Lamanai Temple. Photo by gamp

The hardest part of the Maya Trail is deciding where to begin. Fly into Guatemala and head east? Fly to Belize City and travel north?

I chose to fly into Cancún and go south making my first Maya Trail stop Tulum, Mexico, on the Caribbean Sea.

Tulum makes a convenient starting point because it offers an oasis of hippy-style cabaña beach accommodations, yoga, good food and superb beaches with an important Maya ruin to boot. Here the traveler can disconnect from whatever life he left behind when he got off the plane and spend a couple days getting a tan and setting his watch to ‘Maya time’.

Tulum was once a walled Maya city with watchtowers and forts overlooking the sea. It’s important to get to Tulum’s ruins early before tour buses from Cancún arrive around 11am. After a couple days in Tulum and perhaps a side trip to the nearby Cobá ruins, it’s time to get on the bus and cross the border.

Photo by mboncocore

Altun Ha and Lamanai

From Mexico, I bused it to Belize, changing from a first-class bus to a school bus at the border town Chetumal. After an hour and a half ride I got off at Sandhill Junction to explore the Maya ruins Altun Ha and Lamanai.

I would have liked to have rented a car and driven from Tulum to Altun Ha. However, it is a real struggle to cross the border with any car, so taking the bus is the best bet.

Off a dirt road that used to be the country’s main highway, Altun Ha was an important ceremonial site in northern Belize during the Classic Maya period (250AD). The site consists of 500 buildings, most of which are covered in grass and spindly trees. Differing from Mexico, Belize’s Maya sites are not filled with tour bus crowds. At Altun Ha there were maybe ten other visitors wandering around the ruins while I was there.

Set west of Altun Ha is the larger ruin Lamanai. Accessed by water taxi, the ride to Lamanai, which means ‘submerged crocodile’, is part of the adventure. After an hour’s trip up the New River visitors come to what was one of the oldest communities in Maya civilization (1500BC).

Many crocodile sculptures were found at this site along with Olmec statues. Both Lamanai and Altun Ha are set in thick hot jungle. You will want insect repellent, sunscreen, breathable clothing, and water. Sandals are fine at the ruins themselves, but if you decide to head into the jungle it’s a good idea to wear heavy-duty shoes.

Caracol

My next stop on the Maya Trail was Caracol (the snail) in central-western Belize. Unlike the steamy jungles around Altun Ha and Lamanai, western Belize’s climate is arid.

I rented a 4×4 Jeep to explore the Maya Mountains and the Chiquibul Forest Reserve. It’s possible to stay in San Ignacio, the region’s main town, and see the sites through tour operators. While using tour operators may be a bit more expensive, it could be worth it for those who want to relax and let someone else take care of the map and the potholes.

On the other hand, with a rental Jeep you’re free to come and go as you please, stop to take photos, and stay in remote jungle lodges like Blancaneaux and Chaa Creek Lodge.

I stayed at Blancaneax Lodge for the night and then got up early to join the military escort up to Caracol at 9:30am. Because of some robberies a few years back, the Belizean military escorts visitors with one truck in the front of the convoy and another in the back.

I felt safe driving in the group and was joined by another fifteen cars of tours and private parties. It’s important to note that this drive is long (2 hours one way, give or take) and those who do it need a full tank of gas and a packed lunch. If you go with a tour, they’ll take care of everything.

Caracol is an expansive Classic era site. It’s fascinating to climb atop its towering Caana temple and look out over the jungle while imagining what it looked like as a Maya metropolis with a population of 100,000.

Exploring Caracol takes about two to three hours for those who don’t linger. Security is very good at Caracol, and guests are continuously monitored by armed guards (which is a bit weird at first, but you get used to it). After seeing Caracol, make a swimming pit-stop at the pristine Rio On pools.

Photo by kyle simourd

Caves

Caves were another important aspect of Maya civilization and the area around San Ignacio offers some prime caving excursions. One of the easier caves to explore is Barton Creek, which offers English tours by canoe or inner tube. On my visit to Barton Creek there was a small group of us who gathered at the ‘dock’ at the cave’s blue lagoon entrance, where vines and tree roots hung over the water and butterflies rested on alien-like orchids.

Each of us was given a high-power flash light as Borris, our guide, pushed off and paddled into the mouth of the cave. Once in the cave we turned on our flash lights and proceeded to ‘oooh and ahhhh’.

The Maya believed that their rain god, Chac, lived in caves. When drought hit the Maya made offerings and sacrifices in Barton Creek Cave. For whatever reason, Chac preferred young scarifies and twenty-eight skeletons were found in the cave, many of them from child victims. Barton Creek Cave is large, darker than night and a bit creepy. There are numerous bats which dive around and droplets of water falling from the stalactites.

Barton Creek is well worth the trip, but keep in consideration that the cave cannot be accessed when it’s raining and that if you go by rental car you’ll have to make two river crossings. For an even more adventurous and strenuous cave experience try the ultra-intense Actun Tunichil Muknal caves with a guide.

Tikal

Though the Maya Trail heads to southern Belize, it also continues west to Guatemala’s Tikal. From San Ignacio it was an easy bus ride over the border into Guatemala to Flores, an island town where most people opt to stay while seeing the ruins.

Budget allowing, it’s best to stay at Jungle Lodge right next to Tikal, enabling sunrise and night ruin hikes. Tikal was one of the great capitals of the ancient Maya world, with an estimated population of 50,000 and history stretching back to 600BC.

From Tikal there are some fantastic two-day treks into Peten’s forest to temple El Mirador which can be arranged in Flores.

Photo by Canon in 2D

Chicanna

I decided to head back up to Mexico’s Chicanna site, a small but detailed group of ruins on the Guatemala/Mexico border in the state of Campeche. Chicanna was thought to be a retreat for Maya royalty and is best known for its ‘serpent mouth’ carvings.

Chicanna can be explored in a couple of hours allowing plenty of time to also view nearby Becan and the remote Calakmul, a ruin site that was featured in the August 2007 National Geographic feature highlighting secrets of Maya civilization.

To reach these sites a rental car is key, though there are some buses which pass by. I drove all over the Yucatan and found the roads decent and under construction (meaning they should be even better by now!). Chicanna Eco Lodge provides green accommodations right across the road from the ruins.

More Options

The Maya Trail contiues north through Campeche (Edzná), west through Chiapas (Bonampal, Palenque) and north to the Yucatan (Uxmal, Ek´Balam). To see all the excavated Maya sites it would take at least two months of travel.

