The best places to travel in 2024

Abercrombie & Kent’s in-the-know travel experts reveal the most exciting destinations to visit in 2024, from the hotspots having a moment to under-the-radar regions you need to know about – plus our exclusive and innovative new ways to see them.

It is an exciting year for travel. It is the first year that the whole world has properly, finally, reopened all its borders. Travellers are thinking bigger and bolder for 2024, embracing long-haul destinations and travelling for longer to really get under the skin of new cultures through ever-more-immersive experiences – the new luxury. Many are seizing the day, keen to be first to go to bucket-list destinations before everyone else does.

“We are seeing more and more travellers wanting to really push the boat out in 2024, and take the long-haul trips of a lifetime they’ve been dreaming about for a long time,” says Geoffrey Kent, the Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Abercrombie & Kent. “Australia is back in business, while Kenya, Costa Rica and Sri Lanka are proving hugely popular with families. Cold climates are the surprise new trend for 2024. And top of everyone’s wishlist for 2024 is Japan.”

As Japan’s popularity soars, savvy travellers are heading away from the bright-light-big-cities to find the ‘real Japan’ in certain lesser-known regions (more on those below). Others are looking to beat the crowds by heading to remote, little-visited wildernesses for truly intrepid adventures – the deserts of Texas or Arizona, or the white desert of the Arctic Circle. 

Here, our international network of in-the-know travel experts reveal their insights, travel trends, and top destinations to watch in 2024 – as well as the best ways to see them, with our brand new collection of bespoke, innovative, and highly immersive experiences.

Europe

1  Norway

For all our recent Scandi obsession, Norway remains the least explored of the trio. But with this summer’s record temperatures causing more holidaymakers to look north, it won’t stay that way for long. Many come to see the dramatic fjords and beautiful landscapes from sustainably minded, architect-designed wilderness lodges (keep an eye on the futuristic, energy-positive Six Senses Svart hotel under construction); others come to tap into Norway’s trendsetting, health-boosting ice bath and sauna culture. But this year there are plenty of curious new attractions in its cities as well. For a start, the tiny Arctic Circle city of Bodø (jumping-off point for the Lofoten Islands) has been marked out as European Capital of Culture for 2024, which means a gamut of light festivals and land art, a Sámi theatre trilogy and a fish-themed opera. Capital Oslo keeps upping its game, with stand-outs such as design hotel Sommerro and its new ultra-private 11-suite Villa Inkognito; while for culture, the recently opened Munch museum – rising, rippling in glass and aluminium on the Bjørvika waterfront – houses 26,000 of the artist’s works. The next highly anticipated opening will be the new Whale Museum in the south of Norway – the perfect place to start before heading off on a whale-watching voyage. A progressive, always-surprising Scandinavian star.

A&K insight

“More and more of our guests are looking to explore two or more of the Nordic countries in one trip, and as well as a growing interest in Norway, we are getting lots of requests to experience ice floating in Finland, and stays at extraordinary wilderness properties such as Arctic Bath in Sweden.” 

How to do it the A&K way

Brand new for 2024 is A&K's 10-night Dazzling Gems of Hidden Norway, a super-bespoke journey from Oslo to Bergen, with action-packed adventures in birch forests and fjords, and stays at some of Europe’s most extraordinary wilderness hotels. Price on request, depending on choice of experiences and hotels; (abercrombiekent.co.uk; 03301 623087)

2  Iceland's far north

Iceland has become the poster child for adventure travel over the last decade, but most visitors stick to the south with its easily reachable lagoons, waterfalls and other geological fireworks. When it arrived in 2016, Deplar Farm on the Troll Peninsula in the remote north of the island reset the compass; now in 2024, new twice-weekly EasyJet flights from London to fjordside-city Akureyri are opening up these remote fringes even further, making it more accessible for adventurous travellers on a tight timeframe. It’s the gateway to some of the country’s lesser-known natural wonders: the thundering curve of water of Godafoss, the volcanic Lake Myvatn with its boiling mud pits and hot spring caves, Ásbyrgi Canyon’s spectacular horseshoe of 100-metre-high cliffs – as well as humpback whale-watching trips on the edge of the Arctic Circle. This is Iceland at its most wild, untapped and off grid.

