Morocco: Four Medinas for One Enchantment (2)

Translated into English. 13 replies on this page are not translated yet and are shown in French.

Groschats Veteran ·2026-11-02

Hi Kate, hi Richard!

First time in Tangier? Hope you enjoy it!

RichardXI Regular ·2026-11-02

Day Two: The Museums of Tangier, a Journey Through a Composite Past

After diving into Tangier’s present yesterday, today we set off to explore its past, visiting two major museums: Dar-el-Makhzen and Dar Niaba. We take the same route as the day before this morning. Up to the Kasbah, a coffee break on the square—“good morning, Mr. Expat, how’s it going?”—a glance from the borj over the strait, and down to the Mechouar, the all-white esplanade where the Museum of Mediterranean Cultures is housed in the Dar-el-Makhzen, the former palace of Sultan Moulay Ismail.

The entire history of Tangier unfolds within this magnificent Arab-Andalusian palace. A journey through time where generations of people, each developing their own civilization, succeeded one another: Berbers, Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Europeans. Blending their influences in peace or war. Until, as a symbol, the city took on the status of an international zone in the mid-1920s.

We wander from room to room starting from the large open-air patio, paved with polychrome zellige tiles. While I carefully examine the different display cases to try to understand the threads of the past, Kate prefers to stay in the large courtyard to capture those little scenes of life she loves. Here, as always in Arab palaces, the exterior is inside: we eventually emerge into a beautiful Andalusian garden, all geometry, freshness, and greenery.

As we leave the museum, the light reflecting off the white walls of the square is dazzling, but the sea breeze is gentle, slightly cool, and we decide to have tea on the rooftop terrace of the café overlooking the esplanade, “Le Salon Bleu.” More and more often, Moroccan café owners ask if you want mint tea with or without sugar. So, it’ll be “blaa sukkar.” The view from the rooftop is stunning—the Mechouar on one side, the bay and the strait on the other.

As I gaze over the city, I think about its name: Tangier. A familiar name I heard during my childhood in Sète, watching the comings and goings of the ferry “L’Agadir” from the dock, which operated the route from Sète. That boat seemed enormous to me with its big red flag and green star painted on the funnel. And those Moroccan families boarding with cars packed to the roof. Those people who looked so different.

Tangier... that name fascinated and slightly worried me. Tangier-danger, and the almost perfect anagram of the word *strange*.

And here I am, many years later, sipping my tea on this lovely terrace and looking at this city spread out at my feet, feeling almost at home.

For lunch, we spot an address in the *Routard* that catches our eye: “Restaurant de la Maison Communautaire des Femmes Darna,” located in a small street just above the Grand Socco. According to the guide, it’s, and I quote, an associative restaurant for the economic integration of women. A volunteer from the association welcomes us and leads us into a lovely inner courtyard in the shade of a large fig tree. We both opt for sardines stuffed with chermoula, a marinade made from coriander, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil, with added cumin and paprika.

After lunch, we head back to the medina, Rue Siaghine, to visit Dar Niaba, also known as the Museum of Traveling Artists. Both a museum of Tangier’s diplomatic history and an Orientalist museum, it’s located in the former French consulate general, built in the early 19th century.

Passing through the large stone gate, we enter a vast patio planted with orange trees and surrounded by a gallery of horseshoe arches with dazzling whiteness. Once again, the charm of these Moroccan palace-houses, built to keep out the hustle and bustle of the nearby street and offer visitors the hushed calm of an intimate world, takes effect. The rooms dedicated to traveling artists are on the second floor. That’s where I discover the works of a Spanish portraitist I’d never heard of, Diego Marín López. The wall of the room is covered with these striking small portraits painted directly on wood. Notables or beggars, with deep gazes, sharp features, and skin texture almost palpable. A vision of the Orient, not fantasized, but certainly lived by this adventurous painter.

Back in the bustling Rue Siaghine, we turn right onto Rue Touahine to visit the museum of the Fondation Lorin. Housed in a former synagogue, this place of worship has become a cultural space with a theater and an interesting collection of photos and newspaper clippings telling the story of Tangier’s “roaring twenties” during the international zone era.

The day stretches on, we’re a bit tired, especially since Kate keeps complaining of stomachaches. One last tea, though, on the terrace of the café “Colón” to enjoy the street scene. Across from us, the Alcazar cinema is showing a film about the “Avengers.” Morocco is also part of the global village. Tonight, we’ll stay quietly in our apartment. There’s still so much to discover in Tangier, which hasn’t revealed all its present or its composite past to us yet. Tomorrow, we’re taking the train to Rabat.

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RichardXI Regular ·2026-11-02

Hi Olivier! So nice to hear from you. Hope you're doing well.

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RichardXI Regular ·2026-11-03

Rabat

In Islamic tradition, Al Boraq was the name of the magical horse that whisked the Prophet from Mecca to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem in the blink of an eye. Today, it’s the name of Morocco’s TGV. Fast, comfortable, and punctual, it takes us to Rabat Agdal station in under 1.5 hours—a bright and spacious place that feels like an airport.

The accommodation we chose is just steps from the medina, but we need a taxi to get there. I’m still terrible at negotiating—100 dirhams for a 15-minute ride. Kate is fuming. Okay, fair enough: you handle the haggling, and I’ll plan the discovery routes. The apartment is in a fairly modern building, but it’s super cute. Fahima, the owner, named it “Artist’s Gallery.” The decor is meticulous, and the walls are covered in colorful paintings. The living room overlooks an inner courtyard—perfect for our two and a half days in Rabat.

Once settled, we wait for Martine, a friend of Kate’s who lives in Essaouira. She’ll be joining us for the rest of the trip. A tall, quiet woman with measured movements, we’ve traveled with her in southern Morocco before. I know we’ll get along, but it won’t just be the two of us—Kate and me—anymore. We’ll have to shift from couple mode to group dynamics. Martine arrives in the mid-afternoon, pretty exhausted—the drive was long and grueling in the heat.

We get our bearings in the neighborhood; the medina is right nearby. I take a quick look at the pinkish-ochre ramparts. Martine and I pick up some groceries for breakfast and hunt down a pharmacy for Kate, who’s still struggling with her stomach. We sit down at a small local restaurant for our first dinner and a much-needed catch-up. As night falls, the calls to prayer rise from the medina’s mosques.

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RichardXI Regular ·2026-11-08

"Behind the Doors: The Medina, the Kasbah of the Oudayas, and the Hassan Tower"

The medina of Rabat is quite different from those you typically encounter in Morocco. Dating back to the 17th century, it was laid out on an orthogonal plan, making it relatively easy to navigate. It’s nothing like the labyrinths of Fez or Marrakech.

After passing through the majestic Almohad gate Bab al Had, which marks the entrance, we emerge onto a sunlit square lined with shops. At small wooden tables protected by parasols, a dozen men sit behind their old typewriters, serving clients. They’re public scribes. Kate whips out her Canon to capture the scene but lacks discretion this time. A man spots her and starts shouting, "Who do you think you are? I’m not a monkey—this isn’t a zoo! You could’ve at least asked!" We nearly have a diplomatic incident. Kate looks flustered. I can tell she’s torn between wanting to apologize and defending her position. The photographer’s instinct seems to win out. Used to handling conflicts, I step in gently. Things calm down, and we move on. I chuckle to myself. "Well, you really got an earful!" She just shrugs.

We now walk along Souika Street and the Sebat Souk, where shops of all kinds line up—typical of Moroccan souks: carpets, clothing, handicrafts, spices. A world of colors and scents. This medina is truly pleasant to explore, with its wide, straight streets offering endless escape routes for new discoveries. Above our heads, beautiful wooden frameworks embedded with translucent glass create a unique atmosphere, playing with light and shadow. There are people around—tourists, of course—but the merchants seem to do most of their business with locals, far from the relentless "Come see my shop!" of Marrakech vendors.

From the Street of the Consuls, we enter through a discreet door into a large rectangular courtyard paved in gray and planted with small orange trees. The space is bordered by galleries supported by pink sandstone pillars, rising two stories high. Small rooms on both the ground floor and upper level: we’re in an old caravanserai, the Fondouk Ben Aïcha. Caravanserais were inns reserved for traveling merchants who crisscrossed the Muslim world: rooms on the first floor, and on the ground level, shops for storing goods and stables for animals. Carefully restored, this one now houses artisan shops, a cultural center, and a traditional Moroccan pastry shop. It’s the perfect time to linger, sit down, and enjoy a mint tea before tackling the climb to the Kasbah of the Oudayas.

The Kasbah of the Oudayas! Its name rings out like a joyful youyou. The main entrance is through a monumental gate visible from the lower part of the medina, the "Bab el-Kebir." Built at the end of the 12th century by Sultan Yacoub el Mansour, it takes the form of a massive horseshoe arch, finely decorated with geometric and floral motifs in shades of ochre and red. It’s the guardian of the fortress, itself perched on a rocky promontory overlooking the Bouregreg River and facing the ocean.

We step into a meticulously maintained space of charming whitewashed houses with flat roofs, door and window frames highlighted in blue, intricately wrought iron grilles, and carefully paved alleys lined with plants and climbing flowers. The main street leads to a vast esplanade overlooking the river and ocean, where everyone loves to take photos.

Then we descend through the maze of alleys toward Dar el Karam Square, right next to the Andalusian garden. A café-tea salon spreads its tables across small terraces overlooking the river. The walk is full of charm in this picturesque, somewhat museum-like setting. Far from the bustle that must have reigned here when the Oudayas garrison occupied the area.

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RichardXI Regular ·2026-11-08

"Behind the doors: the medina, the Kasbah of the Oudayas, the Hassan Tower" (continued)

For lunch, we prefer to dive back into the lively atmosphere of the medina.

The afternoon is dedicated to visiting the Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V. In just a few stops, the tramway—with its very contemporary look and highly graphic decor, featuring stylized patterns reminiscent of Moroccan zellige tiles—transports us to a more modern part of the city, developed during the Protectorate era.

The entrance to the site is solemnly guarded by riders in white attire, red belts, and green headgear, as motionless as their mounts.

The 12th-century Hassan Tower, with its ochre hues, never completed, still looms 40 meters high over this astonishing esplanade covered with the bases of truncated columns. What was meant to be one of the largest mosques in the Muslim world now reveals its amputated verticality, its stone skeleton—a witness to an unfinished past. The sun beats down fiercely in this mineral landscape, and before visiting the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, we take shelter in the welcome shade of the mosque adjacent to the monument. Kate takes advantage of this moment to capture the beautiful perspectives offered by the vanishing points of the esplanade. The muezzin then calls to prayer, and as often happens, time seems to stand still during the brief moment of his chant.

We then head toward the white marble mausoleum. However, we won’t be visiting the tomb of the Alaouite sovereigns Mohammed V and Hassan II. Closed for renovations.

Tonight, we’re dining at home. Martine prepares a simple meal in the peaceful courtyard of our apartment. The day comes to an end—it’s time to close the doors again.

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HE Hermès1964 ·2026-11-11

Not translated into English yet. Original French text:

Lire vos carnets à quatre mains reste un enchantement et un partage très intéressant qui donne juste envie de suivre vos traces...merci 😎

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HE Hermès1964 ·2026-11-11

Not translated into English yet. Original French text:

Lire ton carnet me fait forcément penser à ceux écrits pour nos voyages entre amis...avec toujours l'impression d'être conviés à partager ces chemins en votre compagnie...alors, merci de nous donner accès à ce récit de voyage

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Kate Globetrotter ·2026-11-11

Not translated into English yet. Original French text:

Lire vos carnets à quatre mains reste un enchantement et un partage très intéressant qui donne juste envie de suivre vos traces...merci 😎

Finalement, même quand on voyage chacun de son côté, on continue un peu à voyager ensemble grâce aux récits de Richard 😉

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Voyajou Globetrotter ·2026-11-11

Not translated into English yet. Original French text:

Finalement, Tanger n'a rien perdu de son attrait pour les artistes. Ils y viennent désormais en couple.

