01:00 AM EST on Sunday, January 29, 2006

INDIA: Exploring beyond Kerala

Not long ago, India, a country of a billion people and more than 100 languages, seemed to have just three tourist destinations: Delhi, Mumbai (formerly Bombay) and the Rajasthan-Taj Mahal circuit. Then, almost out of nowhere, Americans got adventurous and discovered Kerala, a lush southwestern state full of rivers, jungles, ayurvedic medicine and rich, spicy cuisine.

Now, thanks to a new aviation agreement between India and the United States, it should become easier to reach far-flung parts of the subcontinent, like the east coast cities of Pondicherry and Chennai. Pondicherry was France's only possession in India, and it retains some of that Gallic flair (policemen in kepis, colonial architecture) with the laid-back air of a university town, albeit one with gorgeous golden beaches. Stay at the Hotel de l'Orient, a converted 18th-century mansion at 17 rue Romain Rolland, (91-413) 234-3067; neemranahotels.com/pondi; from 2,000 rupees a night (about $46, at 43 rupees to the dollar).

Eighty miles up the coast, Chennai: formerly Madras, the first big British settlement in India -- has millennium-old temples and a thriving technology industry, zoos and markets where whole streets are devoted to selling single products (from lentils to gray-market digital cameras), cricket grounds and one of the longest beaches in the world.

Taj Hotels has three high-end properties there, the most opulent and modern of which is the Coromandel, 37 Mahatma Gandhi Road, (91-044) 5500-2827; tajhotels.com; from $250).

These are not necessarily places where you will find the newest boutique hotel -- at least, not yet -- but they are major cities with their own distinctive scenes and cuisines, and are far more exciting than overly documented, postcard-perfect sights and monuments.

ISTRIA: For

With a bounty of seafood in the surrounding Adriatic waters and white truffles in its rolling hills, Istria, a heart-shaped peninsula in northern Croatia, is starting to attract adventurous foodies weary of overpriced and overcrowded tables in Tuscany and Provence.

Lidia Bastianich, chef and author of La Cucina di Lidia, grew up outside the town of Pula near the tip of the peninsula and travels there at least four times a year. "In Istria you'll find intensely wonderful pristine flavors from the earth. That's the beauty of the region. One is still able to go around and taste artisanal products almost straight from the family table."

Bastianich and her daughter Tanya, an art historian, offer custom trips to the region through their travel company Esperienze Italiane. But she also recommends Tasteful Journeys, a boutique luxury tour company founded by friend and fellow Istrian, Wanda Radetti.

Istria, Radetti says, is a rich "mosaic of Roman, Germanic and Slavic heritage, history and ingredients which produces exciting culinary results." In 2006 she plans to organize at least one trip to Istria with Milan Licul, a native of Labin who is the owner of two New York restaurants, Arno and Delmonico's. "Much of what you'll eat in Istria is produced within a 10-mile radius," says Radetti. "There's a man with a restaurant called Kukuriku in Kastav. Everything he cooks is from the area: the honey, the cheese, the mushrooms -- and the lamb is from a nearby island where they feed on fresh herbs and the saltiness of the sea."

Istria is a year-round destination, but Bastianich is particularly fond of the early spring, when she forages for wild asparagus. Truffle fans might prefer the fall, when generous helpings of white truffles are grated like cheese onto a dish rather than sparingly and carefully shaven. And stay tuned in 2007 when the Istrian island of Veliki Brijun will be the much buzzed about home of the spa resort complex of Brioni, the fashion company.

BODRUM: The next St.-Tropez?

With its white-sand beaches and shop-lined streets, the city of Bodrum has long been the favorite seaside retreat in Turkey. But now this ancient fishing village, set against the blue waters of the Aegean Sea, has crashed the global party circuit.

A glance at the megayachts, some of them straight from the ports of Capri or Monaco, hint at its newfound fame. Paparazzi photos of Uma Thurman canoodling with the trend-setting hotelier Andre Balazs further confirms it. In summer, when the population of 50,000 swells tenfold, Bodrum feels a bit like St.-Tropez, except perhaps for the belly dancers.

What's the draw? Gorgeous scenery for one. Situated on Turkey's southwestern coast, the peninsula is a painterly tableau of white-washed stucco homes, purple bougainvilleas and olive-green hillsides. The city is also awash in historical attractions including the stumpy foundation of the Mausoleum, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Bodrum's night life beckons partiers like a siren's song. Young well-dressed revelers converge onto Cumhuriyet Caddesi, which visitors call Bar Street, before heading to behemoth discos like Halikarnas, an open-air club that resembles a nearby amphitheater. On stage this summer: decadence.

