Travel correspondent Lee Siew Hua's top travelogue picks for 2016
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Hotel Las Torres Patagonia, set in the Torres del Paine National Park, is a scenic base from which visitors can explore the region, including the Grey Glacier and Lake Toro.
PHOTO: HOTEL LAS TORRES PATAGONIA
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Here's an array of exquisite journeys highlighted in The Straits Times in 2016, to inspire globe-trotters planning a new year of excursions far and near.
Discover the world afresh, whether it's a train trip in the Arctic Circle, a homestay in Mongolia, or playing in the timeless toytown of Legoland in Denmark.
Travel writer Lee Siew Hua highlights 15 of the year's top travelogues from Life's archives.
Here's wishing everyone happy trails and rewarding journeys in the coming new year.
1. Patagonia, Chile and Argentina
With windswept pinnacles and glaciers clustered in the far south of Latin America, wild Patagonia is a hyper-real journey to the rim of the world.
2. Zambia
The wildest dreams come alive in Zambia, whether it's riding a microlight through the mist of Victoria Falls or taking a cheetah for a walk.
3. Iran
Iran is safe and super-friendly, and rewards the wanderer with hidden gardens, echoes of great civilisations past and a stylish lifestyle. With Iran fast opening up, this is the best time to visit.
Read more here and here.
4. Fiji
In the heart of the less-explored South Pacific, frangipani-scented Fiji is a paradise for sea-lovers.
5. Northern Hokkaido, Japan
At the northernmost tip of Japan, travellers revel in the uni-rich shores and still sense the intrigue of the Cold War.
6. Irrawaddy river cruise, Myanmar
Cruise luxuriously down the mighty Irrawaddy River to experience Myanmar's storied past and its panoramic world.
7. Mongolia
Staying in a round, warm tent amid nomads is a wonderful way to relish life in the middle of nowhere.
8. Legoland, Denmark
Whoosh, whoosh! Battle baddies at the new Ninjago World in Legoland - and take a breather in Lego's tranquil hometown of Billund.
9. Amritsar, India
In northern India, step into the shimmering Golden Temple and dance at the India-Pakistan border.
10. Hoi An, Vietnam
The piquant dish of cao lau rice noodles embodies the many cultural layers of Hoi An, an old-world Vietnamese town.
11. Arctic Circle, Norway & Sweden
A journey by train and ship deep into the Arctic Circle, a world of ice and isolated towns, laced with dazzling Northern Lights.
12. Darien Gap, Colombia
The wilderness of the Darien Gap, an isolated isthmus between Colombia and Panama, is newly open to travellers. Marxist guerillas have signed a peace pact and are leaving this stronghold.
13. Washington, DC, United States
Washington may be a highly political city but it's also a high-energy haven for kids. Let them turn into little astronauts or tepee-dwellers in museums, run free among monuments, or be treated like tiny royals in hotels.
14. Sri Lanka
Savour the imagined lifestyle of colonial British tea-planters in the hill country, watch whales in the Indian Ocean, or linger at a hidden lake at three luxe resorts in Sri Lanka.
15. Bordeaux, France
Enjoy the plush chateau life in Bordeaux, which has been making wine since Roman times.
