15 Great Mountain Vacations

by Kraig Becker on

The U.K. based online magazine Wide World launched at the beginning of May, and is already building a library of good content for adventure travelers and outdoor enthusiasts. The articles vary greatly in subject matter and include an interview with free diver Sara Campbell, a look at the world’s toughest race, and a growing collection of gear reviews.

One of the feature articles is of particular interest for travelers, offering up 15 amazing mountain trips from around the globe that will give you something to do at altitude even in the summer. Some of the locations on the list are amongst the most famous mountaineering communities in the world, each well known for offering a range of outdoor adventure activities.

For instance, Chamonix, France appears on the list, and during the winter, the famous mountain town is filled with visitors looking to take advantage of the best skiing and climbing in Europe. But during the summer months, those crowds vanish, leaving one of the world’s best outdoor playground virtually deserted. Sitting at the base of Mont Blanc, the tallest mountain in Western Europe, Chamonix gives easy access to some of the best alpine hiking, mountain biking, and kayaking found anywhere.

The other locations on the list are just as impressive, and each offers its own unique mountain activities. Some are great paragliding destinations, others offer horseback riding, rafting, fly fishing, and more. Most of the locations are in Europe and North America, with Queenstown, New Zealand being the lone exception. Any one of these mountain escapes would make a great getaway for anyone still looking for summertime fun.

British man is walking the length of the Amazon

by Kraig Becker on

Ed Stafford is either really brave or really crazy. Likely it’s a little of both. The 33-year old British man is now 436 days into his attempt to walk the entire length of the Amazon River, starting at its source, and eventually finishing up at its mouth along the coast of Brazil, where it enters into the Atlantic Ocean.

Stafford, a former captain in the British Army, began his epic journey in April of 2008, and is now more than 2000 miles in, or roughly halfway to his goal. He wanders the high ground as much as possible, and sometimes has to go well out of his way to stay on dry land, especially during the rainy season, when the Amazon can swell to massive proportions, and spill over its banks for miles in all directions. Stafford does carry an inflatable raft for navigating across the larger tributaries however, and on the Amazon, there are many.

As if hiking for 4000 miles wasn’t challenging enough, the jungle that surround the river provides plenty more obstacles as well. Stafford has to deal with wild animals, including some of the world’s most dangerous insects and snakes, and when he enters the waters of the Amazon, he has to deal with electric eels, piranha, and caiman as well. On top of that, there is the constant threat of malaria or yellow fever, which runs rampant in the Amazon basin, and there are still plenty of tribes that live in the jungle that are not exactly accommodating to outsiders.
According to Ed’s website, he expects to finish up his journey sometime in 2010. In the meantime, you can follow his adventure by reading his daily blog and following his Twitter feed.

On a personal note, having recently visited a section of the Amazon that Ed has just passed through, I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is one of the most ambitious and demanding expeditions that I have ever heard of. I had the opportunity to trek through portions of the jungle, and it was demanding work, made all the more difficult by the constant heat and humidity. To read my thoughts on the Amazon and more about my travels there, be sure to check out my Adventures on the Amazon series.

Adventure destination: Okavango Delta, Botswana

by Kraig Becker on

For many adventurous travelers, an African safari is at the top of the list when it comes to mixing beautiful scenery with the best wildlife encounters on the planet. Most visitors go to Kenya, Tanzania, or even South Africa to get the classic safari experience, but there are other, lesser traveled places, that can deliver that same experience, in a more remote location, far from the typical safari crowds.

One such location is the Okavango Delta, located in the interior of Botswana. Years ago, the region was dominated by a large body of water known as Lake Makgadikgadi, which the Okavango River once emptied into. But the large inland lake has mostly dried up, and due to tectonic shifting, the river now empties out into the Kalahari Desert, forming the Delta, and giving life to an entire ecosystem of plants and animals that couldn’t exist there otherwise.

The well irrigated portions of the Kalahari turn into a grassland, not unlike the Serengeti, and it attracts a similar level of wildlife as well. Elephants, giraffes, zebras, and hippos all call the Delta home, as do an array of big cats, including lions, leopards, and the elusive cheetah. More than 400 species of birds inhabit the region as well, and it is also home to a substantial population of wild dogs, which are now found in very few places on Earth.

One of the unique aspects of visiting this region of Botswana is that it allows visitors to go on safari not just by land but also water. Traditional 4×4 safaris are popular of course, but the waters of the Delta allow travelers to see the wildlife from an entirely different perspective, namely from a dugout canoe that is poled along by a native guide. Drifting through the serene waters, the canoes pass over hippo pools, while antelope drink from the shore, and Nile crocs float past like logs with eyes.

While the Okavango Delta is less traveled than the more well known safari locations in Africa, it still attracts thousands of visitors each year. That means that there are a wide array of accommodations available, ranging from simple campsites, with travelers staying in tents, to lavish lodges with all the amenities. But make no mistake, this is a remote and rugged place, unlike any other on Earth, and is definitely a must see for all adventure travelers.

Ten very dangerous animal encounters

by Kraig Becker on

Writer Richard Conniff has made a career out of doing dumb things with animals. He’s even gone so far as to write a book about it that is not only humorous but also quite informative. He has taken this extensive knowledge and created a list of his top 10 most dangerous animal encounters for the Times Online, in which he gives the harrowing details of own adventures with wildlife.

The intrepid author has circled the globe to visit some very remote locations, which has allowed him to get up close and personal with plenty of exotic wildlife. For instance, he not only has gone swimming with piranhas, but has also had encounters with the infamous candiru, a tiny catfish that is known for swimming up inside its victims, including humans taking a dip in the Amazon.

Fish aren’t the only creatures that make the list however, as he also gives the lowdown on several insects, including the bullet ant (so named because its bite feels like you’ve been shot) and the tarantula wasps, which actually prey on the large spiders most of us fear. Conniff also shares his experiences tracking wild dogs in Botswana and driving through a raging storm in Peru with a deadly coral snake in the glove compartment.

Reading the article will make you laugh and cringe, sometimes at the same time. It is a nice guide for what not to do while traveling through remote regions filled with dangerous wildlife. If you like the article, I definitely recommend picking up Conniff’s book, which is filled cover to cover with similar stories.

Archeological adventures in East Africa

by Kraig Becker on

Ethiopian Airlines has teamed up with the Tanzanian Tourist Board to offer a unique travel experience to East Africa, in which travelers will go on an archeological adventure that will send them in search of the Lost Ark and to the depths of the Olduvai Gorge, believed to be the “Cradle of Mankind”.

The eleven-day journey begins in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, and quickly moves to the ancient city of Axum, rumored to be the final resting place of the Ark of the Covenant. Legend has it that the holy relic was brought there by the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon thousands of years ago, and that it remains in an isolated chapel to this day. While in Ethiopia, travelers will also visit Lalibela, the site of 12 churches craved out of the very rock itself.

After exploring the mysteries of Ethiopia, the adventure will continue in Tanzania, with a visit to the Ngorongoro Crater and the Olduvai Gorge, home to the first humans and the very spot where the first humanoid skull was found 50 years ago. The journey will finish up with a Serengeti safari before travelers return home.

To find out more about this amazing trip, visit www.seeyouinethiopia.com/archeology. This special tour, which includes all transporation and accomodations, is offered for a limited time only.