How to do it the A&K way

Brand new for 2024 is A&K's 10-night West & North Summer Iceland journey, which travels to the lava landscapes, volcanic crater lakes and hot springs of Iceland's highlands and western fjords, including the little-visited Askja Caldera, and includes wildlife encounters with puffins and Arctic foxes. From £14,200pp including flights, transfers and guiding. (abercrombiekent.co.uk; 03301 623087)

3  Piedmont, Italy

While Tuscany hogs the limelight as the archetype of la dolce vita, verdant Piedmont in the north west hides its own heavyweight wine culture (big reds Barolo and Barbaresco), wealth of Michelin stars (notably, more than Tuscany) and cinematic landscapes, but without the blockbuster crowds. Over the last few years a succession of smart stays have mushroomed between the rolling hills, including sleek, sophisticated Casa di Langa, where A&K can open doors for guests at the best unknown wineries around. It’s also a perfect base for wandering the Nebbiolo-lined vineyards, charming market towns and misty truffle-rich woods in these parts. More unexpected is the equally rich art: colour-popping churches decorated by contemporary artists, dial-shifting gallery Lunetta 11 deep in the Alta Langhe. Piedmont is the good life on a go-slow.

A&K expert insight

"Authentic Italian escapes off the beaten path are trending for 2024. Savvy travellers are forgoing crowded Tuscan hotspots and discovering the underrated wine regions, gastronomy, and pastoral beauty of Piedmont."

How to do it the A&K way

Brand new for 2024 is A&K's 6-night Lakes and Wineries Hidden Secrets journey that visits Piedmont, which travels to the verdant Piedmont region in northwest Italy, staying at Casa di Langa and visiting the best (secret) little wineries in the region (abercrombiekent.co.uk; 03301 623087)

4  Paros, Greece

Paros is the new Cyclades sensation. Although only a short ferry ride from Mykonos or Santorini, Paros feels a million miles from the pulsating beach clubs of its neighbours. The lack of an international airport will keep it that way, although a gentle ebb of chic new hotels is drawing more in-the-know Greek island hoppers alongside the established crowd of European villa owners. Chilled-out Cosme, a 10-minute walk from the buzzy fishing harbour of Naoussa, is the sister hotel to game-changing Parilio near the sandy coves of Kolymbithres beach, while Avant Mar brought Nobu-restaurant glamour to the island this summer. Windsurfers will love the Meltemi winds that sweep across the south-east coast; culture-seekers love the arty hilltop villages and ancient monasteries. And everyone loves those spectacular, soul-soothing sunsets. For an offbeat side-trip, hop on the boat across to lo-fi Antiparos.

A&K insight

"Off-the-radar Paros emerges as the new insider island escape in Greece for 2024. Chic travellers are discovering its serene beaches, breezy charm, and boutique hotels like Cosme - a peaceful Cycladic alternative to crowded Santorini and Mykonos."

How to do it the A&K way

Hotels Cosme and Parilio are new to our hotel portfolio for 2024. A seven-night holiday at Parilio in May 2024 costs from £2,699pp B&B including return flights from London via Athens and private transfers. Or combine with Mykonos and Santorini for a nine-night Cyclades triangle trip, from £3,291pp B&B in May 2024 (abercrombiekent.co.uk; 03301 623087)

5  Paris, France 

Paris is always a good idea – and never more so than in summer 2024, for the Olympic Games. As the French capital limbers up to light the Olympic cauldron, its hotel scene has been on a sprint of high-vaulting openings: opulent Le Grand Mazarin, all tapestry bed canopies and leopard-print upholstery; whimsical floral-filled La Fantaisie; sleek Hôtel Dame des Arts on the Left Bank; Belle Époque-style townhouse Maison Proust in the Marais. The Seine is at the heart of Paris’s Olympic plan: for the opening ceremony flotillas will cruise through the city along the river, while triathlon swimmers are set to dive in from the ornate Pont Alexander III. There’ll also be fencing at the glass-roofed Grand Palais, beach volleyball beside the Eiffel Tower and various horsey events out at Versailles. Athletics aside, there’s news for gourmands, too: 400-year-old Paris institution La Tour d’Argent is back, dishing out its famous pressed duck with golden Seine views.