THE STANS: Nomads' land along the Silk Road

If Cambodia and Vietnam are today's pearls of the Orient, then the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan -- commonly referred to as "the Stans" -- are diamonds in the rough. But what these former Soviet republics lack in polish they make up for in historical riches, rugged beauty and, at least for now, absence of crowds.

Bisected by the Silk Road -- the 2,000-year-old trade route that linked Europe to China -- the Stans are dotted with museum-quality ruins and architecture from the Middle Ages. Throw in a countryside of canyons, mountain forests and prehistoric glaciers, and the Stans begin to sparkle beneath their raw edges.

Some of the storybook cities of Uzbekistan, with their ornate mosques and citadel walls, are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Tajikistan's crumbling gems include the eerie lost city of Penjikent. And Kyrgyzstan, perhaps the most welcoming of the Stans, has a stunning terrain that includes the Al-Archa National Park (for bird watching, trekking and even glacial skiing), and Lake Issyk-Kul, one of the world's largest alpine bodies of water. Boris Yeltsin has vacationed there.

The Stans, however, may not be everyone's cup of horse milk. Tourist resources are scarce; rural accommodations may be limited to yurts and tents.

Modern-day nomads may find that's reason enough to go.

CAMPING: Roughing it meets luxury

The great outdoors has never been so refined. Around the globe, an increasing number of resorts are offering luxury camping facilities in remote locations.

This month, Four Seasons opened a tent camp in the jungles of northern Thailand. Each of the 15 tents at the campsite is as luxurious as a five-star hotel room; each is 581 square feet and has a hand-hammered copper tub, high-speed Internet, twice-daily housekeeping and even a safe. A two-night package including meals and activities -- like learning to ride an elephant -- costs $3,260 for two people; (800) 332-3442; www.fourseasons.com

Paws Up, a wilderness resort just outside Missoula, Mont., opened Tent City last year as an alternative to its private cabins. Deluxe touches in each tent include oil paintings and feather beds with 300-thread-count linens. There's even a camping butler to handle chores like building bonfires. The tents, which run $595 a night, proved to be so popular that the resort will offer six this season (June 1 to Sept. 15) up from three last year, as well as a tent near the river for massages; (800) 473-0601; www.pawsup.com.

Small Luxury Hotels of the World, a hotel marketing company, added three high-end camps to its collection in the last five years. Among them is Voyages Longitude 131 degrees, a group of 15 fancy tents on stilts in the Australian outback, owned by Voyages, an Australian resort and tour operator. Guests can visit the colossal Uluru rock, a sacred Aboriginal site near the camp, watch television in the Dune House, a communal tent, or just lounge by the pool. Rates run about 1,460 to 1,800 Australian dollars (or $1,125 to $1,386 at 77 Australian cents to the U.S. dollar); www.longitude131.com.au; (800) 525-4800.

The luxury tour operator Abercrombie & Kent, (800) 554-7016, online at www.abercrombieandkent.com, has offered high-end mobile safari camps in Africa since 1962. Today, it also offers trips to new permanent high-end campsites.

ANDORRA: A ski resort gets a makeover

It may not have the glamour of Gstaad or the majesty of Mont Blanc, but little Andorra, once the laughingstock of the Pyrenees, is turning seriously upscale. Two hours north of Barcelona, between Spain and France, this snowball-size nation had been long dismissed as a booze cruise on skis. Lift tickets were cheap, hostels outnumbered five-star hotels (there were none), and the crowd leaned toward beginners, more intent on chugging beers than carving snow.

But over the last several years, some $200 million has been dumped on Andorra, turning it into one of the coolest spots this side of the Alps. There are snazzy new lifts, new hotels with spas and fancy restaurants serving foie gras and baby squid. More important, the skiing has improved dramatically, with the addition of high-tech grooming and snowmaking (see www.skiandorra.ad).

What was once a hodgepodge of rival resorts has merged into two big "ski stations," linked by a high-speed network of 106 lifts and spanning 7,600 acres of skiable terrain, more than Aspen and Vail combined. Vallnord, in the northwest, is the less challenging of the two, with 66 trails, a halfpipe and well-rated ski schools. Grandvalira, closer to France, has 110 trails (one-fifth of them expert), three terrain parks and a vertical drop of about 3,000 feet -- not as lofty as St. Moritz, but still more than Gstaad.

