A:frican Presidents

The American artist Kehinde Wiley is perhaps most famous for his flowery presidential portrait of Barack Obama. But his new exhibition, “A Maze of Power,” on view through January 14 at the Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac in Paris, tackles a different set of higher-offices: former African presidents. The Democratic Republic of Congo’s president, Félix Tshisekedi, for example, is seen posing in front of curtains opening up to the capital of Kinshasa. Macky Sall, Senegal’s president, is draped in the national flag. Wiley said the intent of the series was to “use the language of empire as it relates to painting in an African context” and “arrive on the other side with something completely new.”

B:ritish Ceramics

The British Ceramics Biennial, held at four venues in Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme during the first week of November, is best in show for claymakers. Pieces such as a 1969 Ford Zodiac covered in kaleidoscopic tiles and porcelain whale bones demonstrate the “creative potential of clay for storytelling, playfulness, risk-taking and activism” of pottery’s past and present.

C:ountryside Eclectic

Named after the Latin word for gold, The Aurum Catskills, is a sprawling lodge retreat Mount Tremper, N.Y. featuring interiors by Samuel Amoia. Expect “beautiful furniture and art curated from incredible local craftsmen, makers, and antique dealers in the region,” said Amoia, as well as “private rain gardens with unparalleled sweeping views of the Catskill mountains with southern, western and eastern exposure.” Across the pond, there is Estelle Manor, an Oxfordshire estate turned hotel slash private members club. The manor is suited for all manner of tastes, with four restaurants, a Roman-inspired bath house, padel courts, a “riviera-inspired” pool and greenhouse “filled with eclectic blooms.” Cowley Manor Experimental Group, the Cotswolds estate that inspired Alice in Wonderland, features fountain-laden gardens designed by landscape artists David Masters, rolling meadows with llama pastures and afternoon tea service spiked with Taittinger Champagne.

D:esigning Trees

Fall is for green design fairs. In South Korea’s capital, Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism hosts Seoul 100-year Masterplan, an exhibition on view through Oct. 29 exploring what the city might look like if it ever “properly integrates with nature.” For "Presence of the Future," the fifth edition of Chicago Architecture Biennale, the arts collective Floating Museum has lined up the likes of studio:indigenous and Marion Waller, Director of the Pavillon de l’Arsenal in Paris, who, on Oct. 9, is hosting a panel on “how we live and die with trees.” And in Torino, from Oct. 13 to 15, the Italian festival Utopian Hours will imagine a car-free world.

E:gypt’s Grand Museum

Egypt continues to ride a wave of travel enthusiasm, hitting a record of 7 million visitors in the last six months alone. With the hotly-anticipated — and, ahem, decades in the making — opening of the new million-square-foot Grand Egyptian Museum there is now even more incentive for new arrivals and return visitors alike to experience some 3,500 years of history.

F:aroe Feasts

The classic Arctic Sunday meal has never been hotter, thanks to Koks, a restaurant in the Faroe Islands that The New Yorker once called “the world’s most remote foodie destination.” Chef Poul Andrias Ziska uses ingredients and techniques typical of the Nordic archipelago — including drying, fermenting, salting and smoking — for Tim Burton-esque treats like ptarmigan, a local sea bird, skewered on its own wing.

G:leneagles Townhouse

When Gleneagles Townhouse, a members club and hotel in the former Edinburgh headquarters of the Bank of Scotland, opened last year, the whimsical property on St Andrew Square was initially seen as the little city sister to the Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland’s famous grande game in the Perth countryside. Today, the restored townhouse is quickly becoming a hospitality trendsetter (the Note Burning Room is exquisite) and a bright gem in Ennismore-founder Sharan Pasricha’s Scottish Crown Jewels.

H:ot-Spring Fall

For centuries, soaking in the mineral-rich waters of hot springs has been a cure-all for everything from aching muscles to anxious moods. So, whether you want to take a onsen dip at Kurokawa in Kyushu, Japan’s southernmost island, or bathe under a starry sky at the historic Castle Hot Springs in Arizona, we’ve rounded up plenty of ways to soak up the fall season.

I:celandic Lights

Starting in September, Iceland is illuminated by the aurora borealis. For fall, let the Northern Lights guide you across “Super Jeep” drives through Þórsmörk (a mountain ridge named after the Norse god Thor, or Þór), snowmobile jaunts along Langjökull Glacier (the second largest glacier in the country), and underground explorations of a man-made ice tunnel. And at Sky Lagoon, oceanside geothermal springs that are newly open to the public, guests have a front row seat to dancing solar winds and the endless North Atlantic.