From June to November it’s rainy/hurricane season in Central America, so the best time to go is from December to May when the weather is dry. That said, I went in hurricane season and only had one day of rain total. Prices are higher in dry season, so budget travelers will want to pay attention to that.

Many of the lodges I listed are pricey, but budget options were available in most places as well (with the exception of Chicanna).

Dry or wet, cheap or luxury, by bus or by 4×4 Jeep, doing the Maya Trail is an unforgettable experience. As so many others have wondered: what happened to these people?

More

Tours: Hunchi’ik Tours: www.hunchiiktours.com

Getting there: Car/Jeep – Matus Car Rental (www.matuscarrental.com).

Photo by Phil Whitehouse

Free Chocolate in Brussels

Dark chocolate rules in Brussels, with palaces at Godiva, Galler and Leonidas, to name a few. Many shops will offer a free taste and cafes often serve a piece of chocolate with your coffee.

Photo by kaitlyn means.

For those who prefer milk chocolate, the Cailler Nestle factory in Broc, Switzerland offers free tours and samples. Incidentally, Broc flanks Gruyeres, the cheese-making town.

Free Alcohol

Belgium produces over 600 beers, including Haacht’s new fruit beer. Haacht offers a free one-hour guided tour of their sprawling facility and a taste of one low and one high-fermentation beer.

Many members of the Vignerons Independants d’Aquitaine offer free cellar visits and wine tastings, some of them in Saint Emilion, a world heritage site in Bordeaux.

Cognac also flows freely in France. Visit Le Cognac for information about free tours and tastings.

Free Cheese

Feeling the need for some food groups other than sugar and alcohol? Roquefort Papillon, is where the famous blue cheese matures in the rock crevices of Mont Combalou.

Tours of the caves are free and include a nibble at the end.

Photo by Coralie Ferreira

Henri Willig’s cheese farms in the Netherlands offers free tours and tastings of Gouda cheese.

Free Museums

Entry to permanent collections at British museums was made free in 2001. Take advantage by visiting the mummies at the British Museum, the Botticellis at The National Gallery and the dinosaurs at The Natural History Museum.

Instead of waiting in line at the Louvre, try the Musee du Petit Palais. The name is misleading since the museum houses 1300 pieces spanning many centuries. Several of the masters, including Monet and Cezanne, are represented here.

Paris is synonymous with fashion, and the Musee Galliera’s permanent collection features trends from the 17th to the 21th century.

Free Concerts

Vienna’s elegant architecture is an appropriate setting for waltzes and balls. The cheapest seats, however, are in front of the Rathaus (city hall), which broadcasts free films of famous concerts during the summer months.

Salzburg, setting for The Sound of Music, offers similar shows on a giant screen at the Salzburg Residenz Square.

Photo by Luz A. Villa.

Although Mozart was born in Salzburg, he often stayed in Prague, the fairy-tale city of a hundred spires. The Villa Bertramka now houses a Mozart museum and concert hall.

Tickets are not cheap, but there’s nothing stopping you from sitting in the surrounding gardens. I once sat outside on an autumn day drinking my coffee and listening to the live music floating out of the concert hall.

Photo by Gideon.

Free Transportation

Europe’s canal lined streets can be seen for free, by bike.

Barcelona (Bicing), Lyon (Vélo’v), London(OYBike), Call a Bike (Berlin, Frankfurt), Copenhagen/Helsinki (CIOS), Seville (Sevici) are among the cities that have hopped on board an almost-free program that allows tourists to pick up and drop off bikes at designated locations.

Fees are minimal, and the first half-hour of use is often free. The new Velib bikes in Paris, for example, cost only 1 Euro per hour.

Photo by Christopher Walker

Free Churches

Europe’s churches are rich repositories of history, and entrance is usually free.

Westminster Abbey in London is the final resting place for generations of British monarchs, and its Poet’s Corner commemorates famous British writers.

The view alone at hilltop Vyšehrad is worth paying for. The Cathedral of Saint Paul and Peter, as well as the Vyšehrad cemetery, contains the remains of many famous people from Czech history.

The Vatican Museum, home of the Sistine Chapel, is free on the last Sunday of each month. Entrance to Saint Peter’s Basilica is free, providing visitors with access to several famous art works as well as the Popes’ tombs.

Tourists can take sanctuary at Notre Dame de Paris, the Gothic masterpiece of stone lacework made famous by Victor Hugo. Free organ recitals are held on Sundays at 4:30 p.m.

Photo by Sven Lindner

Free Gardens

Europe’s public gardens are more than rows of trees and flowers. They can be outdoor community centers and art exhibitions.

Hungary’s Margaret Island is a green oasis in the Danube, between Buda and Pest. A joggers’ track around the outside of the park encircles themed gardens, soccer fields, swimming pools, and a petting zoo.

Bloemenmarkt, in Amsterdam, is the only floating flower market in the world. The flower stalls, awash with exotic colors and varieties, are perched on houseboats.

The Glasgow Botanic Gardens is internationally renowned for its glass houses and exotic collection of tree ferns from Australia as well as plants from several continents.

There are events scheduled throughout the year, including art exhibitions, plant sales and guided tours.

Photo by Antonio Zugaldia

Free Festivals

The largest free open air festival takes place in July, in Ghent, Belgium. The event features pop music, folk, rock ‘n’ roll, hiphop, jazz, and R’n'B on all the city squares. Visitors can also enjoy theatre, comedy, exhibitions and boat trips on the river Lys.

The Copenhagen Jazz Festival is held over ten days in July. Performances take place on the streets as well as in cafes, city parks, and event centers.

Free Tours

Although the activity is not actually free, visitors pay whatever they think is appropriate for guided walking tours that last about three hours. The tours were recently introduced in Prague and Berlin .

Do you know some free activities in Europe? Please share by leaving a comment below!

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Practicalities

While the following parks are on opposite corners of the island, driving from one to the other doesn’t take more than a few hours. Renting a car is the way to go due to a distinct lack of public transportation.

Budget accommodation is also difficult to come by. However, in the spirit of immersing yourself in Puerto Rico’s natural wonders, consider pitching a tent. Public campgrounds are widespread, affordable, and well cared for. There are also private campgrounds, although some are open only to RVs.

The Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales (Department of Natural Resources and Environment) is in charge of most campgrounds located within parks and reserves. These are cheap, but may require advance reservations.

To camp on the beach, go through Compañia de Parques Nacionales (National Parks Company), which runs several balnearios (seaside camping and recreation complexes) around the island.

Both websites above are in Spanish only. For camping information in English, check out these resources:

You might see safety warnings associated with some campgrounds, but only those closest to San Juan. That said, camping outside of designated areas is not recommended, and wherever you are, it’s never wise to leave valuables in your tent.

