Weekly travel reads: A journey through the jewels of Uzbekistan

[The Travel Wire #85] Where Sicily faces Africa, inside North Macedonia, the Banyo crossing, and more travel reads.

Travel reads

• A journey through the jewels of Uzbekistan – how the Central Asian country is revealing itself to tourists [Independent]
“Inspired by the words of Milton and Keats, Geordie Greig sets off along the Silk Road to explore the enchanting cities, rich culture and warm hospitality of a country that effortlessly blends the modern and ancient.”

• Trapani, where Sicily faces Africa [Lilawrites]

• Inside North Macedonia: Europe’s most unexpected reinvention [Escape Artist]
“How one of Europe’s least explored countries is shaping its story through history, politics, and a capital city that refuses to be ignored.”

• The lie I believed about travel [Never Quite a Local]
“(And what finally replaced it)”

• Steep learning curve on the Banyo crossing [Trailing Ivy]
“This border is the biggest sticking point on the West Africa overland route. There are only two options – joining a military convoy to take you through a conflict zone in southwest Cameroon, or taking a much longer northern route in Nigeria then traversing the mountains via a 130km off-road track to the Cameroonian town of Banyo.”

• My Appalachian Trail adventure [Tynan]

• The lows and (high) peaks of Hajla [World Stories, Told My Way]
“Hiking through Kosovo’s Accursed Mountains.”

• Madrid locals are fighting to preserve the city’s soul (archive) [Bloomberg]
“As the city morphs into a luxury tourist destination, struggling small businesses are pushing to retain the character that drew many tourists in the first place.”

• The Amazonian “Trifecta Challenge” [Nomadic Backpacker]
“The “Trifecta Challenge” in the Amazon refers to the popular travel goal of visiting three countries—Colombia, Brazil, and Peru—in a single day.”

• The least-visited country on Earth is a quiet paradise (archive) [Traveller]
“A recent survey from the World Tourism Organisation officially named Kiribati – “Kiribas” to its residents – as the least-visited country on Earth. How little visited, you ask? Of the already meagre 9504 visitors recorded in 2024, less than a third were international tourists.”

• The roadsides and royals of Kampala [The Weekly Anthropocene]

• Hetou: The Chinese village I’ve been visiting for 13 years [Ming Khor]