Il raconte une histoire, elle (se) fait un film. Il interroge les pierres, elle son Canon. De kasbah en medina, entre deux musées se prélassent en terrasses et maudissent les marches, la chaleur et les bactéries. Voir Tanger et partir ?

La tour Hassan du XIIe siècle aux reflets ocrés, jamais achevée (...) Ce qui aurait dû être une des plus grandes mosquées du monde musulman offre aux regards sa verticalité amputée, son squelette de pierre, témoin d’un passé inabouti.

Sans compter que Kate la raccourcit encore. 😇

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RichardXI Regular ·2026-11-12

Not translated into English yet. Original French text:

Salut Jean-Luc, Très bien ta petite intervention. Bien dans ton style. 😉Sympa en tout cas de ta part de nous suivre.

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RichardXI Regular ·2026-11-13

Not translated into English yet. Original French text:

De la nécropole de Chellah à la Kasbah des Oudayas : histoires de taxis

Ce matin le chauffeur du petit taxi bleu qui doit nous transporter à la nécropole de Chellah en périphérie du centre-ville a mis son compteur. Moins de 40 dirhams, tout va bien. Le site archéologique de Chellah combine les vestiges de deux grandes périodes de l’histoire : une cité romaine du IIe av JC et une nécropole islamique de l’époque mérinide des XIIe-XIVème siècles. Le soleil est encore doux, nous descendons tranquillement un jardin arboré qui nous mène au cœur d’un vaste ensemble de ruines. Comme souvent pour les vestiges antiques la lecture est difficile. Nous déambulons au milieu de bases de maisons et sur des pavés disjoints usés par le temps sans trop savoir ce que nous regardons.

La visite du complexe funéraire mérinide est, elle, beaucoup plus parlante avec ses panneaux informatifs. Les tombeaux bâtis en belle pierre ocre sont assez bien conservés, on découvre également les vestiges d’une mosquée, d’un hammam., d’une medersa. Etrange lieu où la vie et la mort semblent s’être côtoyées dans le raffinement et l’élégance des arcs outrepassés.

Le site est vraiment agréable à parcourir, d’autant qu’il y a peu de monde en cette heure assez matinale. Nous terminons le parcours à l’ombre d’un jardin andalou en contrebas du site.

Kate propose alors de retourner à la Kasbah des Oudayas prendre encore quelques clichés qu’elle n’avait pu faire la veille.

Nous repassons la porte monumentale et cherchons un taxi. Un homme nous interpelle. « Taxi ? OK. Attendez un peu il arrive ! ». Kate semble se méfier. Pourquoi attendre, il suffit de remonter la rue et de prendre une course à la volée. Martine et moi préférons attendre sagement. Au bout de 10 minutes, un van tout blanc arrive et nous prend en charge ainsi que deux touristes anglais. Kasbah des Oudayas. On ne négocie pas. Le chauffeur très disert, trop, nous assomme d’un flot de paroles et de questions. Nous répondons par monosyllabes. Arrivés devant la kasbah, la sentence tombe. 200 dirhams ! Les deux touristes anglais tout de même un peu surpris règlent leur part sans sourciller. Kate endosse alors le costume de guerrière et refuse de payer. L’affrontement est inévitable. Toute en colère outrée et cheveux roux au vent, elle parle d’honnêteté, de prix juste... Je suis impressionné par son aplomb. On dirait la Kahina ! Le chauffeur de plus en plus mal à l’aise face à tant de fougue s’embrouille dans des explications alambiquées, je le sens faiblir. Après cinq minutes de palabres tendues il finit par rompre le combat et accepte les 50 dirhams que je lui tends. « Non, mais !!! »

« Pour le déjeuner, nous redescendons vers la médina et retournons dans la petite gargote de la veille, sous les arcades près du marché couvert. Saïd, le jeune serveur, nous reconnaît. Il nous serre la main avec chaleur : « Salam aleikoum. Labess ? ». Martine, qui a quelques notions de darija, répond par des formules de politesse. En voyage à l’étranger, il faut sans cesse s’orienter, s’adapter aux lieux, aux gens, à l’inconnu. Et j’aime ces moments particuliers où l’on se sent un peu chez soi, où l’on trouve enfin quelques repères solides qui donnent le sentiment d’être en territoire familier.

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RichardXI Regular ·2026-11-13

Not translated into English yet. Original French text:

Retrouvailles à Salé

Cet après-midi nous avons rendez-vous à Salé avec des copains expats qui viennent de s’installer à Rabat depuis quelques semaines à peine. Boris et Anna, deux collègues profs d’histoire-géo avec qui j’avais travaillé au lycée Lacroix de Narbonne. Boris, un grand gaillard à l’allure placide et au timbre de voix profond (utile dans le métier !). Anna, à la fine silhouette et au regard malicieux. Amoureux du Maghreb, ils avaient déjà enseigné en Tunisie des années auparavant. Anna est également dessinatrice de BD, elle a publié plusieurs albums dont un qui raconte avec humour sa vie de prof et un autre qui évoque justement son expérience tunisienne avec Boris.

Anna Chronique

Ce sont eux qui m’ont proposé Salé comme lieu de rencontre, face à Rabat, de l’autre côté du fleuve Bouregreg. Après avoir pris le tramway et traversé le pont Hassan II, nous pénétrons dans la médina par la Bab Mrisa l’ancienne porte monumentale qui défendait cette redoutable cité de corsaires.

Après quelques minutes d’attente je les vois arriver avec leurs deux jeunes garçons. Je suis ravi de les retrouver. Je me hausse un peu sur la pointe des pieds pour claquer la bise à Boris, et redescends sur mes talons pour embrasser Anna. Les présentations faites, nous remontons tous ensemble la rue principale pour nous attabler à une terrasse face à un parc urbain. Je leur trouve l’air un peu fatigué. Apparemment leur installation a été un peu précipitée et j’imagine sans mal l’énergie qu’ils ont dû déployer pour préparer leur départ et organiser leur arrivée. Mais ils sont pleins d’entrain et heureux de commencer une nouvelle vie au Maroc. Nous échangeons ainsi pendant une bonne heure et demie, sur leur travail d’enseignant, les relations qu’ils commencent à nouer, l’intégration des enfants... Les deux gamins suivent un cursus normal, mais ils apprennent aussi l’arabe littéraire et le darija. Je les vois faire des allées et venues car apparemment ils veulent s’acheter des vêtements et qu’il faut négocier. « En darija, tu dis quelques mots en darija ». Les parents les laissent se débrouiller. Excellente école de la vie ! L’heure avance et demain tout le monde a cours. Il est temps de se séparer. Embrassades. Un dernier signe de la main et nous les laissons à leur histoire marocaine. Bon vent les amis...

Dans la nuit rabatie

Le soir tombe déjà sur Rabat. Si l’on excepte bien sûr la médina, la kasbah et sans doute aussi les périphéries plus populaires, la ville a vraiment des allures de capitale moderne, avec ses grandes artères commerçantes, ses immeubles bien alignés, ses parcs et jardins taillés au cordeau, son tramway aux lignes contemporaines, ses promenades coquettes.

Pour clore cette dernière journée, Martine propose d’aller dîner dans un des nombreux restos qui s’alignent en enfilade le long de la grande muraille des Andalous en parallèle au boulevard Hassan II. L’endroit est très animé. Rabatis comme touristes sont nombreux à s’installer là, pour profiter de la douceur du soir. La population est très mélangée. Des jeunes à l’allure métropolitaine, des familles plus traditionnelles, des filles cheveux au vent, d’autres couvertes de l’hidjab, certaines même en niqab. Un condensé de la société marocaine, faite ici comme ailleurs, de tensions, mais aussi de nécessaires acceptations de l’autre. Dans la nuit qui enveloppe la ville monte encore une fois l’appel à la prière. Certains sans doute n’y prêtent plus attention, comme la sonnerie des cloches chez nous. Pour d’autres, l’appel est entendu, c’est un moment sacré, de piété. Pour moi, c’est un des sons du Maroc.

Demain nous partons pour Fès…

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Muriel18 Globetrotter ·2026-11-13

Not translated into English yet. Original French text:

Ne connaissant pas du tout le Maroc, j'ai du mal à faire coïncider votre voyage avec celui d'Agnès (Attila) malgré les étapes communes. Pour moi, c'est presque 2 voyages différents 🤪... avec chacun sa sensibilité.

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Kate Globetrotter ·2026-11-13

Not translated into English yet. Original French text:

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RichardXI Regular ·2026-11-13

Not translated into English yet. Original French text:

Je n'ai pas encore parcouru le récit d'Attila, et ce intentionnellement pour rester dans la bulle de notre voyage. Mais dès que j'aurai terminé ce p... de carnet, j'irai me plonger avec elle dans son royaume du kif. Ce sera intéressant pour moi de voir comment elle a vécu son périple marocain.

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Attila Globetrotter ·2026-11-13

Not translated into English yet. Original French text:

Richard et Kate ont effectué un voyage nettement plus urbain et sans location de voiture. Ils ont également passé plus de temps dans chaque lieu.

Richard cisèle les mots, Kate cisèle les photos.

Je marche beaucoup plus que Kate. Mais moins que Richard sans Kate...

Ceci explique cela.🙂

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Rouquine38 Globetrotter ·2026-11-13

Not translated into English yet. Original French text:

Pour moi, c'est presque 2 voyages différents 🤪... avec chacun sa sensibilité.

Je t'avais dit que tu aurais deux visions différentes ! C'est ce qui fait la richesse des carnets sur VF. On pioche ici et là ce qui, a priori, devrait nous intéresser 😉

Oui, en effet, on n'a pas l'impression de faire le même voyage 😏 Lorsque je vais préparer le mien, il faudra que je relise bien les deux et piocher dans chacun 😊

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Kate Globetrotter ·2026-11-13

Not translated into English yet. Original French text:

Lorsque je vais préparer le mien, il faudra que je relise bien les deux et piocher dans chacun 😊

-Pour les bons restos, dénicher la picole, les hébergements chics et tranquilles, les bons itinéraires, le rural plutôt que l'urbain, les randos légères: Attila ! -Pour les négociations, les hébergements en immersion, les petits restos dans leur jus, les endroits photogéniques, les bancs publics, l'urbain plutôt que le rural: Kate !

Mais aussi: -Pour les visites culturelles guidées et l'organisation optimale d'une journée: Richard !

PS: le cru photos de ce voyage est très moyen. Mais j'ai une excuse ! J'ai été malade durant tout le séjour. Quand Richard me demande un renseignement je suis incapable de lui retranscrire le déroulé d'une journée 🏴‍☠️

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Muriel18 23 hours ago · Rouquine38

Southern landscapes, northern wildlife: returning to South Africa

After a first trip in 2009 (already!) where, roughly, we did a circuit passing through Hazyview, a private reserve in Sabi Sands, Santa Lucia and Isimangaliso, Hluhluwe and the South African part of Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, then a quick stop in 2013 to go to Lesotho, we wanted to come back to this country.

Why not the Cape region this time, but there was no way we were coming back to this part of the world without going on a safari. Mountain Zebra or the Karoo seem more about landscapes than animals, and Addo doesn’t excite me much either... So it’ll be Kruger.

Flight prices, schedules, and durations led us to a Paris-Cape Town, return Johannesburg-Paris with British Airways, via Heathrow.

Now we just had to figure out how to fit in quite a few things without driving too many kilometers or changing accommodation every day, at least in the Cape region. Here’s what we ended up with:

Arrival in Cape Town on Saturday, October 10 at 11 AM

2 nights in Hermanus

1 night in Franschhoek

2 nights at Mountceder in the Cederberg

3 nights in Hout Bay

Sunday: transition day—flight to Johannesburg, drive toward Kruger, night in Lydenburg.

Kruger: 1 night in Letaba, 2 in Satara, 1 in Lower Sabie.

Last night in Mbombela (formerly Nelspruit) before heading back to the airport for an early evening return flight.

For those who want to read the full story without interruptions, it’s here.

Friday, 10/9

A pretty stressful departure.

First, I woke up in the middle of the night, convinced I’d swapped my first and last names during check-in 🤪... Couldn’t get back to sleep, even though I knew British Airways wouldn’t answer before 9 AM.

