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 →

Endangered Places to See Now

By Laurel Kallenbach for Experience Life Thinking about visiting an area hard-hit by global warming? Far-flung or nearby, many landscapes are in flux. Here are some important U.S. locations. For more ideas, read Frommer’s 500 Places to See Before They Disappear by Holly Hughes (Wiley, 2009). Death Valley, Calif.: The vegetation that holds the desert soil and dunes in place is being threatened by heat and drought. The Redwoods, Calif.: The giant, 2,000-year-old trees are at risk from forest fires. Cape Hatteras National Seashore, N.C.: Severe storms and rising sea levels have caused beach erosion and loss of flora and fauna. Nachusa Grasslands, Ill.: One of the last surviving prairies, this area is being protected from encroaching development. Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida Keys: This low-lying island is threatened by rising seas, reef bleaching and hurricanes. The Everglades, Fla.: The marshy landscape and bird species are threatened by dwindling water, pollution and urban development. Glacier... Read More →

Disappearing Destinations

Many of the world’s most spectacular landscapes are vanishing because of climate change, spurring concerned visitors to experience and protect them before it’s too late. By Laurel Kallenbach for Experience Life What would an autumn cycling trip in New England be without colorful maples? What’s a ski vacation without fresh snow? Or an outing to the shore where the beach has eroded? These scenarios are unimaginable for many, yet global warming threatens to make them a reality as species extinctions, severe storms, flooding, drought, melting icecaps, and warmer, more acidic ocean water transform the outdoor environments we love.  People are responding to the threat by rushing to destinations hard-hit by climate change before they disappear. They want to climb Tanzania’s Mt. Kilimanjaro before its fabled snows melt forever, or paddle Florida’s Everglades before its grassy swamps dry up. The see-it-before-it’s-gone philosophy has launched an entirely new form of tourism: climate-change... Read More →

Earth-Friendly Forays

Outdoor excursions restore and rejuvenate your body, but if you travel with the environment in mind, your vacation can also help restore some of the world’s most pristine wilderness. By Laurel Kallenbach for Experience Life On a Galápagos Island beach, two sea lion pups are playing king-of-the-hill on a flat-topped rock. With each wave that washes over the rock, the two-week-old pups lose their balance and tumble head-over-flippers onto the sand. I’m standing 10 feet away, snapping photos and laughing at their antics. After a week of hiking and snorkeling in the Galápagos Islands with Ecoventura, an environmentally responsible tour company, I’ve grown used to seeing wild animals in their natural habitat. In this paradise, 500-pound Galápagos tortoises lumber about munching on leaves. Some are so old they might have been hatchlings when scientist and evolution theorist Charles Darwin visited the islands in 1835. Here, I’ve also had a front-row seat to see a flightless... Read More →

A Motto for Montana

by Dan Austin Here’s a bet you’re bound to win – ask someone for Montana’s state motto. Even if they’ve visited recently, to climb mountains, raft rivers, bike or hike or to experience Yellowstone National Park, you can bet them ten to one and still win a bundle. Some will smile knowingly and take your wager, thinking “Big Sky Country” is the answer. And boy does that moniker fit. Travel the state from its green eastern prairies to its western white-capped peaks (a distance of some 500 miles!) and you’ll marvel at the immensity of open space and the big blue sky. But no matter the popularity of the nickname, and even its presence on some highway signs, your bet’s still safe. Another friend might come up with “The Last Best Place,” which has gained in popularity of late as everyone from recent college grads to the just-retired look to live where they can have an active outdoors lifestyle while still enjoying the culture and convenience of big towns and small cities.... Read More →

El Salvador: Ready to be Explored!

by Holly Jones El Salvador is an off-the-beaten-path destination loaded with impressive mountainous, volcanic and coastal landscapes that are teeming with thousands of species of flora and fauna, more adventure sports than you can imagine, an exceptional arts and crafts scene, cultural festivals, breathtaking coffee-growing highlands, and exquisite local food bursting with flavors of the mountain and sea.  This tiny country has emerged, leaving its conflicted past behind and reinventing itself as an adventure and ecotravel destination. Adventure Sports Surfing the world’s best beaches at dawn, mountain biking through the narrow trails of the coffee highlands at midday and peacefully paragliding through the orange and pink sunset skies, all while taking pictures of the towering volcanoes and the Pacific Ocean right in front of you are the types of daily itineraries that make El Salvador a prime destination for thrill-seekers and outdoor lovers alike. Over the past 10 years, the popularity... Read More →

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... Read More →

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... Read More →

Kenya

Volunteering during your travels can lead to some special connections with the local people that make your experience at a destination all the more memorable. Because there are so many volunteer vacations to choose from depending on your interests, skills, and desired intensity level, it is important to do your research before committing to any particular one. Here, we save you a bit of time by highlighting three volunteer vacations in Kenya that we like for the unique experience and good mix of volunteer opportunities and sight-seeing adventures that they offer. Education and Community: The International Village-Hopewell serves as both a volunteer tourism hub for travelers and a permanent education and job-training center for residents in the impoverished community of Barut. The locally managed and operated eco-lodge offers guests with cultural immersion opportunities and access to an extensive menu of volunteer projects in the area. In addition to volunteering, guests can choose from... Read More →

Yukon’s Wild

Set aside, for a moment, your thoughts of the gold rush, paddlewheel boats, and bearded trappers tromping through winter drifts, because Canada’s Yukon Territory is an emerging destination rife with new adventures. An unspoiled land roughly the size of Germany, Holland, and Belgium combined, the Yukon is home to only 33,000 people. That’s no typo, this vast and unspoiled land is home to less people than what most professional sports stadiums hold – and 75% of them all live in the territorial capital of Whitehorse. Such a small population means that there is no end of opportunity to get outside and escape into solitude, while the constant summer sunlight (‘sunset’ in June is around 12:30 AM and ‘sunrise’ is about 3:30 AM, although even when the sun does dip below the horizon, there is still ample light to see by) allows you to bike, kayak, fish, hike, or float the night away. As a jump off point, the rustically hip Whitehorse provides a variety of opportunities to recover from... Read More →

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