Let’s get spiritual

Laura Dixon presents 10 life-changing journeys that are guaranteed to do wonders for the soul

Spiritual travel isn’t about spending your holiday in church; it’s about appreciating another country’s way of life, and perhaps discovering through it a new mode of relaxation that you can take back home. That might be appreciating a greater tie with the natural world, inspired by a visit to Uluru in Australia or Sedona in America, or a better understanding of your own beliefs, through an introduction to Chinese philosophies or Mayan theories in Mexico. Kate Moss and Christy Turlington claim to have found a sense of peace through visiting yoga retreats, while Angelina Jolie and Madonna both take satisfaction out of their involvement in chairty work overseas. Hippy, Buddhist, Hindu or simply open to new ideas, there’s a spiritual journey out there for everyone.

01 GET CARRIED AWAY
Varanasi, India
From the white-sand beaches of Goa, where you can practise yoga in heavenly retreats or receive Ayurvedic medicine to soothe the soul, to Hindu temples alive with multi-coloured and character-filled gods, India is a land of spirituality. The country’s most important site is Varanasi, the world’s oldest living city, situated on the Ganges. The holy river has the power to wash away the sins of all mortals, and, according to Hindu philosophy, those who die in the city attain salvation and freedom from the cycle of birth and rebirth. It’s the most powerful sight in a country of spiritual abundance.

02 BECOME WELL HEALED
Sedona, Arizona, USA
Sedona, a town in the arid Arizona desert around two hours’ north of Phoenix, has received worldwide recognition for its spiritual power. No one knows exactly what creates it – perhaps the colour of the red-orange rocks is particularly stimulating, or maybe the views provide a certain sense of enlightenment – but it is widely known for its restorative capacities and draws hundreds of healers, artists, spirit guides and alternative therapists each year who wish to experience its special powers and red-rock temples for themselves. Native Americans perform ceremonies in Sedona today as they have for centuries because of its strong spiritual energy.

03 TASTE A MOUTHFUL OF CULTURE
Kandy Perahera and Adam’s Peak, Sri Lanka
This is a very spiritual country, filled with Buddhist temples and Hindu shrines. In Kandy, the country’s cultural capital, a perahera, or parade, takes place every July to celebrate the country’s most important religious relic: the Buddha’s tooth. The procession carries the revered relic through the city’s streets to honour the Buddha, and the event involves hundreds of dancers and drummers and over 50 elephants. Buddhist pilgrims also traditionally take a night walk up the country’s highest mountain, Adam’s Peak, to watch the sun rise on the sacred spot where the Buddha is said to have left his footprint.

04 CATCH SNAKES ALIVE
Chichen Itza, Mexico
The Mayan civilization prayed to the sun and loved chocolate, so in many ways we’re not so different. But standing in the humidity in Chichen Itza, the site of their most famous temple complex on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, gives you a better understanding of their remarkable way of life. The Mayan people created pyramids and ceremonial centres and had an extremely intricate knowledge of calculations and the sun. Most impressive is the Piramide de Kukulcan, where every spring equinox the shadow image of a plumed serpent moves down the pyramid’s stairs. Oh, and get there soon – the Mayan calendar ends in 2012, signifying the end of an era.

05 LISTEN TO CHINESE WHISPERS
Beijing, China
As well as being the host of this year’s Olympic Games, Beijing showcases Chinese philosophy alongside the spirit of competition. The city has many temples: Confucianist, Daoist and Buddhist, not least of these in the gardens of the Summer Palace. Centred around the Tower of Buddhist Incense, it reaches over three hills and five gardens, including the Garden of Tranquility and Pleasure, a fine place to contemplate Confucius’s teachings on morality, the Buddha’s thoughts on harmony and nature, or just the yin and yang of a crazy city and a serene spot.

06 UNCOVER THE STUFF OF LEGENDS
Delphi, Greece
From the ruins of the Acropolis in Athens to sailing round the Greek Islands, everything in Greece is tinged with ancient history or spirituality. One of the country’s most famous spiritual sites, Delphi was home to an oracle in Ancient Greece who could predict the future. One of her most enduring sayings is: ‘know thyself’ – her way of saying that to gain a greater spiritual knowledge, you first have to understand yourself. These days, it’s suspected that her visions were ‘inspired’ by the natural gas occurring in her temple, but she may have been on to something – how can you be happy without knowing what you want?

07 GET STONED IN THE HILLS
Boyne Valley, Ireland
Steeped in myths and legends of the Celts, many corners of Ireland have a special link to spiritualism. It’s not just fanciful four-leaved clovers and leprechauns, though: the country has a wealth of culture interlinked with ancient history and spiritualism. Boyne Valley in the northeast of the country is just one example, where you’ll find the Hill of Tara, the seat of the high kings of Ireland. On the top of the hill is the Stone of Destiny, which was said to roar so loudly that all of Ireland would hear it when it was touched by the rightful king.

08 FOLLOW IN THE STEPS OF ELEPHANTS
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Full-moon parties and idyllic beaches may have once been the main attractions for visitors to Thailand, but the country makes it into the top 10 for its spiritualism, rather than its hedonism. Thailand’s cultural capital, Chiang Mai, is a perfect example of what’s appealing about the country: friendly people and Buddhist temples that never fail to inspire you. Take a few moments of contemplation in Wat Prathat Doi Suthep, the 600-year-old golden temple that glows magically in the sun, one of Thailand’s most holy and revered temples. Its location was apparently chosen by an elephant who was carrying one of the Buddha’s holy relics.

09 LIFT THE CURSE
The Pyramids, Egypt
The only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World to remain standing today, the Pyramids were said to have been originally capped with gold. Despite what you may have seen in movies such as The Mummy, there’s no such thing as the curse of the Pharaoh – Tutankhamen’s tomb bore no inscription about death to anyone who disturbed him. Nevertheless, as burial mounds for ancient Egypt’s rulers, venerated like gods, they give an insight into their spiritual life and hopes of an afterlife, complete with their statues, mummies and hieroglyphics.

10 GO BACK TO THE VERY BEGINNING
Uluru, Australia
Australian aborigines have the longest continuous cultural history of any group of people on earth. They understand the world through their religious and cultural philosophy, the Dreamtime. They believe that in the beginning, ancestral beings created the world. Many of the paths and tracks that they took were so important that they are designated sacred sites, and Uluru and Kata Tjuta National Park around it hold many of them. Uluru links many of the Dreamtime’s creators – including the emu, the poisonous snake and the blue-tongued lizard – and these stories are passed from generation to generation, providing an unbreakable link with the natural environment.

Laura Dixon is a travel journalist based in Bristol