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The ϳԹ Trip-Finder: Asia and the Pacific
By Kathy Martin
AUSTRALIA: Sea Kayaking the Great Barrier Reef
The Route: A three- to eight-day Coral Sea paddle along the coral atolls and palm-fringed islands of the Queensland coast, with overnights in beach camps and time to snorkel the reefs and bushwalk the cays
When To Go: April-October
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Travel Advisory: Pack a wide-brimmed hat, some long-sleeved T-shirts, and the stongest sunscreen you can find. Austrailia ranks first in the world in incidence of skin cancer.
High/Low Points:
- Drifting into the shallows to see two-foot-wide giant clams clinging to the coral
- Suffering from a bad case of hot hands after a brush with fire coral
Luxe Factor: Camping; Tourist hotels
Outfitters / Departures / Price
Absolute Asia / on demand / $400-$845
Down Under Answers / 36 / $360-$820
Mountain Travel-Sobek / 4 / $1,590
Outer Edge Expeditions / 9 / $1,750
Pacific Exploration Company / 13 / $675
BHUTAN: Trekking the Sacred Valleys of Bumthang
The Route: A two- to three-week trip to the Land of the Thunder
Dragon, including five to nine days of trekking in the bamboo
and rhododendron forests of Bumthang, with visits to villages, temples, and
forts
When To Go: March-June, September-December
Difficulty: Moderate
Travel Advisory: Thanks to strict tourism controls, you’ll fork over higher fees than
you would trekking in Nepal–about a third of your trip cost
goes directly to the Bhutanese government. But you won’t see packs
of tourists on your trek.
High/Low Points:
- Watching masked dancers whirl at one of many sacred festivals
- Not being allowed to enter many of Bhutan’s temples, which are
usually off-limits to non-Buddhists
Luxe Factor: Camping, Rustic lodging
Outfitters / Departures / Price
Bhutan Travel / 3 / $2,750-$3,490
Geographic Expeditions / 2 / $3,195
Himalayan High Treks / 1 / $2,950
KE ϳԹ Travel / 1 / $3,200
Snow Lion Expeditions / 5 / $4,200
Top Guides / 2 / $3,990
Classic
INDIA: Tracking Tigers in the National Parks
The Route:A 12- to 21-day wildlife safari in search of Bengal tigers,
gibbons, sloth bears, and 370 species of birds in India’s famed
game parks, such as Ranthambhore, Bandhavgarh, and others
When To Go: January-June, October-December
Difficulty: Easy
Travel Advisory: Unlike on East African safaris, you won’t find herds of animals
spread across the plains. Indian wildlife is much more elusive and
difficult to see in the dense jungles and forests.
High/Low Points:
- Spotting one of only 40 Bengal tigers in Ranthambhore National Park
lounging on ancient temple ruins
- Playing chicken with kamikaze truck drivers on the two-lane highways near
Delhi
Luxe Factor: Camping, Rustic lodging, Tourist hotels
Outfitters / Departures / Price
Destination Himalaya / 4 / $2,850
International Expeditions / 6 / $4,098
International Ventures Ltd. / on demand / $3,195*
Myths and Mountains, Inc. / 1 / $2,395-$3,075
Nature Expeditions International / 3 / $2,890
Top Guides / 2 / $3,590
INDIA: Mountain Biking the World’s Highest Passable Roads
The Route: A ten- to 20-day bone-jarring ride up gravel passes and down
the mostly paved mountain switchbacks of Ladakh, Sikkim, or the Garwhal
Himalayas, where you’ll take in views of the tallest mountains in
the world from as high as 12,000 feet
When To Go: May-September, November
Difficulty: Strenuous
Travel Advisory: Book your flights into Delhi, Leh, or Darjeeling early and leave
yourself extra time for chaos at the airports during the July-August
trekking season, when planes are grossly overbooked.
High/Low Points:
- Screaming down a 20-switchback, 5,000-vertical-foot descent
- Getting grounded by a wayward monsoon (it happened in ’95)
Luxe Factor: Camping, Rustic lodging
Outfitters / Departures / Price
Asian Pacific ϳԹs / 3 / $3,701
Bike Treks International / 2 / $3,100
Destination Himalaya / 1 / $2,700
Force 10 / 1 / $1,400
Himalayan Mountain Bikes / 2 / $2,000
KE ϳԹ Travel / 2 / $2,495
INDONESIA: Sailing the Nusa Tenggara Chain
The Route: A five- to 17-day island-hopping voyage aboard a tall-masted schooner or
ketch to idyllic atolls east of Bali, including Flores, Rinca, and/or
Komodo, home of the ten-foot lizard and the barking deer
When To Go: Year-round
Difficulty: Easy
Travel Advisory: Scheduled itineraries are maddeningly flexible due to winds, treacherous currents, or invitations to attend native cultural ceremonies. Relax–you’re in the islands.
