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HARDY IF NOT HEFTY, the 125cc, two-stroke, Soviet-era Minsk motorcycle is the vehicle of choice on the intermittently paved roads between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon). Put one to the test on this 18-day Easy Rider–meets–The Motorcycle Diaries tour, which parallels the route of the historic 1,500-mile…
The catastrophic Christmas tsunami hit Thailand's climbing meccas hard. Railae Beach resident SAM LIGHTNER JR. reports on the nightmares and miracles of the aftermath—and on the Thais and expats rebuilding their slice of paradise.
No one denies that our 50th state is Paradise, USA. But anyone who's ever been to this lush chain knows a simple truth: Not all the islands are created equal. So which is best? Welcome to the Great Hawaiian Island-Off. Read on, and pick your perfection.
An 812-mile effort to revive the spirit, if not the tactics, of the West's most notorious monkey-wrencher
On a planet crowded with six billion people, isolated primitive cultures are getting pushed to the brink of extinction. Against this backdrop, a new form of adventure travel has raised an unsettling question: Would you pay to see tribes who have never laid eyes on an outsider?
Real adventure means making a difference. Check out these ways to make philanthropy a part of your trip—and dare to get inspired.
Stash the skis and bust out the sequined thongs—it's Carnival time in the tropics. Seaside adventure and rum-fueled hedonism await.
An ANWR defeat would deal a major blow to the entire concept of wilderness protection. In this exclusive essay, Senator JOHN KERRY vows to take the fight to the GOP leadership.
Does President Bush have the votes to drill Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge? The world is about to find out.
On February 6, some 100,000 football fans will invade Jacksonville, Florida's Alltel Stadium for Super Bowl XXXIX, making this the worst day of the year to go there. Thankfully, most will depart the next day, leaving behind an oceanside city with 65-degree winter days and fast access to sporting pursuits that don't involve 350-pound men in tight pants. Here's o
Step right up, ladies and gentlemen! Thar she... might blow! When Mount St. Helens, America's very own all-natural weapon of mass destruction, threatened to go postal again, 24 years after her last tantrum, disaster groupies rushed to the crater—and hoped for the worst.
What do you want—a printed invitation? OK, here it is: We’ve scouted the year’s coolest travel offerings—from new classics like cruising the Arctic, exploring the wild Caribbean, and journeying across Russia’s heartland to bold new frontiers like trekking Libya and tracking wildlife (and luxury lodges) in Sri Lanka. Going somewhere?…
Read “The Light of Seven Mountain Suns,” about the Himalayan Cataract Project and Sight-to-Summit Expedition, by senior editor Nick Heil in the December issue of Outside, now on stands, then see more of photographer Ace Kvale’s shots here. Sight-to-Summit Gallery To view an exclusive gallery of the expedition, click…
Rod Liberal was climbing in the Grand Tetons when the worst happened—a flash of lightning blasted him and a group of his climbing friends, leaving one dead. What's life like after high voltage rips through your body? You don't want to know.
They say the Himalayan hideaway of Malana is Lotusland, home to the world's highest high. But here's what they don't tell you: Getting there can mean surviving a late-winter forced march over an avalanche-choked mountain pass, and dealing with locals who treat you like a loathsome alien. Wow. Sometimes Shangri-La can really suck.
A long-imagined journey to the spires of Africa marks the end of a dream—and the start of something new
Travel: Seven destinations where fine food complements a taste for adventure
WHEN OLYMPIC ORGANIZERS reintroduced the old-school sport of skeleton at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, after a 54-year hiatus, they had a hit. Skeleton, which sends competitors headfirst down icy tracks at up to 80 miles per hour, is the “moonshine of winter thrills,” as American gold-medal winner Jim…
In the February 2005 issue of Outside, Senator John Kerry argues that oil development in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would bring irreparable harm to a uniquely American treasure. His essay is the latest in a series of Outside reports exploring the pros and cons of drilling in ANWR. Here,…
An ANWR defeat would deliver a major blow to the concept of wilderness protection – and environmental leaders know it. Backs against the wall, green lobbyists are planning to fight, and one group at the forefront will be the D.C.-based League of Conservation Voters. Long feared by legislators for its…
This luxury-travel company delivers your wildest adventure dreams
Freed from a conflicted past, Mozambique's sublime islands are coming alive—and they've never been more spellbinding
From beach to jungle, cottage to castle: eight great island hideaways
Colonial Seduction Golden Rock Plantation Inn, Nevis Don’t fret about the colonialist fantasies you’ll start entertaining during your stay at Golden Rock Plantation Inn, a converted 1811 sugar mill and estate tucked into the hilly interior of Nevis. Here you are, with your run of the bougainvillea-and-bromeliad gardens and cool,…
Sea World Punta Caracol Acqua Lodge, Isla Colón Tranquilo is the operative word at Punta Caracol, located just off serene Isla Colón, 75 minutes by puddle jumper and boat from Panama City, via Bocas del Toro. Sheltered by the surrounding archipelago and mainland Panama, the resort’s six two-story cabanas with…
Twelve authentic islands, luscious resorts, genuine fun
Forget hiking the Kalalau Trail on Kauai’s famed NA PALI COAST. You’ll get a much better view of these fluted green cliffs by boat—and winter is prime time to see humpback whales that have migrated here from Alaska. This season, Na Pali Explorer, a Kauai-based outfitter, is offering morning whale-watching…
Excellent animal encounters abound on winter's five best wildlife cruises
In these grand landscapes, there's hidden vitality and subtle beauty. Find adventure and renewal—not to mention some tasty tequila—at five fine oases in the Southwest and Mexico.