Well, for them, everything was fine... but then they started talking about ETA... an ETA for England 😮? ?? Yes, it’s recent. Apparently, you don’t need one for an air-to-air transit... but you never know, it’s better to have it just in case. No one could give me a clear answer that it wasn’t necessary. In the end, we didn’t get it... and we didn’t need it.

But here’s the thing: our flight ended up leaving Paris 45 minutes late (10 minutes due to a schedule change and 35 minutes of actual delay), so our 2-hour layover shrank to 1 hour and 15 minutes. That should be doable, right? The board showed our flight at Gate B: great, it’s right next door! But at Gate B, three employees were just there to tell everyone who showed up that security had to be done at Gate A... and off we went, sprinting through the corridors, endless escalators going up and down, a little shuttle ride, security at Gate A ("You’re going to be cutting it close!" Oh really? 😠), then pretty much the same route back, only to end up just a few dozen meters from where we started! 😠

Boarding was already well underway, and after all that running, we were hot and thirsty, but phew! We made it onto the plane!

Saturday, 10/10 On the other hand, nothing to complain about on this London-Cape Town flight—it arrived early!

I booked a (small) Suzuki S-Presso because it seemed to have a higher ground clearance than its competitors. Unfortunately, we ended up with a Tata Tiago (yes, it exists), which is lower (and also smaller, with an even more sluggish engine... yes, we were able to compare because in Johannesburg, we *did* get an S-Presso). Somehow, we managed to fit everything in the trunk ("Whatever you do, don’t leave anything visible!") and off we went to our first accommodation in Hermanus, under a glorious sun.

Nikki welcomed us warmly, explained what there was to see in the area, and advised us to book a restaurant for that evening.

After dropping off our bags, we headed to the "cliff path," just 3 minutes from our place. This part of the coast is famous for its southern right whales from June to November. Let’s cut to the chase: there *were* whales, but they were very far away and very sleepy 😕. At best, we saw (photos taken at 600mm): A few ripples or a faint spray,

a bit of tail...

...or a bit of head.

Too bad—the owner of our next accommodation told us she’d seen around thirty of them up close here in early September.

With no whales in sight, the dassies (or rock hyraxes) were everywhere... and fun to watch.

The other local star (when there are no whales 😏)

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Bibouns51 23 hours ago · Rouquine38

Off on an adventure in China!

October 9 - Day 1

There’s an old Chinese proverb I particularly like: "Dú wán juán shù, búrú xing wán li lú." In slightly more familiar terms, it means you always learn more by traveling ten thousand miles than by reading ten thousand books. And I’m the perfect guy for this because, first, I don’t have time to read ten thousand books about our new destination... And second, the proverb is literally made in our new adventure playground: China!

China... or should I say, "Paradox-land"! A country we see everywhere—on the news or on the "Made in China" labels of half the objects around us—but one we actually know very little about. A country hurtling toward the future while still casually chatting with its rich past. A country that, through our Western lens, seems uniform and just filled with Chinese people who all look alike, yet reveals an incredible cultural, natural, demographic, and culinary diversity as soon as you dig a little deeper. A country with a reputation for being logistically tricky for solo travelers, yet where you can book public toilets on your smartphone. In short, a delightful mess of disorienting contradictions—and, of course, a destination that was bound to charm our wandering soles for a while.

That "while" will be two weeks... And the "we," since I wanted the best in the world to join me, will be Flo and me in this backpacking duo stamped with wanderlust! Just the two of us for two weeks to explore a tiny part of this continent-sized country, trying to understand how old wooden stilt houses coexist in the middle of futuristic skyscrapers glowing with lights, tasting all the weird and wonderful things that come our way, and—incidentally—covering the famous ten thousand kilometers from our proverb.

Well... we’ll probably cover a little less than that, but enough to let us write our own travel journal instead of reading others’... Because you know us—between living our lives watching others live theirs by reading ten thousand books, or writing our own by truly roaming the world, we’ve long since chosen our side! And you, who’s reading this—team book or team live?

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Montagnard74 23 hours ago · RichardXI

CAPE VERDE 2025: 3 weeks, 4 islands.

And we still haven’t seen everything! Before setting off for new horizons at the end of this year, it’s time for me to share my trip to Cape Verde this summer 2025.

I particularly love these spontaneous trips, and our stay in Cape Verde is one of those because it was only at the beginning of April that we decided on this getaway, which had been catching our eye for a while, given our love for the mountains.

As always—well, when it’s open—I turned to VF, and I want to immediately thank Marie, aka ptitortue, who helped me a lot in planning this trip through her travel journals and our exchanges!

Because Cape Verde is both small and vast! We decided not to rush from one airport to another, to enjoy the places and the people, but also to relax, since the work backlog from being stuck in May (see my previous travel journal 😅) had to be caught up on in June.

So, 4 islands will be our winners from 06/28 to 07/19:

Santiago first for logistical reasons, as round-trip flights from the capital Praia were the cheapest (650 €/person from Lyon via Lisbon with TAP, still!)

São Vicente, because it’s the gateway to the next one but ultimately more than that...

Santo Antão, pretty much the main goal of the trip since Marie (and the photos) had really sold it to me.

And finally, Sal Island, for some rest—a non-negotiable condition for my other half—and we’ll see that I should’ve listened to Marie...

That said, what a chatterbox I am—buckle up, flight attendants at the doors, off we go on new beautiful escapes! (Thanks to Sophie for the easy loan)

Last note for my eager fan club 😏: yes, there will be alcohol—how could there not be in the land of grogue!

It starts here:

https://voyageforum.com/v.f?post=10790234;a=10790234

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Bibouns51 23 hours ago · Djalma

Off on an adventure in Réunion!

Week 1 - July 2026

Traveling with just one spare pair of underwear, considering a hot shower a miracle, never staying in the same place too long by sleeping wherever night catches us, taking whatever local, improbable, and rickety transport we can find—this is the DNA of us wanderers. Except this time, the script for our movie is going to be a whole different genre. On paper, the destination doesn’t exactly scream epic adventure: Réunion! And what’s more... we won’t be two, or four, or even ten. We’ll be a solid thirty. All from the same family. Yes, thirty. At this point, it’s not just a trip—it’s a summer camp on the move! Why inflict this on such a peaceful island? Because my brother decided to get married there with his lovely bride. A great idea, you might say... especially when it involves relocating the equivalent of a small Ardennes village 10,000 kilometers from home for three weeks! So who’s stepping up to be the guide and wave the little flag?

So, for an exceptional trip, exceptional stories! Don’t worry, the debates at the supermarket over whether to choose plain chips or roast chicken chips, the beach picnics washed down with ti’ punch, and other rougail sausages to digest by the pool will only make it into the family archives. Here, I’ll stick to the tales of our beautiful escapes, the ones where we explore the wild corners of this little volcanic rock planted in the middle of the Indian Ocean. So where exactly are we headed?

For the first week—the subject of this first installment—we’re taking it easy. We’ll start by rediscovering the coastline, from the Souffleur in Saint-Leu to the Hermitage lagoon, before a little trip to the Cirque de Cilaos and its legendary road with 400 turns, just to get our legs warmed up.

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Nathalie971 2 days ago

Japan, five weeks between unknown lands and familiar paths

Hello everyone,

I invite you to follow me on this fifth exploration trip to Japan.

Five weeks or so!

For the itinerary, my usual mix: New discoveries, well-known places, and others less so.

At the heart of the trip, a two-week road trip by car. I wavered for a long time between the San'in region, from Tottori to Yamaguchi, and southern Kyushu. By a narrow margin, southern Kyushu won out.

Waterfalls that seem even more impressive. A more exotic atmosphere. Tea-growing lands to savor... Kagoshima will be the starting point. Then a loop from west to east.

And, of course, the must-see stops... Those little Japanese touches. Gourmet cuisine. Japanese, but not only!

And then, the soul of the trip, I hope: Human connections. Big or small.

Otherwise? Several local festivals. Osaka, unexpected. Miyakojima, between beauty and small disappointments. Tokyo... it's Tokyo!

So, travel with me. The suitcase is waiting, with stories that are sometimes generous, but always driven by the love of travel experienced firsthand.

Yōkoso, Nihon! Welcome to Japan!

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Attila 3 days ago · Kate

Northern Morocco, the kingdom of kif?

My first trip to Morocco dates back to the early 90s.

Four more followed...

I’d never gone further north than Casablanca, Volubilis, or Fez—it was time to fix that!

So I planned a route that would fill in the gaps while revisiting a few places.

This route is pretty classic—if you’re looking for something original, you might want to skip it!

The starting point of the trip: the city of Rabat.

The stops?

Azrou, Fez, Al Hoceïma, Akchour, Tetouan, Tangier, Asilah, and finally Rabat.

Mostly an urban trip, then.

Too much?

We’ll see at the end of the travel journal!

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Ellobo 3 days ago

A little trip to Belgium

Introduction: As has become a habit, I’ve organized a trip for late October—a surprise trip for my poor wife, who follows along without saying much (or almost nothing). She knows she’s going away, when, but not where! Our friends and family keep bombarding me with questions to get the info, but I’m holding strong. The guesses are flying, the best one being, “Knowing him, he’s definitely heading somewhere sunny, even if all the southern destinations have already been done for a short stay.” It makes me laugh because there are still a few places I haven’t discovered yet. So yes, choosing to go to Belgium at the end of October—especially for someone as sensitive to the cold as I am—is bold. I’m not quite at Philippe Abrams’ level, but still, heading *Noooorth* from me is pretty daring. So, contrary to my friends’ predictions, I’m not flying south but taking my car, turning the wheel north, and off we go!

Day 1: The outbound trip When I say I’m not flying, it’s only half true because we’re leaving the day French media—with their signature doom-and-gloom—announce a terrible storm. While Storm Austen is indeed forecasted, the Belgians are reporting it as the first storm of the year with a bit more restraint. The drive won’t be entirely smooth as we reach the Hauts-de-France region: the wind is strong, the rain is heavy, but it’s not the apocalypse. Just drive carefully and slow down—sounds like a road safety message! We left Lyon at 8 AM and arrived in Bruges at 4 PM, “...and that’s even with the trucks at the entrance to Angoulême!” What’s he talking about—going through Angoulême? French cinephiles will get the reference. We got a warm welcome at our B&B, and since it was barely drizzling, we took a quick stroll around town to stretch our legs. Headed to the Markt, visited the Prinsenhof, the Palace of the Dukes of Flanders. We actually went in because it started pouring. It’s free, a first taste of Flemish culture, and it’s great.

A little tired, we headed back to our B&B, mostly because the heavy rain forced us to. We got soaked (some people must be laughing). After drying off, we went to the nearest restaurant, Parazzar, typically Bruges-style, and my wife tried her first beer. Personally, I don’t like beer—*What the heck was I thinking?*—so I had a red wine, a Tinto, which would’ve been local back in Charles V’s time. First fries—because I *love* them—and it’s time to call it a night. A good night’s sleep awaits.

The +: We made it! The -: It’s raining, it’s windy, it’s wet—party at the...

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Viovio2 3 days ago

15-day itinerary in southern Morocco

Last October, we landed in Marrakech to spend a few days with family exploring Morocco’s roads. Transport: a rented Dacia. Accommodations: small guesthouses.

Our first stop was just a few kilometers from Marrakech, at a lovely house perfect for relaxing and recharging before continuing. It’s called Bleu House, a little paradise on the outskirts of Marrakech. The welcome was very warm, with a beautiful pool and a lovely garden.

Next, we headed toward the Tichka Pass. The road has really improved in recent years—it’s much easier to drive now. No more getting stuck behind trucks, and today, the construction is practically finished.

Morocco has turned green after the recent rains. It’s a joy for the herds and shepherds.

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Bluequark 3 days ago

Summer 2026 - 3 weeks in the Azores

I love islands...

