Quintana Roo – Mexico

After scaling the very steep, almost ladder-like steps of the three-story tower, I was granted 360-degree views of lush jungle laying across the flat peninsula, stretching to the horizons in every direction. After taking in the view, our guide hooked me into the zip line, I unhooked the carabineer that clipped me into the safety line for the climb up the tower, and I ran off the platform into open air. I flew across the zip line for almost 200 meters, flying high over the lipid blue waters of a cenote, hollering the entire (exhilarating) way down.

Adventures abound in Quintana Roo, the Mexican state on the eastern shore of the Yucatan peninsula, where cenotes (sink holes created by underground river systems), zip lines, ocean and flat-water kayaking, rappelling, hiking, and cultural encounters with the Mayan people abound.

Cenotes:
The Yucatan peninsula is a flat limestone slab that allows surface water to seep through the stone to carve subterranean caverns below the earth. (Because of this, there are no visible rivers in the Yucatan, as all the water flows underground.) When the ceilings of these caverns are breached, their crystal blue, fresh waters are revealed to adventurers for swimming, snorkeling, and SCUBA diving.

Thousands of cenotes lie throughout the Yucatan, many of which are linked via the world’s three longest underground cave systems. Others access the ocean itself, allowing cave divers to submerge into a freshwater cenote and later emerge into the ocean.

While considered sacred grounds by the Mayans, some cenotes now are built up (both with physical improvements but some also in hype) as tourist attractions. Others though, like the Cristalino, Xunaan, and Cenote Escondido are still relatively unknown, except to locals. Many cenotes, both well known and hidden away are all are accessible from highway 307.

Alltournative‘s Rio Secreto is a particularly impressive Cenote tour. While many operators include a visit to a cenote as part of a multi-sport adventure, Rio Secreto is a dedicated hour and a half walk/swim along a spectacular 600 meter cenote.

Zip Lines:
The Yucatan is rife with zip lines with operators congregating in particular around Cancun and Playa del Carmen.

Operators like Alltournative, Selvatica, and Hidden Worlds offer zip lines as part of multi-sport day adventures while Discovery Jungle Tours is a zip line destination onto itself, offering numerous zip lines along with rope course activities.

All operators stress the safety of their zip lines and my experience with Alltournative was certainly reassuring. Guides provided safety briefings before the event and the harnesses, helmets, carabineers, webbing, and other gear were all new, clean, and in great condition. They even provided a crude, yet effective, ‘braking’ (‘slowing’ would be more appropriate) system: a Y-shaped stick allows the participant to slow their descent whenever they feel they are going too fast.

After our guides provided us with the necessary gear and instructions, everyone in my groups had a great time flying through (and sometimes over) the jungle canopy.

Kayaking:
With 1,176 km of coastline, the region offers numerous opportunities for sea kayaking. Journey Mexico offers kayaking in the Sian Kaan mangroves to explore this incredible biosphere reserve (the largest in Mesoamerica) and experience the vibrant flora and fauna of this unique protected area.

Living Adventure is a U.S. based-operator that offers sea-kayaking excursions with side activities like snorkeling, swimming, excursions to ruins and local markets, and even yoga built into the itinerary. Some of their trips even integrate adventures with artistic instruction, intermingling lessons on ceramics, photography, cooking or writing. For a change of pace, Ecotourismo Yucatan offers trips through canals and mangroves.

Culture:
With the growing trend in ecotourism, many more operators are embracing strong environmental ethics while also integrating their operations with local cultures. Many of the operators noted above host tours that visit community medicinal plant gardens, markets, villages, or even local bee keepers.

On my tours with Alltournative, the operator did an outstanding job of working with the local populace and respecting their culture. The operator trains modern Mayan peoples as trip photographers, hires Mayan women to cook (an absolutely delicious) lunch, encourages clients to peruse local handicrafts, and even has Mayan shamans bless the clients in the traditional manner.

Journey Mexico, has tours that focus specifically on local culture and include visits with local artisans (especially those that make the famous hand-woven Yucatan Hammocks), locally guided visits to the amazing archeological sites of Chichen Itza, Uxmal, Palenque, and Tulum, exploration of small Mayan villages and marketplaces where Maya is still the native language, and bike rides on the Ruta Puuc to seldom visited ruins, cenotes and centuries old haciendas to learn about the historic Henequen empire that thrived during the colonial era.

Isla Mujeres:
For a nice blend of all that the region has to offer, take a ferry to Isla Mujeres (“The Island of Women”), just eight miles off shore from Cancun.

