Yellowstone tops 3 million summer visitors for third straight year

by Kraig Becker on

For the third straight year, Yellowstone National Park has seen more than 3 million visitors pass through its gates during the summer months alone. Those lofty numbers come despite a colder than normal start to the season and a host of unique PR challenges that could have easily discouraged travelers from visiting.

Winter in the western U.S. was a long and cold one, with heavy snow lasting well into the spring. When the roads into Yellowstone opened in May, there was still plenty of snow and ice throughout the park. That resulted in a slower than normal start to the travel season, although June, July, and August, traditionally the three busiest months of the year, rebounded nicely.

It was a challenging summer for visitors to America’s first national park. Avalanches and rock slides closed roads early on, making travel difficult. Later forest fires were a small, but potential danger, and in July, a grizzly bear attacked and killed a hiker. That tragedy was the first of its kind inside Yellowstone in more than 25 years.

Despite those challenges however, visitors still flocked to the park, with more than 900,000 in July alone. Those impressive numbers prove that the national parks remain a popular option for travelers looking to explore the best outdoor destinations in the U.S.

Great Himalaya Trail now open in Nepal in southern Asia

by Jessica Festa on

The Great Himalaya Trail is officially open for visitors in Nepal in southern Asia. This trail, which stretches from Taplejung in the east to Humla in the west near the border of Tibet, is one of the longest and highest hiking routes in the world.

The goal of creating this trail is to boost tourism in Nepal and portray the country as the perfect destination for adventure seekers. During the 1,700 kilometer trek, hikers will not only experience nature but also a variety of cultures, as the five month or longer trip encompasses 16 different districts. For hikers who do not want to spend that much time hiking straight through the trail, it can also be done in sections, with each bit offering a different type of landscape to experience.

The Great Himalaya Trail is a great active adventure addition for Nepal, as it is already home to 8 of the world’s 14 highest peaks (all over 8,000 meters), including Mount Everest. For a list of companies that you can sign-up with to complete the trek, click here.

Gadling gear review: Sierra Designs Jive Jacket

by Kraig Becker on

There is an old adage amongst outdoor enthusiasts that says “there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad gear.” I had the opportunity to see that adage in action this past weekend while attending the World Rafting Championship in Costa Rica, where afternoon thunderstorms are a common occurrence. We’re not talking a light drizzle either. We’re talking torrential downpours that reminds you exactly why they call it a rainforest. Fortunately, I remembered to pack my trusty Jive Jacket from Sierra Designs, which proved to be an excellent choice for this adventure.

Hikers, backpackers, and adventure travelers will find a lot to like in this jacket. With its high quality, waterproof zippers, adjustable cuffs and hem, and patented water-rappelling fabrics, it is clear that the Jive was designed by someone who has been caught in an unexpected squall while out on the trail a time or two. And little touches like a helmet-compatible hood and zippered pit vents shows that Sierra Designs knows and understands its target market very well. Pockets designed to be accessible while wearing a backpack, and an interior pocket for keeping your most important items dry, underscore this point even further.

While using the Jive in Costa Rica, it seemed that it had been tailor made for that environment. Not only did it keep me dry in one of the hardest rainstorms I’d ever seen, it was also highly breathable, something that is much appreciated when you’re traveling through a steamy rainforest. I was very impressed with how well the jacket managed to keep the rain out, while not becoming unbearably warm to wear, something that has eluded a lot of rain jackets in the past.I was equally impressed with how lightweight and packable the Jive is as well. Weighing in at just 15 ounces, the jacket is a dream for those who like to travel light. Before setting off to the Central American paradise, I stuffed the Jive in my daypack, and practically forgot that it was there. When the afternoon rains started to fall however, I was glad that it was with me, and while other rafting spectators ran for the meager shelters, I stayed in place, enjoying the event, which wasn’t about to let a little tropical shower slow down the festivities.

Potential buyers of the Jive should be aware that it runs a bit on the large size. Presumably this is to make is a more versatile part of a layering system, allowing you to mix and match what you want to wear under it. That allows travelers to use it in a variety of seasons and environments, which is sure to make it an even more popular choice to take on any outing that could potentially see inclement weather set in.

If you couldn’t tell already, I’m a big fan of the Jive Jacket and feel that it’ll make an excellent addition to any outdoor enthusiasts gear closet. It is a well built and versatile rain jacket that will serve you well in the rainforest, on the mountain, or simply strolling the streets. You won’t even need to be caught in a tropical thunderstorm to appreciate how well the Jive performs.

Snake Village in Hanoi, Vietnam, allows visitors to kill and eat their own snake

by Jessica Festa on

Located in Le Mat, Hanoi, Vietnam, the Snake Village is filled with the snake-related opportunities. Drink snake, eat snake, hold snakes, and even kill your own snake at eat its organs.

Finding it hard to wrap your head around an experience like this? Blogger Anna at TravelPod described the experience like this:

“We stood around them and watched as they slit the live snake and then furrowed around for the heart and swallowed it whole while it was still pulsating…Once the heart had been removed the blood was squeezed into a nearby glass and mixed with the local snake moonshine. In another glass a bile cocktail was prepared by squeezing all the green gunk from it’s stomach.”

Some of the other items on the menu included moonshine containing snake, crushed snake bones with poppadoms, grilled snake, snake spring rolls, crispy snake skin, and more.

To get a better idea of the experience in the Snake Village, check out this video (WARNING: GRAPHIC):


Somaliland: the country without mail

by Sean McLachlan on


Today is World Post Day, celebrated every October 9 to mark the anniversary of the foundation of the Universal Postal Union in 1874. More than 150 countries celebrate this day honoring something that’s so vital to our lives but is generally taken for granted.

In Somaliland they aren’t celebrating, because they don’t have a postal system. No other country recognizes Somaliland as a nation and therefore it can’t get membership in the Universal Postal Union. Somaliland is the northern third of former Somalia and declared independence in 1991. After a bloody war of independence it developed a government, law enforcement, a viable economy, and infrastructure while neighboring Puntland became a haven for pirates and southern Somalia was torn apart by warlords and terrorists.

When I was traveling in Somaliland last year I was based in Hargeisa, the capital. Unlike much of the region, the lights stayed on around the clock, the streets were safe, and businesses were thriving. When I visited the central post office, however, I found an empty ruin.

So what does a country without mail do to get, um, mail? Courier services are widely used, and there’s broadband Internet in the capital. In fact, they had the fastest Internet connection I’ve ever seen in Africa! Some Somalis told me the lack of a postal system actually encouraged the development of Internet Service Providers.

Still, it would have been nice to have been able to send postcards to my friends from this nation that doesn’t officially exist. Of course I didn’t actually see any postcards for sale, because there was no way to send them. With the rest of the world recognizing the Transitional Federal Government in Mogadishu, which doesn’t even control all of Mogadishu, it doesn’t look like we’re going to be seeing any postcards from Somaliland anytime soon.