I love islands. So it’s no surprise that the Azores have been catching my eye for a few years now. The first time I suggested them to my dear partner back in 2021, he preferred the Lofoten Islands—an excellent choice, as it turned out, since we got to visit with hardly any crowds. But for various reasons, the opportunity didn’t come up again in the following years. Until last year, that is. But by then, we’d left it too late—too late for the Azores, I mean—and the accommodation options on Flores and São Jorge were extremely limited. We decided to skip it without even looking at car rentals. So this year, we booked our flights, lodging, and cars *way* in advance (between December of last year and early this year).

The Azores consist of nine islands, so you have to make choices. I quickly ruled out São Miguel, which deserves a week all to itself: from what I’d read on various blogs, some travelers seemed disappointed after visiting the other islands, even feeling it lacked the Azores’ unique charm. True or not, that was reason enough to skip it.

In the end, we wanted to go to Flores for its lush nature (and because it’s reputed to be the most breathtaking), São Jorge for its rural/nature vibe, and Terceira for its cultural side and *impérios* (more on that later). With the time we had, we could add another island without rushing. We like to take our time and wander a bit—whether it’s a viewpoint or a hike, we always spend longer than *everyone* else. Pico won out over Faial thanks to its wine culture. And of course, there’s Corvo, which is usually visited as a day trip from Flores. I thought it’d be nice to spend the night there to experience the atmosphere once most tourists had left. I hesitated between one or two nights but ultimately went with two (so we wouldn’t be rushed by the boat schedule). It was an excellent decision.

Here’s how it all panned out:

August 25: departure for Terceira via Lisbon at 7:40 AM; August 25–29: Terceira; August 29: flight to Corvo. It was supposed to take half a day, and we were meant to arrive in the early afternoon, but between schedule changes and delays, it ended up taking almost the whole day; August 29–31: Corvo; August 31: boat to Flores around 8:30 AM; August 31–September 5: Flores; September 5: flight to Faial in the early afternoon (originally scheduled for the morning, but the times changed)—visit to Horta; September 6: boat to São Jorge around 9:00 AM; September 6–11: São Jorge; September 11: boat to Pico at 11:15 AM; September 11–16: Pico; September 16: flight to Paris via Lisbon from Pico around 10:30 AM.

We had to juggle a bit to optimize the prices of our flight tickets from Paris and the inter-island travel.

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VP44 5 days ago

A Few Days in Turkmenistan from Uzbekistan

The latest travel journal about Turkmenistan dates back to 2019. Here’s a quick update on this vast desert country, which is now a bit easier to visit than before.

This is my first travel journal. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. The country is slowly opening up, but it’s still possible to visit sites where you’ll be completely alone. In five days, I saw two Hongkongers, a few Germans, and a Chilean at the crater, ten Chinese people in a capital bazaar, and that’s it!

It’s possible to visit Turkmenistan from Uzbekistan. The easiest and most economical way is to take a taxi to the border from Bukhara. The trip takes a little over an hour.

Crossing the border takes quite a while because many Turkmen bring back items bought in Uzbekistan to resell in Turkmenistan. For example, diapers, baby products, or beauty products. It took me over 2.5 hours to cross the border. To visit Turkmenistan, it’s mandatory to have a guide and go through a travel agency. British agencies often offer three-, five-, or seven-day trips for over 1,500 or 2,000 €. But if your budget is more limited, you can contact a few Turkmen agencies directly by email, and they’ll make you an offer between 700 and 1,300 € for three to seven days. I took a five-day trip from Turkmenabat in the northeast of the country to Dashoguz in the north. The goal was to visit the main UNESCO-listed sites, including Merv, and archaeological sites like Nisa or Gonur Tepe.

Your guide will also be your driver. They’ll pick you up at the border. The formalities are very long because customs officers have to stamp multiple documents, and obtaining the visa you previously requested from your travel agency requires several checks. But the process goes relatively smoothly, even if each step takes a while.

Once on the other side, the first surprise is the brand-new highway all the way to Turkmenabat. A very long line of trucks stretches for several kilometers on the Turkmen side to cross the border into Uzbekistan. According to my guide, Turkmen trucks transport gas and cotton (though not this season, since the harvest is in September), but they mainly fill up their tanks because fuel is much cheaper in Turkmenistan. A full tank for a car costs about 3 €, which is unbeatable.

From the Farap border post, the goal is to reach the city of Mary, which is home to the UNESCO-listed site of Merv in its suburbs, about thirty kilometers away. This city is known as a foundation by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC under the name Alexandria of Margiana. Several fortresses are visible.

After more than three hours on the road, we have lunch at a Turkish restaurant called Aladdin. Several quotes from the president are visible along the highway, but the road is in good condition, and we move along easily. This will be by far the best road in the country—things will get much worse later.

Roundabouts are particularly interesting because they feature emblems of Turkmen culture, like the dog, a carpet, the Ahal Teke horse, or Muslim symbols, even though the presence of Islamic artifacts is quite limited.

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Jojoone1 6 days ago · Dennis2

All Over Thailand

You can post your personal photos in the following thread: https://voyageforum.com/forum/quelque-part-en-thailande-d10655574/

This travel journal is therefore intended solely for my photos, to present a consistent style. All the shots were taken with a simple Samsung Galaxy smartphone and with whatever was at hand.

All stays combined, I’ve spent the equivalent of three years at most in Thailand, and I’m not a big expert on the country. However, after many trips, lots of reading on VoyageForum and other sites, and conversations with many locals as well as expats, my view of the country is becoming clearer, though it’s constantly evolving. You never stop discovering and learning.

I guess I wanted to piece together a puzzle, mainly for those who want to get an idea of the country here and for those who miss it. I don’t know if this minimalist sharing will interest anyone, but it’ll do me good to put it together. After so many months without traveling and then these other long months with VF closed, there’s plenty of material available.

There’ll be a mix of places, periods, and subjects, but it might well be intentional.

I suspect many Thais have dogs because they make excellent guards for the home. Nothing better to deter burglars or to signal the presence of a snake. You’ll often see Thais tapping the top of their dog’s head, but don’t be fooled: it’s a sign of affection from them. Judging by the dogs’ reactions, they’re used to it.

Thailand is one of the countries on the planet where rabies is still present, so keep that in mind. It’s not just bites that can be dangerous, so don’t let just any dog lick you. Especially on a wound, of course. Even though dogs often fear humans—this dangerous and unpredictable predator—we still need to stay cautious. Be careful when walking into alleys because the dog will defend its master’s big property, be careful at night, and be careful when they’re in packs. It sometimes crosses our minds that Thailand isn’t really made for walking around, and dogs are one of the reasons. That said, it’s not uncommon to see them chasing bikes or scooters. Cars, though, are much rarer—they’re too big.

It seems Thais prefer to give their dogs freedom by not locking them behind gates. Though sometimes the gate is closed, the little side door is wide open. Oh, and sometimes there’s no gate in front of the property, or it’s been broken for years.

You’ll often see dogs sleeping on the side of the road, sometimes right on the road. When you arrive, they move aside nonchalantly—or not at all. It’s less funny when they suddenly appear from thick vegetation, which reminds visitors not to drive too fast. As a result, you’ll notice that dogs with injuries or missing legs aren’t that rare.

Since they believe in reincarnation and respect for all forms of life, they don’t chase dog packs away too much, and they don’t sterilize them enough. Seeing a small pack roaming freely in the countryside, you might think it’s best not to cross paths with them at the edge of a field. A darker side of this is that euthanasia isn’t often practiced. Twice, we saw dogs at temples on the brink of death, enduring terrible suffering. No one did anything about it. The image (and the smell) of one of them, dying and emitting the stench of death, still comes back to me sometimes.

Some of you may have seen the YouTube vlog of a French woman living in Phuket who was given a little pig by her Thai friends. The well-fed animal quickly became a happy, enormous beast with its own garden. Yet, it didn’t take long for it to fall seriously ill and become incurable. In her video, the French woman described how difficult it was to find a vet willing to perform euthanasia.

You’ll often see bowls by the side of the road. Thais leave food and water in them for stray cats and dogs. Overall, they have a big heart for animals.

If you ever pop into a shopping mall, you might see people pushing their small dogs in strollers. It’s not a gimmick—it’s just that these strollers are provided for customers to put their pets in, otherwise you can’t bring them inside. It looks a bit odd when you expect to see a baby.

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GeorgesOZ 7 days ago · Ouonva

14 Days in Japan – September-October 2026

I had to leave Thailand as my 60-day visa was coming to an end, and this time I opted for a 14-day visit to Japan. I’d already spent 3 days in Tokyo a few years ago on a business trip, which left me with a great impression. Y, my Thai partner, had never been there. That’s why we chose a fairly classic itinerary, including a few castles and Kyoto among other things.

Before diving into the details of our trip, I’d like to recap the expenses we incurred. This will be useful for some of you, and it’ll help us prepare for our next trip to Japan.

I’ve categorized our expenses into 5 groups: - Hotels: 1150 € (breakfast included) - Transportation: 278 € (trains, buses) - Big expenses: 487 € (souvenirs and a few necessary items) - Excursions: 116 € (museum visits, temples, castles) - Daily expenses: 1125 € (meals, small purchases) Total = 3194 €, or 228 € per day on average. I’m excluding flights, as those depend on everyone’s arrangements (departure location, travel dates, etc.).

Jpeg below: apologies for “hotel” without a circumflex—my software isn’t French!

For hotels, we always chose decent but not luxurious places, well-located to let us walk to and from transportation hubs. We systematically avoided taxis, which are notoriously expensive in Japan. We’ve also gotten into the habit over several trips of traveling with minimal luggage: one duffel bag each (7-8 kg) plus the small carry-on allowed on planes (2-3 kg). This lets us travel with three sets of clothes (what we’re wearing plus two changes). We add a checked bag for the return trip to accommodate the things we buy along the way.

‘Transportation’ and ‘Big expenses’: I’ll give more details in the day-by-day account.

We didn’t do any extravagant excursions, like safaris or sports activities.

Meals and food make up the bulk of our daily expenses. We often ate at izakayas, which offer great value—between 2000 and 6000 yen for two (about 11-12 to 33-34 € for two, usually around 20-25 €). We didn’t hold back, but we also didn’t go to high-end restaurants.

More to come while I gather my photos: General Remarks.

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Patbill 7 days ago · Ouonva

A Slightly Less Touristy Japan

Hi everyone, I’m Patrick, 67 years old, a seasoned traveler (already 22 trips outside Europe). In autumn 2025, I took my first 3-week trip to Japan, with stops in Tokyo, Kamakura, Matsumoto, Kamikochi, Takayama, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Koyasan, Tokyo again, and Nikko. I wanted to go back in May 2026 and explore some lesser-known places to complement my first trip. Last year, there were four of us traveling together to discover Japan (a fairly classic itinerary). This time, I’ll be traveling solo for part of the trip and with a couple of French friends for the rest. The weather was gorgeous in May, averaging around 25°C, with two very hot days in Kyoto and only two rainy days. As usual, I organized everything myself, gathering plenty of information from various sites, including this one.

Transportation: An ICOCA card is essential. I got a 5-day Kansai-Hiroshima pass because I took the shinkansen between Hiroshima and Osaka three times, and it paid for itself quickly.

Accommodations: Mostly through Booking. No issues at all. Average cost was 46 € per night.

Meals: For breakfast, I alternated between buying food at a konbini to eat in my room or on the train and grabbing something at local cafés. For lunch and dinner, I tried to vary my meals as much as possible—lots of sashimi, sushi, and ramen. Okonomiyaki in Osaka and Hiroshima. Oysters in every form (raw, grilled, fried) in Onomichi and Hiroshima. A variety of seafood (shrimp, shellfish) in Hiroshima and Matsumoto. Fish whose names often escaped me, but notably mackerel and eel (unagi). Tempura and gyoza. Chicken skewers (yakitori) and one teppanyaki meal. One omakase meal (9 different dishes). In the end, not much meat aside from a few yakitori skewers. No splurges on super expensive wagyu or Kobe beef. Average dinner cost: 4,800 yen, drinks included.