If money is less of an issue, numerous hotels and resorts cater to mid-range and luxury budgets. For eco-friendly options, as well as general tips for green travel on the island, check out Julie Schwietert’s Green Guide to Puerto Rico.

With temperature and precipitation relatively constant, the main climate factor to watch for when planning a trip is hurricane season. September and October are the riskiest months to visit, but that being said, the last big hurricane to affect Puerto Rico was in 1998. In addition, your camping options may be more limited outside of the summer months.

El Yunque

While only an hour from downtown San Juan and firmly on the tourist track, the tropical rainforest of El Yunque, also known as the Caribbean National Forest, is a must-see.

El Yunque contains four distinct forest zones, defined by elevation, each with its own unique mix of flora and fauna.

Most visitors come on package tours, which don’t leave them nearly enough time to explore the area. On your own, however, it’s easy to lose the crowds.

Make sure to take advantage of El Portal Visitors Center on your way into the park. The nominal admission fee gives you access to a plethora of informational displays as well as short paths through the surrounding forest.

The Palo Colorado Visitors Center, near the end of Highway 191, is where most of the main hiking routes begin.

Trails range from easy to intense and a hike will allow you to take in a variety of sights, including waterfalls, swimming holes, lookout towers, and mountain peaks. The Trailwinds and El Toro trails are long enough to stretch into an overnight trek.

Camping in El Yunque is absolutely free, but you’ll need to pick up a permit beforehand at the Catalina Work Center (also on Highway 191). There are no designated sites or facilities beyond the visitor centers, so make sure to pack as much food and water as you’ll need, and be prepared for rain.

Other accommodations, including two balnearios, stretch north of the park from Río Grande to Fajardo. Naguabo, to the south, has a few as well.

Bosque Estatal de Guánica

The most impressive feature of the Guánica Biosphere Reserve is its utterly divergent landscape. Only 35 inches of rain fall on this southwestern strip of coast each year. With your socks still damp from a trek through El Yunque, you might feel as if you’ve been transported to a different continent.

The small ranger station just beyond the park entrance can set you up with a map of the reserve’s short hiking trails. None are too strenuous, but remember to pack plenty of water and sunscreen; the hot sun and arid atmosphere will suck the moisture right out of you.

Lookouts and coastal views are easily accessed from the trails. In addition, keep your eyes peeled for the many rare bird species that frequent this ecosystem. And wherever you hike, you won’t be able to miss the sight (or the name!) of the Spanish dildo cactus.

Along the shore just south of the forest runs scenic Highway 333, passing several pleasant beaches. Here, you’ll also find the posh Copamarina Beach Resort, and passage can be arranged to the two islands just offshore. A couple guesthouses are situated in the nearby town of Guánica.

Bosque Estatal de Guajataca

From rainforest to dry forest to something in between. The tall deciduous trees of the Guajataca Forest Reserve will look more familiar to most North Americans.

What catches the eye here often lies beneath the ground. The area is rich in karst formations, porous limestone that over the millennia has been eroded to form rough cliffs, deep sinkholes, and subterranean passageways.

Trail #1 will lead you to a most impressive example of the phenomenon: la Cueva del Viento. After passing through a hole in the hillside, a damp wooden staircase descends into this expansive and pitch-black cave.

Totally unsupervised, you are free to explore the maze of stalagmites, columns, and tunnels at your own pace. Don’t forget your flashlight!

As there are numerous trails weaving through the forest, it’s best to hike with a map. Unfortunately, at the time of this author’s visit, the ranger station on Highway 446 was closed for renovations. It might be best to stop for information at a DRNA office in San Juan or Aguadilla. The DRNA also runs a campground in the park.

The forest sees few visitors, despite its close proximity to other attractions. Good surfing beaches lie to the northwest; to the southeast sits Lago Guajataca, a recreational lake with several camping and guesthouse options; just beyond that, you’ll find the third-largest cave system in the world at Parque de las Cavernas del Río Camuy; and who could forget Observatorio de Arecibo, home to the world’s largest radio telescope?

And many more

Don’t stop with these three offerings. The island is packed with parks and reserves, virtually undiscovered by tourists and awaiting explorers in search of a different Puerto Rico. At approximately 100 x 39 miles, this island is highly explorable. And the fact that US citizens don’t need a passport to visit is all the more reason to make plans for a trip to America’s “isle of enchantment.”

Community Connection

Matador writer and editor Julie Schwietert Collazo lived in Puerto Rico for almost three years. Feel free to contact her for trip advice.

Matador member Caribe is from San Juan, and Liesbet is currently exploring Puerto Rico’s coast by boat. Not a Matador member yet? Sign up today!

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Photo by Luz A. Villa

Colombia is already a smoking hot destination for adventurous travelers, but few people have heard of destinations beyond Bogota, Medellin and Cartagena.

Look beyond the boutique hotels, get off the tourist trail and explore some of the lesser known gems of Colombia. These 10 incredible destinations aren’t on the international travel radar…yet.

La Guajira

The final portion of Colombian coastline before Venezuela, La Guajira remains an unknown destination. Swaths of desert run from the interior of the department right up to the Caribbean, and one of Colombia’s last functioning railways moves coal and salt from the mines at Cabo de la Vela to the rest of the country.

You won’t find a more spectacular sunset in Colombia.

Salento

Colombian coffee is famous throughout the world, but very few coffee lovers have even heard of the Colombian Cafetero (the Colombian Coffee Zone) and the delights of Salento.

Located in the department of Quindio, Salento provides the visitor with a glimpse into authentic rural Colombian life. Don’t miss the opportunity to explore the nearby Valle de Cocora and the towering wax palms (Colombia’s national tree) that can measure up to 60m in height.

Photo by Luz A. Villa

Chocó Pacific Coast

The towns of Nuqui and Bahia Solano are relatively close to one another and offer similar treats. If watching humpback whales crashing down after their breach, surfing deserted breaks, hiking to clear waterfalls and diving to wrecks is your bag, then get to the Chocó coast double quick.

San Gil

Largely put on the map by Shaun, the Australian born owner of the Macondo Hostel, San Gil is growing in stature as a tourist destination, and rightly so.

This balmy town lies at the centre of Colombia’s adventure tourism department of Santander. With up to Grade V rapids on its rivers, caving, abseiling and paragliding opportunities, combined with small perfectly preserved colonial towns found nearby, San Gil is an ideal base for adventure sports.

Photo by Luis Pérez.

