{"id":487415,"date":"2026-01-02T16:01:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T16:01:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/487415\/"},"modified":"2026-01-02T16:01:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T16:01:12","slug":"beat-the-winter-blues-with-these-restorative-escapes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/487415\/","title":{"rendered":"Beat the winter blues with these restorative escapes"},"content":{"rendered":"

This rustic driving route (also suitable for cycling and walking in some sections) links coastal communities offering hands-on cultural experiences, from tamale cooking classes to waterfall hikes. You can even try your hand at crushing sugar cane juice with a traditional wooden trapiche or master milking a cow. At its heart is the Fundaci\u00f3n Agua y Tierra<\/a>, dedicated to the protection and conservation of sea turtles, where travellers can observe the release of baby turtles into the Pacific. Stay at the environmentally sensitive and family-friendly Morillo Beach Resort<\/a>; troupes of howler monkeys swing through the surrounding jungle while English-speaking guides take you on rainforest hikes or give surfing lessons.<\/p>\n

Cairo, Egypt: See the city through women’s eyes<\/b>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Winter is Cairo at its most liveable, with mild days ideal for exploring both ancient wonders and everyday city life. \u00a0While the long-awaited Grand Egyptian Museum<\/a> is now open and drawing global attention, some of the capital’s most compelling stories are unfolding at street level. This is where a new generation of Egyptian women are paving the way for future female entrepreneurs in a nation with one of the widest gender gaps<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"GettyGetty ImagesCairo is in the global spotlight with the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, but the city has a wealth of other attractions for travellers (Credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Join a walking tour<\/a> with female-founded Bellies en-Route to meet some of the inspiring female cooks putting their stamp on Cairo’s culinary scene. Or book a guided meander with Asma Khattab, who founded Walk Like an Egyptian<\/a> to share her love for Egyptian heritage and craftmanship with travellers seeking a deeper connection to Egypt’s capital.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sharjah, UAE: Desert archaeology under winter stars<\/b>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

The emirate of Sharjah is carving out a niche in heritage tourism in a nation better known for excess, drawing travellers beyond Dubai into its red desert landscapes. Its newly Unesco-inscribed\u00a0Faya Palaeolandscape<\/a>\u00a0preserves evidence of human habitation stretching back more than 200,000 years, and is best visited during the milder winter months via Mleiha National Park<\/a>, which protects a significant portion of the landscape.<\/p>\n

Here, travellers can explore archaeological sites such as the Valley of the Caves, home to\u00a0Palaeolithic-era settlements; or\u00a0Fossil Rock, a rock formation embedded with ancient marine fossils.\u00a0There are also new\u00a0camping and glamping offerings\u00a0as well as easy access to stargazing experiences<\/a>. This winter’s highlights include the annual\u00a0Quadrantids meteor shower (peaking from 3-4 January 2026) and the next significant\u00a0total lunar eclipse (2-4 March 2026).\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Southland, New Zealand: A spectacular Great Walk without the crowds<\/b><\/p>\n

January and February are peak tramping season in Aotearoa\u00a0New Zealand. If you’re lucky, you might be able to snag a last-minute spot on the nation’s newest Great Walk, the Tuatapere Hump Ridge Track<\/a>. Immersing hikers in the otherworldly scenery of Fiordland National Park in the country’s isolated south-west, the 62km, three-day walk is also helping to revitalise the local economy<\/a> by spreading tourism to lesser-visited towns near the quieter southern reaches of the national park.<\/p>\n

The small agricultural town of Tuatapere also makes a relaxing base to explore the ice-carved fjords and valleys of the national park as well as the forests and fertile plains of the wider Southland region, far from the crowds flocking to Milford Sound and Queenstown further north.<\/p>\n

—\u00a0<\/p>\n

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