World Travel Guide

Aspen is one of the world's best-known resorts, boasting four ski areas, three separate resort developments and a glitzy reputation.

The famous ski town was a busy 19th-century silver mining district 130 years ago. Today you can stay in the original town of Aspen, or at the ever-expanding Snowmass resort 20km (12 miles) away, which recently completed a multi-billion dollar redevelopment, or at the third and smallest resort, Aspen Highlands.

The main resort of Aspen town has several faces. It has become synonymous with excess, being home to some of the world's most opulent and expensive properties, as well as a local airport full of private jets. On the other hand it has a reputation for liberal policies which seems at odds with the first - the resort famously banned fur coats at one time, and currently the Aspen Skiing Company is a leading campaigner against climate change (while simultaneously encouraging increased use of the local airport).




Snowmass is very much like a ‘normal’ ski resort, and a very good one following the huge investment in improvements recently. It also has the largest of Aspen’s four ski areas.

However, most visitors have little interest in these issues and just enjoy the superb skiing, which includes the biggest lift-served vertical in the USA, and a buzzing nightlife.


Read more: http://www.worldtravelguide.net/ski/aspen#ixzz18LPgR6Uy

Outstandingly dramatic, Botswana encompasses striking salt pans, diamond-rich deserts and fertile flood plains which teem with game. The north, in particular, offers superb wildlife-watching opportunities, making this one of southern Africa's top safari destinations.

A sizable proportion of the country - over 40% - is given over to national parks, reserves and private concessions, where tourists crane their necks out of jeeps to check out the roving animals. But Botswana's policy of favoring low-impact luxury tourism ensures that even the most famous game-viewing areas rarely feel crowded.

The jewel in Botswana's crown is, without a doubt, the Okavango Delta - the largest inland delta in the world. Its seasonal lagoons and waterways are crammed with hovering birds, while zebras and giraffes amble across vast grass flats. Northeast of here is Chobe National Park, home to gigantic elephant herds, some of them 400-strong.




Botswana is one of Africa's success stories. Since gaining independence in 1966, it has achieved steady economic growth through successful exploitation of its agricultural potential and its enviable diamond reserves. It has not escaped controversy - the HIV/AIDS pandemic and alleged maltreatment of the Kalahari Bushmen have caused international concern - but it remains a peaceful and stable nation of remarkable natural beauty.


Read more: http://www.worldtravelguide.net/botswana#ixzz18H21ASqN

From Christmas markets to New Year's Eve celebrations, check out what is happening around the country with VisitBritain's guide to the top events this December.

Westonbirt Spectacular Enchanted Christmas, 26 November-19 December

Take an enchanted trip to the UK’s most important collection of native and exotic trees this Christmas and see Westonbirt’s majestic specimens ablaze with festive colour. From 26 November to 19 December, Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings at Westonbirt Arboretum will feature the Illuminated Trail.

Nos Galan Races 2010, 31 December

The Nos Galan Races commemorate the Welsh runner Guto Nyth Bran and his legendary athletic prowess. Held annually on New Year’s Eve in Mountain Ash, in the Cynon Valley, South Wales, the Races follow a 5km route around the town. There are competitions for boys and girls, a fun run for adults and an elite race for the more serious athletes. Each year a mystery runner competes; past competitors have included Iwan Thomas and Linford Christie.

Great Little Trains of Wales – Santa Trains

The Great Little Trains of Wales are a very special way of seeing some of the most dramatic scenery in the British Isles. All are narrow gauge steam railways and some have a history spanning well over 100 years. All of them are charming old-time steam trains with plenty of polished paintwork and brass.

At Christmas these beautiful railways are extra special. Seven of the ten train lines are running special Santa Trains. Join the fun on the Welsh Highland Railway where elves will pass through the train giving out presents to the children during the journey - with plenty of laughter and jokes along the way. Adults can enjoy a glass of sherry and a mince pie during the ride.

For full details, bookings and dates check the Great Little Trains of Wales website.

Ba' Games, Orkney, 25 December 2010 & 1 January 2011

Join the crowds in Orkney this Christmas and New Year's Day for mass rugby games known as Ba's. They’re played in the streets of Kirkwall each year, have few rules and can last all day! The Ba' begins on each day with separate events for men and boys.

For more information check the Ba Game website.

York Christmas Markets, 1-19 December

York hosts an international Christmas Market every day until late from 1-19 December as Parliament Street goes global for the International Christmas Fayre bringing you goods from across the globe. Tickle your taste-buds at the food court, where liveried chefs serve global flavours, or amble through the Christmas trees to find that special gift from far away. Open daily from 9am until late. And if you like things more local get along to the ‘Made In Yorkshire' craft market from 2-12 December on St Sampson's Square.

Hogmanay, 31 December

Wherever you go in the world you’ll find people celebrating New Year’s Eve, but nowhere (and trust us on this) will you find people celebrating it quite like they do in Scotland. They even have their own name for it! Across the country Scottish people bring in the New Year with different customs and traditions but always with a great party.

In Edinburgh, Hogmanay is marked by a four-day extravaganza beginning with a torchlight procession and ending with the Hogmanay Carnival on 2 January. In between there’s a huge street party under the castle, a concert in Prince’s Street Gardens with Biffy Clyro, K T Tunstall, The Coral, The Charlatans, Billy Bragg and Roddy Woomble appearing, and as the chimes ring out at midnight a thundering fireworks display will light up the city. There’s also a New Year’s Day run, poetry events and a mini film festival celebrating Edinburgh on film.

For full listings of Hogmanay events around Scotland, check out the VisitScotland website.

New Year’s Day Parade and Festival, 1 January 2011

Join London’s New Year’s Day Parade at 12 noon outside the Ritz Hotel on Piccadilly as 10,000 performers representing 20 countries world-wide assemble for this annual celebration of the New Year. More than half a million are expected to cram London's most famous streets to see the fantastic spectacular as it weaves its way along the two-mile route that takes in Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, Trafalgar Square and Westminster Abbey.

The parade is free to watch but if you’d rather have a seat, grandstand seating is available at Whitehall and Piccadilly. For more information and to buy tickets for the grandstand seats check the New Year’s Day Parade website.

Stonehaven Fireball Festival, 31 December

Join crowds from all over the world and head to Stonehaven, just south of Aberdeen, for the traditional Fireball Festival New Year celebration. The practice of parading through the streets swinging fireballs has been observed here since at least 1908 but it has its roots much earlier in Stonehaven’s past. Gasp as up to 60 people march up and down the High Street swinging giant, blazing fireballs weighing up to 20 pounds each!

Vail is one of the biggest ski resorts in the USA, and often voted one of the best in popularity polls. Built in the 1960s as a faux Austrian village for an upmarket clientele, Vail has broadened its appeal in recent years into a destination for everyone, while continuing to serve the well-heeled.

The traffic-free village which meanders along the slopes is mostly attractive, with smart hotels, shops and restaurants. It does have some of the most expensive lift tickets in the US if you buy in resort, but bargains are to be had by buying in advance online or through a tour operator.

There's a good choice of skiing, from the conventional pistes on the front face, to the big, open Back Bowls, to the pleasure of skiing through widely spaced trees in Blue Sky Basin.

The resort has tried to promote a greener agenda on its slopes and in its properties in recent years and has some solar panels on mountain restaurants and hybrid low-pollution buses.

Location:

Vail ski resort is located on I-70, two hours west of Denver, in Colorado's Rocky Mountains.

Read More
http://vail.snow.com