Eight great overseas destinations for 2007

The New Year holiday is always a great time to start planning one's adventures for the coming months.  Last summer, I recommended a few of my favorite U.S.A. destinations; now I'd like to look abroad and suggest some overseas sights and sites for 2007.  Since the world is a big place — and I can only stay current on so many destinations at once — I called in some of my favorite regional travel experts to help me make recommendations for the New Year.  Here's what they told me.

1) The Caribbean: Isla Holbox, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Christine Richard, editor of Islands Magazine, says this:

There's really no reason why you would need to pack shoes for a trip to Isla Holbox. There are only sand roads on the island, hardly any cars (mostly golf carts and bikes), and miles of empty, powdery beaches. Indeed, if you want to see what Mexican islands were like before they became overrun, head to this isla off the northern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, which is part of the Yum Balam Biosphere Reserve (Mayan for "Father Jaguar"). Go on a Mexican safari.  Potential sightings include flamingoes, dolphins, sea turtles and — the biggest of the big — the whale shark, which swims near the island June through September. Tour the main square and Calle Tiburón Ballena (Whale Shark Street), which has taquerias, cafes, and cantinas. Off island, Chichen Itza is roughly two hours away, and Yalahao, a lagoon once believed to be the fountain of youth by the Maya, is not far; hotels run day trips there. Then there are all the usual lures of Mexican islands: lobster ceviche (at Colibri) and quaint palapa-style hotels, like Xaloc Resort.  So no shoes are necessary, but definitely bring the jungle juice, since mosquitoes are what have kept tourism at bay in these undeveloped Mexican mangroves. Ferries depart for Isla Holbox from the port of Chiquila.

2) Central America: "Oasis of Peace," La Isla de Ometepe, Nicaragua

Joshua Berman, co-author of Moon Handbooks: Nicaragua, says this:

If Nicaragua is the "Heart of the Americas," then La Isla de Ometepe — a primeval double-volcano that rises from the largest country in Central America's "Sweet Sea" — must be America's mystic soul. It's a nice thought, anyway — and easy to believe when you find yourself wading from dewy coffee plants to broadleaf canopy while throaty cries of monos congos mix with birdsong. The allure of exploring La Isla de Ometepe goes back the Nahautl, who were led here a thousand years ago by paradisiacal visions of "two hills rising from a great water."  Today, those two hills are known as Maderas, a dormant volcano swathed in cloud forest and organic farms, and Concepcion, a mile-high cinder cone whose summit is usually obscured by clouds rushing through the rising gas. Ometepe's laid back residents work primarily in agriculture, though a few are starting to meet the various demands of tourists coming to hike, boat, swim, or volunteer. Transport between island villages is slow, however, and getting there — via old, dubious ferries from San Jorge — can be a rough ride. Still, it's a rewarding challenge for gringos looking to get off the San Juan del Sur-Granada-Masaya circuit.

3) South America: Exploring in and around Tupiza, Bolivia

Ben Box, of Footprint's South America Handbook, says this:

Some two and a half hours north of the Argentina/Bolivia border is Tupiza. It's a pleasant town (population 20,000) at just under 3,000 meters, so it's not as taxing on the lungs, nor as cold as places like Uyuni on the altiplano. It is set in a landscape of bright green valleys beneath richly colored mountains. As a base for exploring it couldn't be better. There are good walks, bike rides and jeep trips. You can arrange overnight stays in local communities, usually getting there by horse. Further afield are many places linked with the last days of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: the quebrada where they held up their last payroll, and the bleak mining camp at San Vicente where they were killed. From Tupiza, agencies make tours into the famous Salar de Uyuni, the largest salt lake in the world, and the neighboring Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve, which contains some of Bolivia's most beautiful high-altitude lakes and stark volcanoes. You can therefore start from Tupiza on your way north towards Oruro and La Paz, or west into Chile. It's two and a half hours from Villazón, eight hours from Uyuni by bus and there are three trains a week. A range of hotels, none more than US$20 a night, are available, and plenty of agencies offer trips. The best are Tupiza Tours, and Valle Hermoso, which are also the most reliable sources of information.

4) Europe: Druidstone and the Pembrokeshire Coast, Wales

Mark Ellingham, publisher of Rough Guides, says this:

The Pembrokeshire coast in Wales is a five-hour drive from London, but once there you can dump the car and —­ well, do nothing. What's the appeal?  First, a wonderful, eccentric hotel, the Druidstone, in whose walled garden above the sea you are guaranteed relaxed and diverting company. You can sit in a cliff-top bar and look out over St Bride's Bay, where last year a dolphin spent most of the year entertaining guests, dipping amid the breakers.  The Druidstone beach is one of those childhood classics that stretches forever at low tide, leaving rock-pools of crabs and whitebait in its wake. When the sun is out, it's hard to look beyond it. But there is plenty when you do, for it lies astride the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path, which is truly one of the loveliest walks in Europe — switch-backing the cliffs above a sparkling Irish Sea. To the north is St David's, Britain's smallest city, to the south the stunning sands and rock formations of Marloes. And if this puts you in the mood for getting out on the water, you can take boats out to Ramsey or Skomer Islands, with puffins gliding along beside you. Each is maintained as a wildlife reserve, and home to legions of sea-birds ­ razorbills, guillemots, gannets, choughs, fulmars and many more.  Rough Guides publishes much of its Wales guide online.