ETHIOPIA: Rich in history and natural splendor

For most of the recent past, what many Americans knew about Ethiopia was that it was a country of crushing poverty and a symbol of world hunger. But though poverty remains, Ethiopia has begun to find something of an economic lifeline in cultural tourism. Indeed, in a part of the continent not rich in historical remains, the country holds many of sub-Saharan Africa's most astonishing treasures, like the medieval cave churches at Lalibela, and the 1,700-year-old stone obelisks in the northern town of Axum.

Ethiopia, which calls itself the Land of the Queen of Sheba, also claims title to the Ark of the Covenant, the box of gold and acacia wood that is believed to have once contained the Ten Commandments. Ethiopian Christians say it is somewhere in the Church of St. Mary of Zion in Axum. (Abercrombie & Kent just started offering a 12-day tour for $3,000 that includes a visit to the church and other stops that trace the roots of Christianity as well as to the village of Falasha, home of the few remaining Ethiopian Jews.)

Although the country can't compete with Kenya or South Africa when it comes to big game, Ethiopia does have more than a dozen national parks, which are regarded to be among the most beautiful in the sub-Saharan region. The terrain ranges from the plateaus of the Simien highlands to the white-water rapids of the largely uninhabited Omo Valley.

There are no luxury tented camps with teak floors and five-course dinners, but several tour operators are offering fly-in safaris into the Rift Valley, Mago National Park and other remote preserves.

Visitors can spend the day spotting leopards and bird-watching, before being whisked back to their hotels in Addis Ababa, the bustling capital with its exotic night life, or Gonder, a slower-paced city invariably referred to as Africa's Camelot because of its many castles.

KUALA LUMPUR: Out of the shadows

Where have you been, Kuala Lumpur? While Bangkok and Singapore, your regional rivals, frantically strutted their stuff for tourists, you hid in the corner, visited only by contestants on The Amazing Race. Perhaps now, with the reopening of the Hotel Maya (138 Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, (60-3) 2711-8866, hotelmaya.com.my, with rooms from roughly $130), and a $10 million upgrade that has given it a slick, beach-resort-in-the-megalopolis feel, you're ready to show us what you and your multiculti populace have been up to. More clubs like Zeta Bar? More hot fusion restaurants like Frangipani? More cool fashion designers like Khoon Hooi?

Just up the coast an eating tour of Chinese-Malay cuisine awaits. Curried skate wing, fried rice noodles with squid and pork, and the indispensable breakfast of nasi lemak are on our menu, as is a visit to the colonial hill town of Ipoh, as famous for its bean sprouts and creamy tofu as it is for its beautiful women, among them the actress Michelle Yeoh. Finally, we'll end up at Langkawi, a jungly island where we'll be faced with a tough choice: Stay at the Datai, an Aman-esque resort at the northwest corner of the island, or at the yearling Four Seasons. From either we'll split our time between excursions into the dense rain forest and hours lying on the white beaches.

AFRICA And the Mediterranean solar eclipse

On March 29, a total solar eclipse will begin at sunrise on the eastern tip of Brazil. It will cross the Atlantic and make landfall in Ghana, before heading north across the Sahara, the eastern Mediterranean, Turkey and the Black Sea, and on into Central Asia, where it will finally die out at sunset in Mongolia. At its zenith in the Libyan desert, totality will last 4 minutes 7 seconds.

"There are maybe one or two total eclipses of this length each decade," says Fred Espenak, an eclipse specialist at NASA. "And each one of them is visible from less than 1 percent of the Earth's surface."

Espenak will observe this eclipse in Libya. Other travelers are going to prime viewing spots like Ghana, the Egyptian coast and Anatolia, Turkey.

TravelQuest International, a company that specializes in "astronomy travel," is offering five tours to view the eclipse: one each to Turkey, Libya and Egypt, plus two cruises along North Africa, one from and returning to Genoa, Italy, and another going from Spain to Malta. Prices range from $1,900 to $4,000 a person, based on double occupancy; air fare is additional. Details: www.tq-international.com and 800-830-1998.

Other companies have trips and cruises to West Africa, Turkey and elsewhere, and thousands of independent travelers are expected to head to the eastern Mediterranean.

Many tours are already filled, but don't worry: if you can't make it this year; in 2009 another total eclipse of the sun -- the longest of the century -- will cut a swath through northern India, into China and out to sea near Shanghai.