Escape the tourist hussle of the immediate ‘downtown’ area around the ferry terminal by renting a moped, bike, or golf cart to get around the island, which is only five miles long and a half-mile wide. Powdery-white sand beaches ring the island, such as Playa Norte on the northern tip of the island, where you can rent kayaks and boogie boards. On the southern, more isolated, tip of the island, enjoy an excellent open-air lunch by the lighthouse near an old Mayan temple and modern sculpture garden.

Water sports options on the island include windsurfing over the calm warm Caribbean waters, snorkeling the coral landscapes of El Garrafón National Park, or diving into the Manchones and Islaché reefs or even – the cave of the sleeping sharks.

Take a side tour to the neighboring Isla Contoy, which boasts more than 60 different bird species, as well as a great diversity of flora and fauna.

Getting There:
Fly to Cancun International Airport, then take a shuttle or rent a car to proceed down route 307 toward Playa del Carmen. A number of adventure operators, hotels, and resorts abound in this area.

To get to Isla Mujeres, take an airport van/taxi to Puerto Juárez or Gran Puerto Cancun, 15 minutes north of downtown Cancun. Ferries leave every half hour and the crossing takes about 15 minutes.

Hotels:
The region is absolutely rife with hotels in every price range and with (or without) any convenience. From the rustic, to boutique, to all-inclusive resorts, the options are numerous.

Adventure Operators:
For a more inclusive list of operators in Quintana Roo (or anywhere else in Mexico), search the website of the Mexican Association of Adventure Tourism and Ecotourism, where you can search by state or activity.

Classic Journeys Sends Single Supplements Packing For Solo Travelers

Solo guests can avoid extra charges by being first to book adventure tours

La Jolla, CA – Call it a necessary evil or simply a fact of life; for solo travelers on tour, there’s no getting around the single supplement. Until now.

Effective immediately, on trips to more than a dozen of Classic Journeys’ most popular tour regions, the first two solo travelers to reserve their spots will pay no single supplement, representing a savings of up to $800 per person.

“We’re sweetening the deal for solo guests in 2009 for one main reason,” explains Edward Piegza, president and co-founder of Classic Journeys. “This valuable market segment comprises 35 to 40% of our total business in any given year.”

The company’s newest promotion encompasses cultural walking adventures, culinary tours and family journeys to such destinations as Tuscany & the Cinque Terre, Prague to Budapest, Croatia’s Istrian Peninsula and Peru & Machu Picchu. And, it gets better; after the initial rollout, Classic Journeys plans to add even more regions to the program.

While many adventure travel companies hike their prices by as much as 50% for solo travelers, Classic Journeys boasts an average single supplement of only 15%. In the company’s experience, guests realize it costs more to buy a double room occupied by one person than one occupied by two people, but they don’t want to feel they’re being taken advantage of. Instead, Classic Journeys passes along only the amount the hotel charges the company, without further mark-up.

“When it comes to enlightened, enjoyable adventure travel, the more hurdles we can remove the better,” says Piegza. “One of the best ways to do that is by keeping our single supplements among the lowest in the industry.”

Solo guests are eager to take advantage of experienced local guides, cultural visits and adventure activities, even ground transportation, whose costs are spread among a small group of fellow travelers. And with this special promotion, they’ll now save up to $800 per trip.

As guest Karen Carcione of Solon, OH – a veteran of four Classic Journeys to Tuscany, Sicily, Barcelona and the Pacific Northwest – recently put it, “You offer the best value in small group tours, and kudos to you for encouraging singles like me by not charging a fortune for the single supplement.”

Classic Journeys continues to develop innovative ways to improve its tour experience, especially in challenging economic times when guests need and expect an extra incentive to reserve. Readers who want to learn more about how the company rolls out the red carpet for solo travelers can click on www.classicjourneys.com/single, or speak directly with one of the company’s Guest Services Coordinators at (800) 200-3887.

About Classic Journeys:
Classic Journeys offers cultural walking adventures, culinary tours and family journeys in North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Asia and the South Pacific. Guests enjoy luxury accommodations and gourmet meals that reflect the best of each region, coupled with soft adventure activities, daily interactions with locals, and native guides who make countries and cultures come alive. Tours are six to 12 days long with two to four hours of easy-going walking per day. Land-only tour prices range from $2395 to $6995 per person (with discounts for small groups and children traveling with parents). Average tour size is 10, limited to a maximum of 18 guests per departure. Full details and links to itineraries are available at www.ClassicJourneys.com.

SARDINIA: Italy’s Most Untouched Island.

The people, the nature and the food is what sets Sardinia apart from any other island in the world.

In D. H. Lawerence’s book “Sea and Sardinia” he is quoted as saying that “Sardinia is left outside of time and history”. His affirmation has a certain “poetic” truth, which captures the sensation that unites everyone who goes to Sardinia. It is the sensation of finding oneself in a region where the stunning beauty of nature, the genuine character of the people and the exquisiteness of their cuisine and ancient traditions will never change.
Sardinia is the second largest island in the Mediterranean after Sicily and actually 10km closer to Africa than mainland Italy.