How to do it the A&K way

Brand new for 2024 is A&K's 8-night Paris Olympics Experience journey, which travels to Paris during the 2024 Summer Olympics, securing prime seats at the opening ceremony and iconic Olympic events and staying in the most coveted new boutique hotels in the city, such as Le Grand Mazarin. (abercrombiekent.co.uk; 03301 623087)

6  Slovenia 

Sandwiched between the holiday honeypots of Italy and Croatia, it’s a mystery how Slovenia has remained so defiantly under-the-radar. It’s not for lack of good looks, running from the stunning Soča Valley with its vivid aquamarine river to the soaring Julian Alps and ever-so-pretty Lake Bled; while the Lilliputian capital of Ljubljana is pursuing a bold sustainable vision. The country’s food, too, is increasingly on the agenda: Slovenia got its own Michelin guide in 2020, and chef Ana Roš and her two-star countryside restaurant Hiša Franko remain the standard bearers for the area’s micro-local, forager-to-table cooking. This is Europe’s best-kept secret.

How to do it the A&K way

For 2024 A&K will be creating tailor-made holidays in Slovenia for the first time ever, with experiences including cooking classes, culinary river cruises, vineyard visits to meet local winemakers, and a private rowing lesson on Lake Bled with an Olympic rower. (abercrombiekent.co.uk; 03301 623087)

Asia & The Middle East

7  Saudi Arabia

It’s wild to think that until 2019 the only tourists to Saudi Arabia were religious pilgrims. Now, as part of the country’s Vision 2030 plan, this once-uncharted territory for travellers is marked with big-name hotels (from billowing tented camps to Red Sea resorts), ambitious cultural institutions (the first commissions in the ‘Valley of the Arts’ Wadi AlFann are unveiled in 2024) and futuristic developments (sustainable linear city The Line; sci-fi-esque ski resort Trojena Neom). But what is most awe-inspiring is still the most ancient: the carved tombs of Hegra deep in the AlUla desert, the towering sandstone columns of Wadi Al Disah, Jeddah’s 7th-century Al Balad neighbourhood – while female guides driving visitors out across the sand dunes show just how fast the country is reshaping itself to the outside world.

A&K insight

"Saudi Arabia emerges in 2024 as the new frontier for pioneering travellers seeking unspoiled ancient sites like Hegra and vast desert landscapes, as well as futuristic developments, now more accessible than ever."

How to do it the A&K way

A&K's seven-night Classic Saudi Arabia journey travels to ancient and modern wonders across Saudi Arabia, taking in the little-visited rock-carved tombs of AlUla (comparable to Petra), and including a stay in Jeddah on the Red Sea waterfront. From £12,375, including flights, transfers and guiding (abercrombiekent.co.uk; 03301 623087)

8  China

With tourist visas and regular international flights returning in 2023 for the first time since the pandemic, now is the chance to see the Land of the Dragon before everyone else. Walk through time in the Forbidden City, stroll the imposing Great Wall and stand guard with the Terracotta Army. Beyond the big sights and even bigger cities, however, the Chinese countryside is being rediscovered – in part thanks to the rural nostalgia of Chinese cottagecore influencers and hit reality shows like ‘Back to the Field’ leading to a boom in antique-filled village guesthouses and mountainside design hotels. Take a bamboo raft down the Yulong River or visit a Hani village to see life unchanged for thousands of years. Asia’s most beguiling and culturally-rich giant is finally back.

How to do it the A&K way

Brand new for 2024 is A&K's 13-night Classic China journey, which travels beyond the big cities to rediscover the Chinese countryside, including little-visited Hani villages and bamboo rafting on the Yulong River, as well as iconic sights like the Forbidden City, Great Wall, and Terracotta Warriors. From £6,590pp including flights, transfers and guiding (abercrombiekent.co.uk; 03301 623087)

