Destinations
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Eileen and Tom Lonergan went out for a day of scuba diving, and never came back. The story behind the movie Open Water.
Winding a thousand miles from India to China, the Burma Road was built to defend China in World War II, but the atomic bomb made it irrelevant and the jungle reclaimed it. Mark Jenkins vowed to do what no one had done for nearly 60 years—travel the entire Burma Road—and discovered the madness of present-day Myanmar.
The gray wolf may lose federal protection. Will killing it become the law of the land?
What are you looking at? Q: How can I take a safari in Africa without being a millionaire? — Gudrun Nalitla, Reykjavik, Iceland 窪蹋勛圖厙 Advisor: A: At first it seems hard to believe that a little drive through a…
Today's topic: We rank the Top 40 schools where you can hit the books AND the backcountry. Your assignment: Rappel off that ivory tower and take our cram course on America's most adrenaline-friendly colleges. You'll come for your B.A. (Bachelor of 窪蹋勛圖厙) and want to stay for life.
If it's Riviera glitter you're after, head to Monaco. But for endless climbing, epic singletrack, and wild seacoast adventure, set a course for Finale Ligure.
A modern speed demon breathes new life into an ancient Hawaiian sport
A plan to save Guatemala's Mayan cities with a park and a posh eco-lodge has enviros and locals boiling
He grew up poaching alligators, he sells Cadillacs, and his friends run oil companies. But saving the bayous of Louisiana's Atchafalaya Basin is Harold Schoeffler's number-one deal.
Everybody loves the Klamath. Everybody wants a piece of it. And they're willing to go to war to get it. Editor's Note/Correction
1. Havasu Falls, Supai, Arizona Hike two miles to this perfect turquoise pool, with year-round 72-degree water, in Havasu Canyon. All About H2O The wet stuff is always there for us—it grows our food, puts splash and spirit in our adventure, and (by the way) keeps us alive.
Horrible winters. A dwindling, aging population. Abandoned farms reverting to prairie grass. Perfect, says our writer.
This spring, a quarter of a million Americans took a trip. It was noisy, hot, and violent. Accommodations were poor. Some of them didn't come back.
California’s Skylonda Lodge Q: I like dried fruit, camping and bugs. My wife likes brie, soft beds and spas. Question: Where can we go in August where we can hike and bike by day, and have a full service resort at night? — Philip Cordova…
Australia's first great adventure was part Lewis and Clark, part Donner Party—searing proof that fame is a four-letter word
Get a fresh perspective on the Old Country: pedal, paddle, skate, and hike in these eight ruggedly charming European outposts
Budget-conscious families should know two things about the tropics: First, Central America and the Caribbean are only a few degrees hotter in summer than in winter. Second, as temperatures rise, resort prices often fall by 15 to 20 percent or more. What's a little humidity in exchange for a great, affordable family trip? We found six of the best spots-from Puer
A cobblestone sidestreet in Santa Rosa Q: My wife and I are interested in heading to Honduras, especially Santa Rosa, but I can't seem to find any ideas on a place to stay there. I know there's a big budget travel scene down there, but our days of…
Family trips can leave parents feeling like they need a vacation from their vacation. Moms and dads can't always cater to kids—they occasionally need to indulge in adult-friendly pursuits, like flying down a white-knuckle mountain-bike trail or taking off on a sailboard. Here are five innovative trips—with built-in baby-sitting—so children have f
The Macal River Valley in Belize is home to three-toed tapirs, elusive jaguars, and a rare subspecies of scarlet macaw. But if Belize Electricity Ltd. gets its way, one of the richest riparian habitats north of the Amazon will disappear beneath the waters of a controversial hydroelectric dam. So who's gonna get zapped?
From the heart of Jack London country to Quebec, the best of 60 degrees latitude and higher
窪蹋勛圖厙 Editorial Director Alex Heard is auctioning off two pieces of Everest history on eBay this week. Both items were carried to the mountain’s summit by writer Jon Krakauer during the disastrous 1996 climbing season that inspired his bestseller, Into Thin Air. Proceeds from the sale of these items will…
At twice the size of Texas, Alaska isn't easy to boil down into a "best of" list. The fact is, just about every cranny of this behemoth state can be labeled with a superlative: the wildest, the most vast, the most breathtaking. Even though any intrepid family can land in Anchorage, rent a car, start driving, and come upon wildlife and characters that guarantee
Blackwater NWR is the center of the greatest nesting density of bald eagles in the eastern United States north of Florida. Q: I'm thinking of taking a kayak trip around the Chesapeake Bay. Can you point me to some resources for planning a route, camping areas, maps of…
When the sea summons you, answer! Fourteen idyllic beach escapes, from Cape Cod to Sanibel.
In honor of the 50th anniversary of Hillary and Tenzing's historic first Everest summit, we're opening the vaults to bring you the best stories ever written about the planet's tallest mountain. From Jon Krakauer's groundbreaking article, "Into Thin Air," to Brad Wetzler's account of sex, death and bad behavior at Base Camp, a collection of 窪蹋勛圖厙's
Anza-Borrego’s raw desert beauty Q: I’m looking to camp someplace pretty, not too popular, and mild in temperature around this time of the year. Can you give me any suggestions? — Anne Moore, Long Beach, California 窪蹋勛圖厙 Advisor: A: There…
Question: Can adventure travel take root in struggling, war-ravaged countries where the smoke is still clearing? Test Case: The Republic of Georgia, home to unspoiled wilderness, beautiful mountains, and (oh, drat) fugitive Chechen rebels and rumored Al Qaeda cells Answer: Good question!
