Destinations
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As a team of rookies at the World Elephant Polo Championships, we were set up for embarrassment. Instead we tasted glory.
Bagpipes or bikes? In Scotland, the choice is easy: World-class singletrack ranges across the stark beauty of the Highlands, transecting the ancient kingdom and drawing fat-tire aficionados from far and wide. MARK LEVINE takes his lumps in craggy Caledonia.
Last week the Olympic torch was lit in Olympia, Greece to signify the beginning of the upcoming Winter Olympic Games. The torch will trek through 1,000 communities on its trip to Vancouver, B.C. where it will land on February 12. A symbol…
Our new favorite obscure adventure sport: Parahawking. The Himalayan Raptor Rescue currently organize 'sky safaris' to raise money to protect over 80 local birds of prey and other endangered species that live in the mountains of Nepal. The HRR has…
The Mount Baldy Chamber of Commerce is offering 'free' season passes for the 2009-2010 season. Okay, so it's not free, but a one-time $49.95 activation fee isn't bad when you consider the fact that you won't need to buy any lift tickets…
It was my last day in Hawaii, and I fully intended to fill it up. My flight wouldn't leave until 11 p.m. from Honolulu, so I made sure to schedule in as much as I could. If, like me, you're going to be sticking around for a full day…
Keala Kennelly, who's starred in Blue Crush and John from Cincinnati, has been surfing since she was in her mother's womb. Her mom was still riding waves at six months pregnant, so KK's…
I got in some dolphin time today on Wild Side Specialty Tour's morning wildlife cruise (8 to 11 a.m., $105 per person, sailhawaii.com). If you're looking for a way to get in a short tour of the Waianae coast, snorkeling, and a…
I took a little trip to the Hakipuu Valley, about 45 minutes away from Waikiki, where I’m staying. When the Bike Hawaii bus picked me up for the Rainforest to Reef tour (9 a.m. to 4 p.m., $105.05; bikehawaii.com), I was happy to ride away.
On the agenda for today: a helicopter flight around the Big Island.I took the three-hour Volcano and Valley Landing tour from ParadiseHelicopters ($433.35 per person, paradisecopters.com),located at the Commuter Terminal in Kona International Airport. It'soffered daily, in the morning and afternoon. If…
I landed in Kona, on the Big Island of Hawaii, Thursday afternoon. I'm staying at King Kamehameha, as are a lot of the Ironman athletes. The hotel is the site of the big race, and it's hard…
Miles Morgan Travel has received mixed reactions to their Titanic Memorial Cruise, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. The cruise will depart from Southampton, England and will stop at the exact spot where the Titanic sank. The…
Hotels that are trying to be greener are asking guests to recycle their own trash in their rooms to cut down on waste, The New York Times reports. “Doing in-room recycling is important because the guest sees that,”said Pat Maher, an environmentalconsultant to the…
BEST: SEPTEMBEROCTOBER, WHEN THE SAND IS COOL FIRST ENCOUNTER: Sun Spots I can’t tell you if we saw the sun set on the North Rim and rise on the South Rim or if the order was reversed. It doesn’t matter. What I remember is that I was seven…
The team at Serac Adventure Films brings you the best student videos from the 2009 Teva Games.
What type of apparel would you wear for backpacking to keep your burly legs warm in the Georgia and Tennessee mountains from November to March? Jason Calhoun, GA
We polled the sharp-eyed nomads we trust most and came up with a bucket list of the best trips for getting the best shots around the world.
After a coffee, a pastry, and some literary-mag browsing at an open-air espresso joint, we stroll to the Pacific. Waves and wind have already welcomed kiteboarders and surfers, but I opt instead for a jog south along 3.5 miles of sweeping, hard-packed beach. I pass dog walkers, kids sandcastling, beach…
Thayer Walker leashes a jaguar and takes it for a walk.
