1. Mount Aso, Japan

Japan's third-largest island offers the perfect spot for outdoors types

Dominated by the brooding presence of Mount Aso, the heart of Kyushu – Japan’s most southerly main island – has been forged from fire and water. Those same elements continue to shape it to this day.

The largest active volcano in Japan, Mount Aso may not have the perfectly symmetrical cone that made Mount Fuji a symbol of the nation, but the unique environments that surround the peak have turned it into the perfect place for anyone keen to explore the country's great outdoors.

Some 35km east of the recently refurbished Aso Kumamoto Airport, the volcano is the centrepiece of the Aso-Kuju National Park and is made up of five distinct peaks that have emerged in the middle of a caldera that is 25km across, making it one of the largest in the world. At 1,592m, Mount Taka is the highest of the five peaks, but Mount Naka is the most accessible and, at present, the most active. And that makes it a good place to start any visit.

— Read Julian Ryall's full story here.

2. Chobe River, Botswana

Take a luxury cruise in this vastly underrated Southern African nation and neighbouring Namibia

Conjure up an image of an African safari and chances are you’ll imagine dusty days spent rattling through the bush in a Land Rover in search of the “big five”. Aboard the Zambezi Queen, a five-star safari takes on an entirely different course, as you cruise serenely along a 25km stretch of the beautiful Chobe River in north-eastern Botswana.

Chobe is one of Africa’s most famous waterways. From its source in the Angolan Highlands, it flows through the famed Linyanti Swamps, to form the border between Botswana and Namibia, before joining the Zambezi River. A year-round source of water, it attracts thousands of elephants, buffaloes and hippos.

The Zambezi Queen is the most luxurious houseboat in Southern Africa. The vessel has sailed the waters since 2009, and was recently relaunched after a complete revamp. The new aesthetic is the work of interior designer Maurette van Eyssen, who let the organic colours and textures of the surrounding riverbanks guide the boat’s new aesthetic.

— Read Richard Holmes's full story here.

5. Singapore

Historic sites and green spaces tell the real story of the city’s popular Orchard Road precinct

Like Paris’s Champs Elysees or New York’s Fifth Avenue, Singapore’s Orchard Road is one of the city state's most famous retail and dining precincts. It is so laden with luxury boutiques, Michelin-starred restaurants and plush hotels that tourists could spend an entire Singapore holiday on this 2.2km thoroughfare.

But, as they wander through this neighbourhood, observant travellers will also notice a number of historic locations that illustrate how Orchard Road wasn’t always a luxury hub. They can also follow the Orchard Heritage Trail, which guides tourists through 28 sites that tell the remarkable tale of how the road was transformed from a farming village into a bustling boulevard.

Singapore is one of the world’s most modern cities and many tourists are drawn by its cutting-edge attractions — from the towering Marina Bay Sands to the space-age Gardens by the Bay. Yet, embedded in these skyscraper-spiked surrounds is a trove of engrossing history.

— Read Ronan O'Connell's full story here.

6. Seoul, South Korea

Take an evening tour of Changdeokgung Palace, a Unesco World Heritage Site

In the daylight, Seoul’s magnificent Unesco-listed Changdeokgung Palace is wonderfully photogenic, thanks to the dazzlingly bright colours of dancheong. This is the name of a South Korean design system, which, for about 2,000 years, has been used to adorn the country’s most important structures.

Dancheong decorates the palace in a dense array of floral and geometric patterns, all painted in a specific palette of red, green, blue, yellow, black and white. As a result, Changdeokgung’s buildings look commanding and regal at a distance, and mesmerising up close. And yet even more striking in the moonlight.

Night guided tours begin at the palace’s chief entrance, the hulking Donhwamun Gate and go through the complex to the lush grove that is the Secret Garden Forest Trail.

Along the way, tourists will meet staff dressed as the king and queen of the Joseon Dynasty. They’ll also stop three times to watch brief performances of the daegeum bamboo flute, ajaeng string instrument, traditional Korean court dances, and Gagok singing.

— Read Ronan O'Connell's full story here.

11. Samarkand, Uzbekistan

This ancient Silk Route city has a generous inventory of architectural treasures

In his small but vibrant workshop beside Samarkand’s Rukhabad Mausoleum, Mansur Nurillaev often has Christmas on his mind.

A craftsman with a ready smile, his equally cheerful tree ornaments are a hit with visitors to the Uzbek landmark, the resting place of Islamic theologian Sheikh Burhaneddin Sagaradzhi.

Tourists are greeted with intricate pottery, silk garments, countless festive-themed items at several souvenir shops in this ancient Silk Route city. Along the cobbled street from Siab Bazaar, you can stop to gulp fresh pomegranate juice and sample moreish halva sweets.

Both spots are close to the magnificent Bibi-Khanym Mosque, rated by medieval historians as one of Islam’s most architecturally significant structures.

