Kangaroo Island is less than one hour ferry ride from the mainland of South Australia, yet here you’ll feel a million miles away.
The Galapagos Islands of Australia, this is one of the world’s greatest nature based destinations, and with more than one third of the land preserved in conservation parks, the island acts a sanctuary where native Australian animals roam free.
People travel from all over the world to see sea lions basking on unspoiled white beaches, koalas dozing in lofty eucalyptus trees, and bottle-nosed dolphins and fur seals jumping from the sea. Though more than 260 bird species also call Kangaroo Island home, and it is here where you have the unique opportunity to get up close and personal with Australia’s most impressive birds of prey.
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Water is the most crucial condition for life of all kinds. All living organisms need it in order to survive, though there are more than 780 million people worldwide without access to clean drinking water. 345 million of them live in Africa alone. Every 21 seconds, a child dies from a water related sickness.
Instead of turning a blind eye, Charlie Christensen decided it was time to do something about it. On May 18 2015 he freed himself of his job, his apartment, and most of his possessions to begin Walking for Water; a philanthropic pilgrimage, on foot, from Denmark to Tanzania.
This means walking for 18,000 kilometers, through 28 countries, over 2.5 years. It is a journey to inspire the beginning of a movement meant to combine the trends of explorations and self realizing journeys with the noble cause of supplying the world with clean drinking water, wherever needed.
Almost one year in, he will cross the straight to Africa on the 18th of May 2016 to continue his journey.
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Sri Lanka is many things. A mesmerizing and magical place, it is a beach lovers paradise kissed by tropical seas, and a haven for budget travelers and foodies with cheap prices, flavourful food and famous teas. There are oodles of heritage, wildlife, and incredible landscapes just waiting to be hiked. There are a huge range of timeless ruins and ancient sites.
Upon leaving New Zealand, I had no idea or expectations about Sri Lanka, only curiosity. Years of war and natural disasters like tsunamis have kept many travelers away. Though the country is quickly moving forward, and I found Sri Lanka’s myriad appeals alluring.
Arriving to a country that had seen so much suffering, I was humbled to see that the people in Sri Lanka were happy, friendly and optimistic about the future. The country is finally seeing peace and recovering from it’s tumultuous past, with a lot to offer those travelers willing to make a trip.
Sri Lanka is a small country, and you can pack a lot into a vacation of 12 to 16 days. The following are my favorite 5 reasons for why you should visit Sri Lanka. Travel now before the rest of the world realizes this unbelievable country has been hiding in plain sight.
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One of the world’s most dazzling natural phenomenons, few travel experiences can top witnessing the Northern Lights. Also known as Aurora Borealis, this is mother nature’s most impressive light show, and something almost every traveler has at the top of their bucketlist.
Though you may not have to travel as remotely as you think in order to catch a glimpse. While most of the following destinations are close to the Arctic, you can often expect sightings as far south as the United Kingdom, or, if you’re in the southern hemisphere, catch the equally as impressive Southern Lights in Australia instead.
It’s important to note that there is no exact science to seeing the Northern Lights, and that there’s never any guarantee. Though from the northernmost fjords of Norway to the snow-enveloped wilderness of Alaska, here are some of your best bets.
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“We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment”. Hilarire Belloc said that. Though there is one other reason Matt Sully travels. His adventurous rallies that see him drive across the globe are designed to raise much needed funds and awareness for charities close to his heart. And on his next trip, he’s inviting you to come too.
After having lost members of his family and friends to terminal illness, Matt now travels for his cause. Supporting the Marie Curie Foundation and Cancer Research UK, his next trip will be a 40 day rally in June 2017 called the Odessy to Dakar. Starting in the UK, drivers will travel from the Arctic Circle to Africa (Dakar is the capital of Senegal), and back again. 1 vehicle, 6 ferries, 25 countries, 15000 miles.
He’s done all the planning, he’s mapped the route, costs and logistics of what is needed to complete the trip. And he’s extending an open invite for anyone who wants to find a team of mates and join him.
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It can be a pretty terrifying experience. Sitting in a tiny prop plane and watching those in front of you position themselves on the edge of an open door and tumble out into the abyss. At an altitude of 14,000 feet, their screams carried away by the wind.
You follow their lead, of course, and shuffle your way to sit on the edge of that open door while the plane is still in flight. You’re strapped to a beautiful stranger who instructs you to arch your head back on their shoulder, though I haven’t yet figured out if this is for actual safety or merely to ensure you don’t freak out from look down!
