EXPLORE
TASTE
REFLECT
CREATE
banyan tree &
angsana by F O O T
Angsana Balaclava
Mauritius
Just an hour away from
Angsana Balaclava is Black
Gorges National Park, full
of verdant rolling hills and
the country's remaining
rainforest. With 60
kilometres of trails there
is plenty to do and you're
likely to spot rusa deer and
wild pigs on your travels.
PHOTOs: Alexander Cohn (mirror reflection, trailside vendor); michael cook/altai world photography (hiker)
l eft, F R O M T O P : A
mirrored reflection of Upper
Yubeng village and the glaciers
above the Meili Xue Shan
mountains; A hiker takes to one of
Yunnan's many challenging trails
A B O V E : A trailside vendor
awaits customers between Xidang
Springs and Yubeng village
U N D E R T H E B A N YA N T R E E
07/12 2015
Rock travelled with a vast caravan of helpers and bodyguards, as well as a
portable bathtub, which stretched for 800 kilometres. Thanks to the Banyan Tree
Ringha’s location on the outskirts of Shangrila, modern-day adventurers can
carry less and devote their energies to invigorating treks through the valleys and
mountains that surround the city, before returning to comfort come nightfall.
For those in search of the sort of vistas that make for outstanding memories
and photos, then the natural marvel that is Tiger Leaping Gorge should be the
first stop. The trek through this enormous canyon, one of the deepest in the world,
which plummets down to the raging Yangzi River is the most memorable in all
southwest China. Your legs will be aching by the end of it, but the views of the
mountains in the distance, the water far below, and the way the light changes and
shades the gorge in different hues, will stay in your mind forever.
Even the much-travelled Joseph Rock was left simply awe-struck by the
natural phenomenon of Tiger Leaping Gorge. “By far the finest of all the gorges in
Yunnan are those through which the Yangtze flows north of Lijiang,” he wrote in
one of his National Geographic pieces. “In many places the river is only 20 yards (18
metres) in width and is one continuous series of cascades and rapids. The cliffs rise
steeply on both sides, culminating in jagged crags and pinnacles, and above these
tower the ice-crowned peaks of the Likiang snow range.”
Those mountains include the sublime Haba Snow Mountain and Jade Dragon
Snow Mountain, both a little under 6,000 metres high and divided from each
other by the river that passes beneath them. At this point, the gorge is close to
4,000 metres deep and the peaks of the mountains are invariably covered in snow
whatever time of year you visit, allowing for superb photo opportunities.
Tiger Leaping Gorge is a two-hour drive south of Shangrila. The start of the
trek is the scruffy village of Qiaotou, from where there are two ways through the
canyon, one on the lower road and the far more spectacular high path. The higher
road is longer — some 22 kilometres — and isn’t for the faint-hearted or those who
suffer from vertigo: the path can get very narrow and crumbles in places. But it’s a
far more rewarding route than the lower road, because you are a thousand metres
above the river and the views are simply immense.
If you don’t want to walk all the way, ponies can be hired for the steepest part of
the trek, with their handlers to keep an eye on them. It’s not uncommon to see three
generations of a family together here, with the oldest riding sedately as the younger
Banyan Tree Al Wadi
United Arab Emirates
Don't think this area is just
about sand. The scenery in
the United Arab Emirates is
breathtaking and the hiking
varied. The spectacular
vistas are worth the effort
and your endeavours wil
be rewarded with sights
never seen before, from
vertiginous vertical walled
canyons to the seemingly
bottomless spectacular of
the deep gorges.
Angsana Riads Collection
Morocco
Travelling with the family
need not put you off hiking.
In Marrakech you can
discover the snow capped
tips of the Atlas Mountains,
or enjoy the scenery
around the city. If hiking on
two legs proves too much,
take to a camel and enjoy
the ever shifting wonders
of the Sahara.
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