9  Sri Lanka’s Central Highlands

Sri Lanka’s south coast is awash with digital nomad-favourite surf lodges and Bawa-inspired seaside villas; other visitors head inland to its ‘Cultural Triangle’, stretching from Kandy out to the great ruined cities of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa. And now a new region of the interior is opening up to more intrepid types: the Central Highlands. Kandy marks the start of the Pekoe Trail, a new 300km network of routes that snakes south through the country’s tea country leading travellers to oft-overlooked corners. There are 22 stages to choose from or combine, striding through working tea plantations, dense eucalyptus forests, across rice paddies and to mainstay sites like Ella Rock; and easy paths along old cartways or rail tracks suit family adventurers. Later in the year, you can bed down between hikes at the new Kelburne Estate, high in the tea-carpeted mountains of Haputale; it will be the third hotel from Reverie, a new brand from local hospitality stalwarts Resplendent Ceylon. This is a meditative shortcut to Sri Lanka’s inner heart.

How to do it the A&K way

Brand new for 2024 is A&K's 8-night Sri Lanka's Pekoe Trail journey, which takes travellers through Sri Lanka's little-visited Central Highlands region and includes 8 nights at luxury hotels such as the new Kelburne Estate (abercrombiekent.co.uk; 03301 623087)

10  Vietnam

Vietnam is one of Asia’s most exciting places to eat. So it was no surprise when Michelin finally got the memo, releasing its first guide to foodie cities Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh in June 2023. The first four stars were dished out to fashionable fine dining spots, such as Ho Chi Minh’s Anan Saigon and its bone-marrow Wagyu beef pho or Gia in Hanoi with its in-house fermentation lab. But to sample the country’s real finger-licking food culture, take to the streets, tucking into everything from duck congee to pork skin salad. Elsewhere, the island of Phu Quoc, just off the coast of Cambodia, is becoming a fixture on in-the-know itineraries with splashy straight-on-the-sand stays like the Regent Phu Quoc; Indian Ocean experts LUX* add overwater villa number LUXNAM* Phu Quoc later in the year. All the more reason to feast and flop.

A&K insight

"Vietnam is undergoing an exciting transition, with new luxury hotels, luxury trains and easier transport links opening the doors to longer, deeper explorations, and enticing a more grown-up crowd who want to see the country in style.”

How to do it the A&K way

A&K can tailor-make holidays to Vietnam, including luxury train journeys; (abercrombiekent.co.uk; 03301 623087)

11  Siem Reap, Cambodia

There’s much more to this lovely little town than Angkor Wat. A flourishing art and craft scene, burgeoning restaurant line-up spotlighting Khmer cooking and ever-growing gathering of design-led hotels (Angsana Siem Reap will soon become the latest) have made it a destination in its own right. One that in 2024 will become even more accessible via its new international airport (moving from the current site close to the famous temple complex). With tourists trickling back to Angkor Wat, rise above the crowds with Cambodia’s first fully licensed hot-air balloon company, floating above the jungle, temples and Tonle Sap Lake as the sun rises – an experience Abercrombie & Kent can arrange with exclusive transfers in vintage WW2 Land Rovers. Or go your own way and explore lesser-known archaeological wonders such as the 12th-century temples at Banteay Chhmar, the still-being-uncovered site at Phnom Kulen or recently UNESCO-listed Koh Ker, home to Prasat Thom, Southeast Asia’s only seven-tiered pyramid.

How to do it the A&K way

A&K’s 12-night Indochina & Angkor Wat Escorted Tour, which travels across Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, including two days exploring the ruins of Angkor and an overnight cruise on Ha Long Bay. From £9,800pp including flights, transfers and guiding (abercrombiekent.co.uk; 03301 623087).

12  Lesser-seen Japan

The reopening of Japan to travellers at the end of 2022 saw a flurry of fresh places: glassy Tokyo hotels, creative hideouts in Kyoto and even a Totoro-filled theme park from cult-filmmaker Studio Ghibli. But for a place so associated with high-speed trains and fast-paced megacities, the most compelling way to see the country right now is on foot. Slow travel and the spiritual connection of walking the land is a growing trend across the globe, and here it also offers a shortcut to Japan’s soul. The Nakasendo Way, an ancient route linking Tokyo to Kyoto, winds through mountains, little-changed post towns, bamboo forests and past waterfalls and hot springs. Walking its full length is a demanding 11-day hike, but it’s easy to pick up a shorter stretch, such as the pretty Kiso Valley – come in April to catch the cherry blossom. Depart the southern end of the route and today’s foodie pilgrims should hotfoot it to Osaka, where street food stalls dish up takoyaki (battered octopus balls) and okonomiyaki (savoury pancakes). From there it’s the jumping off point to the Seto Inland Sea – best seen from floating ryokan guntû, which island hops to the temples of Miyajima and art island Naoshima (home to Yayoi Kusama’s Yellow Pumpkin, James Turrell installations and Tadao Ando-designed museums). Get off the beaten track and dive deeper into the real Japan.