5) Africa:  Ethiopia, including Lalibela, Lake Tana, and the Omo Valley

Philip Briggs, author of several Africa guidebooks for Bradt Travel Guides, says this:

Popular perceptions of Ethiopia are dominated by images of drought and famine, but it is actually one of the most fertile and densely populated countries in Africa, dominated geographically by the grassy meadows and wild, lofty peaks of the central highlands, which cover an area larger than Britain and form the most important headwaters of the mighty Nile. It's also a remarkably underrated travel destination, particularly for independent travelers, for whom it offers the combination of limitless off-the-beaten-track sightseeing and a high level of affordability.  Culturally, Ethiopia offers a unique blend of the Biblical, the medieval and the modern, creating what Dervla Murphy referred to as the "Orlando-like illusion of traveling through different centuries" — nowhere more so than at Lalibela, where a dozen rock-hewn churches, still in active use today, pay devout testament to one of the world's oldest and idiosyncratic Christian denominations.  As beautiful as they are agriculturally bountiful, the Ethiopian highlands, isolated on all sides by low-lying deserts, bear many of the hallmarks of an island ecology, with more than 30 endemic birds species recorded alongside such mammalian oddities as the golden-maned gelada monkey, a common resident of the 4,620-meter high Simien Mountains, and the critically endangered Ethiopian wolf, most easily observed in Bale National Park.  Other prime attractions include the 2,500 ruined obelisks and palaces at Aksum, the bizarre traditional pastoralists of the remote Omo Valley, the walled Islamic stronghold of Harar, a string of beautiful Rift Valley lakes teeming with hippos and birds, the lush coffee plantations of the western highlands, the decorous island monasteries of Lake Tana, and the fiery wastelands of the volcanically active Danakil Depression in the northeast.

6) Asia: Haputale, and Sri Lanka's hill country

Joe Cummings, who writes several of Lonely Planet's Asia country guides, says this:

Sri Lanka's hill country offers an inspiring amalgam of crisp mountain air, hillside tea plantations and British colonial bungalows with fireplaces. Although the sun long ago set on the empire, tourist-oriented pricing makes it appear as if British elitism is alive and well, and thus the hill country is often perceived as a "luxury" destination.  For those who may find Kandy and other hill towns too gussied up for high rollers, the small town of Haputale, perched at the southern edge of the hill country at 1580 meters, may be just the antidote.  This largely Tamil community clings to a long, narrow mountain ridge with the land falling away steeply on both sides. On a clear day you can see all the way to the south coast from this ridge, and at night the Hambantota lighthouse is occasionally visible.  If you can't get enough of the views, hop a local train to Idalgashinna, eight kilometers along the railway west of Haputale. Follow the ridge-hugging tracks a short distance in the direction of Haputale to enjoy a spectacular vista where the land falls away steeply for a great distance on both sides.  Aside from the views, hikes through the local tea estates, clinging to hillsides over the Uva Valley, are a good way to get to know the area. For a more formal look at the tea industry, stop in at Dambatenne Tea Factory, built in 1890 by Sir Thomas Lipton, one of the most famous figures in tea history.  If you run out of reading material, the headstones at the well-kept cemetery of historic St Andrew's Anglican Church, on the road to Bandarawela, provide a capsule history of the British and post-British presence. Haputale also makes a good jumping-off point for visits to beautiful Horton Plains National Park.

7) Australia: Mornington Wilderness Camp

Lonely Planet publisher Tony Wheeler says this:

The Gibb River Road is the back road through the Kimberleys, the northwest corner of the state of Western Australia. It's 400 miles long, rough, rugged and ... no, wait, make that very rugged. When I drove it last year I blew out a tire on my 4WD — so badly, in fact, that I needed a new wheel as well as a new tire. It's another 60 miles off the road to Mornington Wilderness Camp, but the long trek is worth it. You can camp or stay in one of the surprisingly comfortable "safari tents," dine in the excellent open-air restaurant and drink at the authentic bush bar. During the day there's canoeing, walking, swimming and, of course, lots of wildlife in the stunning gorges near the camp. The Gibb River Road gives you a taste of outback Australia at its most spectacular, and Mornington Camp is a wonderful little oasis — but it's only one of a half a dozen great spots to pause along the route. Although having your own 4WD or a sturdy off road motorcycle is the best way to do the road, there's also a daily 4WD bus service offering a drop-you-off-and-pick-you-up service, with three months validity to the tickets. Taking a couple of weeks to cover the whole route would be no problem at all, but plan ahead: December to March is the wet season, when the road is pretty well submerged and everything shuts down.

8) South Pacific: Fiji's Yasawa Islands

South Pacific expert and guidebook author David Stanley says this:

If you saw the Tom Hanks movie Castaway, you already know how Fiji's Yasawa Islands look. The rugged peaks of this exotic island chain off Fiji's west side drop to pure white sands, emerald lagoons, and lush vegetation — your typical South Seas paradise. Until recently, the only outsiders who ever visited the Yasawas were guests at a millionaire's hideaway called Turtle Island, passengers on Blue Lagoon mini-cruise-ships, and a few hardy backpackers who camped on the one piece of freehold land. Everything else was native land, well-protected from outside influences by church and state. This changed in the year 2000, when the Fijian villagers suddenly discovered there was money to made from tourism. Dozens of village-owned resorts blossomed on islands from Waya to Nacula, and a New Zealand company began operating a high-speed catamaran ferry up and down the chain from a marina near Nadi International Airport. These days, the Yasawa Islands are the place to go if you want a taste of Fiji's fabulous beaches and reefs, along with a rich dose of the country's indigenous culture. You can now stay at well-managed boutique resorts and dine on lobster if you aren't interested in unrolling the tent. There aren't any regular restaurants and hotels as yet, but a couple of dive shops are already operating, and a few places take credit cards. Bring along a supply of bottled water and a wad of Fiji dollars if you'd care to go island hopping.