Paragliding pilots have the ultimate perch to get out and see the world. For two Icelandic women, a planned camping trip to the highlands of their country turned into one of the most mesmerizing videos I’ve come across.
In July 2011 two girls borrowed a 4×4, filled it with camping gear and paragliders and drove up to the Highlands of Iceland.
They experienced a new side of their own country, found some extreme flying spots and quaint people, learned how to drive across rivers, up mountains and how to read maps.
4 weeks later, having killed the vehicle, they returned and made this film:
I can think of no better excuse to travel than to take up paragliding and meet other pilots around the world. In fact, I plan to do just that. Stay tuned.
Want to learn to really fly? If you live in the U.S. look up a paragliding school close to you. It’s less expensive than you think.
For decades Tanzania has been one of the top destinations for travelers looking for a classic African safari experience. After all, the country’s Serengeti National Park is home to hundreds of thousands of animals and is one of the few places where you can witness the amazing spectacle that is the Great Migration. But anyone who has ever visited the Serengeti knows that during the peak season it can get rather crowded, which can certainly diminish the mystique of the place.
Travelers looking for an alternative destination may want to consider visiting Ruaha National Park instead. Located in central Tanzania, Ruaha is the country’s second largest park and a spectacular natural environment in its own right. Named for the Great Ruaha River that passes along its eastern border, the park marks the transition from forests in the south to the more arid grasslands of the north.
Covering more than 13,000 square miles of wilderness, Ruaha is home to a dizzying array of wildlife including the largest population of elephants in East Africa. With an estimated 10,000 elephants living within its borders, Ruaha is one of the best places on the continent to spot those enormous creatures. The park is also home to a large number of predators, including hyena, leopard, cheetah and several very healthy prides of lions. There are even a few packs of the increasingly rare and endangered African wild dogs too.
Even though it is located in a remote area of Tanzania, there are no less than six lodges to stay at when visiting Ruaha. Those lodges include places like the Tandala Tented Camps, Ruaha River Lodge and Jongomero Camp, each of which offer rustic, yet still luxurious, accommodations for adventurous travelers.
It may be a bit more challenging to get to but for those looking for a unique and decidedly uncrowded African safari, Ruaha is well worth the journey.
has begun! Many travelers will be taking advantage of free access to our country’s best national parks but, if they’re anything like this writer, won’t want to sleep in a tent after.
So, instead of camping try “glamping” at some of these great hotels near national parks that let you enjoy nature without giving up your creature comfort – no camping required.
Moonlight Basin, Montana
Located just 18 miles from Yellowstone National Park, Moonlight is surrounded by Montana’s spectacular Rocky Mountains. Moonlight Basin’s Mountain Concierge Team can plan experiences from rafting on the Gallatin River to fly-fishing adventures and more.
Travaasa Hana, Maui
The closest lodging to Haleakala National Park, filled with beautiful hikes through bamboo forests, past towering waterfalls and the famous “Pools of Ōheo.”
For those interested in ecotourism as well as the great outdoors, here is a piece of gear that is perfect for you. Kamp-Rite has introduced a unique kind of bike trailer that allows campers to set up a special Kamp-Rite Oversize Tentcot tent on top of the trailer. While this may sound like you’d be sleeping on unsteady ground, the company insists that the product’s fully adjustable leveling jacks ensure a comfortably horizontal sleep on any terrain.
The Midget Bushtrekka also features a pivoting wheel set, which the website explains makes it excellent for off-roading.
“By utilizing two wheels under each side of the trailer, harnessed to a pivoting rocker frame, the trailer can easily absorb most of the uneven terrain in its environment,” says the Kamp-Rite website.
These “midget” contraptions are actually quite large, weighing 56 pounds with 41 gallons of storage capability. The tent itself is comfortable for one person, and a tight-squeeze for two, at 90 inches in length, 32 inches in width and 40 inches in height. While at $899.99 the product is pricey, though it does include the tent.
For a better idea of this innovative product, check out the gallery below.
Antarctica was once considered the horribly barren, frozen place that only brave scientists would travel to. In the past, if Antarctica was on a travel bucket list it was probably in the same category as “Walk on the Moon” or “Travel back in time.” In other words, it probably was not going to happen. Recently, Antarctica has gained new popularity as a viable travel bucket list addition as more travelers visit and live to tell about it – some on television.
The debut of the Discovery Channel’s “Frozen Planet” brought to light the beauty of Earth’s polar regions and the animals that inhabit them, encouraging travelers to fulfill that bucket list dream a bit sooner.
Since the program aired on March 18, tour company Abercrombie and Kent has received over 200 hundred phone calls from travelers interested in Antarctica, specifically referencing the show with 49 bookings to Antarctica directly linked to “Frozen Planet.”
Increased interest in Antarctica comes with a price tag too. Travelers will need the time and the financial ability to make the trip. Abercrombie and Kent have an Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falkland Islands tour that is priced at $16,995 per person. On sale now for $12,750, it’s still not a cheap swing around the Caribbean but a cheap swing around the Caribbean is probably not a top spot bucket list item either.
So what’s the best part of Antarctica?
“The penguins are adorable, the seals are spectacular and the whales have that ‘Wow Factor’ that take your breath away when they pop up beside your zodiac,” says travel blog ThePlanetd who has a photo gallery of their recent trip.Want to know more about Antarctica?
Gadling’s John Bowermaster has a series of posts made during multiple visits in “Bowermaster’s Adventures.”
