Kosmos

From Mount Kilimanjaro to Machu Picchu – draw trekking fans from around the world. Try these alternatives if you’d rather not end up being just another face in the crowd.

this way, not the highway

With thousands making for the Mount Everest base camp every year, the route is now often referred to as the “Everest Highway.” The nearby Gokyo Valley trek is a road far less traveled.

inca ruins for loners

Only 5000 hikers make the trek to the fascinating Inca ruins of Choquequirao in a year, while the ruins of Machu Picchu, some 30 kilometers away, receive 2500 visitors every day.

second-highest is still high

Every year, 50 000 people climb Mount ­Kilimanjaro (roughly 5900 meters high) – without mountaineering skills. Mount Kenya is just as accessible, nearly as high and far less crowded.

Google, the Smart car, the iMac, Hong Kong International Airport and the cult film The Big Lebowski all turn 20 this year. Flying high in the charts in 1998: “Pretty Fly (For a White Guy” by The Offspring, “Frozen” by Madonna and “Big Big World” by Emilia.

Before they conquered Beijing in 1644, the rulers of the Qing dynasty had already created a miniature version of the Forbidden City in the country’s northeast. Although twelve times smaller, its inimitable design com­bined elements from Manchuria, Mongolia and China. In addition, the buildings that make up the Shenyang Imperial Palace, now a museum, are based on nomads’ yurts.

en.sypm.org.cn

In the past ten years, the number of visitors to Frankfurt has increased by 68 percent. In October, even more people will be arriving for the Frankfurt Book Fair. So it’s a good idea to plan ahead for your visit to this lively city: As the name suggests, the Hyatt Place Frankfurt Airport is just minutes from the airport. Its casual atmosphere makes it perfect for leaf­ing through those books you just bought.

frankfurtairport.place.hyatt.com