Nepal

This is a great place to be a Kiwi: thanks, Sir Ed! Known and respected throughout the country, and especially the villages where he established schools and a hospital, Sir Edmund Hillary has ensured a warm welcome for all New Zealanders – though you might be too busy to notice.

Nosing through the narrow streets of old Kathmandu is like going back to medieval times: crowded bazaars, tiny caves of shops, street vendors crying their wares, food and drains equally insistent. Rising above it all, in both senses, is the Bodnath Stupa, draped in colourful prayer flags, Big Brother eyes looking north, south, east and west: officially to notice virtue, though the opposite seems more likely. Spin a prayer wheel for good fortune and watch monkeys sliding down the balustrade.

Of course there’s fantastic tramping here: to Base Camp, if you’re fit, for an unforgettable sunrise over the Himalayas; or a Teahouse Trek may be more manageable, staying overnight with Sherpa families. Or stroll through the verdant Pokhara Valley, or stalk tigers, rhino and sloth bears in Chitwan National Park. See? Busy.