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Race Throughout the World has wrapped up for an additional 12 months, with Wednesday’s ultimate episode concluding with 4 groups competing to be the primary to achieve the southernmost tip of India.

Over the previous eight weeks, the groups navigated themselves by way of a line-up of locations from China to India, trekking throughout the foothills of the Himalayas, stopping in bustling cities like Shangri-La, Delhi and Mumbai, in addition to ticking off two wonders of the trendy world on the Nice Wall of China and the Taj Mahal.

The primary episode, which aired on 23 April, launched us to 5 intrepid duos who set off on the 14,000km race that took 51 days to finish.

Among the many groups are brothers Brian and Melvin, mom and son Caroline and Tom, sisters Elizabeth and Letitia, younger Welsh couple Fin and Sioned and the unlikely duo of beforehand married couple-turned-friends Yin and Gaz.

This 12 months, the groups trekked throughout China, Nepal and India. The pairs travelled by way of cities, cities and rural areas with a restricted funds and sources carried in backpacks, making selections as to what transport they might use, which path to take, the place they might sleep and the way a lot to spend.

After launching the race on the Nice Wall of China, the groups ticked off seven checkpoints, earlier than setting their sights on being the primary to achieve the ultimate vacation spot at Kanniyakumari in India.

Whereas we must wait one other 12 months for the following season of Race Throughout the World, right here’s a abstract of the areas our groups navigated as we glance again on the colossal journey undertaken.

The beginning

The Nice Wall of China

The race started on the Nice Wall of China, overlooking the village of Huanghuacheng, round 80km north of China’s capital, Beijing. A becoming begin for such a protracted trek, the stroll throughout all the Nice Wall will surely compete for an intensive journey in itself, stretching over 21,000km. One of many new seven wonders of the world, the Nice Wall of China, is the most important artifical undertaking that represents over two thousand years of Chinese language historical past. The sequence of fortifications begins within the east at Shanhaiguan in Hebei province and ends at Jiayuguan in Gansu province to the west.

Checkpoint one

Huangling, China

Round 2,000km to the south of the Nice Wall is the primary checkpoint, Huangling within the Jiangxi province, which has nestled on the slopes of Huayi Mountains for over 500 years. This neighborhood is known for its Hui-style structure and drying chillies on rooftops, creating a vibrant hen’s-eye view. This picturesque village, dotted with historic buildings and historical websites, is surrounded by a scenic unfold of lush greenery throughout the mountain slopes. The city is six centuries outdated, however lay in a dilapidated state till 16 years in the past, when it reworked right into a rural vacationer hotspot. The groups had been informed to achieve Huangling through cable automobile, then alight to cross the Leixin Suspension Bridge earlier than lastly checking into the Huangling Shaiqiu Resort.

Checkpoint two

Sanya, China

Within the second episode, the 5 groups put together to go away Huangling for a 2,700km journey to town of Sanya, on the southern tip of Hainan Island. Alongside the way in which, the groups stopped at totally different locations from glitzy cities to deep rural gems, together with the cosmopolitan metropolis of Xiamen on the coast, the Longji Rice Terraces close to Guilin, and the traditional city of Fenghuang. After traversing a lot of southeastern China, the leg ends with Sanya, considered one of China’s most southerly cities. Sanya attracts a lot of the rich elite in China on account of its tropical local weather, however on account of this climate, it’s also susceptible to monsoon storms. Town has a number of seashores alongside its coastal areas, together with Dadonghai Bay and Yalong Bay, whereas considered one of its most spectacular cultural landmarks is the Nanshan Temple. The temple is dominated by a statue of Guanyin, the Buddhist goddess of compassion and stands taller than the Statue of Liberty, as its three linked portraits look out whereas standing on a man-made islet. The Yazhou Historical Metropolis, Yalong Tropical Paradise Forest Park and Wuzhizhou are additionally amongst different widespread locations to go to in Sanya.

Checkpoint three

Shangri-La, China

Departing Sanya, the groups this week travelled by way of southwest China, stopping in key transport hubs akin to Kunming and Nanning, recognizing monkeys in Guizhou, and visiting the world’s largest musical fountain within the sustainability-driven metropolis of Liuzhou. The purpose is to achieve Shangri-La, a metropolis on the sting of the Tibetan plateau within the coronary heart of the Hengduan mountain vary. Town was recognized for hundreds of years as Zhongdian, however in 2001 it was renamed after the fictional utopia described in James Hilton’s Misplaced Horizon in an effort to entice extra vacationers. Town has a cultural heritage that blends Chinese language and Tibetan, as seen by way of its structure, akin to Yunnan’s largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery, Songzanlin Monastery, and its mixture of vibrant courtyard-style properties and temples. Shangri-La additionally attracts guests every year to its annual horse racing pageant, normally held in June.

