A Unique Adventure Destination: Siberia’s Altai Mountains

by Jessica Festa on

If you’re looking for a colorful and unique adventure vacation, look no further than Siberia’s Altai region. In the Turkic and Mongolic languages, the word Altai means the “Golden Mountain.” Once you see the area up close, you’ll understand why the name is so fitting.

Along with its rare beauty, the destination also presents unique ecology and geology. Located in East-Central Asia, the Altai Mountains are a mountain range where Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China and Russia come together. The natural attraction extends for about 1,200 miles from the Gobi Desert to the West Siberian Plain, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, due to the area’s unique geology and rare biodiversity. In fact, this region features the most complete sequence of altitudinal vegetation zones in central Siberia and offers a home to endangered animals like the snow leopard. You’ll find over 1,400 plant species, many of which an endemic, over 70 mammal species and more than 300 types of birds. Moreover, with origins dating back to Caledonian-Hercyninan times, this range has seen five glacial periods, which can be seen through the multitude of lakes and 1,499 glaciers in the region.

When visiting this region, you’ll be able to take in the beauty of this untamed land while white water rafting, horseback riding, hiking and mountain climbing. Moreover, if you’d just like to relax and clear your head, that can be found here, too. Visitors can choose to go camping or stay in one of these rustic accommodations, and also have the option to book a tour.

For a visual idea of this unusual destination, check out the gallery below.

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[all images via Big Stock]

10 Unique Experiences To Have In Chile

by Jessica Festa on

When I backpacked South America, one country I found difficult to plan was Chile. While I had heard they had great wine, adventurous hikes and beautiful landscapes, I had no idea where to actually go and what to actually do. After traveling through the country, I now realize there are way too many worthwhile experiences to have to narrow it down into just one list. However, these are 10 I think everyone should try to incorporate into a trip to the country.

Have a favorite destination or experience in Chile? Share it in the comments below.

Sandboarding In Death Valley/Hiking In Moon Valley

While these are technically two different experiences, you can book a tour in San Pedro de Atacama that allows you to do both in one day. Death Valley is surreal, with gigantic sand dunes and unworldly rock formations. In fact, the site looks so out of this world, many people say it resembles Mars. The basically barren landscape and dry climate is also similar to the red planet. NASA scientists and university researchers go there to test outer space equipment and hypotheses. Moon Valley is also bizarre, with jagged mountains covered in salt, stone and sand formations carved by water and wind, mysterious caves and dry saline-coated lakes. Because of its lunar appearance, a Mars rover was once tested there by scientists.The only company I saw offering the combination tour for both destinations with sandboarding was Atacama Inca Tour. For 12,000 Chilean Pesos (about $25), plus 2,000 $CLP (about $4) to enter Moon Valley, you get transportation, a sandboarding lesson and about two hours of sandboarding, a tour of the Chulacao Caves, which are covered in edible salt, an uphill trek to a viewpoint in Moon Valley to sip Pisco Sour while watching the sunset and a free DVD of the afternoon.

Explore Chile’s Lake District

When visiting Chile’s Lake District, you’ll be surrounded by more than just lakes. The area extends throughout a 210-mile stretch between Temuco and Puerto Montt, and features numerous activities in a world of natural beauty. Along with 12 major lakes, there is also larch forest, jagged peaks, serene waterfalls, green valleys, snow-capped volcanoes and many opportunities for cultural interaction through traditional folklore and indigenous handicraft markets. For many reasons, the destination is often compared to Switzerland. Both have similar landscapes, as well as cultural diversity. While Switzerland has four official languages, Chile’s Lake District was settled by Germans in the 19th century and also has a still existent native Mapuche culture. Make sure to visit Lago Llanquihue, one of South America’s largest lakes with an amazing scene of colors, mountains and volcanoes. For some deep relaxation, visit the geothermal pools at Termas Geometricas. The attraction features a red-planked walkway of slate-covered hot and cold thermal water pools. You’ll also see rivers, waterfalls and canyons. For some, adventure, hiking, biking and rafting are popular modes of transport for exploring Chile’s Lake District.

