Discovering Carara National Park, Costa Rica.
One of Costa Rica’s most popular National Parks due to it’s proximity to San Jose, Carara Biological Reserve is the last noteworthy portion of primary rainforest in the Central Pacific region. A haven for rare species of birds, and a crucial sanctuary for other Costa Rican wildlife, visitors to the park have the opportunity to see flocks of scarlet macaws, toucans, white faced, howler and spider monkeys, and over 400 other species of birds and animals. Sloths, peccaries, poison arrow frogs, anteaters, basilisk lizards and boa...
read moreZipping Through Costa Rica’s Treetops.
Day one of our Doubletree by Hilton DTour was spent soaring over the jungle on Costa Rica’s famed zip-lines! This is one of the top tourist attractions in Costa Rica, and consists of platforms connected by thick cables stretching across tree-ladden ravines, hillsides and valleys.
We were strapped into harnesses, clipped into the cables and sent flying from one platform to another! I was really impressed overall by the length, speed, height and views offered!
read moreInterview: Detained In Egypt. My Time in an Egyptian Prison.
Christmas 2013 saw Justin Carmack arrive in Dahab, Egypt. As with many travelers around the world, Egypt was high on his bucket list. However it was the world class diving which convinced him to stay. An American born travel blogger who has been on the road non stop for 3 years now, Justin is no stranger to hitting up countries a little further off the beaten path. From Malawi, Moldova, Colombia, Kosovo, Burma, Zambia, Jordan – the list goes on – he’s definitely no amatuer when it comes to travel. And he’s definitely...
read moreWhite Water Rafting, Costa Rica
Potentially the most fun we had while in Costa Rica was spending three days white water rafting with Rios Tropicales.
Costa Rica is one of the best places in the world to ride rapids, offering a variety of rapid ‘classes’ for all skill levels including both beginners and the most experienced rafters. We definitely weren’t experts; in fact, I had no rafting skills at all! Regardless, we had an absolute BLAST riding the river rapids!
read moreThe Chimps of Gombe
A deafening scream silences the cacophony of forest sounds – chirping, buzzing and rustling – we have been listening to for the past twenty minutes. Emmiti, our guide, nods to me, his way of indicating my safari group is about to experience what we have traveled by plane, boat and foot to see: wild chimpanzees in Gombe Stream Reserve.
read moreHow to Make Adventure Travel Your Lifestyle
How to Make Adventure Travel Your Lifestyle In October 2013 the Wellfit Institute partnered with Lululemon Athletica and Origin Outside to bring adventure speakers to Naples, Florida. The speakers involved with this continuing series are from many lands and many cultures, however speak one language: adventure! I was invited to give the keynote presentation at the first event, which focused on inspiring others to live a life of adventure travel. I was honored and humbled by the turnout at the event – standing room only! This...
read moreDiscover the Real Gran Canaria: Get Off The Beach!
Discover the Real Gran Canaria: Get Off The Beach! It’s easy to turn a blind eye to what lies beyond the Gran Canaria coast. With golden beaches and azure skies, the sun on your face and breeze in your hair, 2.2 million tourists flock to Spain’s Canary Islands each year for the ultimate sand-in-your-toes experience. But Gran Canaria holidays don’t have to be all about the beach. While tourists are sunbathing, swimming, sailing and snorkelling, the “real” Gran Canaria is just waiting to be discovered. Dubbed a...
read moreExplore Vietnam on Your Next Bicycle Holiday
Vietnam has a passion for cycling. Though it’s a developing country, it is relatively safe and its roads are for the most part in good shape, making it an ideal region to experience by bike.
Suitable for cyclists of all fitness levels, while it may not be in your Vietnam travel guide, experienced peddle heads tend to head for the hills and beautiful landscapes of the northern highlands, and beginners and leisure riders favor the flats of the Mekong Delta in the far south.
read moreOur Everglades Airboat Adventure
An airboat ride through the awe-inspiring Florida Everglades is an adventure you will always remember. Speeding through the “Amazon of North America” is a surreal experience. The Everglades are completely wild and unpopulated. Dominated by grassland and swamp, dotted with tree islands, forests and rivers, the whole area has a very wild beauty about it, and is a perfect example of what “old Florida” used to look like before development began. With earplugs to block out the noise from the airboat, you’re left to appreciate...
read moreWalking With African Wildlife
As the doctor prepared my knees for an injection on a cool spring day in Colorado, he looked at me skeptically when I told him I needed to be able to run from elephants and climb trees to escape charging rhinos.
He was probably thinking he needed to transfer me to a psychiatrist to address my fanciful delusions after he fixed up my knees. But that’s what the application form said when I applied to the Walking With African Wildlife volunteer expedition in South Africa through Earthwatch International. “I need this kind of mobility,” I told him.
Indeed, such skills were needed and utilized by others of my volunteer team, though I was fortunate to evade or stare down elephants, rhinos and others, without resorting to these particular measures. And the moments in which I did so were some of the most thrilling, mind-erasing, exhilarating, adrenaline-soaked moments of my life.
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