J:ourney to Nepal

Zen-seekers, inner-peace pilgrims and Himalayan horizon hunters have a new Shangri-la on the roof of the world: The just-opened Shinta Mani Mustang unlocks the doors to this kingdom that foreigners were barred from entering until 1991. The new property features Bill Bensley-designed interiors, wellness programs overseen by local Amchi medicine doctors and Sherpa-guided explorations of the thousands of ancient carved into cliffs overlooking the Kali Gandaki River. And over in the tiny village of Phaplu, Happy House, a famed Sherpa lodge for mountain intelligentsia like Sir Edmund Hillary, is the homebase of PRIOR’s group trip to northeastern Nepal, from Oct. 22 to Nov. 1. (Click here to learn more.)

K:elp Wanted

The Mount Nelson, a Belmond hotel in the foothills of Cape Town’s Table Mountain, has partnered with the South African marine biologist Justin Blake on an experience that allows guests to see the the region’s natural beauty “above and below the sea’s surface”: a tour of The Great African Seaforest stretching some 600 miles from the Cape north into Namibia. Here, bamboo kelp, which can reach 15m in height, is the tranquil home to starfish, nudibranchs, sea urchins, octopus, seals, penguins, dolphins and even whales. The world’s oldest forests are also the subject of several new books, including The Curious World of Seaweed by Josie Iselin and Susan Hand Shetterly’s Seaweed Chronicles: A World at the Water’s Edge.

L:ens on Africa

A World in Common: Contemporary African Photography, an exhibition at London’s Tate Modern through January, “follows artists across the many landscapes, borders and time zones of Africa,” including the Benin-born portraitist Leonce Raphael Agbodjelou, whose work documents the celebratory costumes worn during religious ceremonies across West Africa, and the joyous group photos of Nigerian student nurses taken by Ruth Ginika Ossai.

M:ighty Morocco

Though the recent earthquake in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains left Marrakech largely unscathed, the Red City has been unwavering in its global call to action: Come visit. (Hospitality is core to the Moroccan economy, including the furthest reaches of the Atlas, where aid is most needed.) Hotel openings, such as Rosemary, a riad retreat by designer LRNCE, has proceeded as planned, and Jemma El Fna square continues to buzz with life. And then there are inspiring upstarts like Petanque Social Club Marrakech, an insider boules spot, and Artists for Morocco, a collective of Moroccan artists supporting causes like Amal Women’s Training Center and Rif Tribes Foundation, an N.G.O. working with remote villages.

N:ew New York

New eats in New York City include: Bangkok Supper Club, a Thai-food spot in the West Village inspired by Bangkok’s late night snacks; Gotham Burger Social Club, the famed TikTok pop-up opening a permanent location on the Lower East Side in mid-October; Caffé Panna, the Greenpoint gelato and affogato outpost from Hallie Meyer, the daughter of Danny; and Naks, a “soulful heritage Filipino restaurant” in the East Village helmed by long-time Dhamaka Chef de Cuisine Eric Valdez and Unapologetic Foods.

O:peratic Dramas

This fall, the Metropolitan Opera will showcase contemporary works, such as “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X,” “Florencia en el Amazonas” and, of course, the season opener, Jake Heggie’s “Dead Man Walking.” Opera Philadelphia’s “10 Days in a Madhouse,” too, is a “harrowing, breathless” affair. And if "Sweet Sounds of Heaven," the just-released new song by the Rolling Stones featuring Stevie Wonder and Lady Gaga, wasn’t enough drama enough for your ears, the first-ever operatic staging of Paul McCartney’s "Liverpool Oratorio," inspired by the musician's early life, will premiere at Cincinnati Opera's 2024 Summer Festival.

P:ortland Japanese Garden

The famed Portland Japanese Garden, thought to be the most breathtaking Japanese garden outside of Japan, typically reaches “peak color” in the last two weeks of October. (Click here for fall color updates.) This leaf-changing season, the garden is celebrating its 60th anniversary. (In Japanese culture, reaching 60, or kanreki, is seen as a rebirth.) To mark the occasion, the grounds have been dotted with “architecturally accurate models of historic Japanese landmarks crafted from everyday materials” by the artist Takahiro Iwasaki, who recently represented Japan at the Venice Biennale.

Q:uiet, Please

The soundtrack for fall is the sound of silence. Shiguchi is an escapist retreat composed of a constellation of farmhouses scattered across the forests of Niseko, the “Aspen of Japan.” Though, it should be noted, “Shiguchi is not a conventional hotel, nor is it a traditional ryokan,” said the photographer Shouya Grigg, the property’s co-owner. “I wanted to create a place that combines impeccable art, crafts and centuries-old architecture with Niseko’s extraordinary nature to inspire and reconnect us at a meaningful, personal level.” Other silent sanctuaries on our fall map? Eremito Hotelito del Alma, a “Franciscan minimalism” retreat in Tuscany; and Malibu’s “silence time” landmark, The Ranch.