Go Back In Time On Easter Island

Easter Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is not only one of the most isolated travel destinations on Earth, it’s also one of the planet’s most sacred sites. Once in Chile, you can take a flight from Santiago to reach the destination. Most people know the Chilean Polynesian island for its moai, large, personified stone monoliths with very large features. They were created by the Rapa Nui people between the years 1250 and 1500, and average 13 feet in height and 14 tons. While the architecture is impressive – especially given the time period they were built in – the mystery behind why these structures were constructed still remains a mystery. It is believed the moai were built to honor ancestors or another important group of people; however, the Rapa Nui left behind no oral or written history. Popular ways to view the statues are via horseback riding, renting a jeep or car or biking, although the many potholes and unpaved roads making cycling a bit difficult. Other worthwhile activities on Easter Island include scuba diving, snorkeling, relaxing on the beach and visiting volcanic craters where you can see the rock that created the moai carvings.

Climb The Highest Volcano In The World

At 22,615 feet in elevation, Nevado Ojos del Salado (“Source of the Salt River” summit) is the highest volcano in the world. It’s located on the Chile-Argentina border, and can be accessed via Copiapó, Chile. When making your way up the enormous stratovolcano, you’ll be able to hike most of the way, although a bit of scrambling is necessary towards the top. Additionally, once you reach 20,960 feet on the eastern side of Ojos del Salado, you’ll see what is said to be the world’s highest lake. Wondering if it’s active? The last eruption was in 1993, leading scientists to believe there is a possibility it still is.

If you’re interested in doing a longer excursion and scaling multiple volcanoes, the companies Andes Mountain and Amity Tours offer 13- and 14-day trips.

Hike In Patagonia Via The “W Circuit” In Torres del Paine National Park

Whether you hike this circuit or just visit the national park on a tour, seeing the bizarre scenery of Torres del Paine is a must when in Chile. The entire time I was there I felt as though I were in the most beautiful Tim Burton film ever created, with animal skulls and twisted roots in front of a snow peaked background, and jagged rock formations and pointy pink mountain spires coming together with shimmering glaciers and colorful skies. The “W Circuit” will allow you to see some of the best views in the park. It takes about three to six days, with the highlights being beautiful lakes, the French Valley and the iconic Towers of Paine, enormous granite monoliths shaped by glacial ice. Note that the hike can be challenging for some, especially due to common strong winds and rough terrain.

Travel Underground In The Largest Open Pit Copper Mine In The World

In the north of Chile you’ll find Antofagasta, home to Chuquicamata, the largest open pit copper mine by excavated volume in the world. Its open pit is 14,108 feet long, 9,843 feet wide and 2,953 feet deep. Despite being exploited for over 90 years, the mine still manages to be one of the largest known copper resources on Earth. In fact, copper is one of Chile’s major exports. Codelco, the official owner of the mine, requires visitors to take a free guided tour if they want to visit. You can choose between English or Spanish, and can contact them at visitas@codelco.cl or +56 55 322122 to make a reservation.

Get To Know History And Culture In Santiago

Santiago is Chile’s capital, and a great home base for exploring nearby areas like the Casablanca Wine Valley, beautiful beaches and the Andes Mountains. You’ll learn a lot just from hanging out in Plaza de Armas, the city’s main square. Here you’ll find the Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago, a church as well as a national monument. You’ll also get a firsthand look at the influence of Peruvian immigrants through ethnic food, shops and recreation. Additionally, the city is home to many beautiful parks, like Parque Metropolitano, home to San Cristobal Hill, which offers excellent city views and Parque Forestal, home to the National Museum of Fine Arts and the Modern Art Museum. Moreover, cultural establishments like the Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art, the Presidential Palace, and various cultural centers will give you a wealth of insight into Chile’s heritage. You should also stop by the Church and Museum of San Francisco, the oldest church in the city. Here, you’ll also be able to see a monolith from Easter Island.