The wedding's a wrap, the guests are gone, and now the real fun begins. these eight perfect honeymoons will launch your new life together.
This fall, workers are finishing construction on the world’s largest tree house, set among 16 lime trees in the Alnwick Garden, a 40-acre public space 30 miles north of Newcastle, England. Hardly a glorified kiddie clubhouse, the three-story, 10,000-square-foot turreted spread will contain a 120-seat restaurant, private dining rooms, a…
With a swell of rebel violence this past summer and a fresh attack in early November, climbers and trekkers are weighing the risks of travel to Nepal. How real is the danger?
Where can I find a decent-sized conversion pack (those backpacks with the flap that covers the hip belt and shoulder straps)? Eagle Creek's packs are too small, and they have the largest on the market, at least in the U.S. I'm looking for something between 80 and 90 liters; a panel-loader with a sleeping-bag compartment and a zip-off daypack. Bill Atlanta, Georgia
How to see your stomping grounds as a concrete jungle.
Can extreme pleasure and adventure coexist? Yeah, baby! Hop on a bike for a long, winding tour through the gourmet sweet spots of southern France.
Americans like to keep score. What better way to keep track of who’s good, better, and best than by casting bronze busts and collecting premium castoffs, then sticking them all in one place? Baseball may have Cooperstown, but surfing gets Lihue, Hawaii. Here’s what else you’ll find in our favorite…
Leave it to Bhutan—the Switzerland-size Buddhist kingdom wedged between Tibet and India that’s become the pinnacle of exclusive adventure travel—to be the new home of two ultra-indulgent lodges. Opening this month, Uma Paro, owned by Como Hotels and Resorts, is a 20-room, nine-villa mountain getaway set on 38 forested acres…
Bike racing's most hellish climb isn't L'Alpe d'Huez or Mont Ventoux; it's New Hampshire's Mount Washington
The single-malt whiskies of Scotland are a distillation of the rain-soaked Highlands and remote, sea-sprayed isles. Below, our fave picks of 18th- and 19th-century distilleries that combine the picturesque and the eminently quaffable. Single Malt Scotch Reviews Courtesy of ravenscroftcrystal.com »EDRADOUR (011-44-179-647-2095, www.edradour.co.uk),…
Panama's mythic Darién Gap—a 10,000-square-mile swath of jungle on the border of Central and South America—has swallowed explorers for centuries. Today, guerrillas, drug smugglers, poachers, and jaguars rule this vast no-man's-land. Our explorer spent six weeks trying to penetrate Darién's heart of darkness, but the Gap still fiercely protects its secrets.
Four luxurious north-woods hideaways where you can chill into fall
Drop in for a day, stay a week, or put down roots for a lifetime. In these soulful, just-under-the-radar hideouts, distilled small-town pleasures still go down smoothly.
If British Columbia didn't invent the adventure lodge, the province sure has perfected the genre. Here are four that do it right, with a twist: You can't drive to any of them.
Welcome to the anti-Himalayas, a happy land of sunshine, frothy water, and extra-large boulders
High-end RVs deliver comfort and convenience, but they typically keep you tethered to pavement and plug-ins—and often have you sacking out among snoring retirees. Enter the EarthRoamer XV-LT, a $155,000 built-to-order luxury rig designed for charging off the grid in grand enviro style. Powered by a Ford F-450 4×4 diesel…
Best-selling novelist and serial muckraker Carl Hiaasen is mad as hell about what they're doing to Florida. His revenge? Vicious mockery of Sunshine State sleazeballs and greedy eco-thugs. An equally pissed-off Bob Shacochis tags along for a day of fantasy bonefishing and literary whup-ass.
On the high plains of the West, tough men still ride herd on the open range. But the new riders are lonely gauchos from Chile and Peru, and their 21st-century frontier is a place where the cowboy myth meets a harsh reality.
