Wanderlust: Expat Life & Style in Thailand Oct / Nov 2017: The Travel Issue | Page 14

Travel
SEPTEMBER
SERENGETI WILDLIFE MIGRATION, AFRICA
In 1972, delegates from the United Nations met to de-
cide upon the first World Heritage Sites. At the top of the
list came the Serengeti, a place that continues to dazzle
today, and no more so than during the annual wildlife
migration.
Taking place across a 150,000 square mile stage, the
epic journey is hosted by more than one million wilde-
beest and 200,000 zebras, as well as gazelle, eland an-
telope and impala that chase the plains and fields for
rain. By September, the herds have spread out across the
northern Serengeti where they must cross the rushing
Mara River — a spectacular sight to behold.
OCTOBER
NEW ENGLAND’S FALL FOLIAGE, UNITED STATES
Few places do fall like America’s New England. Each year,
the woodlands put on a show of pyrotechnic proportions,
transforming the natural landscape from its green sum-
mer glow to an autumnal wonderland of intense gold,
purple, red and orange leaves.
This photogenic region comes to life in a blaze of
dying foliage, the perfect backdrop to a landscape of
steepled churches, farmhouses and barns. For the best
leaf-peeping vacation, take a road trip through New
Hampshire, where this fall phenomenon typically peaks
in the White Mountains during the beginning of October.
NOVEMBER
RED CRAB MIGRATION, AUSTRALIA
Each year between October and December, the human
population of Christmas Island becomes vastly outnum-
bered by crabs. As part of their annual commute from the
forest to the sea, more than one million bright red crusta-
ceans occupy the Australian island, turning the roads and
sidewalks into a scuttling crimson carpet.
The occupation of Christmas Island is all part of the red
crabs’ mating ritual, an arduous process that begins with
the wet season. When it comes to planning your own mi-
gration to this fascinating specter, be aware that the be-
ginning of the wet season can be unpredictable, but for
the best chance of seeing something, head here during
the last quarter of the moon of November or December.
DECEMBER
THE NORTHERN LIGHTS, ICELAND
The Northern Lights are a fickle but beautiful beast: Many
an explorer will adventure to Iceland to catch a glimpse
of the elusive Aurora Borealis, only to leave disappoint-
ed. But with good timing, great weather and even better
luck, you may stand a shot of witnessing this incredible
display of natural light.
The result of fast-moving, electrically-charged parti-
cles, the phenomenon is a celestial sensation, sending
colossal curves of emerald and lilac lights through the
night sky. In Iceland, it is possible to watch this ethere-
al entity from late September to early April, and you will
have a higher chance of the lights revealing themselves
the farther north you travel, thanks to extended hours of
darkness.
14 WANDERLUST
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