Go Scuba Diving On Robinson Crusoe Island

Robinson Crusoe island, part of the archipelago of Juan Fernandez, is a national park as well as a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. This volcanic island of rugged mountain is often described as a deserted area of unspoiled beauty, and for good reason. Both on and off land, the island offers one of the most endemic ecosystems in the world. Furthermore, it features warm, crystal clear water, perfect for scuba diving and submarine hunting. You’ll see a diverse array of marine life, including vidriola, rock salmon, moray, pampanito, corvina, breca and more. You can access the island via a flight from Santiago.

Cross The Strait of Magellan To See Penguins On Isla Magdalena

You can take a ferry from Punta Arenas and arrive on Isla Magdalena, where you’ll see thriving groups of Magellanic penguins. This is where Chile’s largest penguin colonies reside. It is said there are about 60,000 breeding pairs. It’s not surprising this island is the main part of the Penguins Natural Monument. There is a big hill with a lighthouse on top, where most visitors climb to begin their photo taking. If you’d like a tour, Adventure Life offers an excursion to the island via a high-speed zodiac.

Go Wine Tasting In Casablanca Valley

Wine is one of Chile’s biggest industries, and the country is a major exporter of wine. Casablanca Valley is located just 45-minutes outside Santiago. The first vine was planted in the region in the mid-1980s, and quickly made a mark in Chile’s history becoming the first cool-climate coastal region to produce wines. The maritime, foggy mornings and cool Mediterranean climate greatly influence the grapes, which produce crisp, flavorful, aromatic wines. The three major varieties include Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, although high quality Merlot, Syrah, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Viognier and Gewürztraminer can also be found. Because it can be a bit tedious to get to, many people either hire a driver or stay the night in Casablanca. Other popular wine valleys to visit include Colchagua Valley, Maipo Valley, San Antonio Valley and Aconcagua Valley. If you’re interested in touring one or more of these regions, Ecotours Chile and Uncorked offer excellent excursions.

[Images via Jessie on a Journey, Anetode, Jessie on a Journey, Metaforico, Hector Garcia]

Eynhallow: Visiting Orkney’s Haunted Isle

by Sean McLachlan on


Orkney is an ancient land where prehistoric monuments still dominate the landscape, along with the wide sky and surrounding sea. Plenty of strange stories have grown up about certain places. Some of the strangest have to do with a little island called Eynhallow.

Eynhallow has been deserted since 1851. Considering that it’s a little less than 200 acres of treeless grass and rocky cliffs surrounded by dangerously strong tides, it’s a testament to Orcadian toughness that it was ever inhabited at all.

For a long time, the stories say, it wasn’t inhabited by people, but by the Finfolk. The Finfolk were a race of magical beings who in the summer lived on the island, which was then called Hildaland. This island itself was magical and was usually invisible to mortal eyes.

The Finfolk were evil beings and sometimes abducted people, much like the elves of European folklore before fantasy writers turned them into metrosexuals. One day a Finman abducted the wife of the Goodman of Thorodale, an Orcadian farmer. Thorodale saw a tall, dark figure making off with his screaming wife in a boat. The brave farmer rowed after them and the Finman turned his boat invisible and escaped. Thorodale grieved for his wife until one day he heard her voice singing to him over the waves, telling him to visit a wise woman on the island of Hoy. This woman told him how to get his wife back and kick the Finfolk off Hildaland. The rest of the tale is told here.

Hildaland, after it was rid of its pesky Finfolk, became known as Eynhallow, a corruption of the Norse word for “Holy Island.” Fanciful folktales aside, there may have been a reason for this. Some believe that a monastery once operated on the island and this is why the Vikings called it a Holy Island.

%Gallery-161239%This seems to have been confirmed when a medieval church was discovered on the island. It had been lived in and built around by the last nineteenth-century residents until disease killed many of them and the rest fled. It was only after it was abandoned that scholars realized what it was. The church building may, or may not, have served a monastery. No excavations have yet taken place. But why would a sizable church and perhaps a monastic community have been built on such a small island, only to be ignored by medieval chroniclers and completely forgotten?

