Traveling from Africa’s lowest to highest point

by Kraig Becker on

Traveling through Africa is always an adventure, but a British man, fresh from a stint in the Peace Corps, has found a way to add even more excitement to a journey through the wildest continent on Earth.

Last week, Kyle Henning set out on a journey that he has dubbed as Low2High: Africa. His adventure started at Lake Assal, located in central Djibouti, which has the distinction of being the lowest point in Africa at 508 feet below sea level. From there, he got on his bike and has started an 1864 mile long ride that will pass through six countries, eventually ending up in Tanzania at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro. If all goes according to plan, Henning will then trek to the Kili’s summit, which is the highest point on the continent at 19,340 feet.

While this sounds like a fantastic way to visit East Africa and make one of the world’s great treks on Kilimanjaro, Henning isn’t doing it purely for the adventure. The young man is also hoping to raise funds for the New Day Children’s Center in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. The center provides food, clothing, and education for children that would normally be left to fend for themselves on the city streets. Henning has set a modest goal of raising £2,500 (roughly $4000) and as of this writing he has already managed bring in about £888.

You can follow Kyle’s trekking and cycling adventure on his blog, where he is already sharing stories and photos from the road. While he’s been traveling for more than a week already, he still has a long way to go, and plenty to see and do. Judging from his early entries however, he seems to be having the time of his life meeting locals and seeing the landscapes. Can we ask for anything more out of our travel than that?

[Photo credit: Kyle Henning]

Gap Adventures introduces new trips for 2011

by Kraig Becker on

As the final days of 2010 rapidly slip away, it is time to look to the new year for new opportunities and adventures. With that in mind, travel company Gap Adventures announced a host of outstanding new trips last week, offering up fantastic options for travelers looking for unique experiences.

Gap Adventures is amongst the top adventure travel companies in the world, offering hundreds of affordable trips to far flung places across the globe. These newly announced offerings are no different, giving travelers more than 100 new trips to choose from in 2011.

The new trips have been designed to offer a little something for everyone. For example, the Columbia Coffee Trails adventure is perfect for coffee lovers everywhere. They’ll visit some of South America’s top coffee plantations in search of the perfect brew, while exploring lush landscapes in Columbia, a country that his quickly becoming a top destination for travelers.

If coffee isn’t your thing, perhaps you’ll find an adventure more to your liking in Africa. New offerings to that continent will get travelers off the beaten path and into remote villages, where they’ll experience cultural immersion, spectacular landscapes, and fantastic wildlife. And if climbing Kilimanjaro has always been on your “bucket list,” Gap has made it easier and more affordable than ever with new options for that classic trek.

Gap has new adventures on every continent, ranging from the island of Sumatra to the deserts of Egypt, to the highlands of Guatemala and beyond. So whether you want to go to Europe, Asia, the Middle East, or somewhere in between, you’ll find plenty of fantastic opportunities in Gap’s back catalog or in their new offerings. To check out all the new trips, click here. But be warned, there are so many great trips to choose from, you may have to select more than one.