Innholdsfortegnelse for Jul/Aug 2018 i AFAR

I JUST GOT BACK from Puerto Rico, where I got a firsthand look at the island’s inspiring recovery from Hurricane Maria last September. Power has been almost completely restored, most of the roads are drivable, more than 12,000 hotel rooms are ready for guests, and most people are back at work and in their homes. I experienced much of what makes Puerto Rico one of the most popular destinations in the Caribbean: beautiful beaches, bioluminescent bays, great music, delicious food. But what made my trip so enriching was talking with people about how the storm had affected them. I stayed at the San Juan Marriott Resort and Stellaris Casino, which never closed during the storm or its aftermath, where I met Jose Gonzalez-Espinosa, the general manager. “One of the first…

Woolrich opens its Pennsylvania factory to the public four Saturdays a year: in June, August, September, and October. There’s no charge for these hour-long guided tours, but space is limited and start times are chiseled in granite (1:00 and 1:30 p.m.). So register early, and be punctual. There are small regional airports in Williamsport and State College, but you’ll most likely fly into JFK or Newark. The road trip from New York City to Woolrich is 210 miles, roughly a four-hour drive. Register at the company website (woolrich.com) or call the Woolrich store directly: 570-769-7401.…

THE LUNCH PLATES at Les Fables de la Fontaine, a contemporary bistro in Paris’s seventh arrondissement, had been cleared. The tables were brushed clean, and fresh silverware set neatly in preparation for the dessert course, the primary reason for my visit. I couldn’t help but notice one of the servers waiting expectantly near the entrance to the dining room, his eyes fixed on the kitchen door. Moments later, David Bottreau, the bistro’s owner, pushed through the door holding a small bamboo tray. On it sat a pearly white baking dish and an oval bowl filled with one perfect scoop of sorbet. Nearby diners craned their necks to watch as Bottreau walked quickly to my table and gingerly deposited the dish in front of me with an emphatic “Le voilà!” An…

Rwanda is a land of mountains, rain forests, and diverse wildlife—including more than a third of the world’s mountain gorillas. While much of the country’s tourism is driven by safaris, and its name still evokes the horrific events of 1994, the resilience of the Rwandan people may be the most compelling reason to make the trip. Reconciliation Villages In 1994, an estimated 800,000 people, about 70 percent of the Tutsi ethnic group in Rwanda, were murdered in a 100-day genocide carried out by Hutus, the country’s majority ethnic group. Today, perpetrators and victims live side by side in reconciliation villages, and the next generation has been raised not as Hutus or Tutsis but simply as Rwandans. Wildlife Tours Rwanda leads a one-day Reconciliation Village Tour that picks travelers up in…

“CLAIRIN TASTES NOT JUST OF HAITI BUT OF THE PARTICULAR VILLAGE AND PLOT AND CANE IT’S MADE FROM,” SAYS RUM EXPERT LUCA GARGANO. “IT’S AN EXTRAORDINARY THING.” I’M driving through the remote region of Saint-Michel de l’Attalaye in the north central valley of Haiti, where the road is lined on both sides by steep walls of sugarcane. I’m with one of the world’s most knowledgeable rum experts, Luca Gargano. As soon as I sniff burning sugar in the morning air, we slam to a stop. Gargano jumps out of the vehicle and exclaims, “Smell that!” From the tall stalks that run to the edge of the road, a group of Haitians emerge and greet us. Gargano slaps the men on the back and kisses the women on both cheeks. He…

The instinct to wander might be genetic: My great-grandmother emigrated from Spain to Hawaii by boat, my grandma ventured to China in the tumultuous late ’80s, and my mom was a travel agent for years. I recently found myself in Spain for the first time—with my mom as a travel buddy. During our week in Barcelona, we walked about 10 miles a day. We ogled the beautifully chaotic graffiti on storefronts, ate fresh prawns at the seafood restaurant La Paradeta, and took a sky gondola to Montjuïc Castle. By the time we reached Madrid, we wanted to slow down. On our second night there, we learned of a tiki bar down the street from our Airbnb. My mom and I agreed: Why not? We used to live on Oahu; the…

Best Hiking and Walking Cross Vancouver Island on Foot Stroll wide beaches and old-growth forests, pictured above, during Country Walkers’ six-day “British Columbia: Vancouver Island” adventure. Then rest your feet on a Zodiac boat trip to get a look at black bears. 2018 dates: Sept. 16–21, 23–28. Best Over-the-Top Experience Circle the Globe by Jet Touch down in 10 countries in 24 days on TCS World Travel’s “Around the World: A Private Jet Expedition.” Explore sacred sites in Peru, Jordan, and Cambodia; hike through rain forests and scuba dive in Australia; and witness the wonder of Tanzania’s wildlife. Luxury hotels are your home away from home every night. 2018 dates: Sept. 27–Oct. 20. 2019 dates: Jan. 24–Feb. 16, Sept. 29–Oct. 22. Best Wildlife Encounter Frolic with Fauna in the Galápagos…