Checkpoint 4

Varanasi, India

Because the Himalayas separating Shangri-La from India current a gargantuan problem able to humbling even the world’s most fearless adventurers, the remaining 4 groups had been flown to the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu to restart their race. Set in a valley surrounded by mountains, this bustling metropolis is house to traffic-jammed alleyways, historic cultural websites, seven Unesco World Heritage Websites and the picturesque and peaceable Backyard of Goals. Checkpoint 4 is Varanasi, one of many world’s oldest constantly inhabited cities and a web site of profound non secular significance. Located on the banks of the Ganges River within the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, it’s a significant pilgrimage web site for Hindus, in addition to Buddhists and Jains. House to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, one of the vital sacred Hindu websites in India and the Manikarnika Ghat, one of many holiest cremation grounds among the many sacred riverfront ghats, Varanasi is a frenetic and unforgettable metropolis that marks our intrepid travellers’ fourth checkpoint.

Checkpoint 5

McLeod Ganj, India

After reaching Varanasi, India’s non secular capital, the racers found their subsequent checkpoint can be McCleod Ganj, a journey that will take them 1,500km northwest. The extremely elevated city, often called a hill station, is house to the 14th Dalai Lama and has a big Tibetan neighborhood after he and lots of others sought refuge right here in 1959 after an rebellion towards the Chinese language in Tibet. This story is informed within the Tibet Museum in McLeod Ganj, which places on exhibitions showcasing Tibet’s historical past, tradition and scenario within the current in exile. The city additionally attracts hundreds of tourists coming in quest of blessings and Buddhist knowledge, in addition to home travellers trying to keep away from hovering temperatures. To get there, the Race Throughout the World groups wanted to traverse one of the vital populated areas on Earth, earlier than climbing almost 7,000 ft into the foothills of the Himalayas inside the district of Himachal Pradesh. The world was named after Donald Friell McLeod, who was a Lieutenant Governor throughout British colonial rule in India. The Himalayan city has a number of scenic viewpoints over the foothills, together with areas akin to Triund and the Naddi View Level, whereas vibrant homes, monasteries and temples are dotted throughout the hillside.

Checkpoint six

Sasan Gir, India

The sixth checkpoint noticed groups travelling a colossal 1,900km to the south of India, heading by way of the nation’s largest state, Rajasthan, the Nice Indian Desert and vibrant cities akin to Amritsar, Jodhpur and Pushkar. The groups had been aiming for Sasan Gir, gateway to the Gir Nationwide Park, a wildlife vacation spot with massive stretches of grassland and the final remaining pure habitat of the endangered Asiatic lion. The park can be house to 40 species of mammals and 425 hen species, with crocodiles, jackals, eagles and owls usually seen roaming. Nonetheless, the park primarily attracts guests from everywhere in the world to identify the lions on their safari and tour packages. This is because of Gir Nationwide Park in Gujarat being the one place on the earth, apart from Africa, the place you may spot lions roaming free within the wild. The small Sasan Gir village, house to the Maldhari and Siddi communities, additionally has loads of lodges and resorts to remain in close to the nationwide park. The park has 1,412 sq. metres of dry deciduous forest, and stays very popular all 12 months spherical, with its lowest temperature 28C within the winter, and highs of 39C in the summertime.

Checkpoint seven

Panaji

For the penultimate checkpoint, the groups trekked 1,500km south of Sasan Gir to Panaji, the capital of India’s smallest state, Goa. After passing by way of locations akin to Vadodara, vineyards in Igatpuri and the nation’s largest metropolis, Mumbai, the pairs reached the coastal metropolis made up of palm-fringed seashores and vibrant streets. Till 1961, town was underneath Portuguese colonial rule, with echoes of this heritage nonetheless woven by way of its red-tiled roof buildings, baroque structure and Goan-Portuguese bakeries promoting custard tarts. One notable baroque development is the towering Our Woman of the Immaculate Conception church, with its vivid white facade standing out in a sea of daring buildings and vibrant road artwork. Town now attracts tens of millions of vacationers every year, drawing a younger crowd to Goa’s relaxed seashore scene and creatives to its public artwork, collectives, artwork festivals and galleries. Panaji additionally sits on the banks of the Mandovi River, which flows out into the Arabian Sea and has coastal hotspots akin to Bamolim Bay and Miramar, attracting beachgoers. The small Olive Ridley sea turtle has been seen nesting at Panaji’s seashores, and Galgibaga, additional down the coast, has a protected space to assist the nesting turtles.

The tip

Kanniyakumari, India

To turn into Race Throughout the World champions and win a prize of £20,000, the groups needed to attain the city of Kanniyakumari first. Positioned on the southernmost tip of India and a well-liked pilgrimage level, Kanniyakumari sits on the converging level of three main our bodies of water, the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. Alongside its chic coastal views, the city is stuffed with historic monuments, such because the 95-foot-tall Thiruvalluvar Statue, in addition to temples, church buildings and waterfalls. Nonetheless, considered one of its main pulls is being the placement for a number of the finest dawn and sundown spectacles within the nation, as its geography permits for witnessing each, showing as if the Solar rises after which drops again beneath the horizon line.

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