Breathe easy: descending Peru’s 19,870-foot Huayna Potosi Q: A friend and I are looking to take a two-month trip through South America this June and July. We would like to spend time in Peru, Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina, and are very interested in finding some active trips…
The cassowaryAustralia's six-foot-tall, 180-pound jungle birdis a pushy, hard-pecking, head-butting, talon-swiping thug on the loose, and humans trespass in its habitat at their own risk. But on our writer's wary quest to confront this beast, he learns to spare a little sympathy for a fightless victim just fighting to stay alive.
In the sixties and seventies it was the hippie trail that brought foreigners to Afghanistan. Two decades of war and terror later, Kabul is a nonstop rave of C-130s, NGOs, soldiers, and spooky nation-builders. The freaks are back on Chicken Street—where everything old is new again.
In 窪蹋勛圖厙‘s 2004 Traveler issue, we bring you “The Sporty Forty,” a compendium of great destinations in Mexico and Central America. But this isn’t the first time we’ve explored that gloriously sun-soaked neck of the woods. Here, we present a complete anthology of our favorite south-of-the-border getaways. Taking the plunge…
Dreaming of Oceania's island paradise? Here's how to feed your fantasy.
Is paradise drowning? The serene South Pacific archipelago of Tuvalu wants the world to know it will soon be the first nation to sink beneath the rising waters of global warming—an early warning of biblical inundations to come. And guess what? It's your fault.
Mount Everest becomes a prize on TV's Global Extremes. Is this a Good Thing?
Who would want a $100 million theme park devoted to the belching drama of volcanoes? The French, that's who—if they can ever stop arguing about it.
With western drought lowering Lake Powell daily, Glenn Canyon fans dream of going all the way
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE For more photos and an audio interview with Andrew McLean, CLICK HERE EXPEDITION: ARCS OVER THE ARCTIC TEAM: ANDREW MCLEAN, BRAD BARLAGE LOCATION: BAFFIN ISLAND, NUNAVUT, CANADA OBJECTIVE: TO EXPLORE FJORDS AND VALLEYS BY KITE IN SEARCH OF…
Trek the Bay of Fires and soak in Tasmania's wild northeastern shores
Sierra palms on the slopes of the Caribbean National Forest Q: I’m heading to Puerto Rico soon and want to learn more about the bioluminescent bays/lagoons there. Can I visit any of them from San Juan in one night? Or would it require a sleepover nearby? I…
Remember the rainforest? Fourteen years after the martyrdom of Brazilian activist Chico Mendes, environmentalists are once again being murdered, while illegal logging pushes deeper into the world's last great tropical jungle. In this investigative report, Patrick Symmes follows the money, the mahogany, and the mafias—and goes underground to join a brave ne
Set loose in the land that invented terrorism ten centuries ago, Tim Cahill finds crumbling castles, legends of hash-smoking hit men, and Iranians who won't stop being nice. You call this the axis of evil?
Q: I need to take a three- to four-day getaway somewhere secluded. I’m very familiar with the outdoors and am looking for a place far away from people, perhaps even a fly-in trip. I’ve never been to Montana or any of the northwestern states. I might like to…
The 21,200-foot Illimani Volcano standing tall above La Paz, Bolivia. Q: We’re looking for a South or Central American destination with challenging mountain biking. Not everyone in our group bikes, though, so it’s important that there be other activities too. Any suggestions? — Amy Fredrick, New…
Rocky road: Red Rock’s Calico Hills right and La Madre Mountains. Q: I am heading to Las Vegas in October and want to escape the neon and glitter and get active outdoors. What can you recommend? — Henry Adderley, Bermuda 窪蹋勛圖厙 Advisor:…
TALL LATTE BEFORE WORK, double espresso in the afternoon, short cappuccino after dinner—it's the only way to tolerate Seattle's gray days. But when the clouds break and the Cascades, the Olympics, and Puget Sound appear, you know where you need to be. Grab a quadruple shot and get going.
It was once a crown jewel of African beauty—a place blessed with so many rivers, so much pristine coastline, and such teeming, verdant savannas that it made God jealous. But after 27 years of brutal civil war, Angola is slowly rising out of the graveyard of its sad history. A tale of diamonds, ghost elephants, despair, and that rarest of Angolan treasures:
You'll find endless rewards in just 48 hours of freedom. We've got 50 close-to-home adventures right here.
The Big River's been saved—and just in time. Here's how to enjoy the northern coast's newest playground and its spectacular environs.
Deep in the redwood hills near Mendocino lies the Big River Estuary, a secret cache that will soon belong to bears, bobcats, otters, and you.
Marine iguanas? Yes. Tourist crowding? No.: Bartolome Island in the Galapagos Q: I'm looking for a Latin American vacation spot with great snorkeling and rock climbing and not too many tourists. Any ideas? Carrie, Portland, Oregon 窪蹋勛圖厙 Advisor: A: The first place that…
Cool off north of the border, in the land of boundless rivers, lakes, and pristine wilderness.
Three variations on pain-free wilderness trekking... hut-to-hut hiking, mule packing, and base camping.
Is a great beach more than a gazillion grains of sand mixed with sun and water? You bet. Here, the 15 best for families.
A bird obsessive chases a maddening truth: the more elusive the prize, the more tantalizing the hunt
After a decade of failed attempts and fatal rebuffs, an 窪蹋勛圖厙-sponsored expedition runs Tibet's Upper Tsanpgo Gorge—and lives to tell about it.
It’s no wonder that the former Yugoslav republic of Slovenia has produced some of the world’s best mountaineers: You can’t travel north of the country’s capital, Ljubljana, without butting up against some of Europe’s most precipitous ranges. And since the 11-year-old country is still underneath most Americans’ radar, Europeans have…
Iceland isn't the only place to revel in Nordic madness. Once the rest of Scandinavia has made it through another winter, the residents start to vibrate...they grin...they regress...and turn positively Viking. All you need to know is where and how to tap