Travel Briefs

June 2016 issue

Kanjing Temple, China

Visitors to the Longmen Grottoes near the city of Luoyang in Henan Province, eastern-central China, now can enter Kanjing Temple, which opened to the public on March 10. 

Kanjing Temple, carved into a limestone cliff more than 1,000 years ago, contains 29 life-sized sculptures of Buddhist monks, now protected behind glass. Since 1953, the public has rarely been allowed into the temple for fear of damage to the artifacts.

The Longmen Grottoes, situated along the Yi River, contain more than 2,300 niches, 2,800 stelae and 100,000 statues carved by Buddhist monks between AD...

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September 2016 issue

Breakfast at Angkor Wat

Guests at Anan­tara Angkor Resort (National Road no. 6, Khum Svay Dangkom, Siem Reap, Cambodia; phone +855 63 966 788, angkor.anantara.com) can book a guided dawn tour of Angkor Wat Archaeological Park followed by breakfast at a secluded temple. Guests are then free to explore the complex, with its ninth- to 15th-century temples, the rest of the day.

The “Breakfast at Angkor” excursion costs $135 for two people and can only be booked at the hotel after check-in. The cost for a double room at the resort ranges from $170 to $422 per night.

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May 2016 issue

Tempurung Cave, Malaysia

The largest cave system in peninsular Malaysia, Gua Tempurung (Tempurung Cave), is 4.5 kilometers long, with 1.9 km (1.18 miles) open to visitors. It features five massive domed ceilings, an underground river and stalactite and stalagmite formations. 

There are four tours of escalating difficulty. Every half hour, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., the easiest tour, “Golden Flowstone,” takes about 40 minutes on a concrete path (MYR20 [near $5] adult/MYR10 senior). Every half hour, 9-11 a.m., the most strenuous tour, the 3½-hour “Grand Tour,” takes spelunkers on a 3.8...

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December 2015 issue

Cave zip-lining in Wales

Under the Snowdonia Mountains, the world’s longest underground zip-line (and deepest) was opened at Conwy Falls, North Wales, in March 2015 by Go Below Underground Adventures (Snowdonia, Wales, UK; phone +44 1690 710108, www.go-below.co.uk/default.asp).

Of three difficulty levels of treks, the easiest, “Go Below Challenge,” which takes an average of five hours, involves a short drive and hike from base camp (at the junction of the A5 and route B4406) to the mine, an underground boat ride, a zip-line, abseiling, a candle-lit lunch, a waterfall climb and an airshaft climb to the exit...

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October 2016 issue

No beach dibs in Italy

In many coastal cities in Italy, it is now illegal to reserve a spot on a beach with a beach chair, towel, umbrella or any other object before the beach opens. 

The Italian Coast Guard has been tasked with collecting any objects left to reserve spots on a beach before it officially opens. Owners claiming their confiscated items can each face a fine of up to €200 (near $224).

Starting on Feb. 1, 2017, the costs of visitor passes to the ancient Hindu and Buddhist temple complex of Angkor Wat in Cambodia will rise. A one-day pass, costing $20 at press time, will cost $...

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September 2016 issue

London museum overnight

Overnight stays at London’s Natural History Museum (Cromwell Road, London, England; phone +44 20 7942 5000, www.nhm. ac.uk) are scheduled periodically throughout the year.

For adults over 18, “Dino Snores for Grown-ups” (£180, near $238, each) includes a night of museum exploration, live music, an all-night movie marathon, dinner and break- fast. With “Dino Snores for Kids” (£60), children age 7 to 11, accompanied by an adult, get to explore the museum and take part in educational activities and have a cold breakfast.

For tickets,...

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December 2016 issue

Cuban import limits lifted

On Nov. 14, the Obama administration lifted, by executive order, the import limit of $400 on Cuban goods as well as the $100 limit on importing Cuban cigars or alcohol. Travelers now may bring into the US, for personal use, any amount of cigars or alcohol, so long as they declare it at Customs and pay any import taxes. As with bringing items from other countries, the first $800 worth of imported goods is duty-free, with rising tariffs imposed on each additional $1,000 in goods. In addition, individual US states have varying limits on importing alcohol.Because the US embargo on Cuba...

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April 2016 issue

Cinque Terre hiker limits

Starting in summer of 2016, the Italian government will limit the numbers of visitors allowed on the pathways between the Cinque Terre villages, located on the Riviera in northwestern Italy. The total number of visitors allowed in 2016 will be 1.5 million. (Roughly 2.5 million people visited the Cinque Terre region in 2015.) Anyone wanting to walk the Cinque Terre pathways must purchase a Cinque Terre Card for €6 (near $7) for one day or €9.70 for two days. A Cinque Terre Treno card gives the holder unlimited on/off privileges on trains traveling between the villages; Treno cards cost €12...

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