Two Festivals

There are two Colombian festivals that deserve special note. The first is Carnaval de Riosucio which takes place in the department of Caldas every two years from the first Thursday in January. Devil-like effigies abound and the partying is hard here in center of the country.

Another incredible festival is Valledupar’s Festival de la Leyenda Vallenata. Held in the last week of April every year, the otherwise underwhelming city of Valledupar is awash with whisky and the beats and rhythms of the guacharaca, accordion and drums. Be ready to get your drink on; parties start late and finish when the last man is down.

Photo by Richard McColl.

Mompos

Colonial Mompos is a little gem. One trip here will reveal that Gabriel Garcia Marquez does not pen tales of fiction; his stories are in fact based on real characters from this region.

World renowned Mompos filigree silver can be picked up on the cheap as you wander the sleepy whitewashed streets in search of your next tropical juice, before finding a shady spot to string your hammock along the banks of the Magdalena River.

Capurgana

Capurgana, also in the Choco region, is found on the Caribbean coast. Brightly coloured houses contrast pleasantly with the forests of the Darien that lead up to the border with Panama.

Besides adventure sports, the Golfo de Uraba, where Capurgana sits, has its own tales of imperial follies and failures. Read up on Conquistador Alonso de Ojeda to learn of his ill-fated forays in Capurgana.

Desierto de La Tatacoa

Not dissimilar to the Badlands National Park in South Dakota, Colombia’s Tatacoa Desert is totally undiscovered. The desert spans more than 330 square km and is the largest paleontological cemetery in Colombia.

Tatacoa’s exotic beauty can be reached from Neiva in a day, but is best explored from the nearby town of Villavieja. Camping is still free out in the desert, so you’ll save on accommodations.

Photo by Richard McColl.

Amacayacu National Park

Meaning “river of hammocks,” the Amacayacu National Park is in the heart of the Amazon. The 293,500 hectares of National Park are home to over 150 species of mammals, some 500 species of birds and a large quantity of reptiles.

Not only is the Colombian Amazon more economical to visit than the Brazilian, it is actually reasonably well developed. Night-time canoe trips and walks over stomach churning high rope bridges are only the beginning of the adventure scene.

The Llanos Orientales

Some three and a half hours drive south from Bogota brings you to the heart of the Colombian savannah.

Head to Villavicencio and strike out on the Ruta del Amanecer Llanero, along the banks of the Meta River to the lakes of La Conquista, Santoya and Mozambique. Observe the vast array of wildlife in the Colombian Pantanal.

Gradually, some of the cowboy-run fincas are opening up for horse riding adventures and nature excursions.

Community Connection!

Matador founder Ross Borden had a blast on his trip to Colombia earlier this year – check out his blogs Parque Tayrona: Beach hopping along Colombia’s rich, coastal rainforest and Cliff jumping in Colombia with Taganga’s very own cocaine cowboy.

Photo by Ross Borden

Richard McColl, author of this article and owner of a guesthouse in Mompox, is the guy to ask about his beloved adopted homeland. Check out his article on the 40th Vallenato Festival.

Volunteer opportunities in Colombia include work with The Healing Colombia Foundation in Bogota and Witness For Peace, an organization that seeks to expose delegations of American citizens to the horrific impact of the U.S. War on Drugs on rural Colombian families.

Wondering if Colombia is a safe place to travel these days? Check out 10 Reasons Why Colombia Is Not As Dangerous As You Think and set your mind at ease.

Have you been to Colombia? Have a question about a future trip? Please join the conversation by leaving a comment below.

Feature photo by oNico®. Photo above by oNico®.

“How are you affording Paris?” my mother, in her overly-motherly way, wanted to know.

“Well,” I said, with a twinge of desperation. “We’re not, really.”

My partner and I didn’t have a hotel booked and we didn’t know what we would do when we got to Paris, except avoid spending as many Euros as possible.

We packed solemnly, listening to a barrage of radio reports on the desolate state of the world economy and wondering how long we could avoid paying this month’s rent.

Photo by Bryce Edwards.

Youthful Fortune

By lucky, youthful fortune, a friend of ours turned out to have a crumbling apartment in the Latin Quarter that we could stay in, as long as we were out by the end of the weekend—he’d recently sold the place and new ownership was soon to take effect.

On our last evening, we were having a meal on the mattress–cheese, pâté, wine–when a girl came into the apartment to take away all of the furniture.

It was embarrassing—our friend had forgotten to tell us she would be coming, and had forgotten to tell her that we would be there—but in broken language we all apologized until we were weary of apologizing, and then helped her unhook the washing machine from the wall.

We slept without a mattress that night, sweating profusely in the late August heat, but it was okay, somehow—and it was free.

Photo by oNico®.

Slow down to appreciate the rich detail

Mostly we walked around the city, but because my partner had recently sprained his ankle, we had to take it easy, and most of our walks were slow, aimless strolls. It turns out that this was good for me.

I had only been to Paris only once before, a year previous, on my own. I was poor, then, too, but less so; more than that I was lonely, for Paris is a strange place to be without a companion.

To combat the loneliness, I walked the walk of someone with a purpose, although I had none. I walked from the Place de Republique to the Notre Dame, from where I followed the curve of the Seine to the Eiffel Tower; then I crossed the water and hiked up to the top of Montmartre, where I lingered only for a coffee before climbing back down the mountain.

My feet hurt, and I had seen more of Paris than most weekend tourists, but none of it meant anything.

This time, I was reading The Flaneur by Edmund White. A flâneur is a kind of loiterer, a watcher in the city—and Paris, White writes, “is a world meant to be seen by the walker alone, for only the pace of strolling can take in all the rich (if muted) detail.”

Photo by baraka27.

Hungry In Paris

White also reminded me that Ernest Hemingway, a onetime writing hero of mine, was hungry and poor in Paris, too. There is a passage in A Moveable Feast that I had forgotten until I read The Flâneur; it starts thus:

“You got very hungry when you did not eat enough in Paris because all the bakery shops had such good things in the windows and people ate outside at tables on the sidewalk so that you saw and smelled the food”.

Then Hemingway describes how he used to wind his way around the city avoiding all the places that made him hungry and tempted to spend money.

My partner and I ate meals out of supermarkets and bakeries. Our favorite dinner was in a park near the Louvre, facing a trio of naked statues, finishing our €2 red and gorging ourselves on fresh bread and soft cheese.

We determined not to be hungry by carrying chocolate in our bags, sucking bittersweet squares while we passed handsome couples posed over elegantly arranged plates at streetside cafés.

The Occasional Splurge

Occasionally, we splurged, but even our splurges seemed austere. On Montmartre, we found a cafe my partner had been at years ago, a quiet place in a quiet square were we were the only ones speaking English.

