Cartago, “The Old Metropolis” of Costa Rica

Written by Alberto Molina, Cofounder of Green World Adventures Cartago is the newest destination in Costa Rica which is capturing the attention of adventure travelers. In this area you can find active volcanoes, the most beautiful valley in Costa Rica, lakes, astonishing landscapes, beautiful rivers, historical buildings, gorgeous churches, magnificent national parks, natural hot springs and very lovely and kindly people. Come and discover “the old metropolis” of Costa Rica. Irazú Volcano Costa Rica has been a great destination for adventure and nature lovers for many years, and some regions of the country have been developed more recently to receive visitors. Many hotels and activities have been created to satisfy the tourism that comes to Costa Rica. Some of these places have become more crowded and some travelers don´t want to visit the most visited regions of Costa Rica for this reason. Now, travelers that that like to get off the beaten path have the perfect option in... Read More →

Bulgaria

You have probably never been to Bulgaria, neither have you known about the origin of the oldest golden treasure in the world! No doubt Bulgaria is one of the last places in Europe you would go, and most likely it will be by chance. But let us enlighten this mystical part of the old continent, just in case you are eager to explore this forgotten corner of Europe or simply because you are getting curious! What makes Bulgaria attractive and exotic is the mix of cultures and landscapes that you find in such a relatively small territory – from the Black Sea Coast to the high mountain ranges of Rila and Pirin National Parks. “Some of Europe’s finest highland scenery is found in the Rila, Pirin, Balkan, Sredna Gora and Rodopi mountain ranges, whose valleys harbor the kind of bucolic villages which have all but disappeared in Western Europe. Hiking & Paragliding in the Balkan Mountain Range This 700-km long mountain range has given its name to the whole Balkan Peninsula. There... Read More →

Chiapas, Mexico: Maya, Mother Nature, And More

3 Ways to Discover Chiapas, Mexico From a Maya immersion tour deep in the Lacondon jungle to a hacienda-hopping equestrian adventure in the Cintalapa ranchland, discover one of Mexico’s most magical and least-known regions with three YourLifeIsATrip.com insiders: editor Judith Fein, photographer Paul Ross, and publisher Ellen Barone. 1. Maya Past and Present by Judith Fein Searching for Maya history, archeology, cosmology and contemporary life, travel journalist Judith Fein explores Chiapas with archeologist and tour guide Yolanda Ruanova. © Paul Ross. What lured me to Chiapas? Maya ruins, living Maya and San Cristobal de las Casas. I wanted to be transported back to the Classic Maya period, which began in 200 C.E. and lasted until the empire collapsed six to seven hundred years later. I longed to walk through vast, abandoned cities that were hacked out of the jungle, and gaze up at monumental pyramids, stone palaces, temples, tombs and brilliantly-carved stone stelae. I wanted... Read More →

Sweden: “Europe’s Last Wilderness”

Sweden as a country for adventures has been described as a “huge playground for nature lovers” and “Europe’s last wilderness”. Just imagine yourself having full access to a nature playground that is 2,500 miles long and 800 miles wide, an area just a bit larger than the size of the state California! Add to that the Swedish Right of Public Access, meaning that you are invited to go almost anywhere in the countryside, as long as you respect the nature and enjoy it on its own terms. Love nature and nature will love you back. © Henrik Trygg / http://imagebank.sweden.se/ © Henrik Trygg / http://imagebank.sweden.se © Peter Grant / http://imagebank.sweden.se © Fredrik Broman / http://imagebank.sweden.se West Sweden The pristine archipelago of West Sweden is a perfect place for kayaking and canoeing, either if you are an experienced paddler or just want to learn through taking a course at one of the many kayak/canoe renters. Breathe the ocean air, get renewed energy and continue your... Read More →

Santa Fe, New Mexico – Gateway to the Southern Rockies

Santa Fe is the gateway to adventure in Northern New Mexico. Perched at 7,000 feet at the foot of the southern Rocky Mountains, Santa Fe is both a stepping off point for wild lands recreation and a culturally rich, pampering base camp from which to operate. The city provides easy access to literally millions of acres of public lands, lakes and streams, Native American heritage sites, and unspoiled wilderness. Chances are if it doesn’t require an ocean, it can be done near Santa Fe. When Santa Fe, New Mexico is mentioned, many may picture a desert town, hot, sandy, and filled with cactus. Those would be the folks who haven’t actually visited Santa Fe. In fact, New Mexico’s state capital and cultural epicenter is more of a mountain town, snug up against the Sangre de Cristo range of the Rockies. Santa Fe is surrounded on three sides by mountains and lined with extinct volcanoes on its western border making it geographically distinct and visually stunning. Santa Fe itself... Read More →

