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Tufi Bay - Papua New Guinea. This beautiful bay is located in a large area of volcanic fjords that extend along the South Eastern coast of Papua. Ridges lead down from the high mountains far inland and form the fjords - making the coastline very complex and overland travel in the area extremely challenging. Local villages are present along the coast and were interesting to visit. From a single dive resort in this bay we took a boat far offshore to a shallow reef in open water where there were grouper and numerous grey, white, and blacktip reef sharks. Over time as we were fishing in the water with a hand spear, the sharks became lively and we had to retreat... Unfortunately this pristine area has been subject to some illegal fishing by foreign vessels so hopefully it can retain it's biodiversity

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Chouara Tannery in the medina of Fez, Morocco. Wandering through the vast Fez medina it would be easy to miss the tanneries but they offer an interesting glimpse into times gone by - with a process little changed since medieval times. Stone vats are filled with a somewhat toxic mixture of lime, salt, cow urine, and water to soften the leather over a period of days before dye is applied. As well as cow, sheep and goat skin, camel leather is also common here. Natural plant and mineral colours such as indigo and henna are used to tan the hides which are then sun dried. Many of the resulting leather products are made locally by hand in the medina and sold by local merchants. It's common to experience quite an aggressive sales pitch on approach to the tannery!

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Gunung Tujuh "Seven Mountain Lake" in Sumatra - Indonesia. The lake is located high up in a volcanic crater surrounded by the steep forested walls of neighbouring peaks. There are a couple of flat spots to camp and sling a hammock, affording an amazing canopy view overnight. At sunrise it was possible to look down on a carpet of clouds outside the crater rim and the lake itself was totally serene. I took a dugout canoe across the water with the only local "resident" but soon became concerned that the rim of the canoe was precisely at water level and it nearly became swamped. Certainly good for practicing a smooth paddle action! The lake area sits in cloud forest and hosts a broad range of wildlife but much - like the tapir - is hard to spot.

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The dunes of Erg Chebbi are easily accessible from the desert outpost town of Merzouga in Morocco. The town itself is a small windswept place with sand piled against the walls of mud brick houses and you'd be forgiven for thinking it was totally abandoned. Until quite recently Merzouga was bordered by a lake, which appears to have dried up and may not return. I'd spent the night in a simple tented camp nearby and climbed the dunes at the first light. The sand turned a rich orange ochre and I imagined the route camel caravans must have taken from here - the edge of the Sahara - through the desert to the salt mines and onward to Timbuktu in Mali

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The journey from Mali's capital Bamako to Djenne was rather challenging. We waited hours to set out. First an already bald bus tyre delaminated and was replaced by another bald tyre. Some time later, the radiator burst and we spent some time by the roadside whilst a gentleman made a fire to melt a tin can, and applied the molten metal to reseal the radiator. Sometimes the driver stopped to meet acquaintances or pick up deliveries. I had expected to arrive that day but in the evening the bus pulled into a wooded grove, and parked for the night leaving us to fend for ourselves (and repel mosquitos). The next morning after not a great deal of sleep, we continued for some hours until I was deposited at the side of the highway to hitch a lift the remaining distance to the island. This also involved a "ferry crossing" on a wooden platform. The town of Djenne was a welcome sight.

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