We each ordered the special, a huge salad with fresh lettuce and beetroots and meat and cheese, and shared half a bottle of crisp white wine. We watched a pair of leathery middle-aged men doze in the red-and-yellow striped deck chairs outside the sign: Le Botak Café.

Photo by Damien Roué.

In search of a private moment

Of that enviable creature, the flâneur, Edmund White writes:

“He (or she) is not a foreign tourist tracing down the Major Sights and ticking them off a list of standard wonders. He (or she) is…in search of a private moment, not a lesson, and whereas wonders can lead to edification, they are not likely to give the viewer gooseflesh. No, it is the private Proustian touchstone—the madeleine, the tilting paving stone—that the flâneur is tracking down.”

My partner and I sought no major sights, initially because we could not afford to, but eventually because we had found a greater pleasure in the intimate, a curious thrill in our ability to watch.

We drank café au lait facing the street so we could see all the people. Our biggest expense was coffee, not accommodation or food.

Once, for the sheer poetry of it, we had a kir at Sartre’s café, Café de Flore, across from the Brasserie Lipp where Hemingway eats one hungry afternoon in A Moveable Feast. Because the drinks were so expensive we sipped slowly, enjoying being able to rest our feet while other people walked on by.

The waiter brought us a plate of green olives and we sucked them from a toothpick and picked the pits out from our teeth. As we were sitting there a sudden horde of rollerbladers came sweeping down the street, flanked by police cars. Beside me a svelte black-haired woman read Elle and drank a €5 coke through a straw, tapping her high-heeled feet.

Photo by ralphunden.

The rich poverty of youth and idealism

The Paris we found in our state of poverty—which is not, I should add, any true or cruel poverty, but rather the relative poverty of youth, and of idealism—is perhaps a more powerful Paris than we could ever have discovered if, flush with cash, we stayed in a glittering hotel, wandered the halls of the Louvre, dined at cafés along the Champs-Élysées, kissed at the top of the Eiffel Tower.

As it happened, we kissed instead at the top of the Institut Du Monde Arabe, which boasts free entry and sweeping views of the Seine, of Notre Dame, of countless rooftops.

On our last evening in Paris, we went to the Caveau des Oubliettes, around the corner from our (now mattress-less) apartment, to hear some blues. There is no cover charge, only a requirement that you buy a drink, so over a few pints of beer, we listened to the frenzied jams of various swaying musicians until the wee hours, when, dizzy and grinning, we emerged onto the street like two people transformed.

Hemingway may have written about hunger, about the stern beauty of a city that he was mostly always poor and cold in. But also he writes this:

“We ate well and cheaply and drank well and cheaply and slept well and warm together and loved each other.”

That’s something–and a far nicer something, in fact, than being able to afford a fancy hotel with a mattress or to enter every museum or shop for souvenirs.

The touch of a single tile

It is as Walter Benjamin, quoted in Edmund White, writes:

“The flâneur is the creation of Paris…he would be happy to trade all his knowledge of artists’ quarters, birthplaces, and princely palaces for the scent of a single weathered threshold or the touch of a single tile—that which any old dog carries away”

It is only when we are stripped of resource—penniless, young, lacking a full understanding of the language of the place—that we finally have the courage to adopt this philosophy of travel.

It is when we have nothing but our own wits, and perhaps the company of an intimate acquaintance, that we finally lose the pressure we have felt for so long, as travelers, to see this, and do that—we destroy our to-do lists and pursue, instead, “the touch of a single tile”.

And what we find along the way is sacred.

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A Moveable Feast
The Flaneur

Feature photo by Ippei Naoi

Most tourists start their journeys across Japan from Tokyo and end up in Kyoto, ignoring anything off the beaten path and seeing the country as media often portray it: geisha, samurai, rock gardens, “wax on, wax off” mentality.

First-timers learn about the effectiveness of the all-powerful Japanese bullet train, the shinkansen, but rarely take the time to run to the nearest port and catch ferries that commute to islands off the port of Yokohama, islands that are considered too “remote” or “shabby” for your average Japanese salaryman, but are paradise to wanderers.

Even fewer tourists take the five hours by shinkansen to Kyushu and ride the rails an additional two and a half hours to reach Kagoshima, travel hub for the southern islands.

You’re far from Tokyo. These islands don’t have the shining neon of Vegas. Even adventurers might prefer someplace larger. But these places exist, and while they do, adventurers should explore them.

Photo by Ippei Naoi

Ioujima

Not Iwo Jima, the island stormed by US soliders during World War II, but its counterpart in the south. The Chinese characters (meaning “sulfur island”) are the same, but Ioujima has a more vibrant presence.

Although only 120 people live here, but the oasis still boasts a school, a seniors’ center, and, in my humble opinion, the best outdoor hot springs in all of Japan.

The best hotspring is called Higashi Onsen. Arrive at sunrise. Look between the sheer rock faces less than a hundred meters away. Let your body give in to the absolution of the water, your ears comforted by the soothing sounds of sea foam.

The baths, the minerals and the sulfur, course through your skin, diving into every crevasse, purifying your body and relaxing your mind.

If you happen to visit on certain days of the month, you might notice that the island tends to provide background music, a regular beating of the drums. The Tam Tam Mandingue Japan Djembe School is located just outside the main town.

Photo by Ippei Naoi

Tanegashima

Far to the east of Ioujima, Tanegashima holds a special place in history: firearms were first introduced to Japan here in 1543 by Portuguese merchants. Reenactments are fairly common, so don’t be too surprise if you see Japanese dressed like European soliders, or hear the sounds of gunfire.

Old pieces of metal don’t keep people flocking to this treasure of an island, however. That honor is reserved for two things: big fiery explosions and powerful waves.

One main attraction is the surfing. The pristine waves roll into beautiful sandy beaches. Ryokan (Japanese inns) offer rental boards and advice on where to find some of the best surf spots.

As for explosions… Tanegashima is home to one of the few launch sites of JAXA, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency. At the Tanegashima Space Center, satellites are regularly launched from a pad just north of a huge expanse of sand and snow cone stands.

Visitors can watch from several locations near the beach. It’s quite impressive at that distance.

Photo by Ippei Naoi

Yakushima

Yakushima may be considered a little more on the tourists’ track; Japanese and foreigner alike come here in the spring and early summer for spectacular hiking.

Although covered with some of the biggest cedar trees (sugi) in Japan, Yakushima exudes the look of a mystic tropical rainforest in the summer months: trees stretching off into nothingness, clouds trapped between the inland mountains, causing nonstop rain and thick fog.