Bibi-Khanym is challenged, however, in both scale and beauty, by the epic Registan Square, a brief walk away. This Unesco World Heritage Site and headline act in Samarkand’s generous inventory of architectural treasures is as busy with visitors now as it surely was in the past. Then it served as the location for royal proclamations – and public executions.

— Read David Dunn's full story here.

12. Mount Elgon, Uganda

Head to East Africa to ascend one of the world's biggest volcano bases

Mount Elgon is so big, it actually extends across two countries: Uganda and Kenya. It stands 4,321m high, with a diameter of 80km and has unique landscapes and flora that cross four different ecosystems: montane, bamboo, heather and moorland.

As we climb, the path is narrow and winds through the deep green murk of virgin rainforest. Above us we can see the tips of tall trees waving as monkeys jump from branch to branch. All around is the sound of birdsong and I catch the odd glimpse of crimson wings or blue breasts.

Deep in the zone where the giant groundsels grow, reaching their sculptured arms up to the sky, we are surrounded by white and yellow evergreen flowers, vibrant blue orchids and giant purple lobelia. We don’t see any other humans – there were no queues or mounds of litter to contend with, as there are on some of the more famous peaks.

— Read Alice Morrison's full story here.

17. Kastamonu, Turkey

The Black Sea region is the perfect alternative to the country’s popular tourist hotspots

The rural towns and villages of Turkey's central Black Sea region are surrounded by lush farmland, mountains and forests on one side, and the sparkling sea on the other.

A 90-minute flight from Istanbul to Kastamonu serves as a perfect starting point for the journey. The city is situated in the valley between the Kure Mountains and Ilgaz Mountains, near to farms abundant in peaches, sunflowers, hazelnuts, corn and black tea.

Before exploring Kastamonu proper, I make my way to the Horma Canyons in the Kure Mountains National Park, which stretches over 34,000 hectares of forest and features canyons, karst caves, waterfalls, as well as rich flora and fauna.

The canyon has a 3.5km trekking route of wooden walkways, suspended over the powder-blue river below and clinging to the rockface. The views are incredible, and while some of the heights are nerve-racking, the waterfall and natural pools at the end of the trail are worth the effort.

— Read Maghie Ghali’s full story here.

18. Kakheti, Georgia

This Georgian resort looks like it has been plucked right out of a fairytale

Hotel photographs often fail to live up to their alluring promise of relaxation, beauty and charm. But, good as the camerawork is for Georgia's Lopota Lake Resort and Spa, nothing can prepare you for the beguiling nature of this uniquely enchanting hotel. Indeed, to call it a hotel is almost a misnomer. At times it feels like a big, happy commune where employees have natural charm rather than forced corporate civility.

The property is shaped by the soothing architectural influence of wooden balconies, climbing greenery, vegetable gardens, vineyards and a lake, alongside modern facilities and delightful restaurants.

It was suggested before we arrived that the resort resembled a “fairyland” and sometimes such preconceptions can be upended when confronted with reality. Not so on this occasion.

All this was created from the vision of the late Goga Maisuradze, who stumbled upon one of the lakes in the Kakheti region, nestled in the Caucasus. His daughter, Ana, now runs the 60-hectare site.

— Read Thomas Harding’s full story here.

21. Pekoe Trail, Sri Lanka

Take a hike on the new Pekoe Trail, which snakes through the country’s central highlands

A distinctly Sri Lankan soundtrack echoes across the valley. From one side, the chanting of monks from Kandy’s newest temple. On the other, the distorted notes of Beethoven’s Fur Elise, adopted as the theme song of “choon paans” – jaunty tuk-tuks selling baked goods – in every corner of the country.

I am in Sri Lanka’s central highlands, amid the jagged mountains that encircle Kandy. These towering ranges were instrumental in protecting Sri Lanka’s last kingdom against colonial invaders for more than two centuries – until the British settled here in the early 1800s. In their wake, these new rulers brought tea, which will be a constant companion on my two-day hike across this verdant area of Sri Lanka.

I am on the Pekoe Trail, a 300km network of walking routes. The name is a reference to a specific type of high-grade black tea made from young leaves, a speciality in these parts.

— Read Selina Denman’s full story here.

22. Lalibela, Ethiopia

Embrace Lady Luck in the East African Lalibela mountains

Scattering a small handful of fine, red-tinged dust into my open palms, the priest explained to me that this was no ordinary soil – it was the holy earth that surrounded the tomb of King Lalibela – and it would bring me luck.

With that, he picked up the large, carved bronze crucifix leaning against the wall next to him, turned and disappeared off into the shadows of the dimly lit chapel, his thick colourful robes flowing out behind him like a royal gown.

Luck was something I felt I might soon be in need of. I was about to set out on a multi-day hike across the high plateaus and mountains of northern Ethiopia; a region that, until just a few months earlier, had been embroiled in civil war.

But if any soil could be thought to bring good luck, it has to be the soil surrounding the tomb of King Lalibela.

— Read Stuart Butler's full story here.