The Itinerary: Day 1: Departure from Brussels Day 2: Arrival in Osaka Day 3: To Himeji, then Kurashiki Day 4: To Fukuyama, then Tomo no Ura, then Onomichi Day 5: Cycling the Shimanami Kaido Day 6: To Takahara, then Hiroshima Day 7: To Kyoto to attend the Aoi Matsuri parade Day 8: To Miyajima Day 9: Hiroshima, then Kyoto Day 10: Southern Kyoto Day 11: Northern Kyoto Day 12: Final day in Kyoto, then to Nagatsugawa Day 13: Start of the Nakasendo Trail (Magome to Tsumago) Day 14: Second day of the trail (Kiso Fukushima) Day 15: Third day of the trail (Narai), then Matsumoto Day 16: To Mt. Fuji (Kawaguchiko) Day 17: To Tokyo Day 18: Excursion to Enoshima and Kamakura Day 19: Flight home, with a 10-hour layover in Hong Kong Day 20: Arrival in Brussels

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RIC73 7 days ago · Mitch341

Great Divide Mountain Bike Route

Hello, Following our trip on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route this summer, we’re sharing our experience in this travel journal. We’re Richard and Bernadette, both 64 years old, and we’re gravel bike-packing cyclists. We’ve completed several gravel bike trips in France and neighboring countries, and Richard has also done some in South America. We left on July 22, 2026, from Geneva to Calgary via Frankfurt with our bikes carefully packed in boxes, and we returned on October 8 from El Paso to Geneva via Chicago and Frankfurt.

The GDMBR is a mountain route that closely follows the Pacific/Atlantic continental divide, starting in Banff, Canada, and ending at the Mexican border in Antelope Wells, New Mexico. This crossing of the American West is one of the longest mountain biking routes in the world, winding through wild valleys, mountain ranges, and desert plateaus. It stretches about 4,400 km with a total elevation gain of around 60,000 m. The average altitude is 2,000 m, and the highest point reaches 3,600 m. The route is 80% off-pavement (gravel roads, dirt, and a few trail segments). It’s also known for the annual Tour Divide race, which brings together the best riders in the discipline every June and follows roughly the same route.

We prepared for this trip over several months, using a few websites and an older guidebook (the 2013 English edition).

With this, we were able to organize our journey with as much information as possible, a GPS track, and gear suited to the weather conditions, terrain, and sparse resupply points in remote areas.

Once we arrived in Banff, we picked up bear spray to handle a particular challenge: the wildlife we weren’t familiar with.

After landing in Calgary, we assembled and equipped our bikes at the airport. That first evening, we were welcomed by Mike, who invited us to his place when we were looking for a spot to pitch our tent. Then we made our way to Banff over two days, taking a fairly quiet road to Canmore and then a bike path.

A visit to Banff, a charming tourist town in the national park. Its famous Fairmont Hotel.

The starting point of the GDMBR at the arch of this hotel complex.

Here we are, immersed in the wilderness—just a few pedal strokes away from the town, the contrast is striking. Powerful rivers, vast landscapes, and our first encounter with a mule deer.

Spray Lake, our first basic campsite: no showers, dry toilets, no water fountain—we filter lake water. Most GDMBR campsites are like this.

We took the west side of the lake—a longer and wilder route. A few fallen trees blocked the path, forcing us to carry our bikes. But the stunning landscapes made it all worth it!

Our first single track through a forest marked by past wildfires.

Most campgrounds have tables and metal fire rings for safe campfires, which makes setting up camp much easier—especially nice after a long, tiring day! During this trip, we mostly slept in our tent, either in established campgrounds or wild bivouacs.

To be continued...

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Pagaljavab last week · Ouonva

16 days with family in La Gomera (Canary Islands)

Preamble: Why La Gomera?

When we started looking for a summer destination a few months ago, our first criterion was to avoid extreme heat and heatwaves. We had already been to Norway two years ago and are considering going back in the future for other occasions. So, we had some fun asking ChatGPT which destinations enjoyed a mild climate during the summer without going too far. Among the list provided by the AI were the Canary Islands... The idea of a place we wouldn’t have thought of first, both not too far away and exotic enough, appealed to us: “Hmm, why not?”

This destination had never really attracted me, though Magali was a bit more interested. Five years earlier, COVID had caused a short break in my professional activity, and I had planned a trip because the flight price was attractive, and I was looking for a destination different from what usually appeals to me, more than out of deep interest. From a distance and with a social judgment I acknowledge (it’s not great, but it’s not completely wrong), I had the image of a destination for party-goers enjoying the sun without the slightest interest in local culture, with concrete coastlines and denatured landscapes—everything I detest the most. Still, I had done some quick research on the different islands and spotted Lanzarote for its beautiful volcanic landscapes, hiking trails, beaches, and the impression of a good balance between activity and fewer crowds than Tenerife or Gran Canaria. Then I dropped the idea of going, without ever reconsidering traveling to the Canaries...

Until now! Because we started researching the different islands of the archipelago to see which ones might appeal to us the most. It was La Gomera, the third smallest island of the archipelago, more praised for its hiking trails and preserved nature than for its beaches, away from mass tourism (fifty times fewer tourists than Tenerife) but still a bit more developed than its wild neighbor El Hierro, that caught our attention. Contrary to what might be suggested later, I’m not at all addicted to AI, but I use it from time to time to synthesize quick research or simply for experimentation. Since ChatGPT had started anticipating my tastes lately as if it had become my buddy (often successfully, sometimes off the mark), I asked which Canary Island would suit me best for a trip with my family. The tool answered first with... La Gomera. So, I tested it and teased it a bit to see if this suggestion was well-founded, as the method sometimes makes it contradict itself. But no luck: “You’d appreciate the wild nature of El Hierro, but with family, you’ll find little activity for the kids. You won’t like the touristy vibe of the big islands like Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura. You could consider La Palma, but it’s really La Gomera that will suit you best, based on your interests and the criteria given.” So, we dug deeper into our research and were convinced without a shadow of a doubt that this island was the one waiting for us.

Without knowing it, we had Canarians in our circle who revealed their origins when they heard about our travel plans. One from Tenerife insisted we’d be better off choosing Tenerife (obviously...) because it also has preserved spots and that La Gomera, “you can explore it in two or three days, you’ll get bored quickly...” The other, a colleague from Gran Canaria who had never visited La Gomera, still recommended it without hesitation because it turned out her parents had just gone there on vacation: they loved it and had encountered few tourists. She also tended to think this destination was usually the subject of short stays, but according to what her parents told her, taking your time there was also a great idea. However, in our research, the idea that La Gomera is an island you can explore in three or four days max kept coming up. So, we considered combining its visit with La Palma or El Hierro, the other two that caught our eye. But hopping between islands by ferry represents a significant budget for non-Canarians, even more so for a family of four. Then, scrutinizing Google Maps, it seemed obvious that two weeks were too short to discover two islands as they deserve, and that there seemed to be plenty to see in La Gomera, given its very unique culture. After all, we read that some people spend several months a year there, others never even leave... Finally, these landscapes and this atmosphere, which seemed to us a mix of Europe, North Africa, and Latin America, tempted us. So, it would be two weeks in La Gomera, deal!

La Gomera is therefore the second... well, the third smallest island of the Canaries since La Graciosa was recently recognized as a fully inhabited island. It has the shape of a rough circle about 20 to 25 kilometers in diameter and has just over 20,000 inhabitants, half of them in its capital, San Sebastián de la Gomera, the only real town. Like its Canarian sisters, La Gomera is a volcanic formation that rose about 10 million years ago. The island is very mountainous and rugged, covered with red and black rocky landscapes. Geological activity has shaped, between the sprawling massifs that end in steep cliffs in the ocean, six coastal valleys with tropical vegetation that have favored human settlement. They divide the island like slices of a cake; from the north clockwise: the agricultural Vallehermoso, the rustic Agulo, the green, humid, and fertile Hermigua, the sunny capital San Sebastián de la Gomera, the southern and isolated Alajeró-Santiago, and the seaside Valle Gran Rey. They constitute the six municipalities (more like cantons to our French understanding) of the territory.

The large solidified magma massifs that shape the heart of the island have created a large depression more protected from the sun at its center, allowing the growth of a vast laurel forest, today grouped within the Garajonay National Park, La Gomera’s green lung, which has earned it the status of a World Biosphere Reserve. Its completely European appearance contrasts sharply with the rocky and tropical landscapes of the rest of the island. Thus, the climate varies greatly from one point to another on the island: in summer, you can quickly go from a dry and sunny valley at 35°C to a humid forest area at altitude at 18°C.

La Gomera was populated late. As with the rest of the Canaries, human presence is thought to have begun about 2,000 years ago. Groups of animist Berbers, probably fleeing persecution, gradually populated the archipelago, especially the western islands and La Gomera, becoming its small aboriginal population: the Guanches (or later Gomeros). The animist and pastoral civilization of the Guanches thrived until the Spanish takeover in the 15th century, which, after a short period of harmony and mixing with the indigenous people, suddenly ended in bloodshed... La Gomera later became the “Columbus Island” after Christopher Columbus’s stopover, increasing the blending of populations. In the 20th century, many Gomeros emigrated to Cuba and other Latin American countries in search of a better life, bringing back a mix of cultures and traits quite palpable in today’s Gomeran culture. It is, however, in La Gomera that the vestiges of Guanche culture seem to have left the most traces, in the language, gastronomy, social practices... Moreover, most Gomeros, especially in remote villages, have a particular identifiable type and proudly claim their ancestral roots, even making La Gomera a bit exotic in the eyes of other Canarians.

Perhaps that’s why it has never really wanted to develop its tourist infrastructure too much. If we set aside the tourists who visit for the day by bus or boat from Tenerife on a marked itinerary (and whom we ultimately rarely encounter), La Gomera has remained a hidden gem, a destination focused on nature discovery that attracts hikers, nature-loving divers, and scientists for its fauna and flora, and to a lesser extent, beachgoers who don’t seek overly developed coastlines. Tourist activity is therefore limited. Roughly speaking, you’ll find a majority of Spaniards, including a substantial number of residents from other Canary Islands, many Germans who have a particular fondness for La Gomera and spend long stays there or own second homes, to the point that the German cultural footprint is clearly noticeable in some places (it’s said to be Angela Merkel’s favorite holiday spot), and still quite a few French. The presence of other nationalities seemed negligible to us. Most travelers come mainly for hiking, but it’s also a prime spot for whale watching. Additionally, the seaside resorts of La Gomera—San Sebastián, Santiago, and especially Valle Gran Rey—are well-known destinations for hippies, especially German ones, ranging from chic boho hippies to old-school hippies who’ve been there for decades, quite similar to those you’d meet in India in Goa, Rishikesh, or Paharganj. Thus, practices like naturism, vegetarianism, and local organic production are quite well established in some areas.

Some practical info: - The round-trip flight from Paris to Tenerife cost us 365 € per person (outbound with Transavia, return with EasyJet), including checked luggage and three seats reserved side by side. - We chose two bases to explore the island: one week in Valle Gran Rey, reputed to be the most pleasant of the three seaside resorts, and one week in Hermigua, more mountainous and close to the natural park. We booked two houses with balconies and views: the first at 120 € per night, the second at 99 €. - The round-trip ferry between Tenerife and La Gomera cost us 270 € with the company Baleària Canarias, including discounts for children aged 4 and 12, but I don’t have the exact details. It was a bit cheaper than with the other company, Fred Olsen. - Finally, we rented a car through the agency Cicar for 360 € for 16 days, which comes to 22.50 € per day. - Apart from that, we didn’t plan anything and decided the day before or even the morning of what we wanted to do. We didn’t invest in any paper guide on the Canaries, as information on La Gomera was scarce, but we used the very comprehensive site La Gomera Travel, a travel guide published by the Canary Islands Tourism Council, a real goldmine of almost exhaustive information on the island.

Alright, off we go for 16 days of adventure discovering La Gomera!

And we start the trip with music!

We start the trip with music!

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Calisson94 last week

Trek in Norway: Jotunheimen and Dovrefjell, you’ll adapt to the rain...

In the summer of 2026, we packed our backpacks again to wander around Jotunheimen National Park in Norway.

We’d never heard of this park just a few months earlier—we discovered it by following threads online.