There is the legendary Jyoumon Sugi, a cedar tree estimated to be between 2170 and 7200 years old. The populated coasted areas have decent hot springs waiting for you as you descend, and a few good beaches you might enjoy your island excursion most if you stay overnight along the trail.

Yakushima is definitely not a “get away from it all” place, with the frequented mountain trails reinforced with wooden steps 90% of the way, tourists quite common, and pachinko parlors waiting for you near the coastline hotels.

However, the landscape is still quite beautiful and extraordinary, and not something you’re likely to find on the mainland. Come for the cedar trees, stay for the hot springs.

Akusekijima

Far to the south of Yakushima and Ioujima lies a chain of ten islands inhabited by fewer than a thousand people.

As travelers, we can sometimes find ourselves completely cut off from the outside world – no access by train, plane, boat, helicopter, taxi, bus, or even camel.

Photo by Dean Pemberton

Such is life on the Tokara Islands; with the exception of a twice-weekly ferry and an emergency helivac pad (not on all the islands, either), you are alone with your thoughts – don’t count on finding any internet cafes.

The residents, a mixture of retired couples and young families wanting a quieter life for their children, are completely dependent on the ferries for food, medical supplies, mail, and any sort of physical contact with the outside world. As a foreign face in a somewhat racially homogeneous country on a remote island… well, you’ll be a rare spectacle.

Akusekijima, the seventh in the Tokara chain, is famous for its eclipse ceremony. In July, one will find the few Japanese inns and campgrounds on the island filled to capacity by tourists seeking a glimpse of the traditional wooden masks and grass skirts retained by the natives.

Although few on the island can trace their lineage all the way back to when the ancient tribes were ignorant of Japan’s presence, the ceremony continues unabated as a stubbornly upheld tradition.

The next eclipse ceremony will be held on July 22nd, 2009.

Yoronto

For the athletes out there, there’s an annual marathon on the southernmost island in Kagoshima Prefecture, Yoronto. Two times around the coast of this sandy paradise and you’ll find you’ve managed to travel 42.195 kilometers.

The next Yoronto Marathon will be on March 8th, 2009.

Community Connection

For info on surfing in Japan, get in touch with Matador member realsoulsurfin. Other Matador travelers living in Japan include arachel who teaches English on a tiny island, and Japanhoch, who knows all the best hiking spots in Hokkaido.

Photo above by judepics. Photo above by Emma and Michael’s Excellent Adventures.

Imagine doing yoga in the great outdoors, surrounded by some of Spain’s tallest mountains. Imagine clean, pine-scented Alpine air mingling with a sultry sea salt breeze infused with orange blossom each time you inhale.

This heady mix exists in Órgiva, 52 kilometers south of Granada, 29 kilometers north of the Mediterranean coast, and set deep in the Alpujarras mountains of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in southern Spain.

Photo by judepics.

Órgiva is a mountain town that, like its Alpine-Mediterranean air, mixes traditional Andalusian and New Age international cultures. The blend is like green tea and mint, olives and sherry, churros and chocolate.

Best of all, Órgiva is home to one of the most earthy and beautifully offered yoga retreats I’ve encountered in my travels, Yoga Under the Sky.

In the heart of such a diverse, New Age, and organic farming scene and town, Yoga Under the Sky is in the perfect setting to offer organized or tailor-made retreat options for one person, couples, or groups.

Set near the Chico River that flows through town, Yoga Under the Sky offers many modalities of yoga styles and a terrific roster of talented, compassionate, and certified yoga teachers and massage therapists.

You can contact Yoga Under the Sky to arrange for an organized retreat (such retreats are on their website) or to create a retreat of your own that will address your and your partner’s particular needs. The staff also suggest great lodging and dining options.

Essentially, Órgiva is the retreat setting and within it are several rural and village houses for week-long stays as well as several all organic, local produce, and regional wine-serving eateries. The town has a vibrant energy and there is a lot happening any day of the week throughout the year.

Photo by diluvi.

Lodging

My favorite place to stay is Casa Rural Jazmin. Though “casa rural” means “rural house,” it is a lovely old stone farmhouse in town that is surrounded by a garden filled with fruit-bearing trees, such as pomegranate and lemon, and a refreshing swimming pool.

Casa Jazmin has four rooms, each with a private bath. The two proprietors are warm and welcoming and every morning they get up early to create a unique, healthy, and homemade breakfast that is often served in the garden.

Rooms for two people, including that breakfast for two, are between 48-70 euros. Given that you are in the heart of town and everything is central, in spite of the wonderful rural feel of the place, you don’t need your own wheels to get here or to stay here.

It’s an easy downhill saunter to yoga sessions, to the bus stop for buses to Granada, Malaga, Motril, or to other Alpujarran destinations, and shops and markets are all within a few hundred yards away in the town center.

Photo by Joi

Organic Dining Out in Órgiva

For such a small town, Órgiva has terrific dining out options that won’t kill your budget. Here you’ll find places where organic, Slow Food, and Buy Local, Buy Fresh drive the standard meal.

Three favorites are Café Libertad, El Limonero, and Café-Tetería Baraka. The latter is a fun hangout run by local Sufis that offers diverse vegetarian cuisine, a variety of tea, as well as other non-alcoholic beverages, including natural fruit juices and smoothies.

Organic Food Markets in Órgiva

Everyday is market day if you go to the central covered market near the Plaza de la Alpujarra in the heart of town. Therein you’ll find the organic farmers, wine makers, bakers, and cheesemakers.

But the highlight is the weekly open-air market on Thursday mornings, on the long, narrow plaza on the northern end of town (the uphill end, near Casa Jazmin).

It’s a riotous and colorful gathering of farmers, clothes-sellers, and craftspeople. Dogs, guitars, and long-haired and short-haired folks alike mingle and embrace their hybrid traditional and alternative ways of living and eating.

Photo by judepics.

Getting There

Getting to Órgiva is easy.

It is 52 kilometers south of Granada. By car, take the A-44/E-902 south of Granada and after 34 kilometers exit east for Lanjarón. Follow signs to Órgiva. Or, just get on a bus in Granada destined for Órgiva, costing fewer than 5 euros one way.

Alternately, Yoga Under the Sky can arrange for a taxi to pick you up at Granada’s airport and deliver you to Órgiva for 50 euros. While this might sound like a lot, it’s a bargain for a private driver and no car rental. Still, the bus is pretty easy.

