Articles tagged “adventure travel”

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Exploring The Transylvanian Alps In Europe

by Jessica Festa on

While many travelers know about the alps in Switzerland, Italy and France, less are aware of the beautiful Transylvanian Alps in Central and Southeastern Europe. Like an open-air museum, this area showcases an untouched area of the continent, with natural landscapes and locals living an archaic lifestyle in unity with nature.

Officially called the Southern Carpathians, the Transylvanian Alps are a group of mountain ranges dividing southern and central Romania on one side and Serbia on the other. It includes the Bucegi Mountains group, Fagaras Mountains group, Parang Mountains group and the Retezat-Godeanu Mountains group.

Although not as tall as the Swiss Alps, the Southern Carpathians do feature an alpine landscape. The highest peaks are Moldoveanu Peak at 8,347 feet and Negoiu at 8,317 feet. Furthermore, you’ll explore over 150 glacial lakes, lush grasslands, dense forests, crystalline massifs, unworldly rock formations, sections of the old Roman Way and an ancient network of trans-Carpathian roads. A diverse selection of terrains allows hikers of all skill levels to enjoy the Southern Carpathians. For those who want something more unusual, Heliskiing is also an option.

For a more visual idea of the Transylvanian Alps, check out the gallery below.

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[Image above via Shutterstock; Gallery images via Shutterstock, Dezidor, Thalpha]

National Museum Of Afghanistan Struggles To Rebuild

by Sean McLachlan on


Afghanistan has a rich heritage. As a crossroads of trade it spawned numerous civilizations that were influenced by cultures as far away as Macedonia. There was even a thriving Buddhist culture in Afghanistan that created art inspired by Classical Greek models.

It’s also been rocked by decades of war that saw the destruction of many of its ancient sites and museums. The National Museum of Afghanistan in Kabul was especially hard hit. During the 1990s it was shelled and caught fire. When the Taliban took over, they destroyed about 2,500 of the museum’s statues for being un-Islamic. Gold and silver artifacts were stolen and melted down or sold on the international antiquities market.

Now the museum is slowly rebuilding, Art Daily reports. An international network of police forces and museums has been tracking down the museum’s stolen artifacts, as well as those illegally excavated in lawless parts of the country, and returning them to Kabul.

The museum staff surprised the world in 2003 by producing a wealth of artifacts they had hidden during the years of Taliban rule. These included thousands of pieces of gold jewelry and coins from the Bactrian era, more than 2,000 years ago. Those pieces are now on tour around the world as part of the exhibition “Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul.” The exhibition just closed in Norway and is now headed to Australia.

There are still problems for Kabul’s museum. Power cuts are a regular occurrence, and the Taliban still threaten countryside. They and other Islamic extremists would love to smash a few thousand more statues. Moderate Muslims, like the staff at the museum and the locals who come to visit, see the Buddhist statues and other pre-Islamic artifacts as the heritage of their nation, not threats to their religion. One hopes that moderate Islam wins out in a country flattened by warfare, and that Kabul’s archaeology museum, once the finest in the region, can keep its doors open without fear.

Check out the photo gallery for a sample of Afghanistan’s magnificent ancient heritage.

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Mt. Kenya To Be Surrounded By Electric Fence

by Kraig Becker on

According to the BBC, the Kenyan government has approved a proposal to construct an electric fence around the country’s tallest mountain, the 5199-meter (17,057-foot) Mt. Kenya. The plan, which is backed by several conservation groups, was developed to help keep wild animals from straying onto farmland and destroying crops there.

The project is a collaboration between Rhino Ark, an organization dedicated to conservation in Kenya, the Kenya Wildlife Service and the Kenya Forest Service. The three groups feel that the electrified fence will not only protect the crops but the animals as well. When wildlife strays onto farmland, it often comes into conflict with the farmers that live there. The fence will help prevent those kinds of interactions, saving the lives of animals in the process.

When completed, the fence will stretch for more than 250 miles and surround about 772 square miles. It’ll stand 2 meters in height and extend another meter into the ground, just to ensure that especially determined critters are kept at bay. Construction started this past week with the first segment expected to be finished in early 2014. The entire project will wrap up in about five years at a total cost of $11.8 million.

Lest this seem like an overly ambitious endeavor it should be pointed out that Rhino Ark has completed a similar project in the past. The organization spent 12 years fencing in the Aberdare Mountains, the source of the clean water supply for Nairobi.

Liftopia Has Hot Deals On Lift Tickets For The Upcoming Ski Season

by Kraig Becker on

As the last few weeks of summer drag out to their inevitable conclusion it is time to start thinking about the seasons ahead. The crisp air and cooler temperatures of autumn will be a welcome change of pace for many of us who have endured unusually warm temperatures the past few months. But for many travelers and outdoor enthusiasts it is the coming of winter that gets them the most excited. That’s because winter brings fresh powder and the promise of a great ski season ahead.

To help skiers and snowboarders prepare for their winter adventures, Liftopia, the largest online site for purchasing lift tickets, has launched their Red Hot End of Summer Sale. This limited-time event features more than 32,000 deals on discounted passes from over 60 ski resorts across North America. Some of these tickets are being offered at prices that are as much as 86% below their normal price, which makes buying a ski pass in September seem like a really smart idea.

Thinking of heading to Colorado to hit the slopes this year? Liftopia has passes for Aspen/Snowmass at 34% off and Arapahoe Basin for as much as 39% off. Utah’s Snowbird is currently selling at a 45% discount while Idaho’s Tamarack Resort passes are 54% below normal price. Similar discounts are offered for ski destinations in New England, the Pacific Northwest, Canada and beyond.

Liftopia also happens to be the exclusive provider of the Mountain Collective Pass, which is an unbelievable deal for skiers. For just $349, the pass provides two free days at each of the following resorts: Aspen/Snowmass, Alta, Jackson Hole and Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows. It also provides 50% off unlimited lift tickets after that, as well as 25% off accommodations. That is an incredibly affordable way to enjoy some of the best ski resorts in North America, if not the world.

If you’re one of those people who just can’t wait for winter to arrive then you’ll definitely want to check out the deals being offered by Liftopia right now. I know it may seem like winter is still a long way off but it’ll be here before you know it. When it does arrive you’ll be glad you saved some cash in the waning days of summer.

Yosemite Hantavirus Threat Expands To 39 Countries

by Kraig Becker on

Last week we told you about an outbreak of the Hantavirus in Yosemite National Park that resulted in the deaths of two people with a possible exposure to hundreds more. Now the true scope of that exposure is becoming more clear as the National Park Service has warned that as many as ten thousand people may be at risk. Worse yet, the NPS says that 2500 of those could be from up to 39 different countries around the globe.

The first cases of the virus, which is carried by mice, squirrels and other rodents, were traced back to Yosemite’s Curry Village, a camp ground of sorts that featured a number of tent cabins. The initial health warning for the disease went out to 3100 people who stayed in those tents between June 10 and August 24 of this year. The letter urged anyone who felt ill with flu-like symptoms to seek immediate medical attention. So far there have been six confirmed cases including the two fatalities.

Park officials are now blaming the exposure to the virus on a design flaw in the tent cabins they use at Curry Village. That flaw allowed mice to get inside the walls of shelters where they would leave droppings and other waste. The disease spreads through exposure to those droppings, as well as saliva and urine from the infected rodent, and can take anywhere from one to six weeks for the first symptoms to manifest. There is no cure for the Hantavirus, although early detection greatly increases the chance of survival.

The National Park Service continues to maintain a help line for anyone who has concerns regarding the Hantavirus. They can be reached at 209-372-0822 from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily.