Festivals and dancing are integral to life in the Cook Islands. The traditional Ura dance, a key part of their cultural heritage, is especially popular. Visitors are encouraged to join in these celebrations to experience the deep cultural and historical significance of these traditions. One of the most significant annual events is the Te Maeva Nui festival, celebrated around the national day on the 4th of August. This vibrant festival unites people from all the islands to celebrate the nation's self-governance with colourful floats, singing, dancing, drumming, and feasting.

Experience golf at its finest at Semiahmoo Golf & Country Club, designed by the legendary Arnold Palmer. This stunning course earned a #7 ranking among Washington's public courses by Golfweek in 2012. With 7,005 yards of tree-lined fairways, challenging water features on five holes, and 67 strategically placed bunkers, Semiahmoo offers a memorable experience for golfers of all levels.

The splendid Yuantong Temple is the most important Buddhist site in the entire province, with a history of nearly 1200 years. Unlike at other temples, you enter at an elevation and make your way down through tranquil temple grounds – these feature ornate pavilions and halls (the main hall maintains Yuan dynasty architecture), mountain caves and stone staircases. carved directly into the cliff sides.

Perched atop the stark white cliffs of Pamukkale lies Hierapolis — an ancient city that's as rich in history as it is in thermal springs. Once a Phrygian cult centre and later a flourishing Greek city, Hierapolis boasts a well-preserved amphitheatre, an array of atmospheric ruins, and the famed Sacred Pool — a thermally heated delight where you can immerse yourself amidst submerged Roman columns, scattered by an ancient earthquake. Just a stone's throw away, the terraces of Pamukkale steal the show. These gleaming white formations, made of travertine — a sedimentary rock deposited by the mineral-rich hot waters — give the town its name, meaning 'Cotton Castle'. With temperatures ranging from 35°C to a steamy 100°C, these hot springs have been creating an expanding landscape of terraces for centuries, as calcium carbonate from the waters crystallises into the soft gel of travertine. Awarded UNESCO World Heritage status, Hierapolis and Pamukkale offer a unique fusion of cultural history and natural wonder that should not be missed.