Blogs

Mountain bikers around the world: There's a new adventure race happening in August in Costa Rica – the 100-mile Rincón de la Vieja Challenge.

The mountain bike endurance race is set for Aug. 24, 2013, starting off from Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin at Rincón de la Vieja Volcano in Guanacaste. The 100-mile race is the first of its kind in Costa Rica and Latin America, and according to race promoters, is the only race in the world to circumnavigate an active volcano.

Located in Costa Rica's northern Pa

Nepal is undoubtedly a trekker's paradise. Home to the seven highest peaks of the world, the country has some of the most exciting trekking trails that offers excitement and adventure. It provides the backdrop for the most amazing adventure in some of the world's most remotest mountain peaks to test your endurance and stamina. Various treks are available which are arranged by different trekking companies who also take care of your security and safety. Mentioned below are the five treks to the di

Nepal is an astonishing country with a diverse landscape. Surrounded by the great Himalayas and dotted with gently-flowing rivers and serene lakes, Nepal travel truly mesmerizes its visitors. It is not only a great adventure destination but also a place with much spiritual significance. The birthplace of Lord Buddha, Nepal is filled with numerous gompas and ancient Hindu temples. Many Buddhist and Hindu devotees come to Nepal on pilgrimage tours to seek blessings and pray for salvation. Mention

Bac Ha market

Previously, Bac Ha market took place on a sloping hill, but then this market was bu

The Central Pacific region of Costa Rica is one of my favorite places in the country. Glittering jade and turquoise on the Pacific Ocean, Manuel Antonio is the Central Pacific’s crown jewel of destinations.

Why is this area so intensely popular? Easy. You can find so many of Costa Rica’s top activities and attractions all in one jaw-dropping, gorgeous place. Thick, verdant rainforest spills down steep hillsides to white sand beaches and the azure Pacific Ocean. A scalloped coastline begets coves,

Costa Rica’s “green season” May through November means prime whitewater rafting time, as rainwater flows into Costa Rica’s tropical rivers this time of year, making the rapids bigger and more exciting. What could be more fun than splashing down a warm-water tropical river on a hydro-powered rollercoaster? Costa Rica is one of the world’s top destinations for whitewater rafting.

Tropical rivers in Costa Rica are renowned for their beauty. Thick green jungle splashed with rainbow colors of over-siz

We almost didn’t go. The thought of getting up at dawn didn’t sound very appealing at the moment and my daughter and I debated whether it would really be worth it. We had scheduled an early morning balloon ride but we’d had a couple of very full days on our safari and now we were tired. We had seen so much – lions hunting, hippos bathing in the river right outside our tents, stately giraffes sauntering across the landscape, the wildebeest crossing – how much better coul

A bridge crosses the Zambezi River right on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia.Heavy with traffic, the bridge is also used for bungee jumping as well as vantage point for visitors who want to experience the mighty Victoria Falls.

I’ve arrived at the attraction from the Zambezi side, and, after having flagged down a taxi to the border, finds myself standing at the bridge just as a young British guy is about to send himself off towards the

The Pacuare river is one of the most important rivers in Costa Rica, with approximately 108 km long, it is originated in “Cordillera de Talamanca”. Surrounded by a rainforest that housed a variety of exotic animals such as jaguars, monkeys and a very large number of birds.

This river is divided in different sections, each one of them with their own characteristics, the first one is “The upper upper”, with 16 miles long, containing class II and III rapids. This section can be rafted and kayaked. T

via Wandermelon.com

Like canoeing and exotic food? Or just raring to play Crocodile Dundee or Steve Irwin? (OK, maybe not Steve Irwin.) Have we got a soft adventure tour for you. With a starting point in Margaret River, 172 miles (277 km) south of Perth, in Western Australia, the Cave and Canoe Bushtucker Tour from local outfitter Bushtucker Tours (a Tripatini member) floats you into the Outback, with its unusual fauna and flora, aboriginal cave dwellings, and culinary offerings. Sure, kangaroo

Tall, impressive Volcano Arenal is at the top of everyone’s list of places to visit in Costa Rica. Towering above the rainforest that surround its base and the beautiful Lake Arenal, Volcano Arenal’s perfectly symmetrical conical shape makes it a stunning sight.

Even though Costa Rica’s most active volcano is taking a rest lately from spewing lava, gas and ash nearly every day and night, standing close to an active volcano is still a thrilling experience. The much-loved volcano entered into an in

Suspended on cables gliding through the tops of giant tropical trees, amid hidden, dripping, hanging gardens full of plants and animals in the rainforest, is a pretty cool experience. Rainforest trees are tall, really tall, even towering up to more than 100 feet high. The microcosm of life happening at this level is abundant and amazing, and not often seen.

Unlike canopy zip line tours, which have become all about the thrill of zipping as fast as possible on long, high cables through the treetops

by Shannon Farley

Costa Rica’s 2012 “Christmas Bird Count” at Veragua Rainforest Research & Adventure near Limón scored great success.

A historic number of 417 different bird species, and 12,665 individual birds, were identified in a 24-hour period – the highest number registered in Central America for the annual bird count. Beginning at 12:00 a.m. on December 5 and finishing at midnight the same day, 67 ornithologists, naturalist guides, university students and bird enthusiasts covered 19 routes

That time of year again — starting next week, chilly chic is back once more, thanks to those clever Swedes and crafty Quebecois. First up, from December 10 to mid-April, the Swedish Lappland town of Jukkasjärvi, up north of the Arctic Circle, will be the site of the 59,200-square foot (5,500-square-meter) 21st edition of the original ICEHOTEL (you fly into Stockholm, then connect onward to Kiruna; British Airways can also whisk you direct to Kiruna from Heathrow, believe it or not). For rates fr

By Roy Heale

Located about 1400 kms south of Buenos Aires in Patagonia, the Valdez Peninsula is an astonishing sanctuary of wild life, unique in the world. It is protected by a group of National and Provincial Parks know as the Reservations of Punta Norte, Caleta Valdés, Punta Delgada, Punta Pirámides and the Isla de los Pájaros (The Birds Island). It is home to an important breeding population of the endangered southern right whale as well as the southern elephant seals and southe

The first thing you should know about the Dominican Republic is that it’s hotter than Hades. A mile-long beach walk in the midday Dominican sun will suck the life out of you quicker than the torture machine from The Princess Bride. Thank god for Willis Haviland Carrier, who invented air conditioning.

The second thing you should know about the Dominican Republic is that the drivers are insane. Have you ever stepped on an anthill and watched the chaos that ensued as the little buggers scurried ov

By Shannon Farley

Any Olympic athlete or professional athlete, or high school or university athlete, or even a child on a sports team for that matter, has a coach. Actors have coaches. Singers and dancers have coaches or trainers. Over the past decades, executives and businesspersons have joined the ranks of seeking coaching for success.

In today’s modern world, there is business coaching, financial coaching, executive coaching, career coaching, expat & global coaching for those living and working

Vacation getaways that are both appealing and off-the-grid are an endangered species to begin with. But even in this rarefied company, the San Blas Archipelago, stretching across the lower half of Panama Caribbean coast, is in a class by itself. Eighty-percent uninhabited, these more than 350 islands, reachable by puddle-jumper flights from Panama City, are as pristine a paradise as you'll find anywhere in the world these days, with occasional lodges, inns, and villages of thatched huts.

What m