How to do it the A&K way

Abercrombie & Kent can arrange bespoke trips anywhere in Japan, from the authentic ryokans of the Nakasendo Way to the tropical islands of Okinawa. (abercrombiekent.co.uk; 03301 623087)

North America

13  Arizona, Usa 

The Grand Canyon, Route 66, the Navajo Nation: Arizona is home to plenty of iconic America. Now’s the time to delve beyond the headline acts, through petrified forests, cactus-filled deserts and mind-boggling rock formations into ancient ancestral lands and forward-thinking cities. In Tucson – the US’s first UNESCO city of gastronomy – tuck into native crops such as cactus, corn, prickly pear and squash that have fed indigenous communities for centuries. At Ambiente, a Landscape Hotel, which opened in spiritual Sedona in 2023, 40 glass-cube bedrooms immerse guests in the surrounding Coconino National Forest; at night, stargaze from the rooftop. The restaurant, starring local ingredients from the Verde Valley, is overseen by up-and-coming chef Lindsey Dale, part of a rising scene of female chefs making waves in Arizona. The cooler microclimate and rich limestone soil of the Verde Valley are also perfect for grape growing; it's the state’s newest officially designated wine region, making easy-drinking Rhône-style varieties. Desert city Scottsdale, meanwhile, is home to clever sustainability initiatives (conserving water, preserving habitat, reducing its carbon footprint) alongside a first-of-its-kind Blue Zones Project to boost locals’ wellbeing. Arizona is a place of big landscapes and big ideas.

A&K expert insight

"Arizona emerges as 2024's hottest US travel trend with visitors flocking for its incredible diversity beyond the iconic sights. Extended vacations are surging by 25% as travellers deep-dive into the state's ancestral lands, spiritual vortexes, UNESCO-lauded food scene, and up-and-coming wine region. With new sustainable hotels and female-led culinary excitement, Arizona delivers today's most adventurous Stateside escape."

How to do it the A&K way

Brand new for 2024 is A&K’s 16-night Immersive Grand Canyon and the Southwest journey, which travels to the American Southwest, including the lesser-visited North Rim of the Grand Canyon, and two nights at Amangiri. From £13,595pp including flights, transfers and guiding (abercrombiekent.co.uk; 03301 623087)

14  Turks & Caicos, Caribbean

Cast off at the southern end of the Bahamas island chain, the Turks and Caicos are a chilled-out string of low sandy cays, surrounded by spectacular coral reefs and eye-piercingly blue waters. Virgin Atlantic direct flights from the UK launched in November, and a new South Caicos Airport for inter-island and private flights opens up the further reaches of the archipelago, but despite being easier to get to, it's unlikely to shift the mood of low-key, discreet luxury that is the USP in these waters. Grace Bay on Providenciales' north shore, regularly voted the most beautiful beach in the world, epitomises that. It’s here that Rock House stretches out above the sand, its 100-foot infinity pool surveying the turquoise sea towards the horizon. Elsewhere designer villas up the ante for exclusivity and ultra-all-inclusive stays – including our own collection of next-level villas which launched recently, opening up these island to a new and discerning crowd. Welcome to the new Caribbean scene: considered, elegant and leaving nature to do the dazzling.

A&K expert insight

“Turks and Caicos have seen a 52% increase in visitors in 2023, with the trend set to continue with the introduction of multiple new non-stop services from major gateways in the US, Canada and the United Kingdom. Our clients are looking for world-class villas and service but with unique experiences, like seeing the endangered native Rock Iguanas at Little Water Cay or getting up close and personal with sharks and sea turtles with an expert guide in Chalk Sound National Park.”

