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There’s a different way to see the African wildlife in their natural habitat than a safari and it’s called Boulder Beach. We ventured to the Eastern side of the Peninsula (Indian Ocean) to meet and spend time with the locals, Cape Town‘s penguin colony. Following the wooden boardwalks, you gain access to Foxy Beach, a sheltered cove with soft white sand, crystal clear water, massive granite boulders, and birds in butler-style tailcoats. Its nothing short of an Instagram-worthy photo op but I recommend climbing atop a boulder and spending time to take it all in. It’s impossible to capture how majestic this destination truly is.

Color, shape, and naked geology: Northern Arizona appeals to the senses in the most elemental ways. Agnostic hikers, secular scientists, souls searching for spiritual energy — all end up in Sedona, seeking and finding. Mid-week in this red-rock country, we found a few days of calm: early morning trails around town, and afternoons in galleries seeking shelter from summer thunderstorms. Weekends bring crowds from Phoenix, just two hours to the south, but away from pavement, you can still get away into the elements.

Dinosaurs, pyramids, cave paintings, sharks—if you don’t like the Field Museum then you must never have been a kid. Home to an extensive assortment of magical displays highlighting all facets of natural history from around the world, the Field Museum is a great way to spend a day getting your culture fix. If you start to lose steam, just pop into the café for a meal to reenergize before continuing to explore the multitude of exhibits that await you. And while the museum is a showcase for natural history, it’s been at this spot since 1893, which makes it a part of history as well.

This 1763 plantation house has an interesting tale to tell. It never employed slave labor, and its owners—descendants of Carib Indians—are commemorated with statues and figures spread throughout the rooms and gardens. Visitors can take tours of the house, gardens, and old overseer’s house, then enjoy beautiful views of the neighboring island of Nevis.

There’s a reason this humble Indian-Malaysian restaurant is consistently packed: It serves mouthwatering curries, naan, dosa, biryanis and murtabak (a stuffed, panfried bread) at very reasonable prices. The extensive menu can be overwhelming, but you can’t go wrong with garlic naan with dal, tandoori chicken and an invigorating freshly squeezed juice.

La Piazza is regarded as one of the finest Italian eateries in New Delhi. And rightly so. It’s been highly ranked by various local magazines year after year. Every bite of every dish oozes with freshness and is cooked to perfection. It’s one of the few restaurants where I found that they offered healthy substitutes such as whole wheat pasta. The ambiance is dimly-lit and romantic, mimicking somewhat of a sidewalk Italian cafe with cascading white pillars, stone tiles, and wooden louvres. Top off your experience with scrumptious desserts and crisp Italian wine…and VOILA, you’re in Italian heaven! As expected, the dress code is upscale and classy. They will refuse service, so dress up! To try: the wood-fired pizzas!

Tis the season to be jolly! If you’re feeling festive around the holidays or perhaps you want to keep Christmas going all year long, then a visit to the Coach House should be on your holiday wish list. When the holiday season approaches, Scottsdale locals make a trip to their favorite local watering hole to experience a festive spirit unlike anywhere else. Staffers shut down the joint for a few days in order to deck the bar from head to toe with wrapping paper, tinsel, ornaments and twinkle lights that overtake you with Christmas cheer. The bartenders and staff are laid back, friendly and really love what they do. Note: This place can get packed during the holiday season on a late Friday or Saturday night. And, the lights stay up all year!

Founded nearly 50 years ago, the elegant Rang Mahal offers fine dining with prices to match—a bowl of cauliflower soup runs S$20, and it’s S$40 for a plate of chicken tikka. (The lunch buffet available Sundays through Fridays is more reasonably priced.) Choose from a menu of North and South Indian favorites, from lamb kebabs to tandoori chicken or salmon, as well as paneer, the Indian cheese. There’s raarha gosht, lamb chunks in a spicy gravy, and Kadhai prawns, which are stir-fried with roasted coriander seeds and Kashmiri chilies. Vegetarian highlights are avocado kebabs, dals, and delicious dishes like clove-smoked eggplant. Rice dishes, Indian breads—including puffed-up phulkas—and classic desserts (sticky-sweet jalebi and soft spongy ras malai) round out the feast.