When I heard my cousin was visiting Sydney to Skydive in celebration of her 18th there was only one possible reaction. I was driving three hours to Sydney so I could come too!
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Adrenaline junkies have always been faced with a problem; the next activity has to be slightly more exciting than the last, or what’s the point?
A decade or so ago, even a humble trip to Las Vegas to blow a month’s wages on the tables would have been the trip of a lifetime. Hardcore thrill-seekers now have to resort to chucking themselves off skyscrapers to scratch the adrenaline itch. Happily, for those of us who aren’t yet completely addicted to this kind of craziness, the world is full of exciting stuff that you don’t need to be clinically mad to want to try!
Here are the top 7 destinations in the world for thrill seekers!
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Belize is paradise for the adventure traveler. There are majestic forests for you to zipline through, spectacular barrier reefs for scuba diving and snorkeling, and ancient Mayan ruins and caves to explore. There is an impressive amount of archaeology and caving, exotic wildlife in some of the most pristine jungles in the world, and plenty of options for fitness, history, and culture too.
Travelers to Belize will find themselves venturing off the beaten path and immersed in natural history, active adventures and unforgettable experiences. And some of the best adventures are easily organized from our favorite resort – Ka’ana Belize.
This is an upscale outpost for exploring, perfectly located in the midst of everything a Central American vacation could possibly offer. All adventure tours are run privately, never shared, and their guides are some of the best in the country. You’ll find that every adventure is a curated experience that is authentically Belize. The following are epic adventures you can take while staying at Ka’ana Belize.
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It’s hard not to harbor an insane jealously for the likes of Pierce Brosnan or Angelina Jolie. And not because they’re stupidly good looking or married to Brad Pitt (though that too).
As adventure travelers who traverse the globe in search of the most intense thrills on earth, we’re jealous of the Goldeneye Bungee Jump over Contra Dam in Switzerland; of the Tomb Raider scene where Lara Croft leaps from the 84th floor of the under-construction Two International Finance Centre building in Hong Kong wearing a wingsuit.
Though while we may fantasize about action films, it’s not these actors we’re jealous of. It’s their stuntmen. So, to embrace your inner stuntman, the following are the most extreme activities around the world; the most thrilling and frightening experience we can have as human beings! Though you can actually complete all of these … there’s no such thing as a green screen!
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When picturing time spent lazing on a beach, typical travelers visualize a white sand beach with swaying palms set against a sparkling ocean and a searing sun. Many book relaxing retreats and stay in resorts which offer beach access a mere steps from the lobby or your room.
Though not every beach has to serve as just a place to relax. And not every beach is so easily accessible from your front door. Sometimes you have to work to get there, and sometimes you need to have the guts, too!
If a beach day with some added adventure sounds perfect for you, consider the following for your next trip.
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For generations, the Gold Coast has been Australia’s capital of fun, embracing and entertaining travelers with a spectacle of golden beaches, legendary theme parks, iconic rain-forests and lively attractions. Though with opportunities for adventure on land, air, and sea, the most difficult question is actually how to fit it all in!
To help you out, the following is a 4 day Gold Coast itinerary suited to the luxury adventurer; a terrific combination of adrenalin pumping thrills set on one of Australia’s most spectacular natural stages.
Modeled on our recent trip, follow this guide for rainforest glamping, horse back riding, transparent kayaking over sunken shipwrecks, skydiving over the southern beaches, and suiting up in a harness for Australia’s largest and longest zipline.
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If you’ve been following this blog for a while now, I wouldn’t blame you for thinking I have an issue with scenic flights. From the Swiss Alps, to the Blue Mountains, and now Australia’s iconic Gold Coast, I’ve never made it through a whole plane ride. On reaching 12,000 feet I’ve always opted for the quickest route back down to the ground. Free falling at 200 kph after having jumped mid flight.
But I truly can’t stop. The air rushes into your face and your heart starts racing. As the adrenalin rush kicks in, you feel like you’re floating on a cushion of air. The silence is amazing, the view is sensational, and as the initial shock of the free fall quickly wears off your fear disappears, replaced with an intense and exhilarating thrill of soaring through the air.
I’m addicted to the jump. I crave the adrenaline at this point. Skydiving is an electrifying experience far more thrilling and intense than any sort of drug. Though I had never before jumped over the coast and landed on the beach.
