This new, sixth edition of Bradt's Iran continues to provide the most detailed background, history and cultural information available when visiting this 'Jewel of Central Asia'. Thoroughly reviewed to provide all the latest information, including security and language, this new edition includes expanded information on travel to western Iran, namely Khorasan Province, which remains largely unexplored, with an emphasis on the uniqueness of Iranian cultural heritage combined with stunning landscapes. Also new are maps of Sadosaltaheh Caravanserai, Tabriz, Kerman and Shiraz and Tehran city centres. Travel through Iranian Kurdistan is also included, as are hiking in the Alborz and Zagros Mountains and expanded practical information for independent travellers. Food and arts, rugs and handicrafts are all covered, plus details of recommended Iranian movies. For outdoor enthusiasts, there are details of swimming, skiing, and desert and eco-tours.Expert authors give first-hand descriptions of attractions ranging from the exquisite mosques of Esfahan and the museums and palaces of Tehran to caravanserai, Nishapur, Qaleh Rudkhan and Kurdish villages on the Silk Road Trail. Up-to-date information on all the basics - hotels, restaurants, businesses and shops - help you to uncover the mysteries of ancient Persepolis, to enjoy a soak and scrub in a local hamam, or to pick up a pair of giveh slippers or a Persian rug in Kirman's baazar.This edition has been updated once again by Middle East expert Maria Oleynik, who is fluent in ten languages, including Persian and Arabic, and who is currently undertaking a degree in Middle Eastern Language (Persian) and Society.
New from Bradt is the first ever, standalone English-language guide to Hokkaido, Japan's second-largest island and northernmost prefecture. Home to under 5% of the country's population, this is a land of vast, wild expanses that demands exploration at any time of year - and feels a world away from Tokyo.
Penned by an outdoors-loving travel writer resident in Japan, Bradt's Hokkaido delves far deeper into this frontier land than country-wide guidebooks can possibly do. Author Tom Fay provides detailed coverage of the island's history, unique wildlife, local food, the Ainu (indigenous people), outdoor activities, skiing logistics, hiking courses and the practicalities of visiting in winter, when deep snow carpets the ground and the sea turns to ice.
Hokkaido's varied landscapes include remote mountain ranges, fertile lowland plains, sweeping forests and enormous wetlands home to rare birds and other wildlife. Even for the Japanese, Hokkaido has a somewhat wild and exotic aura - place names have distinct Ainu origins and the capital Sapporo is closer to Russia's Vladivostok than to Tokyo, while the Siberia-influenced climate and wide open spaces are unlike anything found in the rest of Japan.
Hokkaido's mild summers are ideal for sightseeing, cycling, camping and hiking. Why not climb the island's highest mountain in Daisetsuzan National Park - an untouched wilderness of simmering volcanoes and stunning nature - or marvel at colourful fields of flowers around Furano and Biei? In winter, you can go to snow festivals, walk on sea ice (or board an icebreaker) to explore the Sea of Okhotsk, watch flocks of sea eagles or track brown bears in Shiretoko National Park, or head to popular ski resorts such as Niseko where the huge dumps of perfect powder snow attract skiers and snowboarders from around the world.
Throw in hot springs (and ryokan hot-spring inns), active volcanoes, speciality seafood and quirky foodstuffs such as chocolate-covered chips, excellent transport links and renowned Japanese hospitality, and Hokkaido is a thrilling and varied off-the-beaten-path travel destination. Bradt's Hokkaido is instantly the essential companion.
This 8th edition of Bradt's Ghana remains the only dedicated guidebook on the market and the most comprehensive source of travel information on the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to gain independence and the world's second-largest producer of chocolate. Covering everything from Ghana's 550km of Atlantic coastline to its remote and sparsely populated northern border with Burkina Faso, this new edition has been thoroughly updated and is an ideal companion no matter what your interests are. Written by Philip Briggs, arguably the world's most experienced guidebook writer, it covers everything from inexpensive opportunities to see wildlife to cultural and historical aspects such as the slave trading posts.