1 GO ON SAFARI IN CHILE In the mountains and grasslands of Patagonia, track the largest puma in the world. For six days with Quasar Expeditions, wildlife and photography fans focus on the largest land carnivore in Chile: the Patagonian puma. In Torres del Paine National Park, these mountain lions roam upwards of 100 miles across terrain that ranges from forests to mountain caves. A pair of experienced guides helps guests observe these magnificent predators. You won’t waste any time waiting around, either—a dedicated tracker will radio in when a puma is spotted. Daily game drives lead to many other animal sightings. You might see guanacos—mammals related to the Andean llama and the African camel that are food sources for the pumas. Other notable species include gray foxes, red foxes,…

1. Portugal The Trip A bike tour customized by Gray & Co. in Portugal’s southern Alentejo region offers a glimpse into another era: Medieval castles atop rolling hills, herds of sheep in green pastures, and tiny cobblestoned villages. From $1,800. grayandco.ca The Retreat It took José António Uva 15 years to regain ownership of his family’s farm after it had been taken over by the government during Portugal’s nationalization wave in the 1980s. It took him another 14 years to painstakingly build São Lourenço do Barrocal into a resort that showcases the region’s heritage. “Above all, what we are trying to portray is a sense of pride in our culture,” says Uva, the farm’s eighth-generation owner. “We revived traditional crafts for some of the materials we used, like the terra-cotta…

THERE’S A CERTAIN KIND OF GLACIER. It is photographed from below, always from below, with an almost pornographic eye. The glacier is statuesque, its icy blue contours and grandiose architectural detail on display. If you didn’t know better, you’d think the gleaming thing was built of crystal and gemstones, platinum and pearls. From the usual photographer’s vantage—on the shore of an otherworldly lake or the deck of a boat on a frigid bay—you see building-size chunks of frozen river peel away, leaving jagged crevices as they calve and crash into the water below. It’s spectacular and breath-stopping and beautiful in that way that’s a little too good to be true. But you go along with it. Because what kind of monster casts a skeptical eye on an imperiled beauty? From…

Getting Around Transportation within Haiti can be tricky. Renting a car is not recommended for first-time visitors—traffic is chaotic and road conditions unpredictable. Many travelers hire a driver through their hotel or tour agency. Voyages Lumière can arrange transportation and guides (from $25 per hour, voyageslumiere.com). The U.S. State Department advises against joining the crowds that pack into Port-au-Prince’s exuberantly colorful tap-taps—converted school buses and pickup trucks—due to safety concerns. Exploring Port-au-Prince Haiti’s capital city is still recovering from the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck in 2010. But the streets are as vibrant as ever. The Musée du Panthéon National Haïtien chronicles Haiti’s history and houses the rusted anchor that belonged to Christopher Columbus’s Santa Maria. The capital’s most iconic accommodation, Hotel Oloffson (from $100), is a destination in itself. Built…

THE BEST WOOL fabric in the country is made four hours outside of New York, just off Interstate 80, in a town that’s not really a town. There are no hipster cafés or sushi joints in the unincorporated community of Woolrich, Pennsylvania. No Dunkin’ Donuts or McDonald’s either. In fact, there isn’t a single coffee shop or diner to be found in this rust belt enclave. When you’ve got a population of 123, commercial real estate is a dead-end proposition. There is, however, a factory: Woolrich Woolen Mills, a squat red-brick building that locals refer to as “the oldest continuously operating wool mill in the United States,” reciting the line as if quoting scripture. Many of those locals—45, to be precise—work inside the factory, handcrafting the rugged blankets that have…

At 665,384 square miles, Alaska is more than twice the size of Texas. The state—nicknamed the Last Frontier for its abundance of uninhabited, unexplored land—is home to eight national parks, some 100,000 glaciers, and more than 98 percent of the United States’ brown bear population. Clearly, there’s a lot to be discovered. Here are three ways to explore Alaska’s wildest spaces. BY AIR In several of Alaska’s national parks, where the roads are few and trails limited, flying is often the best—and safest—way to enjoy the wilderness. Fly Denali offers a two-hour Glacier Landing Tour that touches down at the base of North America’s tallest mountain. From $549. flydenali.com Ultima Thule, the luxury lodge in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park that hosted writer Freda Moon, sits 100 miles from the nearest…