Articles tagged “adventure travel”

Filter the Adventure Travel category by popular activities:

Biking, Camping, Climbing, Hiking, Paddling, Scuba diving, Skiing, Surfing

Classic Treks: The Haute Route

by Kraig Becker on

There is a misconception that all of the great treks of the world involve backpackers roughing it in remote backcountry in a distant third world country. While those treks do hold a certain appeal, there are plenty of other great hikes that don’t require that you give up all of your amenities, and rough it, just so you can enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Take the Haute Route for example. The 110-mile trek runs along a variety of routes from Chamonix, France to Zermatt, Switzerland and generally takes about 12 days to complete. The route runs through some of the most scenic sections of the Alps, beginning in the shadow of Mount Blanc and ending under the Matterhorn, quite possibly the two most famous mountains in all of Europe.

While the Haute Route, which is also known as “the High Route” or “the Mountaineers Route”, is non-technical, it can still be physically demanding. The easy to follow trail climbs through 11 high passes, but reachs heights of nearly 12,500 feet in the process, and even during the summer, the use of crampons and ice axes may be necessary.

While this may seem daunting, and at times it can be, trekkers can look forward to staying in excellent mountain huts at the end of each day. The comfortable huts are found along the trail at intervals equivalent to a day’s hike. When the travelers arrive, they can kick off their boots, gather round the fire and partake in some of the surprisingly good food and local wines before retiring to a warm, comfortable bed for the night.

The Haute Route is often described as “the most beautiful walk in Europe” and that reputation is well founded. It passes through lush meadows and around brilliant glaciers stretching down some of the most impressive peaks in Europe. The trail even finds its way in and out of sleppy little mountain villages, giving trekkers the opportunity to experience Europe from a different perspective, far from the hustle and bustle of the larger cities.

During the summer months, the Haute Route is a popular destination for backpackers, but that doesn’t mean it closes down in the winter. The route is open for cross country skiers, who cover its length in roughly five days, enjoying the same scenery, and staying in the same mountain huts along the way.

No matter if you go in the summer or winter, you can expect a great outdoor adventure, with stunning scenery, and wonderful accomidations at the end of the day. You’ll challenge yourself physically but be rewarded with fine meals and comfortable beds for your efforts, and you’ll get to see parts of Europe that most only dream of.

Discovery Channel Gets Into The Travel Business

by Kraig Becker on

The Discovery Channel has announced that it is getting into the travel industry by launching “Discovery Adventures” later this year. The intent is to offer adventure travelers the chance to visit the places that often are depicted on the channel’s many outdoor related television shows.

Discovery has joined forces with established adventure travel operator G.A.P. Adventures and will soon be offering 30 trips to destinations around the globe. The website for Discovery Adventures is expected to go online in July, allowing travelers to begin booking trips at that time.

This new move from Discovery is in keeping with a strategy they announced some time back to extend their brand away from just television and into markets that make sense for their demographic. For example they intend to launch a line of outdoor gear under the Discovery Expedition label as well.

Personally, I’m big fan of the Discovery Channel. What adventure traveler isn’t? Hopefully they aren’t just slapping their logo on to existing tours from G.A.P. and calling it a “Discovery Adventure”, while charging customers an extra fee. I fully expect that these trips will come at a bit of a premium, but hopefully the Discovery brand will add something as well. For example, who wouldn’t want to explore the backcountry with Bear Grylls? The meals would be interesting at the very least!

Compete against an Amazing Race champ in the next Competitours

by Kent Wien on

So you watched last nights Amazing Race finale and you can see yourself winning the next season if you only had the chance. But you’re pretty certain you’re so normal that you have almost no chance of being selected for that race.

Why not go for something you’re guaranteed a chance to compete in? Competitours has managed to replicate the excitement of the Amazing Race, and they’ve put together a significant prize package – like 40 nights at a Starwood hotel and $6,500 cash for example.

But they’ve also made the next running of the Competitours race in Europe a bit more interesting. Tyler MacNiven, the winner of the Amazing Race #9 and probably the most memorable AR contestant of all time, will be competing in Competitours.

And if you need a leg up on how to beat Tyler, check out how Team Gadling (that’s us) scored a first place finish in the inaugural Competitours! And if you go, let us know. We’d like to hear how you do!

Trekking Tajikistan

by Kraig Becker on

Adventure travelers enjoy a great trek, and will go to the ends of the Earth, sometimes quite literally, to find one. The more remote, desolate, and free from other people, the better. Over the past few years, some of the classic treks of the world have become increasingly crowded, which is why some of the countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia have become hot spots for adventure travelers looking to discover new places to hike.

Tajikistan is a perfect example of this. The former Soviet satellite, which borders Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and China, has a landscape that is dominated by mountains, and remains mostly cut off from the modern world. In fact more than 50% of the country sits above 10,000 feet in altitude, which gives you an indication of the terrain that visitors can expect when they visit the country.

Visit Tajikistan is exactly what travel writer Tiffany Kary did for an article that she wrote on the experience. The author found that once she left Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, her only options for finding a place to stay, were either in the home of locals or her own tent. Just to get out to those regions, trekkers will need letters of invitation and special permits allowing them to travel the countryside, but Kary promises it is all worth it, thanks to the nearly unspoiled scenery and unique cultural attractions that mix Buddhism, Islam, and even Zoroastrianism.

Exploring Tajikistan is a rather inexpensive endeavor, at least once you get there. A few hundred dollars will get you a multi-day trek that includes meals and lodging. Best of all, you’re unlikely to come across any other tourists the entire time.

Crusing To Baffin Island

by Kraig Becker on

The variety of options when it comes to taking a cruise continues to expand all the time. Of course, you have the traditional Caribbean variety, and the ever popular Alaskan cruise. There are river cruises on the Nile, Yangtze, and even the Amazon, and of course, adventure travelers can go to Antarctica, and now through the Northwest Passage to Baffin Island.

The largest island in Canada, Baffin is home to herds of caribou, arctic wolves, and polar bears. It is remote, desolate, and covered in ice and snow for much of the year, but during the summer months, it thaws out enough to allow visitors to make the journey.

The Times Online travel section has a story on just such a cruise to Baffin Island, warning readers early on that this isn’t a cruise for someone looking to relax in the sun and sip fruit drinks with little umbrellas. This is an active adventure vacation, and travelers will be exploring the island, viewing wildlife, and interacting with the Inuit people who have lived on the island for over a millennia.

The best time to go on a cruise to this arctic region is late August into late September, when the summer has had a chance to melt off the ice and open the Northwest passage more fully. Expect active days, unpredictable weather, and breathtaking scenery on an adventure cruise unlike any other.