Healthy. That's the word we kept coming back to. And we don't mean a fit or skinny population; we're talking about a city's cultural vibrancy, economic well-being, and overall quality of life. Presenting our picks for the 10 best cities in America, from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Plus: Our 10 favorite small towns.
For more than 600 years, judgment-impaired men (and a few women) have tested their speed and luck at the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. The event, the most popular attraction at the San Fermin Festival (July 714), draws nearly 4,000 runners every day at 8 a.m., when six…
I'm going on a two-week backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon this summer, and I was wondering what kind of fabrics I would want to stick with as far as shorts and shirts go. The last thing I want is to be uncomfortable. Are there any fabrics that I should completely avoid? What would you recommend? Kristen Grant Park, IL
CHUCK THOMPSON developed a serious thirst for rain, so we sent him to one of the wettest places on earth: India's southwest coast‚ during the water-bomb peak of the summer monsoon
There's no better place to escape your own success than on a river in Texas Hill Country. Just ask Taylor Kitsch.
Nothing beats a great live show, especially when you’re enjoying it under the sun or the stars. Presenting the 15 best outdoor music festivals in North America. Because summer is the time to play the field. Sasquatch! Bonnaroo The Roots Picnic Telluride Bluegrass…
The embattled director of the Central Asia Institute responds to allegations of financial mismanagement and that he fabricated stories in his bestselling book Three Cups of Tea.
It's year ten of the REVOLUTION. Venezuela's oil riches are vanishing, and el presidente's "Yankee devil" rhetoric has created the world's most hostile environment for Homo turisticus. PATRICK SYMMES goes looking for adventure, and comes back with a tale that will haunt him forever.
Yukon Quest champion Sebastian Schnuelle talks about eating vacuum-packed McNuggets, cooking for canines, and taking on Lance Mackey.
How do you swing a great job in the islands? Ask these five guys, all of whom have figured out how to balance a career with the relaxed lifestyle of the Bahamas.
Conveniently, 2009 marks both the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of The Origin of Species. This has fur-and-feather nerds everywhere aflutter. But the occasion should also be cause for celebration among adventure travelers. After all, before the British naturalist's obsession with Galápagos…
Your survival plan for South by Southwest, the annual film-and-music bonanza taking place this month: (1) MAKE A PLAN. With hundreds of bands playing over five nights, picking your spots can be tough. Big names reliably play Stubb’s Bar-B-Que (stubbsaustin.com), and be sure to check out…
Travel to Sin City is facing its biggest slump since 9/11: In the past year, Vegas merchants have seen a 6 percent drop in sales. What this means to you: Airfare is cheap, and there will be fewer mountain bikers than normal in Bootleg Canyon, one of the country’s least-appreciated…
First I heard seals. Then coyotes. Then I opened my eyes to a full-frontal view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Such is life at Cavallo Point, a 46-building resort on a renovated army base in the Golden Gate National Parks that opened last July. The first hotel to start up…
Getting far, far, far away from it all is easier—and cheaper—than you think. Presenting seven adventure-packed Caribbean island escapes. The Over-Under SABA, NETHERLANDS ANTILLES Netherlands Antilles (Philip Oblentz/Digital Vision/Getty) The most challenging part of a trip to Saba, a five-square-mile volcanic island 28 miles southwest of St. Maarten, is…
As Kenya’s hoteliers have discovered, few things can derail tourism like news of violencein this case, the clashes thatfollowed the country’s disputed December 2007 presidential election. Kenya’s tourism industry is still recovering, but outfitters have been running trips since March. And according to Craig Sholley, senior director of the African…
For years, adventure-travel outfitters have used so-called exploratory trips to work out kinks in new offerings. Veteran guides suss out routes, lodging options, and, say, the local yak-butter tea, then refine the itinerary before it shows up in next fall’s catalog. But as it turns out, some high-end travelers actually…
Ah, Mexico. Land of hot sand, cheap beer, and a foolproof cure for seasonal affective disorder: endless adventure.
