Our hottest destinations for 2022

The bear necessities for this year’s travel

When we’ve shaken off the cobwebs of the festive season, and cleared up the glassware of New Year, the twelve months ahead seem to wobble into view. Squinting, they seem a little cloudy; a question mark of long months and hundreds of days. Can I make that new exercise regime stick? Will I ever get round to reading that bestselling book on my nightstand? Will I learn the craft of Nagiso wood-crafting in Japan’s Kiso Valley? We can’t help with the first or the second, but we can definitely help you with the third.

But this article isn’t about the whole world. No. It’s about a handful of destinations that our travel experts are particularly excited about this year. The deep cuts and daydreams. And these are all fresh from the test kitchen, with the corresponding itineraries soon to land on our site. But you can ask us about them right away.

Scroll down, drink deep, and drop us a line. We’re waiting.

#1 Romania

The short of it

Home to Bram Stoker’s Dracula (in actuality, Vlad the Impaler), Transylvania is steeped in an extraordinarily rich history and this year, Romania welcomes its ninth UNESCO World Heritage site, the Roșia Montană Mining Landscape. The area has seen a recent uptick in interest from clients and Romania is in fact the most bio-geographically diverse country in the EU, and one of the best places in Europe to go wildlife watching, for those in the know. A lack of luxury lodging options has made Transylvania cumbersome for some travelers, but now that has changed.

What we’ll do for you

We’re currently curating a new itinerary to explore Transylvania by horseback and bike, where you can ride for days without any barriers, meet artisans who employ ancient techniques, sample flavorful local food, and stay in a fully refurbished new luxury manor house. To experience the truly wondrous wildlife, our travelers will hike the Carpathians, a place so isolated there’s no cell phone reception, to truly disconnect and experience nature as untouched as it comes, and the best chance at spotting wildlife (bears, bison, deer, foxes) in their natural habitat, along with countless birds and flowers every step of the way. Keep your eyes peeled.

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Romania
Romania

#2 Cashel, County Tipperary, Ireland

In short

2022 is a most special year to visit Ireland and marks the 100-year anniversary since the Irish Constitution was signed but along with it, a new wave of elevated experiences and service  are arriving. The Rock of Cashel, one of the most spectacular and iconic landmarks in Ireland, is a sight to behold. While the locale has long held an appeal for tourists, Cashel rarely was a destination that was more than a day trip as part of a larger itinerary. But there really is so much more to see, and this region is brimming with character, from local artisans, family-owned woollen mills, distilleries to one of the finest horse training establishments in the world. Warmth and authenticity radiate from every corner and with an exciting new Relais & Chateaux property opening in Spring of 2022, there is no better time to visit this truly wondrous part of Ireland.

What we’ll do for you

This year, we’ll be sending clients to County Tipperary for a private after-hours visit to The Rock of Cashel alongside a leading historian on Celtic art and medieval architecture. Once the traditional seat of the kings of Munster (and legend has it, formed from an epic battle between St. Patrick and the devil himself), this is one of the most important monuments in Ireland’s Ancient East. Rich in local produce, we’re offering a guided visit through the Tipperary Food Trail, visiting a bee farm, ambling through acres of wildflower meadows on the shores Lough Derg (an excellent place to kayak, paddle, and bike), learning about the importance of protecting the Irish black bee and tasting the products of family-owned and managed cheese-makers. A private visit to Coolmore Stud Farm, a state-of-the-art horse racing museum originally opened by local resident and composer Andrew Lloyd Webber in 2017, will be paired with a BTS tour of Ballydoyle Racing Stable. Good, wholesome stuff.

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Ireland
Ireland

#3 Grenada

In short

We’ve long admired the gorgeous Caribbean island of Grenada for its under-the-radar appeal with powdery shores and sensorial stimulation on arrival, where the sweet air smells of sea salt, nutmeg, and mace. But now more than ever before, the massive popularity of the Caribbean makes Grenada primed to be the ‘in-the-know’ place to visit, with so much more to do than a ‘fly and flop’ on the beach, and to boot, an easy 4 hour and 30-minutedirect flight from NYC. Miles of unfettered beaches juxtaposes with rich, virgin rainforests that are ripe for intrepid experiences and opportunities to give back, with two notable luxury hotel openings that make this hot for 2022.

What we’ll do for you

Known as one of the “Spice Islands,” Grenada has historically been a large producer and exporter of spices, including nutmeg (where this tiny island is one of the world’s biggest producers), mace, cloves, and cinnamon, among others. Tapping into this ‘feast for the senses’, we’ll be offering a new itinerary showcasing hyper-local culinary experiences, exploring the island with a local who will uncover the island’s spices, visiting a nutmeg station and cocoa estate paired with excursions via a local chef to visit family-run eateries to learn techniques to create these incredible home-cooked local foods. In signature Black Tomato style, expect private rainforest treks and an off-road ATV adventure to see the best of the island before arriving at a private waterfall and a sunset sail aboard an authentic, hand-carved wooden sailboat to visit secluded beaches and explore the world’s first underwater sculpture park.

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Grenada
Grenada

#4 Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, Botswana

In short

Slow drives through the salt flats of mesmerizing Botswana and new mobile ‘blink’ safari set-ups for true remote immersion. As the revenge travel trend continues to pick up steam, we’re seeing a huge increase in clients booking epic 2022 trips to Botswana, marking safari’s great return in a truly bucket-list locale. Botswana is the ultimate safari destination, an ideal place to tap into a more slow, deliberate pace of travel and perfect for multi-generational families too. Kick off the adventure in the fabulous Okavango Delta, who just welcomed a stunning new safari lodge, and make your way to the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans for unbelievable day and night game drives, encountering remarkable wildlife that inhabit this seemingly barren landscape.