Background, practical and health information are complemented by a dedicated, illustrated chapter on wildlife, 63 maps and 18 chapters split across five regional sections, from Accra and surrounds to the coast, through eastern and central Ghana, right up to the north. The popular Cape Coast and the Ashanti regions are both covered, as is the increasingly high-profile Chale Wote Street Art festival.
Friendly, safe and inexpensive, Ghana is an ideal destination for first-time visitors to Africa. It is rich in little-visited national parks, forest reserves, cultural sites and scenic waterfalls and blessed with bleached white beaches and the lush rainforest of the Atlantic coastline. Bradt's Ghana is accompanied by a dedicated, updated website run by the author himself and caters for everyone from birdwatchers to bar-hoppers. Whether you want to cruise the world's largest man-made reservoir, Lake Volta, on a pokey old steamer, hike with elephants in Mole National Park, or party all night in Accra's glittering Osu district, Bradt's Ghana is an indispensable companion.
Bradt's Paddling France is the first practical guidebook to explore the whole country by SUP (stand-up paddleboard), canoe and kayak - waterborne activities enjoying a popularity boom. Experienced paddleboarder, travel writer and local resident Anna Richards has toured the country's rivers, lakes and coasts to handpick 40 outstanding itineraries for water-based exploration that suit all abilities from novice to expert, enabling readers to experience Metropolitan France as never before!
Suggested routes extend from Brittany to the Spanish and Italian borders, and encompass some of France's best-known tourist attractions - from the chateaux of the Loire Valley and Mont Saint-Michel to the Pont du Gard and Dune du Pilat - as well as less familiar destinations such as Der-Chantecoq Lake, Txingudi Bay and the Glenan Islands. Itineraries occupy dramatically varied landscapes: choose between paddling past coastal cliffs, small islands and steepling gorges, across twinkling lakes and down sparkling rivers, through wine regions, and even around urban surprises such as Lille's five-point citadelle.
Compared to the UK, paddleboarding is in its infancy in France, but hundreds of paddleboard clubs have opened in recent years. Join its members in experiencing a new take on France. Enjoy spectacular views of some of the country's grandest chateaux; spot seals, beavers and griffon vultures from the water; and choose between paddling a lake in a red landscape that will make you feel you have landed on Mars, or gawping upwards at chalky-white cliff arches.
Whatever your level of confidence on the waterways, there are suggestions for you: from free paddles without a fixed route, to short routes and routes taking a full day. Routes are marked on maps and illustrated by photos, and complemented by cultural, historical and geographical titbits. Accompanying information and advice is geared towards the independent traveller, covering travel logistics, equipment rental, accommodation options and food, plus handy vocabulary and need-to-know sections.
Building on the intense commercial and critical success of Bradt's Paddling Britain, this brand-new guidebook to Paddling France is a unique almanac that equips any watersports enthusiast travelling to or around France with all the practical knowledge necessary to plan their adventure.
For the UK.
This new tenth edition of Bradt's Zanzibar, Pemba and Mafia remains the most in-depth guide available to these exotic and alluring islands. Thoroughly updated following extensive on-the-ground research, accommodation listings are near comprehensive, with over 300 properties spanning all budget levels featured, many newly built and the vast majority not featured in other guides. Bradt's Zanzibar also offers for more detailed coverage of the islands' cultural, historic and environmental status than other guides, and the authors make a point of featuring more ethically- minded hotels, tour operators and activities, from fair- trade shopping opportunities to marine awareness guidelines. All maps have been accurately updated with every property, major attraction, eatery and road recorded using GPS. No other guidebook provides this level of guidance.
Zanzibar, Pemba and Mafia have become increasingly accessible dream destinations. All offer some wonderful beach resorts catering to most styles and budgets, but they also offer superb diving and snorkelling, while Swahili-related cultural highlights range from the history-steeped alleys of Zanzibar Stone Town to a scattering of evocative ruins spanning several centuries, and the more low-key fishing villages that line the coast.
