AFAR

AFAR is a different kind of travel magazine that guides and inspires those who travel the world seeking to connect with its people, experience their cultures, and understand their perspectives. Get AFAR digital magazine subscription today for intriguing travel stories told with beautiful photos and a fresh design.

Afar

Contributors

Common Ground

A Delicate Balance • AFAR’s new columnist reflects on the tension between exploring our planet and wanting to protect it.

AIR

WELLNESS in the West Indies • This award winning resort is renowned for its unique approach to health, fitness and wellbeing, and is firmly committed to delivering on its promise; ‘Give us your body for a week and we’ll give you back your mind’.

Should I purchase carbon offsets? • Primers for Travelers Who Care

UP, UP, AND AWAY

The Helicopter Pilot Saving Lives in the Himalayas

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The Highflier Who Leads Safaris by Hot-Air Balloon

Cheep Chirp Whistle Warble Trill • All around the world, bird tours and trips are taking flight. Inside, your go-to guide on how to bird, where to bird, and what gear to buy.

LAND

THE FUTURE OF SAFARIS

Into the WOODS • Trees. They’re all around us, beneath us, and above us. They allow us to breathe, heat, build, and eat—and, for many of us during the pandemic, they offered peace. On the following pages, we say thanks. You’ll meet the planet’s most astonishing trees, explore the flourishing world of rewilding, and learn how to take a deeper, richer walk through the forest.

Trees, Meet People • From honoring new beginnings to welcoming the harvest season, here are eight festivals and holidays that celebrate our stately friends.

Rewilding Just Might Save Our Planet • Making the world greener—and wilder—takes time, resources, and a dash of hope. Meet the places leading the way.

Scotland is poised to become the world’s first “rewilding nation.” These six projects are making it a reality.

Such Great Heights • Do you pine for more tree knowledge? Get to know three of the world’s most unusual species.

NOTES ON CAMPING • On our second-to-last night camping at Hither Hills State Park in New York, the storm hit. Our tent shook violently while the rain, droning like TV static, ensured no one would sleep. Frazzled and exhausted, I asked myself, “How did I get here? And why does anyone camp?”

Altitude Shift • In the northern tip of India, the Ladakh region offers travelers a fascinating mix of cultures, sparsely populated landscapes, and the opportunity to drive the highest road in the world.

WATER

THE FUTURE OF CRUISING • Emerging from the forced pandemic pause, cruise companies are creating stricter health and safety protocols, committing to carbon neutrality by 2050, and finding new ways for guests to meaningfully interact with local cultures and communities in the places they dock.

Making Waves • One writer finds community in the world’s largest open-water swim group—and picks up some trash while she’s at it.

Greenland has a rich vocabulary for ice and snow. But what happens to language when those natural phenomena start to disappear? • I came to think of it as the Valley of the Howling Dogs.

Where Travel Takes You • “During the last two years, I’ve noticed more families out enjoying the local hiking trails I frequent. While people respond to nature in many ways, it’s always satisfying to see that look, the one people get when filled with awe, dumbstruck by the view before them. The collective feeling of wonder when in nature—that’s what I wanted to capture in my painting.”