It’s billed as the most mountainous park in the country, which really appealed to us after scrapping our original plan further north.

Unfortunately, it’s also the most crowded, which immediately made it less appealing! The presence of the highest peak in the Scandinavian Alps and the "famous" Bessengen ridge (famous because it’s apparently well-known across the country) probably has a lot to do with that.

Since we’d managed to avoid the crowds on the Kungsleden trails by camping away from the huts and timing our hike to miss the biggest groups of walkers, we figured we had the formula down and gave in to the call of the Norwegian mountains.

It’s the most mountainous park, sure, but also quite challenging in terms of progress, as we’d soon discover during the trek. And with uncooperative weather, we got the winning combo of a demanding hike. But I’m getting ahead of myself...

For the end of the trip, we planned a few days in Dovrefjell National Park—these two parks are easily connected by public transport—to see something different and, most importantly, to try and spot the musk oxen that live there.

My 04/08 - Arrival in Oslo Wed 05/08 - Bygdin – Torfinsbu Thu 06/08 - Torfinsbu - Gjendebu Fri 07/08 - Gjendebu - Fondsbu Sat 08/08 - Day hike to Slotafjellet Sun 09/08 - Day hike to Lake Kvitevatnet Mon 10/08 - Fondsbu - Gjendebu Tue 11/08 - Gjendebu - Before the Bessengen ridge Wed 12/08 - Bessengen ridge – Maurvangen campsite Thu 13/08 - Knutshoe ridge Fri 14/08 - Bus transfer to Spiterstulen hut via Lom Sat 15/08 - Day hike to Galdhøpiggen Sun 16/08 to Wed 19/08: Dovrefjell End of the trip and wrap-up

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Muriel18 last week

Two weeks under the Puglia sun

After a pretty disastrous weather-wise trip to Gran Canaria, we’re hoping this time the sun will shine in Puglia. It’s not a sure thing, though—the weather’s been awful all over Europe in early May.

For those who’d like to (re)read the story without the digressions, it’s here.

Saturday, May 16: This time we’re flying out of Charleroi (Brussels South): the ticket prices, flight times, and proximity all worked for us. The airport (Ryanair) was recently renovated... but it’s still not very well organized. There are hardly any seats in the boarding areas, and... the restrooms cost money!!! The flight goes smoothly, though, and we land in Bari a little late.

We quickly pick up our rental car, a very local-looking Pandina (even more so than the Fiat 500 in this region), and hit the Italian roads... and their unique driving quirks (like the fact that the countless road signs along the streets and in towns are purely decorative 😏, and that Italian cars don’t have turn signals 😮... except for rental cars).

About an hour later, we arrive at our first accommodation, right in the middle of the countryside near Monopoli. The owner isn’t there, but they’ve left us a ton of info via messages and even turned on the space heater, which is a nice touch. We explore the property:

And the next morning before breakfast, its immediate surroundings:

Sunday, May 17: After our "seaside" experience in Gran Canaria last weekend (packed with people and locals), we decide to start inland. After a hearty breakfast,

we head toward Alberobello, a super touristy village famous for its trulli—those stone houses with conical roofs. We easily find a free parking spot on a street near the Aia Piccola district, where some trulli are still lived in year-round.

We almost immediately come across the Trullo Sovrano (the only two-story one), which you can visit (but we skip it—it’s opening time, and there’s already a line).

From there, we head down toward the Basilica of Cosma e Damiano... but we don’t go in because there’s a mass.

Now we’re on the main Piazza del Popolo, which connects the two districts of Alberobello: Rione Aia Piccola and Rione Monti, the more touristy one.

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Bibouns51 2 weeks ago

Off to explore Egypt!

February 9 - Day 1

"So, my little wanderers, back at the decks? What’s this mystery destination you’ve got in store for us at the start of the year?"

Yes, the schoolyard bell’s ringing again! We’re hitting the road... or rather, the skies! At first glance, our destination might surprise more than a few. First off, simply because I was here exactly twenty years ago, and I don’t usually like retracing my own footsteps. Secondly, because the name of this place screams mass tourism—basically the opposite of what Flo and I look for.

Despite that, in this land of backsheesh, I’d promised myself I’d come back one day to experience it my way. And since Flo told me, during our wanderer chats, that this destination straddling Africa and the Middle East was in her top 2 travel dreams, the stars aligned for this roots-style trip to quickly make it onto our pharaonic festivities program! Unless you’re totally clueless in general knowledge, you’ve probably guessed by now—we’re off to Egypt! Of course, a few classics will be on our itinerary, but above all, we want to soak up a culture that can’t be appreciated in four-star resorts or on a Nile cruise boat. And let’s be clear, these next two weeks won’t be a walk in the park—neither for our two daughters who are joining us, nor for our bodies!

And that’s clear from the get-go: after our first flight, eight hours of trying (and failing) to sleep on Milan airport’s metal seats, our second flight, landing, passport stamps, our Uber ride, and our first Cairo kilometers, we finally drop our exhaustion at the little guesthouse we booked in Giza. Doesn’t all that energy deserve a little reward?

Oh, absolutely! And here it is: a full-on slap in the face for everyone! But just look at this view from our hotel terrace? For 20 € a night for four, even with this incredible view, I figured the room must be pretty shabby, right? Nope... Is the staff rude, then? Nope... Okay, so what’s the catch? You’re gonna tell me breakfast is included too? Well, yes! Honestly, this Egypt trip is off to a great start.

And the rest of the afternoon, spent rubbing shoulders with locals, only confirmed this vibe. After digesting our pyramid view, we dove into the hustle and bustle of our neighborhood with the goal of exchanging money, eating at street stalls, and testing the hospitality of the locals. Ten out of ten!

Eight little sun breads with baba ganoush and falafel? 80 pounds, or 1.5 €. A dozen Middle Eastern pastries? Same! 80 pounds! Two hawawshis, those little pita breads stuffed with meat and spices? 10 pounds each, or about twenty cents! Not to mention all those smiles and free "welcomes" left and right!!!

What a welcome! We end this first day with a sunset over the three sisters of Giza—where we’ll obviously be gawking tomorrow...

https://voyageforum.com/images/posts/small/1789072399-cCyLDYuFwPLAZTY.jpg

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MyCairn 2 weeks ago · Sheepie

Five weeks from Chile to Uruguay via Patagonia: travel journal and the end of my Excel spreadsheet

Hi everyone,

We're leaving on November 1st for five weeks, just the two of us, from north to south and then east: Santiago, Puerto Varas and the Lake District, Punta Arenas, Puerto Natales and Torres del Paine, El Calafate, El Chaltén, Ushuaïa, then Montevideo, José Ignacio, and Buenos Aires, returning on December 3rd. Everything is planned by us, without an agency, just like our previous trips. I’d like to thank everyone who shared their travel stories—they’ve been a huge inspiration. I’ll post an update here each week: first about the trip itself, with some great tips, and then a few lines about an experiment I’m running alongside it. Feel free to ask questions—I’ll answer as soon as I have signal.

The experiment is about the *method*. For twenty years, every trip started with a paper notebook, then the same Excel spreadsheet: one line per stop, dates, where we sleep, how we get there, what we do. But every time, the same limitations: paper gets messy, the spreadsheet doesn’t recalculate when a stop changes, neither tracks what’s left to book or by when, confirmations get buried in my inbox, tickets stay in a binder at home, and every evening, I’m juggling updates across three group chats.

So I built a tool that centralizes everything: the stops and their dates, which auto-update; what’s left to book, with deadlines and reminders; confirmations, organized by email forwarding; the planned and actual budget; the offline map on my phone; and the evening journal for my loved ones. This trip is the first I’m doing entirely with it, from planning to return—each update will share what worked and what didn’t. It’s already been a huge help in the planning phase, but now, let the adventure begin!

First update next Sunday from Puerto Natales.

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Lasthighland 2 weeks ago · Djalma

Hikes: What a Disappointment!

Hi there, I wanted to share my huge disappointment after my trip to Madeira. The island is known for its hikes, so I was really interested in checking them out. Unfortunately, in 2026, the freedom associated with mountain trails was heavily restricted. The most beautiful hikes are now paid and require mandatory time slots for entry—talk about planning ahead! The control is based on tickets, not time slots, which clearly shows that nature preservation wasn’t the priority behind this measure... Of course, you can find alternatives to the paid PRs, but if, like me, you value the freedom to hike, don’t go to Madeira!

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Yadin 3 weeks ago

Slovak travel journal

Hello and welcome aboard this travel journal. We’re heading to Slovakia together!

Why this country? After visiting Hungary, Slovenia, Romania, and Poland in recent years, I’ve fallen in love with Eastern European countries. I adore the Slavic soul, its Austro-Hungarian villages, the gentle landscapes, the Carpathian Mountains, and that slightly mysterious atmosphere. Slovakia evokes a certain imagination with its deep forests, medieval castles, and cobbled villages. After seeing photos of the High Tatras—especially Lake Štrbské Pleso and Spiš Castle—I thought, "Let’s do it! We’re going!" So, will Slovakia live up to what I imagine? We’ll find out together. We decided to travel as a group of six (five adults and a six-year-old child), by car (we needed two). Here’s the day-by-day itinerary for this family trip, which started with a 3-day stay in Vienna (see the dedicated travel journal):

The itinerary: Day 1: Drive from Vienna to Banská Štiavnica and visit the town, then drive to Handlová Day 2: Bojnice Castle, the village of Čičmany, and a walk in the treetops at Bojnice, return to Handlová Day 3: Depart for Orava, visit Orava Castle and the Orava Skansen, drive to Veľký Slavkov Day 4: Visit Slovak Paradise—its gorges, lakes, and ice cave—overnight in Veľký Slavkov Day 5: Visit Bardejov, the "Death Road," wooden churches, and Ľubovňa Castle, overnight in Veľký Slavkov Day 6: Walks and hikes in the High Tatras, Lake Štrbské Pleso, Solisko summit, treetop walk in Ždiar, overnight in Veľký Slavkov Day 7: Drive to Košice, visit Spiš Castle, Tokaj wine route in Veľká Trňa, overnight in Košice Day 8: Visit Košice, overnight in Košice Day 9: Drive to Bratislava, stop at the Aragonite Cave in the Slovak Karst, overnight in Bratislava Day 10: Visit Bratislava, overnight stay Day 11 and 12: Return to France

Budget: I’m giving prices for 2 adults / 1 child. Slovakia is more expensive than it seems, and some expenses shouldn’t be underestimated. Transportation: Tolls and gas from France: 500 € round trip Slovak vignette for one month: 17.10 € Gas is fixed at 1.49 € per liter (E10) Parking at sites (all paid by the day, even in the most remote villages, even if you stay for just an hour). Payment is often required in cash upon arrival: total 63 € We didn’t pay at Spiš (we arrived before the cashier) or Ľubovňa (we arrived after the cashier left). Parking at Orava Village was free. In Košice and Bratislava, we parked for free at our accommodations. Public transport in Bratislava and Košice: 1-1.2 € for a bus ticket. Vending machines are available at some stops; otherwise, buy via SMS (Slovak phones only) or official sales points.

Accommodation: We mostly chose houses so we could cook ourselves and save on food. I’ve rated our satisfaction with these accommodations from 1 to 5 stars. Padua: DC Hotel: 1 night, 77 € ***** Handlová: Chata Remata: 2 nights, 120 € ***** Veľký Slavkov: Aplend: 4 nights, 220 € ** Košice: Luxury Old Town Loft 320m²: 2 nights, 120 € ***** Bratislava: Hotel Viktor: 2 nights, 138 € *** Brescia: Hotel Antica Fonte: 1 night, 82 € ***** Total: 757 €

Food: Groceries at Lidl for 5 meals for 3: 100 € (really cheap) Restaurants: 10-15 € per dish, ice cream 1-2.4 € per scoop, crêpes 8-12 €, a glass of wine 6-10 €... total: 500 €

Visits: There are discounts for seniors and children, which is great. We spent nearly 600 € in total, which is a lot. However, it’s a cultural destination with many castles, museums, caves, wine cellars, and nature activities: cable cars, canopy walks, paid hikes (Slovak Paradise gorges)... In the end, this trip to Slovakia cost nearly 2500 € for 3. We also need to add the Vienna portion to that. Now, here’s the day-by-day account of this beautiful journey.