Bradt's Zanzibar is the most frequently updated book on the islands: the authors are personally known in the region for their face-to-face research methods and this is the book of choice for hoteliers and expatriate workers/residents on Zanzibar. The guide also includes a dedicated section on southern Tanzanian safaris in the Selous/Nyerere and Ruaha National Parks, making this the ideal choice for a bush and beach combination.
This new, thoroughly updated sixth edition of Bradt's Faroe Islands remains the only English-language guide to this isolated, unspoiled Nordic archipelago, home to Tórshavn (the world's smallest capital). There are twice as many sheep as people - meaning that it's still possible to discover a way of life that is fast disappearing elsewhere in Europe, a place where sheep were fitted with cameras to help film for Google Streetview (locally dubbed Google 'Sheepview').
Visiting the Faroes is a chance to experience nature in the raw. Its breathtaking landscapes never fail to inspire, from the highest sea cliffs in Europe at Enniberg on the island of Viðoy to the dramatic seascapes at Akraberg, the southernmost point of the Faroes. Also included are details of how to reach even the remotest corners by bus using a travel card, information on falling seabird numbers in the North Atlantic, and details of where to go sea angling, sea kayaking, birdwatching and horseriding.
Written by expert author James Proctor, who has been visiting the Faroes since 1992, this guidebook offers detailed information about all 18 islands (including Mykines, whose year-round population is barely in double figures). Within the islands themselves, Bradt's Faroe Islands is recognised as the definitive source of information about the Faroes in the English language - and is widely respected as such. There's hands-on advice about where to stay and eat, how to get around - be it by local ferry, helicopter or your own hire car - and what to see and do. This latest edition includes all the most recent developments (including improvements in air, ferry and road travel - the latter including the world's only subsea roundabout - and an expansion in sea-kayaking opportunities) and provides all the information needed for a successful trip, with updated reviews of accommodation (plus Tórshavn's classy new hotels), eating and drinking options.
Whether you're visiting for the amazing birdlife, to walk some of Europe's least-known hiking trails or simply to sample real village life among the turf-roofed houses painted in a mêlée of reds, yellows and blues, Bradt's Faroe Islands is the perfect companion.
New from Bradt, Greenland is the first standalone travel guidebook to the country from a mainstream publisher. Targeted at independent travellers, but equally serving those visiting on organised tours or cruises, this guide combines essential information - such as getting around on an island lacking roads connecting the major settlements - with advice on what to see and do, and where to stay and eat. Every chapter is infused with Greenland's remarkable combination of pristine nature and traditional culture, which sets it apart from Arctic neighbours - and which makes a trip so rewarding.
The world's twelfth-largest country, but also part of the Kingdom of Denmark, Greenland sits near the top of the world, a vast expanse of white in a planet full of green, blue and brown. Today's visitors relish opportunities for close encounters with immense icebergs and glaciers. The epic scenery provides the backdrop to the numerous activities on offer - from visiting the world's second-largest ice sheet or taking to the sea in search of thirteen species of whale, and from hiking the 165-km-long Arctic Circle Trail to seeking out polar bears, musk oxen and walruses.
Greenland in winter is another world, the endless night brightened by the mesmerising northern lights. It remains a snowy paradise until spring - the best time to travel by dog sled or snowmobile across the frozen tundra. To relax afterwards, why not close your trip with a few days of nature-inspired art, eclectic culture and fine dining in the diminutive capital, Nuuk?
Greenland has always been a destination for pioneering explorers, be they the Inuit who arrived from the west, the Norsemen who came from the east or mariners seeking the Northwest Passage. Part of the attraction for today's visitors is to experience an element of the challenges they faced. Although travel within Greenland can be tricky given limited infrastructure and often adverse weather conditions, it can also be a remarkably easy place in which to travel, with the right planning, a flexible attitude and the right advice - which is precisely where Bradt's Greenland comes in. Let it be your guide to a truly staggering country.
