Six fascinating places you need to see before it's too late

COLOMBIA

Once synonymous with coffee, cocaine and murderous cartels, Colombia is now a firm favourite for travellers with a sense of adventure. Returning visitors are discovering a country of wild extremes, with a history tailor-made for Hollywood. In Cartagena, tiny balconies teetering above cobblestoned alleyways, outdoor cafes and a colour scheme borrowed from the Mediterranean evoke memories of its old-world origins. Along the Caribbean coast is a parade of sun-drenched splendours, while the island of Providencia is Colombia's Caribbean jewel, a paradise in the raw. In the interior the towering wall of the Cordillera Central is dominated by snow-covered volcanoes. Beyond the mountains the steamy region of Amazonia is home to primates, screaming birds, crocodiles and jaguars.

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BHUTAN

Set like a ramp between the plains north of the Brahmaputra River and the white peaks of the Himalayas, sandwiched between India and China, the last Himalayan Buddhist kingdom knows only too well the fragility of its culture. Despite its photogenic qualities – yak pastures, mountains, prayer flags everywhere, monasteries that cling to sheer precipices and a population that favours the dress for both men and women – Bhutan has largely escaped the attention of the outside world. It is only in the past few years that the "Land of the Thunder Dragon", as the locals know it, has opened the door to visitors and become a trophy destination, but the price of admission is several hundred dollars per day.

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MYANMAR

Basking in the warm glow of world approval in recent years, Myanmar is a heart-stealing place. Furnished with saffron-wearing Buddhist monks, river steamers, leg rowers, creaking ox carts, sparkly pagodas and temple cities that might have sprung from fairytales, Myanmar clings to a sepia-toned version of the exotic East that has almost disappeared from the rest of South-East Asia. The staples are Mandalay, Bagan, Inle Lake and the riverboat journey along the Irrawaddy, joined now by the Salween River, Kachin State, and the southern provinces, offering intoxicating possibilities for the travel connoisseur. With a tourism industry panting to keep pace with the number of arrivals, Burmese journeys are not without challenges but the rewards are rich and addictive.

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ICELAND

It's not cheap but the stampede of tourists heading for Iceland shows no sign of slackening, such is the appeal of ice, glacier-scalped mountains, majestic fiords, spurting, steaming volcanic wonders and geothermal spa pools where you can broil yourself while your hair turns to icicles. The scenery is otherworldly. The landscape comes straight from Game of Thrones, a fact that will be confirmed on the drive in from the airport, and the to-do list is unique. In Iceland you can descend into the blackened cone of an extinct volcano by elevator, walk inside a glacier, experience a sun that never sets, explore a beach strewn with icebergs and walk the Laugavegur Trail, one of the world's best hikes.

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