High/Low Points:
- Toasting your crewmates with the fermented juice of island palm trees
- Finding yourself in the path of a 300-pound Komodo dragon doing
30 miles per hour on two legs
Luxe Factor: Boat accommodations
Outfitters / Departures / Price
ϳԹ Center / 4 / $1,640
Bolder ϳԹs / 7 / $1,250-$3,395
Forum Travel International / 31 / $745-$2,895
Geographic Expeditions / 1 / $3,290
Maluku ϳԹs / weekly / $625-$2,125
Wilderness Travel / 3 / $1,995
NEPAL: Trekking to Makalu Base Camp and the Arun Valley
The Route: A three- to four-week journey through seven ecosystems in Nepal’s newest
national park to a high camp on the fifth highest mountain
in the world. Some outfitters trek from Makalu to the Everest
base camp.
When To Go: October-December
Difficulty: Strenuous
Travel Advisory: The Makalu trek doesn’t carry the same icon value as Annapurna
or Manaslu, but it’s known as one of the most difficult
hikes in the region (8,000 feet of vertical ascent) and one
of the most beautiful.
High/Low Points:
- Ogling the singular view of four of the five highest mountains
in the world from the Makalu base camp
- Being turned back on day six by bad weather and deep
snow
Luxe Factor: Camping
Outfitters / Departures / Price
Geographic Expeditions / 1 / $3,000
Guides For All Seasons / 1 / $2,450
Himalayan Travel / 1 / $2,950
Journeys International / 2 / $2,195
Maluku ϳԹs / on demand / $1,115-$1,550
Snow Lion Expeditions / 1 / $3,600
New
PAKISTAN: Climbing Nameless Tower in the Karakoram
The Route: A six-week big-wall ascent of the soaring stone and ice of
Nameless Tower, one of the Trango group spires, via the Kurteka
Loretan route. The Towers are a staple for world-class climbers, but
this is the first commercial climb.
When To Go: July-August
Difficulty: Strenuous
Travel Advisory: Although the Kurteka Loretan route is rated 5.10-plus, it’s relatively straightforward and the difficult stretches are fixed. However, you need to be
a competent rock climber with big-wall experience.
High/Low Points:
- Bivouacking four to five nights on the tower on a portaledge
at 18,000 feet
- Sitting through the obligatory, propagandistic Ministry of Tourism briefing
Luxe Factor: Camping; Rustic lodging
Outfitters / Departures / Price
Mountain Madness / 1 / $18,000
New
TIBET: Riding Horseback on the “Mysterious Plateau”
The Route: A 20-day excursion into the newly opened Tibetan prefecture of Diqing,
an autonomous region along the border of China and Myanmar, where
you’ll ride through deep canyons and wildflower grasslands on a 9,000-foot
plateau
When To Go: June-September
Difficulty: Moderate
Travel Advisory: Beginning to intermediate riding skills are fine. You’ll spend four to
six hours per day at a trot or a canter on
a traditional cavalry saddle. The horses are tough and small–only 14
hands high.
High/Low Points:
- Befriending the noble nomadic Khampas, who spirited the Dalai Lama out
of Tibet
- Enduring the two-day cage-rattling bus ride on earthquake-prone dirt roads to
Diqing
Luxe Factor: Camping; Rustic lodging
Outfitters / Departures / Price
Boojum Expeditions / 2 / $4,000
UZBEKISTAN: Rafting the Chatkal River
The Route: A 15-day, technical, Class IV-V run through three deep gorges in
the snow-covered Tian Shan Mountains of central Asia, including optional side
hikes to high alpine lakes and visits to isolated Muslim settlements
When To Go: September
Difficulty: Moderate to strenuous
Travel Advisory: This area is so remote that immediate evacuation is practically impossible
in case of a medical emergency. But the river guides are
trained as wilderness first responders, and there is usually a doctor
on the trip.
High/Low Points:
- Catapulting through Waterfall, Red Upset, and four other big rapids–all in
a raging one-mile stretch
- Bathing in frigid streams for more than a week
Luxe Factor: Camping
Outfitters / Departures / Price
Mountain Travel-Sobek / 1 / $3,150
VIETNAM: Hiking among the Sapa Hill Tribes
The Route: A five- to 16-day rural trek through the terraced hillsides, rice
paddies, and maize and orchid fields of northwestern Vietnam, including visits
to Hmong, Muong, and Thai villages
When To Go: Year-round
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Travel Advisory: Though not required for entry into Vietnam, an immune globulin vaccination
for hepatitis A is strongly recommended by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
High/Low Points:
- Watching Hmong tapestry weavers practice their intricate 2,000-year-old craft
- Getting stuck at the airport behind greenhorns who haven’t obtained their
strictly required visa
Luxe Factor: Camping; Rustic lodging
Outfitters / Departures / Price
Asian Pacific ϳԹs / 7 / $1,650
Bolder ϳԹs / on demand / $750
Geographic Expeditions / 1 / $2,190-$2,490
Himalayan Travel / 8 / $895
Journeys International / 32 / $650
Maluku ϳԹs / on demand / $1,115-$1,525
* Includes airfare from U.S.
See also:
Copyright, 1996 ϳԹ Magazine
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