How to do it the A&K way

Take over a staffed villa from A&K Villas’ new collection in Turks & Caicos, from romantic beach boltholes-for-two such as Kehlani Kabana (from £6,372 a week) to palatial estates like Calypso (from £153,102 per week). Our concierge can fix anything from bringing in the archipelago’s most lauded chefs to chartering a yacht for an island-hopping trip. Visit akvillas.com

Latin America

15  Colombia

Colombia is one of the world’s rare ‘megadiverse’ countries: a staggering 10% of all the world’s flora and fauna can be found here. Look at its geography and you start to understand why; the natural contrasts are just astonishing: a dense Amazon jungle interior, coral white beaches along the Caribbean coast, isolated Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains, coffee-carpeted highlands and wildly remote Guajira Peninsula, home to the indigenous Wayuu people among salt flats and flamingo-lined lagoons. The once-troubled country is now investing heavily in sustainable travel, opening up some of these previously off-limits regions. But it’s not just about the like-nowhere-else nature – cosmopolitan cities are filled with salsa clubs and street art, shaking food and cocktail players and important social projects. The hottest spot in South America for intrepid travellers.

A&K expert insight

“Colombia is sky-rocketing into 2024 as one of the most exciting emerging destinations on the planet. Our high-end bookings have tripled since last year, as travellers go for longer and immerse themselves in the rich culture through experiences, from tastings on coffee farms to swimming in bioluminescent Tayrona lagoons amid ancient ruins.”

How to do it the A&K way

Brand new for 2024 is A&K's 8-night Colombia: Bogotá to Cartagena Escorted Tour, which travels across Colombia from Bogotá to Cartagena via little-visited sights which reveal the country’s rich culture. From £8,645pp (excl flights), including transfers and guiding. Or go bespoke on a luxury adventure packed with immersive experiences: Pacific Coast whale-watching with a top biologist and photographer, getting up close with Giant Anteaters and Cowboys in Los Llanos, discovering 14,000-year-old hidden rock art in Cerro Azul, learning medicinal use of plants in the Amazon, going on a treasure hunt in the Paramos, and playing Tejo (imagine bar skittles, only played with stone disc).” (abercrombiekent.co.uk; 03301 623087)

16  Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula

This big-thinking Central American nation is a pioneer of ecotourism – over a quarter of the country is now protected as national parks, marine reserves and conservation sanctuaries – and a favourite destination for those seeking high-drama, low-impact trips. With more direct flights connecting the capital San José with the UK and US, big brand hotels are landing at easy-to-reach Papagayo, gateway to the Nicoya Peninsula. A revamp at Four Seasons Peninsula Papagayo has just been completed, while nearby the new Six Senses Papagayo, Guanacaste will be launching in 2024, and Waldorf Astoria Guanacaste launching in early 2025, with more in the works. Meanwhile, at the remote tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, the salt-sprayed beach town of Santa Teresa is the go-to spot for surfers and yogis, and the barefoot nomads who follow in their wake. At the moment they stay in a clutch of independent guesthouses, where dawn kundalini sessions are mixed with beach clean-ups and surf lessons. In March 2024, equally progressive hotel group Habitas will land on these Pacific shores, with its plastic-free policies, farm-to-table restaurant and meditation classes. Go now, before everyone else gets there. 

A&K expert insight

"Eco-conscious travellers are flocking to Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula in 2024, quadrupling bookings as more seek sustainability-minded holidays. With its rich biodiversity, regenerative resorts and community tourism, Nicoya delivers an inspired escape aligned with today's conscious values."

How to do it the A&K way

As well as wildlife encounters, A&K can arrange exclusive cultural experiences with one of Costa Rica's last remaining indigenous communities, such as the Bribri people. A&K can also arrange tailor-made holidays to the Nicoya Peninsula and further afield, including our newest 11-night Sustainable Costa Rica journey, which takes in Manuel Antonio and the Osa Peninsula, and includes three nights at luxury eco-lodge Hacienda AltaGracia. From £13,795pp including flights, transfers and guiding (abercrombiekent.co.uk; 03301 623087)