I visited on an annual trip hosted by the Orkney Archaeology Society, a friendly group of professional and amateur archaeologists who love the land and its past. They wanted to explore the mysterious church building. This wasn’t a simple outing to an uninhabited island. Two visitors supposedly disappeared on a trip there in 1990. Some say the ferrymen bringing the group there and back simply miscounted; others say it may have been vengeful Finfolk.

Orcadian folklore hints that the island is still magic. It’s said that if you cut grain there after sundown, it will bleed, and a horse tethered to the ground will always be found running loose after dark.

We set out across the chilly gray water at 7:30 p.m., which in the Orkney summer means it’s still bright enough to read outside. We passed between the islands of Mainland and Rousay and one of the group members pointed out several medieval brochs on either shore.

After about 20 minutes, Eynhallow appeared before us as a green hump in the sea. There’s no pier on Eynhallow, so the ferry ground to a halt on a rocky beach, upsetting hundreds of terns that flapped and squawked at us. Soon we were tromping down the beach. The ferry had some other runs to make so it pulled away with a scrape of steel on stone and chugged off. We were temporarily marooned on an island inhabited only by malevolent spirits. I love my job.

After we left the angry terns behind, all we could hear was the wind. We headed inland across thick grass and wildflowers to reach the mysterious church. It’s a strange building and I can see why the archaeologists are puzzled by it. Parts are skillfully made, while others looked slapped together, probably by the later farmers. A staircase leads up to nowhere and debris and lumps in the earth suggest a series of outbuilding that may have been the monastery. From what can be seen, it certainly looks like a planned community built at once, with the later farmers’ additions put on every which way.

It’s a lonely place now. Grass and nettles have overgrown the site and birds have built nests in holes in the walls. As we explored, one of the group, a singer at a local church, stood in the nave and sang in Latin in a deep, resonant voice. The effect was eerily beautiful.

After puzzling over the church, we headed out to circumnavigate the island. Now, it was about 9 but this far north it meant we had a good two hours of twilight left. The increasing gloom only enriched the colors – the deep green of the grass sparkled with lighter shades of wildflowers, the pale blue of the sky, the endless gray of the ocean. The shore had brighter hues. Red cliffs studded with tufts of wildflowers housed nests for raucous birds. Fulmars, cormorants and puffins were everywhere. Angry mothers guarded their chicks by flapping their wings and squawking at us. They must have been warned by the terns.

The natural beauty continued all around the island. Waves lashed against the jagged rocks and birds studied us from sheer cliffs. As we made our way around we came across several cairns. Some were guide markers for fishermen, while others may have been ancient. A flock of sheep came out of nowhere and passed on by with barely a look at us intruders. We rounded a bend and humped over a hill and there ahead of us shone the lights of the ferry. It had come back for us.

I almost felt sorry.

For more on Eynhallow, check out Orkneyjar’s excellent collection of Eynhallow pages.

Don’t miss the rest of my series “Exploring Orkney: Scotland’s Rugged Northern Isles.”

Coming up next: “Beauty In Wartime: The Italian Chapel In Orkney!”

Shapinsay: Visiting A Wee Scottish Island

by Sean McLachlan on


No trip to Orkney is complete without seeing some of the smaller islands. They offer plenty of natural and historic sights as well as peaceful solitude.

Little Shapinsay can be seen from the main harbor at Kirkwall, but visitors often overlook it. Even though it only measures six miles long at its longest and has only about 300 residents, it’s served by a regular car ferry from Kirkwall. My family and I noticed that the locals getting on board at Kirkwall harbor were loaded down with groceries. Apparently there aren’t many shopping opportunities on Shapinsay.