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Bluequark 3 weeks ago · Nathalie971

Three weeks in Japan with the family

Hi everyone,

Actually, we ended up going to Japan almost by chance. I’d caught glimpses of the country during business trips, and it had been on my “wish list” for a while, but I thought we’d go “when the kids were grown up.”

But this summer (2016), the kids couldn’t agree on a destination—their wishes were completely opposite. Then, realizing that flight tickets weren’t outrageously priced—and having read that Japan wasn’t as expensive as people think—we, the parents, suggested Japan… while warning that it would be scorching hot and humid and that no one should complain. Our eldest (18) was immediately thrilled: “Oh! Mom! I’ve always dreamed of going to Japan!” She convinced her brother (16) that it was the perfect destination. Deal sealed: we’re going to Japan, but no one complains about the heat.

After some forum discussions and family brainstorming, I settled on the following itinerary. One non-negotiable shaped part of our choices: being in Hiroshima on August 6th to attend the lantern floating ceremony. To avoid overloading the trip with extra transport, we skipped Nara, Nikko, and Kamakura.

Day 1 - Arrival at 8:30 AM in Osaka – Kyoto - around the station Day 2 - Kyoto - East - night: Kyoto Day 3 - Kyoto - North and center - night: Kyoto Day 4 - Osaka (stroll with Osaka Safari) - Fushimi Inari -night : Kyoto Day 5 - Train - Naoshima - night: Uno Day 6 - Teshima -night: Uno Day 7 - Naoshima – Hiroshima - night: Hiroshima Day 8 - Hiroshima – Commemorations - night: Hiroshima Day 10 - Miyajima- night: Miyajima Day 10 - Miyajima - Himeji Castle - night: Osaka Day 11 - Osaka - night: Osaka Day 12 - Kyoto - West -night: Osaka Day 13 - Kanazawa to Ainokura - night: Ainokura Day 14 - Shirakawa-go - Takayama - night: Takayama Day 15 - Kamikochi night: Takayama Day 16 - Takayama - return to Kanazawa night: Kanazawa Day 17 - Kanazawa -night: Kanazawa Day 18 - Travel to Tokyo (Shibuya) -night: Tokyo Day 19 - Tokyo (visit with Tokyo Free Guide – Yoyogi Park - Meiji Shrine - Harajuku - Takeshita-dori - Omote Sando - Odaiba) - night: Tokyo Day 20 - Tokyo (with Tokyo Safari) - night: Tokyo Day 21 - Tokyo (Tsukiji, Hama-Rikyu Onshi Teien, Asakusa and Senso-ji, Kappabashi, Ameyoko, and Ueno) - night: Tokyo Day 22 - Tokyo (Shibuya-Yoyogi Park again - Ikebukuro - Shinjuku (Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, Omoide-yokocho, Golden Gai) - night: Tokyo Day 23 - Tokyo (Yanaka – Ueno – Edo-Tokyo Museum - Takashita-Dori again - back to Shibuya) - departure at 10:50 PM for Paris

(You can access the published days directly by clicking on them).

The itinerary perfectly matched our expectations: a good pace, a wide variety of visits, the must-sees, but also a first taste of rural Japan. If we were to do it again, I’d do exactly the same (except for the back-and-forth between Kyoto and Osaka on Days 4 and 12, which were due to my desire to explore Osaka with Osaka Safari). Of course, we had to skip some sights, especially in Kyoto where we missed a few “highlights,” but that was a deliberate choice—I’d limited our time in the city, which is known for being stifling in summer.

For accommodations, we mixed Airbnb apartments and quadruple rooms in guesthouses and ryokan. It worked out perfectly. The apartments gave us more space and the chance to dine in some evenings, while the guesthouses and ryokan helped us experience Japanese customs.

First, a quick recap: all four of us were enchanted by our trip. Japan is a constant source of wonder, just like the preface of *Tokyo Sanpo* by Florent Chavouet describes—I’ll take this opportunity to plug the book, which I read with great pleasure after our vacation. That’s exactly it: everything is a reason for amazement. Everything is so different from home. I wanted to photograph everything around me constantly. I promise, I won’t say “photograph like a Japanese” anymore—during this trip, *I* was the Japanese. And I better understand the culture shock Japanese travelers experience in Europe.

As a friend of mine put it: “It’s simple—they have ten fingers, so they count in base 10. Otherwise, they do everything differently from us.” Well summarized.

Another thing: everything is easy. Everything seems to have its place and be exactly where it should be. The smallest detail seems to have been thought out to make life easier. Things that come to mind: the incredibly well-designed signage in train stations and the subway, the ubiquitous public toilets, designated smoking areas, those hyper-detailed maps with all the useful information available at every place we visited… These maps are so well done that we got into the habit of picking them up systematically. It’s that simple: I came back to Paris with a complete collection. And when we arrived in Takayama by car, our first stop was at the train station to get THE map. But this order goes beyond all these practical elements. There’s a certain *je ne sais quoi* that makes you feel like everything is exactly where it should be. Even during rush hour, in the crowds, people manage to avoid each other in a smooth, collision-free flow—the opposite of the Paris metro. Anyone who’s experienced certain transfers in Paris at certain times will understand.

The exquisite politeness of the Japanese and their desire to be helpful are another highlight of the trip. Every person we met tried to help us and make our lives easier. It was really great.

Oh! I almost forgot: Japan’s hyper-safe side. I’ve rarely felt as safe as I did in Japan. No need to keep an eye on your belongings—they’re not going anywhere. One example among many: in Tokyo, Japanese women leave their bags open with their smartphones casually placed on top. Even I could’ve taken them without them noticing, let alone a pickpocket… No wonder France is seen as dangerous.

That said, I’m not claiming Japanese society is flawless. The role of women and gender relations are downright shocking and archaic from our European perspective. I also don’t think I could live in such a codified society, where the individual is so dissolved into the collective. But for a vacation, it’s simply delightful. On that note, I recommend *Nââânde?!* by Eriko Nakamura, which I discovered after our trip on the recommendation of our eldest’s friend. It’s the story of a Japanese woman married to a Frenchman living in Paris, recounting her astonishment at French habits and customs. Even though I tried to be careful, I’m sure I made quite a few blunders.

As for the climate, it didn’t stop us from enjoying our trip. Sure, we were hot—*really* hot—but by protecting ourselves from the sun (hat for me, caps for the others, plus umbrellas—Japanese-style parasols) and drinking liters and liters of water, it was manageable and didn’t bother us too much, even if we probably had a slower pace than we would’ve with milder weather. That said, with small children, we would’ve struggled more.

Last point before diving into the trip details: the cost. Despite what I’d read, traveling in Japan is still expensive. I’m not talking about our specific trip, where—using our daughter’s 18th birthday and our 20th wedding anniversary as an excuse—I splurged on a few extras that drove up the cost. I was particularly surprised by the price of quadruple rooms, which is roughly the same as two double rooms. So for a family, that’s a significant extra cost. The various paid sites in Kyoto also add up. As for food, it’s generally cheap, but it would be a shame not to budget for a few extras to try some less affordable specialties—like Hida beef in our case.

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Orionide 3 weeks ago

Exploring Senja Island and the Lofoten Archipelago

Hi everyone,

We traveled to Norway in the summer of 2025, from July 17 to 29, to visit Senja Island and the Lofoten archipelago with a rental car. The common thread of these twelve days was clearly hiking, along with a few visits and experiences, and nights spent in a tent or in the car (which made it possible). We chose Narvik Airport for both arrival and departure for several complementary reasons: the desire to visit nearby Senja Island, slightly more affordable airfare, and finally, the rental price of the vehicle—especially the car model we were looking for. We only made one reservation, for the first campsite, as sleeping in a tent made things much easier. But we had the whole structure of the trip planned, a flexible outline that could adapt to the weather conditions we’d encounter. Senja Island isn’t part of the Lofoten archipelago, and during the early stages of planning this trip, we hadn’t planned to visit it. But its relative proximity to Narvik Airport and, above all, its unique geography definitely made us change our minds. We arrived in Evenes, where Narvik Airport is located, nearly 60 km from the city itself. Our first stop was 40 km further in Bjerkvik on the way to Senja, where there’s a Rema 1000 (a very common supermarket chain in Norway). We needed to buy some food and a gas cartridge for our stove. I’d emailed the store manager beforehand, who told me they didn’t sell them but that the two gas stations in the village were likely to have some in stock.

It was only at the Esso station that I found what I needed, but unfortunately, only one cartridge. Luckily, we quickly realized that most campsites (like in Iceland) have a shared kitchen with hotplates. That single small cartridge was just enough for the few nights we spent outside of campsites... We got our first taste of Norway’s characteristic landscapes:

When we arrived at the Senja campsite, it was already 9:30 PM. A sign announced it was full, but luckily, I’d booked it 10 days earlier. By 10:30 PM, as we settled in to eat, it was still broad daylight, and the thermometer read 25°C—despite being at a latitude of 69° North! We went to bed around midnight, exhausted but under the light of a sun that was still very much present. Thanks to Earth’s tilted axis. We’d anticipated this by buying opaque sleep masks because, yes, at this time of year, it’s daylight all the time.

Friday, July 18:

Today, we planned two hikes on the island and a few stops along the way. The map clearly shows that the deepest fjords are in the north and west. Due to time and accessibility, we focused on the northern part of the island. Our first stop was at the viewing platform in Bergbotn:

Then we headed toward Skaland, the starting point for our first hike. Along the way, we found plenty of reasons to stop—especially since, on this first day of travel, our thirst for Nordic landscapes was far from quenched.

The town of Skaland is very practical: free parking, picnic tables for after the hike, and a Joker convenience store right next door. Our goal was the summit of Husfjellet: 670 m of elevation gain, between 8 and 9 km in length, and an estimated 4 hours and 30 minutes.

This hike offers two major viewpoints. The first overlooks the Bergsoyan islands to the west:

At the summit, the view shifts to the Steinfjorden fjord:

You can even clearly see the "Devil’s Teeth," which we’d see from below later:

In total, the hike took us 4 hours and 30 minutes, including all the breaks. We treated ourselves to an ice cream in Skaland to recharge for the next hike. We hit the road again and stopped at Tungeneset to get a closer look at the Devil’s Teeth:

We continued to Fjordgard, the starting point for our second hike. Fjordgard isn’t very welcoming. There was a time when you could park right at the start of the hike up Mount Segla. Now, everything’s blocked off, and locals have even taken to blocking all possible parking spots nearby. You now have to park outside the town at a paid parking lot (90 NOK for 3 hours), adding an extra 2 km (round trip) of walking. Still, that was just a minor inconvenience because the hike that followed quickly made us forget all about it. The hike is fairly short (2 hours) but still has 520 m of elevation gain. This hike was a stark contrast to the first. This morning, we had sweeping views of the vast landscape. Here, Mount Segla, perched on the edge of the cliff, dominates the foreground:

For those prone to vertigo, it might be best to stay at the foot of the mountain, as the trail climbs right along the cliff edge. And from that point on, you quickly understand what verticality really means...

In total, we took 2 hours and 50 minutes, including breaks and the extra walk to the parking lot. The day was already well underway, and with 1,200 m of cumulative elevation gain, it was time to find a spot to eat and sleep. Since we hadn’t made any reservations, we’d planned to bivouac for the night. We weren’t too picky—just practical—so we decided to sleep in the car at the parking lot for tomorrow morning’s hike, just 5 km from Fjordgard.