17  Morocco

The travel world was shaken after September’s earthquake in the High Atlas Mountains, its effects felt even in Marrakech’s Medina – but within days the country had pulled itself up by the bootstraps to welcome visitors again. The best way to support Morocco’s ongoing recovery is to visit, and there are plenty of fresh reasons to go in 2024. In Marrakech itself, the tremors didn’t stop a bubbling seam of exciting openings: architectural Maison Brummell Majorelle near the city’s famous botanical garden, riad Rosemary from artist Laurence Leenaert, equally art-filled bolthole IZZA, blissed-out Farasha Farmhouse deep in an olive grove on the city’s fringes – as well as all-female-chef restaurant Sahbi Sahbi and hip nightspot Petanque Social Club. The bohemian outpost of Tangier, too, is thrumming with fresh energy and new places to stay, from Jasper Conran (Villa Mabrouka) and El Fenn’s ex-GM William Smit (Villa Augustine) – don’t miss the locally run art galleries and North Africa’s first arthouse cinema either. Meanwhile in the south, kasbah hideaway Dar Ahlam’s hotelier extraordinaire Thierry Teyssier has created a new 1,000km journey, The Memory Road, which takes travellers on a little-visited route from the Atlantic Coast to the sand dunes of the Sahara. Resilient Morocco is still at its thrillingly creative best.

18  Masai Mara, Kenya 

In 2024, we look towards the place where it all began for Abercrombie & Kent: Kenya. Our founder Geoffrey Kent brought about the inspiration for the film The Lion King when he hosted DreamWorks cofounder Jeffrey Katzenberg on safari in the Masai Mara spot now known as Pride Rock – and with 2024 marking the 30th anniversary of The Lion King, we predict a renewed interest to the region as a new generation is inspired to witness Kenya’s landscapes and wildlife for themselves.

A&K expert insight

"Kenya is perfect for two key trends we’re seeing: ’Edventure’ and Skip-Gen travel. We recently booked a skip-gen safari for 4 grandparents and 15 grandkids aged 8-19. Our new Mobile Tented Camp allowed us to custom-make an entirely bespoke journey that flows seamlessly between iconic destinations like Pride Rock and the Mara.”

How to do it the A&K way

Our new exclusive-use Mobile Tented Camp puts guests centre-stage in the film’s real-life landscapes in the Masai Mara and Ol Pejeta Conservancy. For the full widescreen Technicolor experience, we can arrange helicopter flights to Hell’s Gate National Park in the Rift Valley to see the towering rock piles that inspired Pride Rock, and set up an open-air bush cinema under the stars to view The Lion King in your own private screening. (abercrombiekent.co.uk; 03301 623087)

19  Siwa, Egypt 

When the world opened up after the pandemic, Egypt was top of the list for wanderlust-starved travellers. For history, mystery and sheer awe, there is nowhere like it. A private traditional dahabiya charter like A&K’s Sanctuary Zein Nile Chateau is the shortcut back to that rare all-to-yourself experience – with an onboard Egyptologist to whisper stories of pharaohs and gods as you walk the 3,000-year-old, but recently-restored, Avenue of the Sphinxes or marvel at the Temple of Horus at Edfu. There have been whispers too that 2024 could be the year that the Grand Egyptian Museum at Giza finally opens its doors, a momentous new home for all Tutankhamun’s treasures and several hundred thousand other antiquities (although there are limited private tours until then). But the real destination to watch is the desert oasis of Siwa. After years of being off-limits, it is reclaiming its crown as Egypt’s most beguiling place to visit, home to extraordinary, candle-lit eco-lodge Adrère Amellal on the edge of the salt lake. This is every traveller’s holy grail.

20  Mt Kilimanjaro, Tanzania 

Scientists predict that the glaciers at the top of Africa’s highest peak could disappear within the next two decades. Time is sadly running out to see Mount Kilimanjaro’s famous icefields and once-massive Furtwängler Glacier while trekking up the snow-capped volcano to its 5,895m peak. Abercrombie & Kent are the experts in taking would-be climbers up in style, and with an unheard-of 97% success rate owing to its expert guides with decades of experience who know intimately every trekking route, and can always choose the best route up the mountain, allowing time to acclimatise to the altitude during the seven-day climb, and monitoring climbers’ daily performance, pace and health levels.

