National Geographic Traveller (UK) Magazine

02 October, 2025

This month’s cover story focuses on Tanzania and is packed with inspiration for readers looking to immerse themselves in the full spectrum of its offering, whether that means getting a flavour of Swahili culture in Zanzibar, roaming the highland tea plantations of Mufindi or spotting wallowing hippos in the Ngorongoro Crater. The Great Migration in Tanzania's Serengeti National Park is one of most impressive wildlife events on the planet, but it’s just one aspect of a country whose diverse sights and sounds make it impossible to pigeonhole. Elsewhere, we reveal the winners of the 2025 Hotel Awards; explore Sicily, the ‘gate to Europe’ that’s long welcomed influences from North Africa and beyond; go in search of Māori history aboard New Zealand's mountain-hopping TranzAlpine railway; meet the Shanghai generation redefining what it means to be young in modern China; and check out Istanbul's top hotels, from a revamped distillery to a palace once frequented by Agatha Christie. The Roman bathhouses of geothermal Chaves; the pink flamingos of the Sado Estuary; the cork-harvesters of Alentejo; the marble ‘White City’ of Estremoz — this special 35-page guide to Portugal, published alongside the November issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK), shines a light on the country’s alternative highlights. Beyond the pasteis de nata (custard tarts) of Lisbon and the fresh seafood of Porto, Portugal rewards travellers keen to go further and broaden their horizons. Here, we reveal the country’s hidden side: the lesser-visited towns offering street art and clifftop fortresses; the castaway coves so secret you’ll need a kayak to find them; the wineries where you can bed down in wine barrels. We craft Burel wool in the Serra da Estrela mountains and meet the innovators breathing new life into the sparsely populated interior. This is Portugal, but not as you know it.