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Jemaflor 3 weeks ago · Barry23

CARIBBEAN: The island of SAINT-MARTIN, a different perspective

When it comes to the Caribbean island of Saint-Martin, it's customary to praise its coastline and dreamy beaches—and they certainly deserve it. But in this story, I’d like to highlight other memories, aspects, and impressions for a slightly different change of scenery. Enjoy the read—some text and, above all, lots of photos. « Byenveni sou zile Sen Maten! » (Welcome to the island of Saint-Martin)

-- -- Full and luminous To avoid seeming too conventional at the start of this alternative take on Saint-Martin... here’s not a stunning sunrise over the sea but rather a moonrise—a less "typical" choice. And when you get to witness it, it’s a truly unique moment of contemplation. However, three conditions are essential for this spectacle: a full moon phase, a cloud-free horizon, and—most importantly—a moonrise at twilight. That early evening, all the conditions aligned—lucky us! Just above the sea, a strange glow gradually appeared. A huge moon was about to shine against a deep blue night sky.

What’s more, its light sparkled on the water’s surface—gorgeous! But so fleeting. We’re on the east coast of the island, by the wide stretch of light sand at Baie Orientale, Saint-Martin’s own. Now, just because I wanted to start with something a little different doesn’t mean we should overlook the bright sunrises you can see on this bay. They’re far more common than a beautiful full moonrise, but they also require two things: being an early riser and a clear horizon without misty clouds. Views to soak in without restraint...

Other memories of beautiful lights and lovely colors—a morning when the sun had a brief meet-up with the rain, creating a stunning rainbow.

And let’s talk about the moon again... On a clear night, a "blood moon," the result of a lunar eclipse that had turned our familiar satellite red.

-- --

A butterfly with golden wings! In the tropics, swarms of butterflies flutter everywhere, from flower to flower. They sip the sweet nectar from stamens and blooming corollas with delight.

Here, a monarch, one of the great migratory butterflies, taking its time to enjoy the pollen of this Ixora coccinea—or Japanese hydrangea, but let’s stick to Saint-Martin.

This one is an *Agraulis vanillae*, to be precise—and thanks to the internet for the ID. Photographing them isn’t always easy; these fearless butterflies often fly off before you can get a good focus, challenging both the framing eye and the autofocus! But on the island, I noticed some butterflies were much easier to shoot—those decorating a few murals. ;)

One of the graffiti artists behind several Saint-Martin murals has made it his signature. The talented Jimmy Sheik slips a little butterfly into each of his works, even if it’s not the main subject. It’s a nod to his home island, Guadeloupe, whose territory—with Basse-Terre and Grande-Terre—looks uncannily like a giant butterfly. In the photo above, a great initiative: turning this beach bungalow, abandoned after Hurricane Irma’s (2017) devastation, into a mural canvas—it’s a real success. Well done, artist!

To be continued >>>>>>

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Kate 3 weeks ago · Aroythai

Trip to Thailand and Laos

Hello! 🙂

January 2026 Here we go again for new adventures and the pleasure of sharing them with you here! First of all, I’d like to thank everyone who helped me with the preparations, even with some last-minute improvisations just days before departure. Thanks to Montagnard74, Jojoone1, Songsam, Attila, Dennis2, NadegerFERM, and the authors whose travel journals about Laos inspired me (Montagnard74, Muriel18, Mavietongs...).

In this story, written by Richard and illustrated by me, we’ll tell you about the journey of four friends: Catherine, Richard, Nathalie, and Bruno. A reinvented but overall successful trip, filled with discoveries and surprises, the scents of spices and frangipani flowers, (too) spicy food, sunsets, and... one big mess.

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Mitch341 3 weeks ago · Chatounnette

Pont de Gau

Hi everyone!

A quick travel journal entry to tell you about the Pont de Gau Ornithological Park, near Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer in the Camargue (13).

A real paradise for flamingos... but also for swarms of mosquitoes that attack in squadrons, without warning and dive-bombing! 🦟😄

And I thought these critters didn’t go for spoiled meat! Clearly, they’re not too picky about freshness! 😵

More seriously, it’s a really nice spot for photography and nature lovers. Kids love it too! If you’re in the area, it’s a great discovery to make.

Here are a few shots from my session yesterday at the end of the day.

675 photos on the counter, currently sorting through them... Still testing the camera body. If I keep about twenty, that’ll already be a win!

Anyway, there’s work to do... and some itching on top of that! 📸🦟😄

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Vilabel 3 weeks ago

Travel Journal - 28 Days in China in August 2026

Hi everyone,

I’m sharing a little recap of this new 4-week trip to China—nothing fancy, just my experience.

We’re taking advantage of the extended visa exemption to return to China for the 4th time. I loved last summer’s trip so much that I’m a bit worried about being disappointed this year. Plus, I’ve had a few hiccups before this departure: my WeChat account got blocked, and I couldn’t recover it (luckily, Alipay still works fine); I couldn’t verify my 12306 account for weeks; Trip.com failed to book our second train; and I’ve got an injury that’ll slow me down during the trip... Ugh, I hate starting a trip with these kinds of issues. Then, oh surprise! Just before leaving, my 12306 account got verified! Super easy to use from that point on—I could book a few train tickets without fees.

We’re sticking with Free’s e-SIMs, which work great in China.

August 2–3

Anyway, on the morning of August 2nd, we took the RER to CDG. As usual, we couldn’t check in online. It’s always a bit frustrating, especially since we didn’t have any checked luggage. We flew with Air China. We arrived at the check-in counter at 9:50 AM, 2 hours and 40 minutes before the flight. The line for our check-in stretched 300 meters across the airport in both directions. What a joke!! We spent 1 hour and 45 minutes in that line just to reach the counter and get our boarding passes. By then, it was 11:35 AM, and boarding had already started at 11:20 AM. The screens showed a 25-minute walk to our gate—on the other side of the airport, of course—plus we had to go through passport control and security... Long story short, the plane didn’t leave without us 🙂 We boarded among the last passengers, and we took off at 12:30 PM. We’d flown Air China four times before, but this time, it felt *really* low-cost. The check-in chaos, the cramped seats (12 seats per row), no music by artists known outside China, mediocre food, and a boarding area at Beijing Airport with only 10 seats—worthy of Ryanair or EasyJet. And yet, the price was sky-high. Again, D.’s vacation requests were denied outside of July and August, so we’re traveling from August 2nd to 30th. We couldn’t have picked a worse time for inflated prices, and with the situation in Iran, we got hit with a 390 € fuel surcharge. I’ve never paid so much for flights—I felt like I’d bought business class, but nope, far from it!!

We landed in Beijing around 4:15 AM. It was 28°C with thick fog. We drove and drove and drove for 20 minutes, as usual in Beijing. Then we went through a first check, a second check, a third check, and waited for our connecting flight at 6:40 AM. A small Airbus A320, but way more space than in the Boeing 777 from the first flight. We landed in Kunming, Yunnan, around 10:15 AM in the rain.

We headed to the subway. You can’t pay at the machines with Alipay here either, so we set up the transport QR code directly in Alipay to scan at the subway gates. The process is a bit long the first time if you haven’t entered your info before, but once it’s done, it’s *so* much easier! We took Line 6 to the terminus for 6 yuan each.

We’d booked a hotel nearby, on the 16th floor. It’s actually studios on different floors of a huge residential building. The view’s pretty nice from here. We settled in quickly—back to those wooden beds, or rather, mattresses as hard as wood, which we *hadn’t* missed... Then we went out for our first bowl of noodles of the trip and wandered through the shopping streets of the old town.

It was crowded, and the weather was cool—around 19–20°C. We tried a local specialty: milk skin, thick, dried, then grilled with rose jam. Yeah... we won’t be having that again. The taste and texture of the milk skin... no thanks.

We saw a lot of wild mushroom hotpot too. It’s on our list for later. We also passed through the Jinma and Biji gates, where I played with reflections in puddles. I *love* doing that 🙂

At the end of the day, we headed to a temple advertised as open 24/7 on Amap. Of course, when we got there, it was closed. We’ll go back tomorrow. That was the first of many disappointments with Amap this trip—I hadn’t had that issue on previous visits.

We were exhausted after that sleepless flight. Night was falling, and we decided to grab a quick bite without much appetite. We shared a delicious vegetable fried rice for 12 yuan—we even left half of it. The portions are *huge*.

After a couple of small purchases, we headed back at 9 PM, wiped out, after walking 17 km between the airports and these first steps in Kunming. I expected to see quite a few Western travelers here, but we didn’t spot a single one. Instead, we met lots of curious Chinese people, many of them super friendly and helpful—almost *too* eager, like when they’d run to serve us as fast as possible. It’s a bit much, but it’s great to be back!

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Larri 4 weeks ago · Mitch341

From Amman to Jerusalem

I’m reposting here a travel journal originally published on the Routard forum in 2022 during VoyageForum’s hiatus. Without altering its content, I’ll try to streamline it. The few comments on the political situation reflect my feelings at the time and don’t account for events since then! I’d rather avoid debates on the topic. The photos are nothing fancy—just illustrative.

The context: we’re coming out of COVID. We’re looking for a not-too-distant destination, and Jordan has been catching our eye for a while. After some thought, we wonder if we shouldn’t take advantage of the geography to hop over to Israel. After all, Jerusalem is less than 100 km from Amman. Plus, Transavia lets you combine both destinations.

To plan our trip (February 19 to March 4, 2022), we contacted three French-speaking agencies in Amman. Their itinerary proposals were pretty similar, but the prices varied significantly. Given the many positive reviews we read on travel forums and a very attractive rate compared to competitors, we quickly settled on Ahmad Ababseh’s agency. Still, deep down, we had a slight worry—so many glowing reviews seemed a bit over the top, but we took the chance.

During the preparation, which happened in a very short timeframe (less than 10 days), Ahmad didn’t provide detailed roadbooks, and we made do with brief email or phone exchanges. Few details were shared either. We discussed hotels, with Ahmad preferring the ones he knew. We picked our hotel for our arrival in Amman, but before agreeing, Ahmad insisted on inspecting the rooms.

For payment, Ahmad only asked for a 500 € deposit and trusted our word for the balance, which we paid upon arrival. He also committed in writing to refund the full deposit if our trip was canceled due to COVID.

Finally, for the Israeli part, Ahmad contacted an agency in Jerusalem to handle the logistics. He didn’t take a commission.

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Pinacoladada 4 weeks ago

Road Trip - Canadian West

After exploring Dawson City, the final stop on our incredible road trip to the Yukon (see travel journal), it was time to head back to Quebec.

Instead of returning directly, we took advantage of this cross-country drive to make several stops in British Columbia and Alberta.

This part of the trip allowed us to discover some of the most beautiful attractions in Western Canada, from breathtaking landscapes to iconic natural sites that are must-sees in Canada.

Between majestic mountains, turquoise lakes, and jaw-dropping panoramas, every stop added a memorable touch to this already exceptional adventure.

A wonderful way to wrap up this journey across Canada while fully enjoying the richness and diversity of its vast landscapes.

In the upcoming posts, you’ll discover the highlights that marked our journey through Western Canada.

I invite you to watch the associated videos to fully experience the atmosphere, landscapes, and attractions we were lucky enough to explore.

To navigate to a specific post, here are the appropriate links:

Adventure on the Alaska Highway: Bald Eagles, Bison & Moose Adventure on the Alaska Highway: Bison, Caribou & Bears Yellowhead Highway (Alberta): Roche Miette, Jasper Lake & Emerald Pond Maligne Lake Road (Jasper) | Moose and Elk Exploring Mount Robson Provincial Park (BC) Must-Sees on the Icefields Parkway - Alberta David Thompson Highway11 (AB): A Stunning Scenic Route What to See in Yoho National Park (BC) Johnston Canyon: Hike to the Lower & Upper Falls Iconic Sites of East Kootenay, BC Lundbreck Falls - A Spectacular Waterfall in Southern Alberta Trails of Red Rock Canyon & Blakiston Falls - Waterton Waterton Village Under the Snow - A Unique Place Writing-on-Stone: A Park Famous for Its Hoodoos Red Rock Coulee Natural Area Alberta – A Supernatural Landscape Dinosaur Provincial Park Alberta - Mysterious Badlands Drumheller: Dinos, Hoodoos & Badlands Interpretive Trail Hike at Horsethief Canyon | Drumheller Badlands Red Deer: Public Art & Murals Downtown Calgary | Public Art, Skyline & Iconic Spots Medicine Hat | Public Art & Iconic Spots

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