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I am admittedly an amateur in the world of international travel. While Europe is on my doorstep as a resident of the UK, my passport holds no more than 20 passport stamps; those which are there due to family holidays, or visiting friends who have made the leap and moved abroad.
A visit to Jordan therefore seemed so off the cards me, an infrequent traveler, and one of the last places to have crossed my mind as a potential destination for tourism. Though a distant relative of my mother based in Amman, Jordan paved the opportunity for my trip.
Amman, the capital of Jordan, is a modern city with numerous ancient ruins. A gateway for reaching the rest of Jordan, those willing to linger awhile before making for Petra, the Dead Sea or Wadi Rum will find it is one of the easiest cities in which to enjoy the Middle East experience.
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Usually when we think of “adventure” we think of epic international journeys. Trips which take 2-3 weeks, which see us travel to faraway lands, and which take months and months to plan. Though people often overlook the fact that adventure can be sought much closer to home too.
You don’t have to travel halfway across the world to seek adventure – traveling locally counts as travel too. Hundreds of thousands of travelers and tourists pay huge amounts of money to make it across the globe to visit your tiny corner of the world each year, so why would you not take advantage of your location and explore too? Even if it is technically “home”?
This is what we call a MicroAdventure. It could be local, it could be overnight, it could be for a couple of days. It doesn’t have to be expensive, well planned or far away. It’s about ‘just doing it’ and exploring new places and environments that are close to home.
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Take a second and imagine. Where can your feet take you? If you happen to be on holidays in Spain, the answer is some of the most amazing places that you could ever hike to!
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When it comes to things to do in Iceland, Vatnajökull National Park should be at the very top of everyone’s list. Covering 13% of Iceland’s surface, this is the largest national park in Western Europe, and has a range of outstanding natural wonders which truly capture the interplay between fire and ice.
In this region white glaciers descend to black sands, hot streams erupt from frozen banks of ice, and the park is home to Iceland’s highest mountain, (Hvannadalshnúkur), largest glacier (Vatnajökull), and Europe’s most powerful waterfall (Dettifoss).
The following are the highlights of Vatnajökull National Park. Most sections of the park are completely inaccessible in winter, closed due to bad weather or lack of transportation. Plan for a trip between July and August to have more options and access to locations throughout the park.
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My 6am alarm hadn’t yet sounded, though I woke quite abruptly. I could have sworn I was woken by the intense sound of a lion roar. Though that was surely a ridiculous concept. I wasn’t in Africa – I was in a luxury four poster canopy bed in Australia’s national capitol. It must have been a vivid dream.
Though as I began to doze off again I suddenly had the feeling we were being watched. And as I pulled back the curtains I was stunned by what I saw. We were in fact being watched. There was a Giraffe peering in from outside our room.
If you’ve ever dreamed of an intimate experience with African animals, Australia has the lodge for you. While there are a number of zoos that offer overnight sleepovers, Jamala Wildlife Lodge takes the concept to a completely different level.
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What comes to mind when you think of the perfect wedding proposal? For many couples a romantic wedding proposal includes dinner with a view, a bottle of Dom Perignon champagne and a classic engagement ring from Vashi. But that’s not for everyone!
Some couples prefer to live on the edge, so if you and your significant other are adrenaline seekers, here are 5 alternative adventurous proposal destinations.
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We were on a spectacular scenic flight over Australia’s South East Coast, with breathtaking views over the Blue Mountains, Wollongong beach, and Sydney’s iconic skyline which stretched out in the distance. Though it was difficult to enjoy the view with a stomach full of nerves. Difficult to fully appreciate the scenery outside when we knew we were about to become part of it.
Because this wasn’t your average scenic flight. 7 of us were seated on top of each other in a tiny prop plane, each strapped to a beautiful stranger, and as soon as the plane hit 14,000 feet we would be taking the quickest route back down to the ground. Free falling at 200 kph after having jumped from a perfectly good plane.
The air rushes into your face and your heart starts racing. As the adrenalin rush kicks in, you feel like you’re floating on a cushion of air. The silence is amazing, the view is sensational, and as the initial shock of the free fall quickly wears off your fear disappears, replaced with an intense and exhilarating thrill of soaring through the air. This is sky diving.
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Following a few unsuccessful attempts to visit the cave of Lascaux, I am at last getting my 40 minutes of Ice Age glory. After all, Lascaux is to art what La Scala is to opera, or Glastonbury to summer music festivals.