Adventures Beyond Yoga

Hiking Options:

Take the local bus from Órgiva to Pampaneira, a twenty-minute ride, and hike from the mountain village of Pampaneira to Bubión and on to Capileira. You can either hike back to Pampaneira for the bus, or take the bus from Capileira to Órgiva. In all places, you will find ample cafes for a tapa and refreshment. Beer or chilled fino sherry are favorites. Drink lots of water, too.

Tibetan Retreat:

Consider a silent meditation retreat at the O Sel Ling Tibetan Buddhist retreat, between Órgiva and Pampaneira. If you go as a couple, you will need to do this stint in separate huts and in silence.

Visit Granada:

Photo by pasotraspaso.

Granada is an easy 45-minute bus ride away from Órgiva, so you can make a fun day-trip to the city and soak up the magical Alhambra fortress-palace complex and hit the streets in the old neighborhood of the Albaicin.

Albaicin is filled with vegetarian and organic restaurants, especially along Calle Nueva Calderería, the center of Granada’s alternative, progressive, New Age, Bohemian scene. A day trip can be a boon if you are traveling during the peak summer season, when finding lodging in Granada can be stressful.

Relax, secure a week or two at the Casa Jazmin in Órgiva, do some yoga, eat locally, and unpack just once in your peaceful mountain retreat.

Community Connection!

The author of this article, Beebe, was recently featured in 50 Inspirational Travelers. If you liked Beebe’s guide to Orgiva Yoga, please be sure to read her surf guide to Asturias, a lovely rural section of the Spanish coast.

Matador members believe they can change the world, and they’re out there doing it every day.

Sure, we publish the same sorts of articles you find in print publications, but these articles are just window-dressing. The editor in me cringes, but it’s true.

But no matter what we write, the most important part of Matador is the community. Whenever I need a little stoke, I browse Matador member profiles. I’m always awed by the sheer human optimism in this remarkable community.

Thank you so much for inspiring us.

Here are 10 incredible members of the Matador community. To meet the other 40 featured travelers, please follow the links at the bottom of this page.

Flavia

Follow your dreams, transform your life… Perform your miracles. Cure. Make prophecies. Listen to your guardian angel. Transform yourself. Be a warrior, and be happy as you wage the good fight. Take risks.

Flavia’s full profile

Grady

My ideal place to watch the sunrise would be the South Pole, where it takes a month to rise so I won’t miss it when I sleep in.

Grady’s full profile

Cataroo318

As a young, working expat, I’m constantly exploring with open eyes and ears. I use my journalism degree as an excuse to carry my camera around like a tourist. I want to do it all, document it all and pull it all into a book.

Matador can provide me a great forum to share Andalucia and help me put all of my ideas and experiences to print.

Cataroo318’s full profile

NZ Josh

6th generation kiwi, born and bred. I live for every hour not spent at work. My kind of fun is hurling yourself down pure juice oceanic waves, and into the abyss generally, laughing when IT hits the fan and bloody stoked when it doesn’t!

NZ Josh’s full profile

Sublime

I stand somewhere between the Beats, Warhol’s Factory, and the streets. I was born in the South, spent my formative years as the daughter of a military man in the California desert, and was finally brought up as a Midwest girl- living in Suburbia on the fringes of a post-industrial, lost city.

My life has great meaning- I just haven’t quite figured it out yet. Il me semble que suis toujours heureux ou je ne suis pas- still, though, I can’t complain.

Sublime’s full profile

Malkatajanka117

Now I’m in Sofia, Bulgaria, one of my homelands. Things have changed from the hot,carefree, party vibe that was taking over my last two weeks here. The weather is cold, its the first day of school for all the young people and the city streets are crawling with bubbling chaos.

Only for me, its not the first day of school just yet – I’m getting ready to do a year abroad in Madrid , Spain in a week.

Malkatajanka117’s full profile

KTMay

I am a biomedical engineer who has chosen the nomadic life over wasting away in a cubicle crunching numbers. I now lead cycling tours for a living. I will never stop travelling but would love to have a place of my own to come back to someday.

I love to paint when I have a place to spread out. Running is my release. I speak French, Spanish, and am learning Italian…ah, romance languages. Oh, and I make a mean chocolate chip cookie!

KTMay’s full profile

Beebe

I want to make a difference by being active in my community in cleaning up our oceans and environment, educating people toward making smarter consumer and lifestyle choices, like recycling, driving less and walking and cycling more, eating better foods, using reusable bags and baskets for shopping, being kind to each other and to other life on earth, recognizing that plants and other animals have as legitimate a reason for being here as we do, helping people to see the remarkable beauty of the earth and of human diversity and to appreciate their culture and others’ cultures more…

Beebe’s full profile

Jenn Miller

I want to make a difference by raising my kids to be world citizens, encouraging other families to shut off the box, get out of the box and live their lives instead of watching them go by.

Jenn Miller’s full profile

Vapintar

I want to make a difference by going to the places that scare me both literally and figuratively, learning to to embrace the uncertainty of life and to never stop questioning.

Vapintar’s full profile

To meet more Matador members, please follow the links below:

Travelers 11 – 20 at BraveNewTraveler.com
Travelers 21 – 30 at TheTravelersNotebook.com
Travelers 31 – 40 at MatadorStudy.com
Travelers 41 – 50 at Matador.org

Community Connection

These are only 50 out of thousands of travelers in our community. Who else should get a mention? Big them up in the comments, and if you haven’t yet, link up with us.

Feature photo by ccate. Photo above by DanieVDM.

These towns are the best in the world for adventure!

Photo by LizMarie.

Valdez, Alaska

One of the premier heli-skiing locations in the world, Valdez offers access to the snow-drenched steeps and spines of the Chugach Range.

For mellower adventures, Prince William Sound offers sea kayaking and tours into surrounding glaciers. Check out Points North for heli-skiing packages.

Photo by Michael Scheltgen.

Vancouver, British Columbia

Vancouver’s North Shore invented freeride mountain biking. Huge drops. Crazy, winding wood bridges and planks. Sick jumps. This is the North Shore’s bread and butter.

Haven’t gotten enough? Head two hours north to Whistler and drop into backcountry via helicopter and bike your way out.

When the snow begins to fall, Vancouver offers access to many ski resorts including Cypress Mountain, Grouse Mountain, Mt. Seymour, just minutes from downtown, and Whistler, North America’s largest resort, to the north.

Also, check out Matador’s complete guide to heli-skiing in British Colombia.

Photo by woodleywonderworks.

Jackson, Wyoming

Jackson Hole is a name that produces an automatic tingle down the spine of anyone who’s ever ridden planks or boarded down a snow-covered slope.

Jackson is home to some of the most serious riding, both in-bounds and backcountry, in the lower 48. The town is less-known for the multitude of other sports it offers year-round, including mountain biking, backcountry hikes and paragliding.