The boat pulled out of Kirkwall and passed some old gun emplacements on the Point of Carness. Orkney was a major base during the two World Wars and there are plenty of remains from that time. We also saw a tiny island called Thieves Holm. Local folklore says thieves and witches were banished here. It’s not too far from the Mainland, but with the water so chilly I doubt anyone could have made the swim. Then we pulled out into The String, the exit from Kirkwall Bay, and felt like we were in the open sea, with clean air blowing on our faces and seagulls wheeling overhead.

%Gallery-161148%Twenty-five minutes later we pulled into Shapinsay harbor. Like most of the islands up here, it’s been inhabited since prehistoric times. There are a couple of megalithic standing stones, including one called the Odin Stone, like the one that used to be near the Standing Stones of Stenness. There’s also an Iron Age broch built by the Picts.

It seems, though, that Shapinsay was mostly a sleepy place inhabited by farmers and fishermen. That all changed in the late 1700s when the Balfour family decided to build an elegant estate on the island. The first step was to build Balfour village for all the workmen, and then work began in earnest on a grand home that looks like a castle. Balfour Castle is now a hotel and a good spot if you want to splash out on a quiet retreat.

And quiet it is. Even in the center of town all we heard is the wind, birdsong and the distant drone of a tractor. After a minute even the tractor cut off. We had a quick coffee at The Smithy, a little cafe/restaurant/pub (you have to multitask when you’re one of the only businesses on the island) and headed out for a coastal hike.

For me, the biggest attraction of Scotland is the countryside, and Shapinsay certainly didn’t disappoint. After a gloomy northern morning, the weather had turned gloriously clear and warm. We chose a five-mile loop hike along the shoreline and through some woods behind Balfour Castle. My 6-year-old son is an experienced hiker and can manage five miles over easy terrain. Of course, when hiking with children make sure you give them a steady supply of water and snacks!

We started out by passing Balfour Village’s little pier and a crumbling old tower called The Douche, which used to be a salt water shower for the local residents. Then we tramped along the stony beach. Orkney is rich in bird life and we saw terns, seagulls, and several other types of birds I couldn’t identify. Every now and then a curious seal would pop its head out of the water and examine us. In the distance we saw a few sailboats and fishing vessels. Otherwise we saw nobody and heard nothing. That was exactly what I wanted.

After climbing a steep slope, our path cut inland and we tramped over lush fields carpeted with yellow, white and purple wildflowers. My son picked a couple for my wife to put in her hair and we headed through a little forest and ended up in the lush garden of Balfour Castle. It wasn’t long before we were back in the village, where we relaxed in the garden of the Smithy looking out over the water and doing nothing for a while except admiring a beautiful day in northern Scotland.

Orkney has plenty of islands to choose from. Do a bit of research ahead of time online and with the local tourism office and head on out. Pay careful attention to the ferry schedule, though, because on many islands the last ferry for the day leaves pretty early.

Don’t miss the rest of my series “Exploring Orkney: Scotland’s Rugged Northern Isles.”

Coming up next: “Eynhallow: Visiting Orkney’s Haunted Isle!”

The Jetovator: The Flying Water Bike That Propels Riders 30 Feet In The Air

by Jessica Festa on




From kitesurfing and surfing to cave diving, there are a lot of fun opportunities for those who want to have an adventurous water experience. The new Jetovator, however, may win the prizes for most original and most daring.

The Jetovator looks like a mix between a jet ski and a motorbike, and attaches to a giant water spray nozzle to propel riders 30 feet into the air. If you’d rather explore what’s underneath the water, the watercraft can also push you 10 feet below the surface.

According to Digital Trends, the Jetovator is simple to control, using handlebars for direction and speed. Furthermore, riders will be able to do tricks in the air, like quick turns and flips. When it’s running low on batteries, simply hook it up to a water power source to charge.

The one downside of this daring toy? Its price tag. At $9,000 for the standard model with no upgrades, experiencing this unique adventure may be difficult for some. However, if you’re looking to do something out of the ordinary, the Jetovator could be a worthwhile investment.

Would you pay $9,000 to purchase your own Jetovator?