What we’ll do for you

We’re just put the final touches to an incredible new adventure, taking guests through the Okavango Delta to Makgadikgadi Salt Pans on a mobile quad bike safari, replete with bespoke, kitted-out blink tents, where gourmet meals will be laid out on white damask linens, decked with fine glassware and bone-handled silver, in the remotest of Botswana, sleeping under the stars at The Lost Island of Baobabs, near Kubu Island. This adventure will take guests by quad bike on an epic voyage to these most unusual spectacles in the entirety of the pans, and to emphasize the completely unique atmosphere here, Kubu Island is topped with ancient, gnarled baobabs and surrounded by a huge expanse of dazzling emptiness, with terraced slopes and fossil beaches that provide startling evidence of the prehistoric lake’s former water levels.

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Botswana
Botswana

#5 Bend, Oregon

In short

Bend is to Oregon, in many ways, what Aspen is to Colorado: well-heeled, brimming with vibrant restaurants and shops, and enveloped by a veritable outdoor mecca, supported by a talented artistic community. This laid-back, under-the-radar enclave is full of character and host to a steady line-up of seasonal activities, from festivals to concerts, bike races to brewery hops. But it’s the natural world that is truly the draw from fly fishing, mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing, and even explore lava tubes to learn more about what makes the soil of the area so unique.

What we’ll do for you

We’re currently curating a new trip to Bend Oregon that starts off in the Willamette Valley, via private charter with our friends at Surf Air, replete with a helicopter tour of the best local vineyards, uncovering why the volcanic soil has led the region to become one of the most prestigious places to grow pinot noir grapes. In Bend, we’ll organize a private lava tube cave tour to explore the natural underground tunnels created by volcanoes and rivers of lava on an intrepid hike with a naturalist. And kicking it up a notch, get a bird’s eye view of the beauty of Bend with an acrobatic flight, under the guidance of a highly trained pilot and safety expert.

Oregon
Oregon

#6 The Southern Lights of New Zealand

In short

From city dwellers inhabiting tight quarters during lockdown to even those in expansive rural areas, our lives are increasingly overwhelmed by noise, light, and air pollution. Now, there’s a pronounced need to find places of purity, quiet and clarity to reset and rewind. Southern New Zealand’s untamed and dazzling terrains are also home to the Aurora Australis (or Southern Lights), much more elusive than their Northern counterparts with fewer places to view them and in turn, this region is much less traveled. Additionally, the region is also home to some of the most spectacular, bucket list accommodations the world over.

What we’ll do for you

This year, we’ll be chasing the Southern Lights with an intrepid, high luxe and high touch new itinerary focusing sharply on astronomy and dark sky exploration, from Dunedin to the Ahuriri Valley. Clients will stargaze at a private observatory between Lakes Pukaki and Tekapo and visit Minaret Station (accessible only by helicopter), where a total lack of light pollution makes star gazing unparalleled, lying on the cusp of the world’s largest Dark Sky Reserve. A private summit experience will await at Mt. John Observatory in the heart of the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve where expert astronomy guides will introduce travelers to the Southern Skies through powerful telescopes before discovering the world of an astronomer and see research equipment normally out of bounds. And naturally, learn to fly a glider plane (a la Thomas Crown Affair) and soar over the dramatic Omarama deep in the mountains to arrive at the otherworldly Lindis.

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NZ
NZ

#7 Kiso Valley, Japan

In short

When the travel corridors open again to this inimitable part of the world, at the top of the list for Where to Go, is Japan, and more specifically, the Kiso Valley. Accessible via two express trains from Tokyo Station, the beautiful and historic Kiso Valley was part of the ancient Nakasendo Route merging the new capital Tokyo –called Edo in those days -with Kyoto, the former Imperial capital. This rugged and densely forested region of Japan sits squarely under the radar and offers an incredible chance to commune with the natural world and take a storied step back in time. The wooden products you find for sale around Kiso are made from highly prized hinoki cypress and revered by emperors, lasting for centuries. Culturally rich, the local Ontake faith is a fascinating diaspora of Shinto, esoteric Buddhism, and ancient shamanic practices.

What we’ll do for you

Inspired by the Summer Olympics, Black Tomato has designed an immersive itinerary in Nagano that starts by learning to boulder under the expert tutelage of a Japanese female Olympian in Tokyo. Fusing both intrepid adventure and mindful wellbeing, we’re sending guests to the stunning Kiso Valley where they will visit a prized local craftsperson that specializes in Nagiso rokuro zaiku, a traditional ‘woodturning’ craft that developed in this area, coupled with breath-taking hikes along the historic and cobbled Nakasendo Way, soaking in the natural beauty of Japan’s sacred forests, stopping to visit some of the beautiful old Post Towns that offered lodgings to travelers in days gone by. To get a bird’s eye view of the stunning Japanese Alps, guests will paraglide and explore secret mountain streets and waterfalls canyoning, kayaking and paddle-boarding in the beautiful Kiso River Gorge with an expert local guide, taking e-bikes to explore traditional local farm villages nestled in the rice terraces. All experiences privately guided with skilled experts, including Olympic athletes.

Japan
Japan

Looking for somewhere else?

The world is a wide, wild place. To browse all the destinations we recommend for 2022, head to our constantly-updated travel calendar.

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