The natural beauty of this island is enough to take anyone’s breath away. From sand dunes and wheat fields to pine forests and lakes, the view is constantly changing and always inspiring.

The island is covered with hearty, green Mediterranean plants that dot the landscape with hundreds of colors throughout the year. The scent of the air on this island is recognizable with every return trip. Perhaps it comes from the ancient land of arid climate and salty waters or the infusion of fresh spring flowers, 100-year-old vineyards and 1000-year-old olive trees … the aroma that welcomes you is that distinguished smell of a magical island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea.

Sardinia’s history is very ancient. Proof has been found of human life dating back to 250,000 BC. The most common artifact on the island was left by the Nuragic civilization. Over 7000 stone, tower like structures remain yet with no written record it is a mystery as to their significance. There are many hypotheses yet one thing is agreed upon; this civilization was astronomically and mathematically advanced. It is nothing short of a miracle that these towers still stand, 3500 years later. Many of these sites are visited annually by anthropologists, archeologists and tourists alike.
A report done by National Geographic deemed Sardinians as one of the top three populous of longevity in the world. Sharing household duties, eating pecorino cheese and drinking red wine in moderation were the explanations they gave. The red wine is like everything else on this island … hearty and pure and goes well with all meals.
The Sardinians are some of the most sincere people one will ever have a chance to encounter. They get such joy out of life, out of conversation, out of lending a helping hand, out of preparing food and certainly out of eating it. They hold very firmly to their traditions and beliefs but at the same time have a very open mind and heart to outside cultures and philosophies. They are curious but not invasive. It doesn’t matter where you are on the island. The island is full of authenticity. You feel it in the people, in the food, in their towns and throughout the islands beautiful sea and mountain landscapes.
One region in Sardinia of particular interest is Ogliastra. It forms central eastern coast and the interior mountains which is called Sopramonte. Here you witness gigantic, jagged limestone platforms in the sky that descend peacefully into the sea. From a deep navy blue to a clear soft turquoise there simply are not enough descriptive words of color to describe its hues, nor any another place in the world that can respectively compare. Over 1000 miles of coastline, the beaches create a pearl necklace encircling the island. From one beach to the next the change can be dramatic. From a fine, white sandy beach to a pink pebble beach, it’s a paradise no matter where you are.

One way to experience the best of Sardinia’s sea and land is a very unique trip of Trekking and Sailing. Offered by Island Spirit Adventures, you will spend one week sailing up the eastern coast of Sardinia with integrated days of hiking. Your Captain drops you off at one beach and accompanied by guides, you hike up into the mountains and down to the next beach. The beauty of these hikes is that their route is practically kept under lock and key by locals so it is very rare that you will encounter other people. The hikes can be quite rigorous but the views are breathless and if you like the sensation of being places where very few others have been, then you will quickly forget the climb! Plus, at the end, you are greeted with a dip in the sea and another “best meal I ever had” aboard your sailboat that awaits you. Each day is a new adventure; varied hikes, different ports or bays for mooring, and with a change in wind, you could find yourself at a local winery or cheese makers shop. You definitely have a cultural in with Island Spirit Adventures and one thing is certain. Your body is fully nourished each day with the freshest and finest Sardinian cuisine; seasonal fruits and vegetables, slow roasted pig or lamb, fish, pasta of regional flare and wine from the islands red cannonou grape or white vermintino to tie it all together.

Vacation in Sardinia can be as active and adventurous as your heart desires or you can fall into the pace of island life and do as the Sardinians do…eat, sleep, drink and be merry day after beautiful day!

WHEN TO GO:

May and June are fantastic months to go as the weather is not to hot and there are few to no tourists. September and October are good months as well. NOTE: Some services may be limited or even closed for the main tourist season is July and August. Prices for everything are high during these two months.

HOW TO GET TO SARDINIA:

Schedules for passenger ships vary according to season. However, there are daily routes year round departing from Genova, Livorno and Civitavecchia and arriving to either Cagliari and Olbia.

The two ship lines are called Moby and Tirrenia.
There are numerous flights each day from Rome and arriving to Cagliari and Olbia and Alghero. There are also numerous flights each day arriving from major European cities.

Alitalia and Meridiana are the Italian airlines.

Air One and Ryan Air are airlines with flights arriving to Sardinia from major European cities.
TRANSPORTATION WHILE IN SARDINIA:

The public transportation is poor at best. There are bus lines and a train track, but for efficiency it is recommended to rent a car or travel with a guided tour. Make reservations early especially if traveling in August as there are a limited number of rental vehicles available.