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Cesky Krumlov is a UNESCO world heritage town in south Bohemia, Czech Republic. Founded in the late 13th century at a ford in the Vltava River, Czech Krumlov grew in prominence due to its location on an important trade route between Linz and Prague. Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque architectural styles dominate its old town core. When visiting Czech Republic make sure you include Cesky Krumlov in your itinerary. One of the best way to experience it is to arrive by bicycle or on foot along the Czech Greenways that connected all the main market towns of medieval Central Europe, now maintained as scenic bicycle and hiking trails. One of the most scenic greenways is to cycle the Vienna to Prague route, a great idea for a bicycle vacation.

For details of festivals and other evens in Czech Krumlov, see the town information website.

Sacred spaces and stunning landscapes! Magnificent temples, mountain passes, snow-capped peaks, nomad camps, pilgrims – this is truly a journey to stir the senses and nourish the soul – of all the destinations in Asia, the most sacred and sublime. The days of travel are long, the roads are dusty and bumpy – and it is a world that will take your breath away.

Buddhists dream about it, for most it is a must, not all can do it, some die while attempting to circumambulate it, above all from altitude sickness. For any adventurer, a journey to the Holy Mount Kailash is an unforgettable experience, the trek around it, a KORA, the highlight of its own. No matter how one can look at this stunning mountain, it belongs to a list of “must see and do” trips at least once in a lifetime.

Of incredible geomantic power Kailash (Sanskrit) or Kang Rinpoche (Tibetan) marks the center of the Earth for Buddhists, Hindus, Jains and Bon. To Buddhists it is the abode of Demchok, the wrathful manifestation of Buddha Sakyamuni. To Hindus it is the dwelling of Shiva, the destroyer and according to the Sanskrit tradition of Vishnu Purana it is a representation of Mount Meru, the cosmic mountain at the center of the universe. It is the place where the founder of Bon descended to Earthand where the founder of the Jain faith was spiritually awakened.

Kailash is also the geographical watershed of South Asia, here its great rivers are born – the Indus, the Sutlej, the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) and the Karnali / Ganges. At its foot lies the most venerated of Tibet’s lakes, Manasarovar, believed by Hindu’s to have been formed in the mind of Brahma.

Trip to Kailash is best combined with a side trip to the region that was once the heartland of Tibet, the ancient kingdom of Guge, flourishing here from the 9th to the 15thcenturies, with strong links to Ladakh and Kashmir, making it an important site in terms of Buddhist art history. The remains of this kingdom stand in a landscape so overwhelming as to defy description.

The 3-day circumambulation of Mount Kailash is challenging due to altitude, but within the capabilities of any healthy person – and timed to coincide with the full moon, it is an incredible experience.

Much of fine info on Kailash available also at Wikipedia.

Fantastic train journeys across some of the most exciting countries with Kuoni

Yahoo article on travel and yoga noted that for a growing number of people an exotic vacation just isn’t enough, they travel in quest of a transformation. That’s why someone would choose a trip with focus on yoga or meditation. Whether a yoga trip to Rishikesh in the Indian Himalayas or meditation trek in Nepal Solu-Khumbu region, more and more people travel in search of life-changing experiences.

Concierge.com, the online home of Conde Nast Traveler had published its 2008 list of the world’s best adventure trips. Here are their selected destinations, more details on each can be had in their article:

Best of Peru
Lost Alaska by Kayak
Bicycle trip in northwest Argentina, a trip that begins and ends in Salta
Sand and Savannas in Mali, perhaps best known for the fabled trading city of Timbuktu
Panama: Jungles and Caribbean Beaches
Gabon
Trekking Through Transylvania
Swiss Alps
Trekking in Tibet
River Wild in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan
Philippines
British Columbia
Biking Big Bend