A first timer's guide to Montenegro

A first timer’s guide to Montenegro

Fringed by the Adriatic on one side and rugged mountains on the other, Montenegro (the name means “Black Mountain”) makes an ideal introduction to Eastern Europe. It’s peaceful and safe and is a great destination for solo travellers. Our first timer’s guide to Montenegro will help you get your bearings for a trip to this small yet beautiful…

Alternative things to do in Santorini: the secret side of the Greek Island

From best secret hideaways to top hikers hangouts, Heidi Fuller-Love lets us in on the secret side of this volcanic island. These are the best things to do in Santorini off the beaten track. Santorini’s famous blue domed churches and whitewashed cave hotels glitter under the assault of a thousand flashbulbs as crowds congregate to cram…

Food stalls and restaurants in Taiwan: a tasting tour

I sniff the air and nearly gag at the ripe smell of old socks. Slowly the conga line of locals waiting to buy their stinky tofu at Shi Lin, one of Taiwan’s largest night markets, shuffles forward. I’m prepared to wait in line, but as a foreigner I’m ushered to the front. “It is part…

Life in the slow lane: a Mekong River cruise from Thailand to Laos

Kids leap off the river bank in front of the superbly carved prow of our longboat, Nagi of the Mekong, which will take two long and lazy days to travel the watery 500km separating Chiang Khong in Thailand from Luang Prabang in northern Laos on this Mekong River cruise. The mythical river originates high in…

Pigging out with the Pata Negras: a road trip to taste the world’s most expensive ham

Heidi Fuller-love heads out on the trail of Spain’s most exclusive Jamon. Hanging ham hocks click heels like flamenco castanets in the wild Sierra wind as I pull into Finca Montefrio and park with the flourish of a bullfighter in a cape-flinging cloud of dust. At the heart of the Sierra de Aracena, a vast…

Playing gaucho for a day, Argentina

Heidi Fuller-Love spends a day roping cattle, cooking asado and hanging out with a gaucho near Buenos Aires, Argentina. Gaucho day trips are a-peso-a-dozen near Buenos Aires, but I wanted to head out to an estancia (ranch) with a bona fide member of Argentina’s cowboy club, so when I met Andre – a gaucho guide from toursbylocals.com – I…

Tierra Santa, Buenos Aires: a theme park like no other

Who would have thought you could relive the resurrection of Christ and pay respects at the Wailing Wall in Argentina; Tierra Santa, Buenos Aires, is Latin America‘s first ever religious theme park. Heidi Fuller-Love went along for some spiritual fun. “If you’re a nun you get in free,” says Frederico, my tango teacher turned Tierra…

Touring Indian tea plantations in Kerala

You can’t go anywhere in India without seeing men and women sipping on small cups of steaming Indian tea. From strong, black pure teas to spice-infused masala chai, Heidi Fuller-Love went to discover the best of Indian tea. The silhouettes of Fort Cochin’s giant Chinese fishing nets – as menacing as monsters from a Hollywood…

Puerta Cerradas: eating with locals in Buenos Aires

Think Argentina is all rump steak and raunchy – not to mention randy – gauchos? Then it’s time to discover the latest craze in buzzy Buenos Aires as puertas cerradas are revolutionising the city’s eating habits. “You get together in their living room and talk to all these people you’ve never met while the home owner is cooking…

Vietnam by the night train: Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi

If you want to take a leisurely tour of the coastline between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, the night train is the best way: you’ll travel as you sleep, leaving days free for exploring, and save money on hotel bills. Join Rough Guides writer Heidi Fuller-Love on her Vietnam railways adventure. Known as the…

Face to face with wildlife on the Galápagos Islands

Rough Guides writer Heidi Fuller-Love embarks on a luxury cruise to meet big lizards, a giant tortoise and other magical wildlife of the Galápagos Islands. Ever since reading The Voyage of the Beagle when I was at school, I dreamt of visiting The Galápagos islands. Contrary to popular belief, Charles Darwin’s trip in the HMS Beagle was…