Page 20 - Travel + Leisure India & South Asia (January 2020)

Undertourism

D IS C O V E RI E S

Ukraine is almost never on the top of
anyone’s bucket list. Everyone is either
DODGE THE BEACH CROWDS AT talking about how unsafe the country is,
LOMBOK, INDONESIA owing to the recent political upheaval,
Ditch the overcrowded islands of Indonesia and head or not talking about it at all. But there
to this lesser known one that offers isolated beaches, is at least one reason why it should be
friendly people, and tasty food. For avid trekkers, there is on your radar—Lviv. A perfect example
of undertourism, Lviv is the largest city
Gunung Rinjani, Indonesia’s second-highest volcano, which in Western Ukraine, located around 70
dominates Lombok’s topography. Party buffs can head to kilometres from the country’s border with
Gili Trawangan. It is known for beach parties, hostel bars, Poland. This UNESCO-listed city reminds
and beachside cocktail joints. Kuta, a town on the south coast one of Central European cities such as
of the island of Lombok, is known for its many beautiful Prague, minus the army of tourists.
Cafe-hopping, museum trails, and

beaches and surfing spots. The island also offers luxury architecture that blends Gothic, Baroque,
hotels like The Oberoi Beach Resort, Lombok (oberoihotels. Renaissance, and Classical styles—Lviv is
com) and Hotel Tugu Lombok (tuguhotels.com). as much a walker’s city as it is a cultural
lombok-tourism.com treasure trove. lviv.travel

DISCOVER KUÉLAP, OLDER AND HIGHER
THAN MACHU PICCHU IN PERU

Sometimes referred to as ‘Peru’s second Machu Picchu’,
Kuélap was once home to the Chachapoyas, also known
as the ‘warriors of the cloud forest’. Massive stone walls
and hundreds of ruins still stand tall at this dramatic Incan
site that is older than Machu Picchu, and higher. And while
almost 1.4 million people swarm Machu Picchu every year,
Kuélap, located on the slope of the Andes in northern
Peru, is by and large virginal. Recently, a cable car was CLOCKWISE: DAVID SOUTH/ALAMY; ALLTRAVEL/ALAMY; NIZAM ERGIL/GETTYIMAGES
installed to take tourists to the ruins located 3,000 metres
above sea level. The site resembles a fortress, and has
around 400 buildings that cover an area of almost 65,000
square metres. peru.travel

HANDPICKED SHOBA MOHAN FOUNDER, RARE INDIA
BY A LIST Bhopal: Two Unesco World Heritage Sites within driving distance, an extraordinary tribal art museum,
and a great cultural calendar.
Puducherry: Bustling culture of cafes and boutiques, and the world-famous international township of Auroville.

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