South Africa

A coming-together of cultures, cuisines and landscapes, there's nowhere quite like Cape Town, a singularly beautiful city crowned by the magnificent Table Mountain National Park.

South Africa

The splendours of the Western Cape lie not only in its world-class vineyards, stunning beaches and mountains, but also in lesser-known regions, such as the wide-open spaces of the Karoo, the many nature reserves and the wilderness areas. Make sure you get out into these wild, less-visited areas for birdwatching and wildlife adventure, as well as pure relaxation under vast skies.

Massachusetts

Quaint fishing villages, kitschy tourist traps and genteel towns – the Cape has many faces. Each attracts a different crowd. Families seeking calm waters perfect for little tykes favor Cape Cod Bay on the peninsula's quieter north side. College students looking to play hard in the day and let loose after the sun goes down set out for Falmouth or Wellfleet. Provincetown is a paradise for art lovers, whale-watchers, LGBTIQ+ travelers and…well, just about everyone.

Canada

Rugged, wooded and genuinely wild, the northwestern region of Nova Scotia almost feels like a province apart. Famous for its circuitous coastal road, the 297km-long Cabot Trail, which dips and dives round the edge of Cape Breton Highlands National Park, it's a dream destination for road-trippers, and figures pretty high on everyone's must-see list – so expect traffic jams aplenty in summer. The best time to visit is in fall, when the area's roads are quieter and the forests light up with color.

Ghana

Forever haunted by the colonial horrors of the past, Cape Coast is one of Africa's most culturally significant spots. This former European colonial capital, originally named Cabo Corso by the Portuguese, was once the largest centre for the trade of enslaved people in West Africa. At the height of the trade it received trafficked people from locations as far away as Niger and Burkina Faso, and enslaved people were kept locked up in the bowels of Cape Coast's imposing castle. At the shoreline, these enslaved people were herded onto vessels like cattle, irrevocably altering the lives of generations to come.

Cape Town

Sea Point blends into ritzier Bantry Bay and Fresnaye before culminating in the prime real estate of Clifton and Camps Bay, where white modernist villas climb the slopes above golden beaches. South of here, the stunning coast road passes beneath the Twelve Apostles range, and urban development is largely curtailed by Table Mountain National Park until you reach delightful Hout Bay. This harbor town has good access to both the city and, via Constantia Nek pass, the vineyards of Constantia.