R:emote Refuges

The pandemic-induced pause on travelers cramming into South Asia's snorkeler-friendly bays and idyllic beaches afforded a rare opportunity to see the region's shorelines with a fresh set of eyes. The ancient fishing villages and volcanic-rock beaches dotting the Vietnamese coastal province of Phú Yên, for example, have been left untouched by time — and, at least for now, largely unseen by tourists. And on the sleepy southernmost edge of Sri Lanka, there is a new optimism in the air, spurred by a post-crisis calm and innovative hospitality offerings. Lunuganga, the private country estate of Geoffrey Bawa, the country’s most famous architect, made waves when it announced that a wing of the Tropical Modernist's private property will now accept guest bookings. The news, as one journalist put it, is the design-lover's "equivalent of getting to stay in Beyonce’s actual bedroom.”

S:icilian Essentials

PRIOR’s new Individual Itineraries to Western Sicily offer Sicilian essentials in one ready-to-book package. In Palermo, delve into the city's cultural tapestry of bustling markets and artisan workshops with a private guide, tour the Duomo and explore Monreale's mosaic art. Sip Sicilian traditions at a local winery and enjoy an aperitivo at Palazzo Francavilla. Explore Segesta's treasures, such as Trapani, Erice, and the ancient Phoenician site of Mozia, a cheesemaker oasis.

T:angier Tea

New openings of very different styles and scopes have us in a Moroccan state of mind. Villa Mabrouka, Jasper Conran's elegant Tangier hotel housed in the former Moroccan residence of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, is arguably 2023’s most notable opening. More under the radar, perhaps, but no less charming, is Villa Augustin, a self-described “tiny 5 bedroom hotel in the heart of Tangier, with straight sea views and a laid back vibe, where you bond and rewind.” And though not new, the roof terrace atop Hotel Nord Pinus, with its awe-inspiring panoramic perch overlooking the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, just might be the most spectacular tea-time spot in Tangier.

U:nidentified Phenomena

On the outskirts of a dark sky reserve, the Sun Valley Museum of Art in Idaho, the No. 1 state for per-capita U.F.O. sightings, is a natural place to ponder life’s extraterrestrial possibilities. "Sightings," the museum’s fall exhibition, features commissioned projects by artists Deb Sokolow and Cable Griffith alongside work by Karla Knight, Robyn O’Neil and Ionel Talpazan. “Rather than ask what those who report UFO sightings have actually seen,” the exhibition’s program notes states, the show “asks why we look to the night skies for signs of life, and how we experience phenomena we can’t explain.”

V:ermouth Season

In Madrid, fall is time fer un vermut, or “to do a vermouth.” The national aperitif of Spain, this bittersweet blend of wine and wormwood with botanicals is served on the rocks with an orange twist, Spanish green olive and a splash of sparkling water at tapas spots like La Violeta, Bodegas Casas and Taberna de la Elisa.

W:orld Heritage

Of the just over 1,000 UNESCO World Heritage sites, only 25 are in the United States, including the Grand Canyon, Independence Hall and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Now, however, there is one more: This month, Octagon Earthworks — a cultural marvel in central Ohio constructed by Native Americans about 2,000 years ago as “a means of tracking the movement of the sun and the moon through the heavens” — has officially been named a site of UNESCO World Heritage.

X:treme Treks

In Mongolia, The Mongol 100 is four days of crossing the frozen surface of Lake Khovsgol, from north to south — by foot, skate, bike or any means necessary. The Sinai Trail, Egypt’s [first long-distance hiking path], is an ever-expanding, 350-mile hiking tour of the Sinai Peninsula that takes a whopping 54 days to complete and involves eight tribes. Start fine tuning your engine now if you dare compete in the 40th anniversary iteration of January’s Dakar Rally, one of the toughest motor rallies in the world, where motorcycles, trucks, cars and quad bikes embark on a two-week journey across 550 miles of South America’s most hostile terrains. Vroom!

Y:ellow Glow

You can't think of fall without picturing the yellowing leaves. And few fauna look quite as elegantly dressed for autumn as an aspen, with its silvery white trunk and ombré foliage. This year, we recommend watching the shifting seasonal palette at the Maroon Bells, a towering Bob Ross-esque summit with two 14,000-foot peaks; the Aspen Vista trail in Santa Fe, with its sweeping, golden valley views; and Pando, an Aspen forest in Utah that transforms into a seasonal spectacle of fiery hues thanks to just one naturally cloning tree.

Z:agori Foliage

In northwestern Greece, the Zagori region is a string of 46 picturesque villages in Epirus that mostly flies under the radar of most fall fanatics. The narrow cobbled streets, quaint squares, and flower bed-laden houses dating back to the 16th century offer plenty of pastoral charm, but it’s the surrounding Pindus Mountains that command the most autumnal attention, as the network of dense forests (home to rare species like the Eurasian brown bear and the Balkan chamois) and Vikos Gorge (one of the deepest canyons in the world) transforms into a spectacle of ombré foliage.