The big event
Go fly a kite? Don’t mind if we do—at the International Kite Festival, January 6-14, in Ahmedabad, India. Fancy flyers, from long-tailed dragons to eerie aliens, draw global kite experts and superfans.
New book to read
Mudlarking is more than simply scavenging for historic objects on a river’s foreshore. It can be a meditative act in which looking is as enjoyable as finding, writes Lara Maiklem in Mudlark. Travelers can try London mudlarking with tours led by Thames Explorer Trust and others.
Best wildlife sighting
It’s nesting time for Magellanic penguins. The monogamous pairs and their chicks can be seen in colonies along the coasts of the Falkland Islands (above), as well as Argentina and southern Chile.
National park finder
Lush rainforests, soft sand beaches, and tiny thimble jellyfish (above) are just some of the treasures in the National Park of American Samoa, the only U.S. national park south of the Equator. Its far-flung location, about 2,600 miles southwest of Hawaii, means that travelers hike, snorkel, scuba dive, and explore Samoan culture with few crowds.