Which of our 2004 Dream Towns is the best place for unbridled fun and outdoor adventure? Cast your vote now! Results will be reported in an upcoming issue of Outside. Lanesboro, Minnesota Etna, California Cashiers, North Carolina…
There’s more than one way to take in the adventure and splendor of America’s national parks. So we’re serving up a prize package of SECRET TRIPS—locals’ no-tell favorites, from Acadia to Yellowstone to wildest Alaska—along with a roundup of DREAM TOWNS nearby, the places to eat, drink, and dance after…
Week of March 21-27, 1996 Bike touring in Provence Desert backpacking adventures Hiking the Blue Ridge Mountains Camping on California’s north coast Backcountry hikes in Montana and Wyoming…
Week of October 10-16, 1996 I want to be an Eco-Challenger Acadia hiking is short but steep Spring break on Santa Catalina Island Self-guided bike touring in Italy…
Week of April 24-May 1, 1996 Mountain biking Canyon de Chelly, Arizona It’s no joke: Skiing near San Diego Going backcountry in Yosemite Outfitter options for Baja, Mexico Chicago-area…
Week of May 9-16, 1996 The Bahamas’ low-key Out Islands Green Tortoise for alternative travel West Virginia is for mountain biking Attack of the killer black flies Wildlife and…
Week of June 6-12, 1996 Canada’s warmest shores Alaskan cabins and lodges Georgia’s Civil War legacy Ditching D.C. for river R&R Hiking the San Jacintos near San Diego…
Week of June 20-27, 1996 Pedaling the Maritimes Atlanta, sans barbecued pork Gulf Islands sea-kayak trek Caymans in summer: BYO bug juice Southeast kayaking gurus Southeast kayaking…
Week of July 11-18, 1996 Trekking in Idaho’s Sawtooths Paddling coastal New England A short course in mountain sickness Inns and trails on Vancouver Island The big sticky:…
Week of October 3-9, 1996 Moab for intermediate riders How to survive Death Valley Hike Collings Mountain in Oregon A Palm Springs fat-tire challenge Christmas in the arms…
Week of October 31-November 6, 1996 Pampered honeymoon seclusion Backcountry fun in the Canadian Rockies Thanksgiving on Maui with teenagers Moderate hiking trips in January Mexico: Too many…
Week of October 24-30, 1996 Best of Costa Rica in nine days Winter climbing at Joshua Tree A pop Civil War trivia quiz Sunny January hiking on a budget…
Week of December 12-18, 1996 Kayaking the Tatshenshini Last-minute stays in Sun Valley Guided ascents in the Swiss Alps Weather on Mount Whitney in March Sea kayaking in…
Best of the Adventure Adviser Week of December 26, 1996-January 1, 1997 Inns and trails on Vancouver Island Primitive camping in Florida Tips for trekking in India It’s no joke:…
Week of January 16-22, 1997 St. Lucia’s best diving spots Tennessee’s not-so-Lost Sea Base-camp paddling in Canada Learning the ropes for backpacking Beating the crowds at Denali…
Week of February 6-12, 1997 Camping on the cheap on Kauai Running the grueling Badwater 146 Hiking Mount Robson’s Berg Lake Trail Helping students plan their own adventure…
Week of December 18-24, 1997 Choosing an adventure trip to Latin America Would I be crazy to camp at Zion in February? Ever heard of this remote Caribbean island? Planning a Rocky…
Week of November 6-12, 1997 Finding family trips for all seasons Doin’ California with a big doggy Trekking Peru with two children Climbing Kilimanjaro in February Finding the perfect…
Sea-Kayaking Prince William Sound Excerpted from the Outside Trip-Finder, February 1995 issue By Meg Lukens Noonan ALASKA: Sea-Kayaking Prince William Sound The Route: A six- to ten-day exploration of the sheltered bays and…
Andean Adventure Visiting the greatest salt lake August 7, 1997 We set off to explore the salt lake with our guides Boldly positioned in the center of Uyuni’s main drag stands…
Andean Adventure Biking on the bottom of the world January 12, 1997 Camping on the bottom of the world There’s kind of a cold war between Argentina and Chile over this…
Andean Adventure Running on empty December 10, 1997 From Lima we pedaled into the great wide open For the past three days we have been climbing from the beaches of Lima…
Week of April 17-23, 1997 Heading where weather is a safe bet Vacations for working with animals Off-season hiking and diving in Grenada Finding outfitters for disabled travelers Mountain…
Week of April 10-16, 1997 Exploring Grand Staircase-Escalante Hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu Hiking, biking, and paddling in Maine Learning to sail in the Caribbean Tips for…