What's hot right now: February's top 10

An early start to climb Sigiriya Rock while it’s still cool and quiet pays off when you reach the 200m summit to see verdant plains stretching in every direction. Stop en route to admire elaborate frescoes and dramatic overhangs.

Enjoy a feast at one of Delhi’s many street stalls as you let the city’s colour and chaos wash over you. Sample fresh kathi rolls - flatbreads filled with either kebab meat or veg – and rich potato based curries.  Leave room for dessert too and indulge in kulfi, a super-sweet Indian ice cream made in a variety of flavours including cardamom, saffron and rose.

The cycle ride towards Cieza is something quite special, travelling on a quiet country road, surrounded by the immensity of the Llanos del Cagitán and vast expansive plains. The Pico del Almorchón mountain guides us as we approach the Sierra del Molino and the hilly terrain turns red, otherworldly, before we descend through a tunnel and appear 40 metres above the reservoir, across a deep canyon.

An authentic Jordanian experience is to queue up in a busy deli and try warm knafeh from the pan. This sugar-syrup soaked cheese dessert is gooey, delicious and worth every calorie. The warmth of the owners’ hospitality and the buzz and humdrum of locals’ animated conversations is something you’ll take away as much as the historic sites.

Take a slow afternoon drive along the tracks of the Addo Elephant National Park and stop to watch zebra, antelope and warthog. That moment you encounter a slow, dignified herd of elephant breaking through the bush is a spine-tingling one. Something about these majestic animals just stuns you to silence, your hairs standing on end.