Gandhi Smriti, previously called Birla House, is now a museum dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, the man many consider the “Father of Indian Independence.” Gandhi lived in the house during the last several months of his life and was assassinated here in January 1948. View the modest rooms where he spent his days, and stroll the same prayer grounds where he held a nightly congregation. A visit to Gandhi Smriti offers insight into the last 144 days of Gandhi’s life, during one of the greatest periods in Indian history.

Modern and trendy Urban Eatery is a popular restaurant that only opened about a year ago in Nairobi. There’s always a good atmosphere here, as the kitchens open out onto the restaurant area filling the room with the sizzles and delicious smells of food to come.

The menu is quite literally overwhelming, with Thai, Mexican, Indian, Italian, Sushi and everything in between available, but it’s a fun evening picking and choosing from the different options.

Located 100 meters out from the beach among the dazzling turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean, Mandhoo Restaurant at Conrad Maldives Rangali Island is a true gem. The gorgeous open-air establishment sits on stilts and serves up seafood staples like tiger prawns, fresh sea bass, and crabmeat salad accompanied by organic produce grown right on the island. Guests keeping an eye on the water below might be lucky enough to spot a glimpse of a shark or stingray, and should time their visit with the daily fish feeding to guarantee undersea sightings.

Petra flourished more than 2,000 years ago, trading with Rome as an equal before being abandoned after a series of earthquakes in the 4th and 6th centuries C.E. It wasn’t until the 19th century, when European explorers “rediscovered” it, that the ancient city returned to the public consciousness. Now, visitors can walk down the narrow canyon of the siq to the city entrance—as dramatic an approach as any to a tourist attraction on the planet. The canyon opens up onto the carved facade of the Treasury, Petra’s most iconic site. From there, you can explore the cliffside tombs with their colorful bands of sandstone, the Street of Facades, and the amphitheater hewn from living rock. The ancient center lies some distance off, along with the splendid old Monastery, which sits at the top of a steep but rewarding climb. Consider buying a three-day ticket and visiting at different times of day to enjoy the changing light—early in the morning is best for the Treasury, while late afternoon is better for the Royal Tombs.

The first Smithsonian affiliate in the Northwest, this superb museum chronicles the Asian Pacific American Experience. Among its most poignant exhibits is the Letter Cloud installation: old hotel walls frame tales of aging far away from home. It also offers walking tours of the surrounding International District, including Touch Of Chinatown, which visits the elegant Kobo gallery and Uwajimaya, one of America’s largest Asian grocery and gift stores. Stop into the nearby Panama Hotel, home to a teahouse and the nation’s only intact sentō (Japanese public bathhouse). Lockers and marble baths still stand in the basement, which harbored the belongings of Seattle’s 7,050 Japanese-American residents imprisoned in WWII internment camps—the basis for Jamie Ford’s best-selling novel Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter And Sweet.

Yes, Hauz Khas Village is perhaps most known for its artsy vibe, boutique shops, and trendy restaurants. But before it became a lively commercial district, Hauz Kaus was (and remains) a 13th-century historical complex with a mosque, tombs, and an Islamic seminary. Take a break from the bustle of shopping and dining to explore the sites from Muslim royalty, then spend some time at the charming lake with its swans, ducks, and other wildlife.

The Taj Mahal is referred to as “the jewel of Muslim art in India,” by UNESCO in its listing on the World Heritage Site registry. The Mughal ruler Shah Jahan had the truly magnificent white marble mausoleum built in 1632–1648, in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. For its construction, artisans from all over the empire, Central Asia, Iran, were summoned and the final result of their stonework, calligraphy, carvings, gardening, woodwork, and soaring domes remains one of the universally admired masterpieces of world heritage. Allot ample time to tour the site—besides the mausoleum, there is a mosque, a guest house, cloisters, courtyards, gates, and vast gardens. In addition to being stunningly beautiful from afar, the iconic site is evocatively romantic and up-close, the intricate details in its architecture, ornamentation, and history, are revealed.