63336 leafs through the best autumn holiday destinations

20 September 2011

It was the famous and rather tragic poet John Keats who described autumn as the:

"Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun."

It must have been a particularly pleasant day on 19 September 1819, when the poet seemed to be especially inspired to write "To Autumn". Sadly, he died in 1821 aged just 25, but his body of work lives on.

Inspired by Keats' poem (in full below), 63336 has compiled some appropriate suggestions to help you decide if and where you'd like to take a holiday at this time of year.

Japan. Japan is always a popular holiday destination simply for the otherworldy qualities that it holds for the British visitor. However, it is particularly popular in autumn as people can witness the spectacular changes in the foliage of the trees. Although Japan is often associated with cherry blossoms, these actually tend to bloom at the end of March. In autumn it is time for the Japanese Maple to become the star attraction, with leaves changing from green to red, yellow and orange. The best places to indulge in momijigari ("Maple hunting") are Nikkō and Kyoto.

USA. The eastern seaboard is another popular place for foliage watchers to visit, especially in New England, with billions of dollars being spent by people who simply want to see the leaves change colour. This activity is colloquially known as leaf peeping, with Boston being the ideal base for a "fall" holiday as our American cousins label the season. Interestingly, the term "fall" was actually taken to the USA by English colonists.

Egypt. Not everyone wants to look at trees and feel the soft breeze on their faces though. Sun-chasers who want to feel a blast of heat before facing the cold dark days of winter should consider a trip to Egypt and specifically Luxor. The average low temperature for Luxor in September is 21.3C while the average high is 38.8C, so you are almost guaranteed a scorching day every day. Luxor is built on the ancient city of Thebes, right on the Nile and close to the world famous Valley of the Kings. If you want to see the Pyramids it is quite straightforward to take the train to Cairo.

India. What could be a more exotic autumn-based holiday than a wildlife tour in Central India? With it being autumn the temperatures aren't ridiculously high and if you go in October you will also miss the monsoon season. There are many various tours you can do in this region with one of the best tours incorporating Delhi, Mumbai, a trip to the Taj Mahal and then several days tiger watching at the Bandhavgarh National Park, where you can also see leopards, elephants, eagles and dozens of other exotic animals.

Finally, if you want to escape autumn altogether, simply head for southern hemisphere destinations such as Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Sydney, or South Africa's Garden Route where spring is just beginning.

To Autumn by John Keats (1795–1821)

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun.
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reap'd furrow sound asleep,
Drows'd with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady thy laden head across a brook;
Or by a cider-press, with patient look,
Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.

Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,–-
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

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