Erg Chebbi
Although not quite in the Sahara Desert, the sand dunes at Erg Chebbi are what most people would have in mind. Many films including The Mummy, Prince of Persia and…
Middle Atlas
A couple of days spent travelling across the Middle Atlas region of Morocco, from Fes to Midelt, passing through some wonderful scenery. First stop though was the slightly surreal Ifran,…
Fes
One of the best preserved historic cities in the Arab-Muslim world, Fes is home to an incredible Medina, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A millennium ago this was among the…
Volubilis
The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Volubilis is home to the best Roman remains in Morocco. The town was founded in 3rd century BC, and was the capital of the…
Meknes
Meknes was the capital of Morocco during the reign of Sultan Moulay Ismail in the 17th century. He was a ruthless but successful ruler, preventing Morocco from becoming part of…
Rabat
Morocco’s capital was an attractive place to explore for a few hours, even on a rather wet day. Although there is generally a fresh breeze from the sea the humidity…
Casablanca
Casablanca was a mostly underwhelming introduction to Morocco, with a few interesting sights but nothing significant other than the enormous Hassan II Mosque. It is the largest city in Morocco,…
Highlights of the Snowman Trek
Regarded as one of the longest and hardest hikes in the Himalayas, the Snowman Trek runs for ~350km through some of the highest and most remote parts of Bhutan. Here…
Things I learnt on the Snowman Trek
The Snowman Trek has a reputation as one of the longest and hardest hikes in the Himalayas. It takes around 24-28 days to walk ~350km, crossing eleven passes over 4,500m,…
Things I learnt about Bhutan
A fascinating Himalayan kingdom, Bhutan is unlike anywhere else. I spent 34 days there, 28 days walking the Snowman Trek, and the remainder visiting towns, monasteries, temples, fortresses, and doing…
The Himalayas from the air
The flight between Delhi and Paro in Bhutan is regarded as one of the most scenic in the world, spending most of the journey flying over the Himalayas. When I…
Thimphu and Punakha
I didn’t have long in the current and former capitals of Bhutan but got a taster at the end of my journey by road from Bumthang to Paro after completing…
Bumthang, Jakar, Trongsa, and Wangdue Phodrang
After completing the month long Snowman Trek, walking around 350km between Paro and Bumthang, I spent three days travelling back the more direct 250km by road. We started in the…
Snowman Trek – Dur Tsachu to Minchugang
Days twenty five to twenty seven of the Luana Snowman Trek, the final three days hiking one of the longest and hardest tracks in the Himalayas. Day twenty five was…
Snowman Trek – Geche Woma to Dur Tsachu
Days twenty two to twenty four of the Luana Snowman Trek, start of the final week of a month long hike in Bhutan. There were still five more high altitude…
Snowman Trek – Tenchey to Geche Woma
Days nineteen to twenty one of the Luana Snowman Trek, the highest, coldest and most remote parts of the hike, but also the most spectacular. From Tenchey (3,970m) to the…
Moving to Wellington
In May 2020, just over a decade after first arriving in New Zealand, I moved from Auckland to Wellington. I’ve visited the capital more than fifteen times but it’s going…
Snowman Trek – Tarina to Tenchey
Days fifteen to eighteen of the Luana Snowman Trek, where things started to get properly spectacular and the weather improved considerably. After the previous long seven and a half hour…
Snowman Trek – Laya to Tarina
Days twelve to fourteen of the Luana Snowman Trek, following for the first time a track only used by the Snowman. The previous tracks had been shared with the Jhomolhari…
Snowman Trek – Shomuthang to Laya
Days seven to eleven of the Luana Snowman Trek, following the Laya-Gasa Track. After this the only people on the track would be those walking the Snowman Trek, completed by…