Wanderlust

Asia's Best Beaches - with extra thrills There are loads of lovely places to flop on the sand - but where's the fun in that? Discover our pick of the 22 best South-East Asian beaches that offer a bucket load of adventure including: Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia and more... Explore Yosemite We show you how to celebrate this Californian National Park turning 125 in style - using catered camping in the beautiful backcountry Bryson on Britain Read our exclusive extract from Bill Bryson's brand new travel book – The Road to Little Dribbling: More Notes from a Small Island - and catch our interview with the man himself Amazon Join us as we head for the biodiversity of Brazil to discover the food, the people and the wildlife that are connected by this great river Iran With travel restrictions easing there's never been a better time to discover travel's hottest new destination PLUS: Booking Air BnB? Read this first; first 24 hours in Sao Paulo; take a short break to the Isle of Skye; Gran Canaria away from the holiday resorts; and much, much more...

Welcome...

Behind the scenes this month...

Contributors • Wanderlust is brought to life by people from all over the planet. Here are just some of the individuals who helped to create this issue – and their favourite travel icons

TRAVEL PHOTO OF THE YEAR

Your letters • Your mail and missives: reaching new heights in Nepal, enjoying living the local life, taking a Japanese hot-sand bath and much, much more…

SOCIAL TALK

#wanderlustmag • Been somewhere beautiful? Done something amazing? Tag us at #wanderlustmag on Instagram or email your pictures to fromtheroad@wanderlust.co.uk and make us jealous.

Paraty paradise

DATES FOR THE DIARY

The Grapevine • What’s getting us talking at Wanderlust Towers

THE DESTINATION: RIO DE JANEIRO • Make the most of new budget flights and a below-par Brazilian currency to soak up this sensational city of sands, samba and spectacular scenery in style

Splurge in São Paulo

THE NUMBERS

Panoramas, parties and paragliding

Upsize your next MINI BREAK • Want the biggest adventure in the shortest time? Wanderlust picks nine trips that pack a mighty punch in under a week

There’s more to Turkish cuisine than meaty kebabs • Forget the meat feasts – the modest nohut piyazi (chickpea salad) is a rich reminder that Turkish delights can be simple…

Head to Head • ISLAND EUROPE Malta VERSUS Madeira

Casa Cairuçu, Costa Verde, Brazil • Discover the golden-sand beaches, colonial heritage and wildlife of the ‘Green Coast’ with a stay in a beautiful bay-side house…

Simon Barnes On sitting still in Zambia • The author and journalist meditates on the blissful benefits of not doing, not searching, not moving, not exploring – just being in a special place, and understanding why it’s special

STEPPE IN TIME • As the world moves on, Kyrgyzstan’s nomadic culture appears under threat. But in Central Asia’s magnificent mountains the old traditions still find a way to survive…

Kyrgyzstan

Meet the other Stans

More online

THE LOCAL WAY • Discover the world through the eyes of those who know it best — the locals, with Exodus Travels

THE EXPERTS

ALTERNATIVE TRAVEL Classics • When visiting the world’s travel icons, it pays not to follow the crowds. From tracing the River Nile to camping on the Great Wall, we reveal how you can blaze a different trail…

It’s not lost, just misplaced… • Trace these multi-day routes to discover three of Latin America’s most incredible ‘lost cities’

THIS MONTH ON

Da’ Nile is not just a river in Egypt • The Nile...