CHINA: Friendlier skies, nonstop service

China has never seemed so close.

American Airlines will begin offering a daily nonstop flight between Chicago and Shanghai in April. United Airlines, which provides the most nonstop flights between the United States and China, has added three more to Hong Kong, for a total of 10 a week. It launched nonstop service from Chicago to Beijing in June. That same month Continental Airlines began flying between Newark and Beijing, and the airline has applied to the U.S. Department of Transportation for approval to operate nonstop flights to Shanghai next year.

Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines is lobbying for the right to make daily nonstop flights between Atlanta and Beijing before the 2008 Olympics.

The new routes have significantly reduced travel time for fliers from the East Coast who previously flew first to Chicago or San Francisco in order to catch a nonstop United flight to Beijing or Shanghai.

MONTENEGRO: Glamour redux?

Montenegro was once an A-list playground for the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton and was called the St.-Tropez of the Adriatic. That is, until war came to the Balkans in the 1990s, and Montenegro, which allied itself with Serbia, suffered NATO airstrikes and trade sanctions, crippling its tourism.

Now, this small, craggy republic (it's part of the country of Serbia-Montenegro) with unspoiled beaches, thick pine forests and medieval villages is poised for a major comeback. The World Travel and Tourism Council, a trade group of business leaders, has highlighted Montenegro as the "fastest growing travel and tourism economy in the world."

Word is that the Singapore-based Amanresorts has plans to restore the Hotel Sveti Stefan -- which occupies an entire island of cobblestone streets and terra-cotta-capped cottages. Hip cafes and boutiques have cropped up. And the glitterati are returning again, like couture-wearing refugees after a war. Recent reported sightings include Claudia Schiffer, Jeremy Irons and Sophia Loren. Can Tara Reid be far behind?

BULGARIA: Coming in from the cold, slowly

Much has changed in Bulgaria since it shook off Soviet domination in 1989. Free elections have been held, and its economic and political capital, Sofia, is thriving. But as it emerges as a tourist destination, mostly in the beach resorts along the Black Sea, Bulgaria is also showing that it is a nation that can celebrate a refreshing lack of progress.

Hidden throughout this big and fertile land in remote gorges and on craggy hilltops are dozens of astonishingly intact painted monasteries that are centuries old. They offer visitors a rare chance to see Europe as it once was -- before the euro, before World War II, before electricity.

It is a bit like castle-hopping in Tuscany, but without the postcard kiosks and hordes of foreigners who block your photo opportunities. Of the former nations of the Soviet bloc, Bulgaria has been among the slowest to come in from the cold, which means that much of the country remains off the tourist map.

But some luxury tour operators like Abercrombie & Kent have added Bulgaria to their list of 2006 tours. Highlights include a guided trip to the flamingo-pink Rila Monastery, some 70 miles south of Sofia, as well as a private dinner in the SS. Peter and Paul Monastery, near the university town of Veliko Turnovo. There are also some 600 mineral springs in the country, and a few luxury spa resorts are in the works.

Bulgaria has nine Unesco World Heritage sites, including the Srebarna Nature Reserve, a marshy breeding ground for birds. In fact, much of the countryside remains wild. You can explore caves in the Balkan Range, ski at Borovets or hunt for red stags and brown bears from rustic camps throughout the country.

MONACO: Kids are welcome

Monaco will always be known for James Bond, high-stakes casinos, tax-sheltered celebrities and a sizzling night life, but the principality is also becoming more family friendly. (Beyond the Grimaldi family, that is.)

The recently opened Monte Carlo Bay Hotel and Resort features a 4,300-square-foot junior activity area designed for children ages 6 to 12 that offers supervised games and activities during the peak travel months of June through September. There is also a 320-foot-long sand-bottomed swimming pool. The hotel has an introductory nightly rate of 149 euros, about $184, at $1.23 to the euro, through March. Information and reservations at 800-595-0898 and at www.montecarlobay.com.

The luxurious Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo, (377) 93.15.15.15, www.metropole.com, has also started offering a selection of kid-friendly outings. For 325 euros, parents can send up to two of their brood off with a nanny and a driver for a half-day trip to the zoo. Or a family of four can visit the Confiserie Florian candy factory for 500 euros.

January is the month for taking year-long looks, both forward and backward. Before it ends, here's one more look ahead -- a list of travel hot spots for 2006, as chosen by travel writers and contributors for the New York Times. -- Ed.