Our group of five is met at an ordinary looking gate on the edge of a hill-side car-park, just outside the town of Montignac in the south west of France. We are led in silence to what seems like a top security portal to some underground WW2 bunker. A couple is holding hands, they look at each other and exchange an excited giggle.
Otherwise, the aura of reverence that surrounds our group is so obviously at odds with the decidedly unremarkable entrance we are looking at. I try to imagine the thousands of visitors that once flocked to this very spot since the cave was discovered in September 1940. The same people who came to marvel were the ones who inadvertently were responsible for the destruction of the prehistoric images. And so in 1963 access to the cave was restricted to only a handful of visitors each week, with only a short time inside the cave itself.
Today we are that handful, this is our week.
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Iceland is known as the land of fire and ice, where turbulent volcanic forces meet the icy touch of the Arctic to shape an island that is as desolate as it is beautiful. Blasted tundra, glistening glaciers and pounding waterfalls are among the many wonders vying for space in the Icelandic wilderness, and the best way to explore the extremes of this spellbinding country is to take a long walk into its heart, on the famous Laugavegur trail.
Stretching 55km from Landmannalaugar to Thórsmörk, the Laugavegur trail is the country’s most well-known hiking route. The four-day trek takes you past colourful mountains, warming hot-springs and steep ravines as you wind your way through the landscape of South-East Iceland.
If you are looking to test yourself physically, as well as rewarding yourself with moments of wonder, then Iceland’s Laugavegur is the trek for you.
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Phang Nga Bay, off the east coast of Phuket Island is definitely one of the most beautiful parts of Thailand. That means there are plenty of tour operators and options for departure points.
We boarded our ship in the village of Ao Por at the far north east of Phuket Island. It was a pretty little village in its own right, complete with traditional fishing boats, and that gorgeous aquamarine water.
The trip out to our canoeing destination was about an hour by boat, but what a trip! Glorious scenery, stunning rock formations and that pretty sea. I wasn’t really sure how canoeing could improve our experience. But I was willing to give it a try!
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Iceland is a country full of natural wonders, and it is difficult to remain unmoved by the amazing diversity of it’s landscape. Though contrary to popular belief, Iceland is not an island which is covered completely in ice.
Iceland is a stunning playground with everything from majestic glaciers, cracked lava fields, gushing geysers, vibrant green fjords and geothermal lagoons. Also, due to its location between two tectonic plates that are spreading apart in the mid-Atlantic range, the country has a high concentration of active volcanoes; one of the highest in the world.
In fact, Iceland has 30 active volcano systems, 13 of which have erupted since Vikings settled here in the 9th century AD. While the country tends to see an eruption on average every 5 years, most recently have proved to be harmless, seeing thousands of tourists hiking, biking or driving closer to the craters to witness nature put on a spectacular show.
The following is an Iceland guide to the country’s top 10 volcanoes for your European Bucketlist.
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Belize has a way of bringing out the best parts of you. You morph into “the you” you’ve always imagined yourself to be. The most adventurous you. The daredevil version of you.
Mountainous jungles bring out the hiker in you, and the inner zipliner. There are reefs for your inner snorkeler and diver. Ancient Mayan Ruins and Caves for your inner explorer. Waterfalls for your inner rappeller. And, at the end of each day’s adventures, Rhum Bars on the beach will definitely bring you out to kick back in a beach hammock and end the day with a delicious pina colada.
Whatever your taste in recreation – or perhaps just relaxation? Belize is a paradise for all your needs, so, we guarantee there will be something for you to do – or not do…. Active travelers rejoice!
I’ve put together 5 of the most epic outdoor adventures being offered in Belize. An because you definitely need a decent outpost for exploring, I’ve also recommended some fantastic accommodations at the end.
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Getting ready to backpack through South East Asia we anticipated visiting idyllic islands and traveling to hotspots like Angkor Wat, Chiang Mai, and Halong Bay. We would be visiting ancient temples, witnessing the sunrise over UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and losing ourselves in fairytale landscapes and fascinating histories.
Though of all of the truly wonderful destinations in South East Asia, and we did find a special place in our hearts for each country we visited, when it came to Laos, something unexpected happened. We both fell head over heels in love.
Maybe we favor Laos because we had no expectations for the country. Like most backpackers, we viewed Laos as a place to visit after our visas expired. A stepping stone to the next country. Though Laos proved quite quickly to be a worthy destination in it’s own right; a country which combines some of the best elements of Southeast Asia in one bite-sized destination.
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