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Steve Madgwick

Steve Madgwick

Travel writer

Steve Madgwick is a journalist and travel writer.

Where the wild things are… on a walking safari.

A safari on foot in the big, bad wilderness is amazing – and nerve-racking

For the next two days, we’ll walk in single file, always, so animals see us as one big thing, giving them unambiguous escape routes.

  • Steve Madgwick
Keeping an eye out – a hippo in the water.

The most dangerous animal you can face on safari? The one in front of you

After the first hippo charge, I realise my guide and I have a difference in opinion on the definition of “life-threatening”.

  • Steve Madgwick
If you want to pick up a genuine Panama hat while in Panama … make sure it’s made in Ecuador.

The world’s most famous hat has been misnamed for 170 years

Whether they cost $25 or $7500, the hats sold in this country famous for them carry the wrong name.

  • Steve Madgwick
“Bogan business class” is yours … if fate smiles upon you.

The ultimate way to travel in economy: ‘Bogan business class’

Spread out, make the space look unappealing for chancers. Fashion a mini-pillow fort. Pull down two tray tables. Anything to keep this space to myself.

  • Steve Madgwick
Boquete, Panama.

Hiking the heavenly cloud-forest trail haunted by mysterious deaths

When two young backpackers disappeared, this Central American town made headlines worldwide. But in reality it feels like one of the region’s safest places.

  • Steve Madgwick
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The sun is out but the snow is deep.

Swallowed by white, this is a different sort of hike

In Japan, but not for skiing, it’s amazing what comes into focus when you’re entirely swallowed by white.

  • Steve Madgwick
Up close with elephants.

This safari offers a daring level of immersion, without the truck scrums

A hippo smacks her lips grazing three metres from my tent at 3am. At campfire breakfast, a leopard breezily strides past.

  • Steve Madgwick
The small central pool is an antidote to brutal humidity, and a chilled space to chat with staff from local villages.

You won’t sleep in this gloriously alive jungle, but you won’t care

There’s an exquisitely thin line between creatures and creature comforts in the Peruvian Amazon.

  • Steve Madgwick
Lily Beach is a picturesque, keyhole beach popular with families.

Beyond the obvious, this Australian island remains an enigma to most

Most Australians only know three things about Christmas Island: it has lots of crabs, a notorious detention centre and is closer to Bali than our mainland.

  • Steve Madgwick
The Arrabelle at Vail Square has a mode-luxe feel.

Of America’s two most famous ski towns, which one is the best?

We put two of North America’s glitziest ski towns up against each other in an alpine battle royale.

  • Steve Madgwick