Guide to Patagonia: what to do, how to do it, and where to stay

Forty years ago this month, Bruce Chatwin visited Patagonia and his subsequent book lit a beacon for the remote region in many travellers’ minds. Chris Moss picks the highlights among its peaks, glaciers and lakes

Patagonia: readers’ travel tips

From how to meet fellow trekkers and Magellanic penguins, to where to get the best views of lakes and glaciers, readers share their best tips on Patagonia

Wildlife tourism in Virunga gives new hope to Congo

The bedevilled Democratic Republic of the Congo is virtually a tourist-fee zone. But the end of war and reopening of Virunga national park – home to some of the world’s last mountain gorillas – might be about to change that

The best tropical holiday destinations in South America for under £40

From an adventure lodge in the Peruvian Amazon to pousadas on the golden beaches of Brazil, all these places to stay are totally tropical

Trekking to Choquequirao, Peru’s remote Inca ruins

Choquequirao is one of the most remote Inca ruins in the Peruvian Andes, but plans for a cable car could bring much change to Machu Picchu’s ‘little sister’

Cambodia in two weeks: holiday itinerary

Enchanting archaeological sites, charming colonial towns, hilltop temples and tropical beaches make Cambodia an inviting and cheap getaway for intrepid travellers

Top 10 ghost towns and modern ruins you can visit

Fancy a creepy visit for Halloween week? Will Coldwell picks abandoned villages, factories and military bases that will send a shiver up the spine

Travel tips: alternative Munich and the week’s best deals

Munich’s gay and lesbian Glockenbachviertel district; plus a Christmas break in Cornwall and an adventure holiday in Finland, writes Joanne O’Connor

Your guide to new ski holidays for the 2014-15 season

From fancy new pads to bargain breaks and family trips where you get to ski all day, too, we round up the best of the new season’s ski holidays

Talking point: tell us about your favourite holiday tour guides

Wanderlust magazine has just announced the winners of its annual World Guide Awards. Have you ever had a guide who transformed your travelling experience?

Trekking in South Africa’s Drakensberg: ‘Did you book a cave?’

After the signposts and the hiking trails run out, Kevin Rushby pushes on deep into South Africa’s Drakensberg range for an unforgettable wilderness trek, with only birds and baboons for company

Secret Adventures: a journey into unknown Essex

A new company is offering a range of magical mystery tours in undisclosed wild places. You have nothing to lose but your urban hang-ups …

London Surf Film Festival: five movies you have to catch

Surfing in Iran, tackling prejudice and big wave eye-candy, the London Surf Film Festival’s selection this year provides an adrenaline rush on all fronts, says Will Coldwell

Cliff camping in Colorado: postcards from the ledge

There are lots of great ways to see the Rockies – skiing, trekking, a road trip – but for Aaron Millar a storm-tossed hike, abseiling in darkness and (not) sleeping halfway up a cliff proved to be the best

Think twice about wild animal tourism, visitors told

A leading animal charity is urging tourists to think more carefully about the impact their adventures are having on animals