climb Mount Fansipan, the country’s tallest peak, which is located just southwest of the town. Conquering the summit once required a two-to-three-day hike, but now can more easily be reached with the help of a cable car (opened in 2016) that gets you most of the way.

The resort town of Mondello, just a short drive from Palermo, is a popular escape for visitors and Sicilians alike. Cerulean waters lap a beach of soft white sand. Visitors staying in nearby villas spend much of their time relaxing on the beach, with occasional breaks for arancini and panelle bought from street vendors. For a serious meal, stroll down the pier to the Charleston, a landmark restaurant and bar in an Art Nouveau building over the water.

The Palazzo Chiaramonte-Steri, also called Steri Castle, was built in 1307 by Sicily’s powerful Chiaramonte family. Manfredi Chiaramonte later added the elaborate Hall of the Barons, whose wooden ceiling is blanketed with murals. Starting in 1601, the castle was a base for the Spanish Inquisition for 180 years. A tour of the prison cells offers a look at haunting graffiti carved into the walls by those wrongly imprisoned and tortured here.

The 165-acre Springs Resort & Spa sits 1,000 feet above the Arenal Valley, higher than any other resort in the area and affording each one of its 47 polished-wood guest rooms commanding views of the Arenal Volcano and surrounding countryside. Impressive as those vistas are, the luxury resort’s biggest draw is its 28 mineral thermal pools, which wind through four lush acres. The setting is undeniably romantic—the resort was featured in an episode of The Bachelor—but families are welcome, with activities for kids of all ages. Club Rio, on the resort’s half-mile of river frontage, offers tubing, kayaking, mountain biking, and horseback riding; there’s also a wildlife preserve for rescued native animals, including monkeys, ocelots, jaguarundis, sloths, and a puma. Five restaurants (and five bars) mean there are plenty of options, from casual poolside dining to tasting-menu elegance.

The breeze gently rocked the hammock back and forth. As I lay there with my eyes closed swaying, I could hear the familiar sound of drum music wafting through the little village of Manzanillo. I imagine a giant speaker somewhere in the town center providing the beat of the village 24/7. Khosamui boutique hotel was simple and outfitted in bright colors with white backgrounds. There were only 4 rooms which kept the whole atmosphere cozy and chill; it was designed with relaxing in mind. A big open-air lobby was filled with colorful flowers and throw pillows and just steps from the beach cabanas. However upstairs is where the real lounging happens. The patio overlooked the beach and came with a fabulous and constant sea breeze. Hammocks and cloth swinging chairs hung from the rafters providing the perfect place for a lazy nap while lunch was prepared. This was the place you want to come, hang out and write a novel. Sherry Ott traveled to Cartagena de India, Colombia courtesy of the Cartagena de Indias Tourism Board, Rafael Núñez International Airport of Cartagena, Avanti Destinations, and Avianca Airlines. Her highlights are part of AFAR’s partnership with The United States Tour Operator Association (USTOA), whose members provide travelers with unparalleled access, insider knowledge, peace-of-mind, value and freedom to enjoy destinations across the entire globe. See more about Sherry’s trip at the USTOA blog - http://ustoa.com/blog/category/afar/

Some Americans may think of Montréal’s anglophone, francophone, and Indigenous communities when they think about the city’s diversity, but it is also remarkably international. Case in point, almost 20,000 Syrians live in Québec, and more than 90 percent of them are in Montréal—a number that will likely increase in coming years given the province’s commitment to resettling refugees from the country. Fuad Alnirabie, the chef and owner of Damas in Outremont, is a Syrian-Canadian who is introducing Montréal to his native country’s cuisine. The best strategy is to order an abundance of hot and cold mezes—hummus, baba ghanoush, octopus salad, fried dumplings—or leave the work of choosing to the kitchen and opt for the five- or six-course tasting menu.

Besides Poás’s impressive volcano, this beautiful region is home to cozy down-home restaurants. One standout is Freddo Fresas, named for the strawberries (fresas) that constitute the region’s principal crop. Diners here enjoy tasting local specialties such as hand-thrown tortillas, chorreadas (a sweet-corn pancake iteration), tamales, bean empanadas, and other rustic yummies. Their strawberry-based desserts—fashioned from fruit just picked from the restaurant’s garden—are a must. Never too acidic or overly sweet, the perfect berries are like nothing you can get at your hometown supermarket. Try fresh strawberry juice or eat the fruit in the Costa Rican mode, i.e., with condensed milk or melted chocolate.

Cartagena’s Museum of Modern Art (Museo de Arte Moderno de Cartagena) contains a somewhat modest collection of about 300 works, most of which are paintings or sculptures donated by Colombian and other Latin American artists, including Enrique Grau and Oswaldo Vigas. The colonial-era building housing the museum is located within the walls of the historic part of the city; as such, it can easily be included in a morning’s or afternoon’s explorations, whether independent or guided.

Not only a star in Vienna, but on the world culinary scene, Steirereck is also breaking new ground architecturally. A few years ago, the restaurant, situated in a landmark art nouveau building amid the leafy Stadtpark, unveiled a futuristic redo. Blond wood and a white contoured ceiling now accent the new blocklike spaces which extend outward and whose reflective facade highlights the surrounding parkland. Showcasing chiefly recipes from the Styria province, fixed menus include novelties like char with beeswax, yellow carrot, pollen, and sour cream, while the cheese carts offer a selection of the more than 100 varieties available here. During the meal, a detailed menu card delivered between courses provides information about the dishes you are enjoying. The building’s lower-level Meierei im Stadtpark restaurant is a more casual dining option.