Actively seeking relaxation? Unwind in Kosterhavet Marine National Park

Anyone who visits Sweden’s west coast can’t help but be struck by its uncluttered beauty. Everything sits so well together it’s a real pleasure to just look out, casting your eye over the smooth rocks emerging from the sea, scattered islands dotted with wooden houses, and behind them leafy swathes of green set against a deep blue Swedish sky. But it’s not long before you want to get active and get closer to it all and one of the best places to do so is Kosterhavet Marine National Park, centred around the Koster Islands, near Strömstad and the border with Norway. Typically idyllic, the islands and waters of this new national park, which opened in September 2009, are unique in Sweden. Kosterhavet contains Sweden’s highest level of marine biodiversity and, with a deep fissure known as Koster-Väderö Fjord between the Koster Islands and the mainland, it is connected to an oceanic environment. Such deep water leads to a valuable range of marine species, including cold water coral.... Read More →

Surrender Yourself to the Charms of Saimaa, Finland

Summer Tour with the Charms of Saimaa The Pier at Next Hotel Satulinna The Charms of Saimaa is a cooperation of 15 enchanting destinations around the Saimaa region. The variety of services offered includes distinctive hotel and farm accommodation possibilities, charming, high-class restaurants, delightful boutiques, and atmospheric steamboat cruises. Pick and choose destinations from the multitude to create the perfect Saimaa holiday just for you. Next Hotel Satulinna is an early 20th century manor, which serves as a hotel, restaurant, conference venue, as well as sauna and spa village. At Satulinna, you have the possibility to enjoy the nature of southern Savo, bathe in a traditional Finnish smoke sauna, swim in the clear blue waters of Lake Puulavesi, and indulge yourself with a variety of beauty treatments. The former barn of the manor now serves as a restaurant in the summer time, serving food prepared using all-organic ingredients. To combine your overnight visit with a true culinary... Read More →

Kingo’s Ultimate Survival is Pinned on Sustainable Tourism

By Leslie Nevison, Director, Mama Tembo Tours Kingo - photo by Trish Peck Kingo, a 300 pound (140 kilogram) Western lowland gorilla silverback, and his six wives and children, live in the protected rainforest of Nouabale-Ndoki National Park in the northern Republic of Congo near its border with the Central African Republic. Scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) began habituating Kingo fifteen years ago. At the time, gorilla research had been restricted to Rwanda’s and Uganda’s mountain gorillas, and very little was known about lowland gorilla behavior in the wild. Compared to their mountain kin, lowland gorillas occupy remote and swampy forests and are hard to find. Wary by nature, they disappear in an instant at the first hint of danger. As unhindered observation is crucial to any wildlife study, habituation is a necessary scientific tool. With Kingo, habituation took ten years. Yet, creating this bond of trust with Kingo leaves him vulnerable to a human... Read More →

Tirol’s Eagle Walk: Make Way for Emotions

What a wonderfully walkable country! © Tirol Werbung-Laurin Moser If walking is your great love, you’ll meet your match on Tirol’s Eagle Walk. “Those who walk a lot know their way around,” the German poet and aphorist Peter Sirius (1858-1913) once said. And right he is. Hiking is the best way to experience, enjoy and appreciate a country and its people, to discover its charm and character. Hiking in Tirol’s mountains allows you to discover the country’s soul. Those who do the Eagle Walk truly explore Tirol’s beauty. Consisting of 126 stages over a distance of 1480 kilometers with a total elevation gain of 87,000 meters, this walk of a lifetime takes you to Austria’s nooks and crannies, it’s most beautiful spots and most valuable cultural treasures. Osttirol has joined the Eagle Walk! © Tirol Werbung-Marlena Koenig Since 2007 Osttirol also boasts its own small Eagle Walk. One part of Osttirol’s Eagle Walk takes you to the foot of Austria’s highest mountain, the... Read More →

Off the beaten track in New Zealand

New Zealand isn’t exactly world-famous for many things. In fact, if you ask your average person to locate it on a world map, they’re likely to point somewhere in Europe or Africa (hint: it’s down near Australia). However, this little island nation is world-renowned for one thing – hiking. This little pocket-sized paradise is home to some of the most amazing walks you’re ever likely to see, stuff that’ll knock the socks off even the most well travelled toes, with the most famous trails like the Milford and Routeburn drawing throngs of people from across the globe. Among the visitors have been writers from lofty publications like the New York Times and National Geographic Adventure, who’ve penned superlatives like, “jaw-dropping”, “primordial” and “breathtaking” to describe their experiences. However, what they and most other hiking visitors to New Zealand don’t realise is that the “great walks”, as these famous trails are known, are just the tip of the iceberg.... Read More →

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