The real difference, though? The glamping, with fresh food, stand-up tents, and proper mattresses – after a tiring scramble up the Barranco Wall you’ll be thankful for them; and the highest porter-to-guest ratio on the mountain ensures the team are comfortable too. A breathtaking, go-now adventure.

A&K expert insight

“We have seen a 50% increase in Kilimanjaro climb requests, both on our private climbs and our small-group journeys, with our guests looking to summit Africa’s highest mountain before the ice fields melt, accompanied by experienced guides and in the most comfortable way possible.”

How to do it the A&K way

A&K’s 9-night Kilimanjaro - The Machame Route, including 7 nights on the mountain, costs from £6,165pp including flights, transfers and guiding (abercrombiekent.co.uk; 03301 623087). Can’t climb it? Take a scenic flight around Kilimanjaro on an A&K safari in Tanzania or Kenya.

Australasia

21  South Australia

Kangaroo Island – Australia’s answer to the Galápagos – was wiped out by bushfires in 2019, destroying wildlife, burning habitats and razing to the ground its pioneering luxury eco-hotel, Southern Ocean Lodge. In December the much-loved lodge emerges from the ashes, the culmination of a miraculous nature recovery programme on the island. South Australia is as vast as it is varied: from ocean to outback; from up-close wildlife experiences and exciting wine regions (world-class Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale; emerging Adelaide Hills), to wild coastal peninsulas and a roster of brilliant art and food festivals. October’s Australian Voice referendum further highlighted the importance of connecting with the country’s indigenous communities too. Out in the outback of the Flinders Ranges learn about the area’s immense cultural significance to the Adnyamathanha people at Ikara – The Meeting Place, a public art space that shares their story, and explore ancient engravings at Arkaroo Rock. This is an incredible immersion in the best of Australia.

A&K insight

“In 2024, South Australia emerges as the new frontier for repeat explorers of Australia, and for those wishing to extend their trip and discover less-obvious parts of the country. As Australia was one of the last places to open to British travellers after the pandemic, we have witnessed a rise in travellers returning to visit friends and family, then staying for longer to explore the country in more depth and experience new parts of Australia they haven’t visited before – on average guests are staying 25% longer than pre pandemic.” 

How to do it the A&K way

A&K’s 16-night Classic Australia journey, which travels across Australia, including Sydney, the Red Centre, and includes 3 nights at Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island. From £16,300pp including flights, transfers and guiding (abercrombiekent.co.uk; 03301 623087)

Polar

22 The North Pole

An off-the-grid alternative to all the Antarctic cruises nosing across the Drake Passage, join Abercrombie & Kent’s North Pole Expedition Cruise on its inaugural voyage to the top of the world. When it departs from Longyearbyen in Svalbard this July, eco-friendly icebreaker Le Commandant Charcot, the world's first luxury hybrid electric polar ship, will venture far beyond the point that other Arctic cruises usually go, charting a course ever-northwards into seldom-seen sea ice to the geographic North Pole. Onboard, a team of at least 18 experts ranges from historians to naturalists and Polar experts with up to 30 years’ experience in their field. Watch as the ship cuts through the marginal ice zone, spotting blue, rorqual and beluga whales, polar bears and high arctic gulls in the white vastness. Venture off board to hike over the ice, kayak through open leads or take an invigorating polar plunge. It’s the ultimate unexplored frontier.

A&K expert insight

“Luxury expedition cruising emerges as one of the biggest trends in cruising for 2024. It has enjoyed dramatic growth over the past 10 years, from approximately 70,000 passengers in 2012 to over 350,000 in 2022 and we foresee a further 25% growth by 2027 as travellers increasingly look to fulfil their wish lists, with extraordinary experiences increasingly more desirable than luxury goods. Abercrombie & Kent’s Luxury Expedition Cruises continue to raise the bar with a team of seasoned experts on every voyage, exceptional food and drink, and elegant suites.” 

How to do it the A&K way

A&K's 14-night Arctic Cruise Adventure aboard Le Lyrial departs from Oslo in July 2025, priced from £19,105 per person all-inclusive, including charter flights, all meals, drinks and shore excursions. Special offers available (abercrombiekent.co.uk; 03301 623087)