Greg Mortenson's school-building program in Central Asia dates back to 1993, when the banged-up K2 survivor made a pledge to the Himalayan villagers who took him in. Fifteen years and Three Cups of Tea later, it's both a powerful example of a great idea and a chaotic, ongoing adventure. KEVIN FEDARKO hits the rough road with Mortenson in Afghanis
Out on the far edge of the Alaska frontier, a man can hide his sins. Robert Allen Hale—a.k.a. Papa Pilgrim—bought a homestead outside the remote town of McCarthy where he imprisoned his family and conned the world with tales of a simpler life. But for the 15 children living the nightmare, the only choice was escape.
Expat conservationist John Cain Carter, a former elite Army soldier who did a tour in Iraq, is anything but typical. Same goes for his plan, which calls on ranchers to preserve Brazil's wild west. Can he have it both ways and still save—and survive—the Amazon?
The goal: To rank the continent's top ski destinations. The deciding factors: Snow quality and terrain. The judge: Marc Peruzzi, intrepid Colorado-based ski reporter, former Outside staffer, and editor of Skiing magazine, 2003-2008.
November's Down Under epic, Australia, is the classic story of an aristocratic woman (Nicole Kidman) who falls for a rough-edged cowboy (Hugh Jackman), but making the film wasn't so predictable. Australian director Baz Luhrmann, 46, whose previous film (2001's Moulin Rouge!) also starred Kidman, had his entire crew of 300 trucked hundreds of mil
Gone Missing: Vanished in Papua NAT: A view of Agats, population roughly 2,000, the main trading hub of the Asmat region. The village is one of the region’s largest and most technically advanced, though it’s hard to tell that from the photo. TIM: Agats became our respite, an…
For my first TV project, I traveled to New Guinea for the Travel Channel to investigate a deadly mystery and swim with sharks, crocodiles, and snakes. Which was a lot less scary than getting in front of the camera.
Text The Brazilian Amazon The River of the Dead runs near the Carters’ fishing camp of Rancho Jacobá.The Brazilian Amazon John Carter with a dead jararacucu do brejo snake in the front yard of Fazenda Santo Antonio.The Brazilian Amazon The Kamayurá village consists of a series of traditional thatch-roof huts.The…
They may not have solved the mystery of his disappearance. They may not have been there when the wreckage was finally found. But goshdarnit, these Canadian adventure racers might just have invented a new sport in the process: extreme jogging for good.
Everest is shrinking—in status, at least. In the past few years, companies like Nepal Helicopter have been ferrying passengers to Base Camp, allowing well-heeled "climbers" to skip the slog up to 17,600 feet. Cheating? Perhaps. But there are times when a shortcut is worth a little shame. Consider these La-Z-Boy adventures.
In early August, after 11 climbers died on the world’s second-highest peak, people wanted to know: Has the Everest circus migrated to K2? MICHAEL KODAS pieced together the events from eight of the survivors and has a straight answer: Sort of.
Meet José, emblem of New York City's wildlife renaissance—and the Big Apple's newest Casanova
A nation of 1,190 island specks spread over 116 square miles of the Indian Ocean, the Maldives looks like something out of a myth. And parts of the country could well become just that if sea levels rise: The highest elevation is a mere eight feet above. Only about 200…
A peek under the living roof of San Francisco's newly rebuilt, half–billion–dollar monument to nature
Was a famous American scholar and self–styled curator up to no good in Nepal, or is he just a scapegoat for all wealthy expats?
Almost fifteen years after the genocide, tiny Rwanda is suddenly a hot adventure destination, the new darling of multinational investors, and, says mountain-bike legend Tom Ritchey, one extra-long bicycle short of a comeback
It's about time: Look sharp—and get the job done—with a watch for any occasion
Summer in northern Vermont: long days, long trails, and not a single leaf peeper. Here's how to do it right.
Want to get beyond your misconceptions of long-vilified, suddenly mourned, ever-important China? Then go.