Jackson is also a jumping off point for Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, offering the most diverse wildlife viewing in the lower 48.

Photo by JasonRogers.

Moab, UT

Moab’s 4 x 4 roads, rock-strewn trails and slickrock have given it the reputation as “Mountain Biking Capital of the World.”

The rugged, high desert is a breeding ground for any off-road adventure—ATVing, dirt biking, buggying, jeeping And the hoodoos rising above the desert floor and canyons that cut through acres of red rock are ideal for climbing and canyoneering.

The Green and Colorado Rivers also offer whitewater excursions. Try a Moab multi-sport package.

Photo by uLe @ Dortmund.

Puerto Escondido, Mexico

Puerto Escondido is famous for its break off Zicatela Beach, dubbed the Mexican Pipeline. It is one of the heaviest barrels on the Pacific Coast, a classic surf destination in Mexico.

In addition, adventure-seekers can enjoy kayaking, scuba diving and eco tours into the surrounding jungles and mountains.

Turrialba, Costa Rica

With a reputation as a whitewater paradise for its local rivers, the Reventazon and Pacuare, Turrialba is also a key hub for multi-day mountain biking, hiking, and backpacking trips.

Mountain bike or raft through lush rainforests and volcanic valleys. If you’re on an adrenaline binge, bike from Turrialba to the Pacific Coast and pick up a board for some of Costa Rica’s world class surfing.

For the foot traveler, summit the Turrialba Volcano or take a look 3000 years in the past at the Guayabo National Monument. Check out costaricaadventures.net.

Photo by sancho_panza.

Arequipa, Peru

With its location in the shadow of 19er volcanic peaks such as El Misti and Chachani, Arequipa is a mountain climber’s dream town.

If climbing mountains isn’t your game, Arequipa also offers whitewater paddling through the depths of the Cotahuasi Canyon, arguably the world’s deepest gorge (over 2 miles) and mountain biking treks from high in the Andes down into the Amazon Jungle.

Check out peruadventures.com for these and other epic options.

Photo by ccate.

Futaleufu, Chile

The small town of Futaleufu in Patagonian Chile accesses the river by the same name–a river many lifelong kayakers consider the most beautiful and challenging in the wold.

This alone would earn it a place on the list, but with access to Andean Peaks and treks through Patagonia, the town is ripe for multi-sport adventures like few other locales in South America. Many companies run trips down the Futaleufu; here’s one: earthriver.com.

Grytviken, South Georgia Island

Antarctica needed to be on this list—the continent possesses elements of frontier and adventure exploration like nowhere else on earth. So although Grytviken is not a traditional town, it earns its rank.

Grytviken offers an historical look back into great Antarctic excursions of the past, housing the gravesite of British explorer Ernest Shackleton, a museum and remnants of an early 20th century whaling colony.

South Georgia is a popular stop on many Antarctic trips and is home to hundreds of thousands of penguins, several species of seal and albatross. Prepare for your Antarctic excursion.

Photo by DanieVDM.

Cape Town, South Africa

Cape Town is revered worldwide for the huge swells off its white-sand beaches. In addition to killer surfing, the waters that surround the city are great for kite surfing and sea kayaking.

If you prefer to stay dry, pick up a sandboard and head out to the white sand dunes of Atlantis, a nature reserve about 40 minutes outside of Cape Town. Or, if you’re tired of just staring at Table Mountain, climb to the top by foot or cable car and repel or mountain bike down.

Check out Cape Town’s Downhill Adventures for these and other packages.

Photo by travellingtamas.

Interlaken, Switzerland

One ski pass for the Jungfrau Top Ski Region will earn you access to over 128 miles of ski trails across 3 resorts, connected to Interlaken by mountain railway.

Not enough? Jump in a helicopter and ride a remote slice of the Alps. Also try ice climbing or glacier treks. Summertime brings sports like mountaineering, bungee jumping from gondolas, sky diving and zorbing—rolling down a hill inside a big plastic ball—to the fray.

Canyons such as Grimsel and Saxeten offer thrilling canyoning—repelling and leaping into canyons— amidst cascading waterfalls.

Find out more on your own: alpinraft.com or swissalpineguides.ch.

Photo by kennymatic.

Voss, Norway

Voss’s setting amidst the peaks and fjords of western Norway has earned it a rep as a world capital for the fringe sport of BASE jumping.

After landing, kayak or raft Class III-V rapids on the Stranda and Randaul Rivers. If you’d prefer running rapids via riverboard, try it out under close professional supervision at Voss Rafting Senter. The Center also offers repelling on the 500-foot Tvinnefossen waterfall and canyoning/cliff jumping options.

Once dry, be sure to try out para-bungee, in which you’re hoisted 600 feet into the air on a giant parasail platform to bungee 300 feet below. Oh, and Voss is also one of Norway’s largest ski towns.

Shegar, Tibet

It would be difficult to complete this list without including the most revered, infamous adventure of them all—Everest. The tiny town of Shegar, Tibet is the last stop on the northern route to Everest Base Camp.

Although Shegar may be a small, one-trick pony; the trick is pretty huge and significant. Himalayan scenery doesn’t hurt either.

Photo by showmeone.

Queenstown, New Zealand

The mountains and waters surrounding Queenstown are home to many classic outdoor sports: whitewater, heli-skiing, climbing, jet boating and mountain biking, to name a few.

Queenstown decided that its natural endowments weren’t enough and helped craft some of the world’s more insane sports. AJ Hackett, one of bungee’s pioneer jumpers and entrepreneurs, founded a bungee operation in Queenstown on the Kawarau Bridge back in the late 80’s.

Since then, bungee jumping has flourished in the city. Apparently, bungee was a little too one dimensional— Queenstown’s 359-foot Shotover Canyon Swing allows you to swing out over the canyon after dropping nearly 200 feet. Pretty sick. Check out Queenstown adventure for more information.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

For first-timer recommendations about adventure sports in the great outdoors, check out Dana Ranill’s “A First Timer’s Guide to Backcountry Skiing and Snowboarding.”

For a classic profile on the pioneers of today’s gravity sports, check out David Miller’s article “Feeling Gravity’s Pull.”

Looking for Outdoor Gear?

Your purchases through Amazon support Matador!
LTD Sock 06 Snowboard Bag – Black
A Team Formica Bottom Sandboard

Feature photo by gashwin. Photo above by Stewf.

1. Trek Through the Daintree Rainforest

Home to one of the most diverse variety of plants and animals on earth, the Daintree Rainforest is an epic destination north of Cairns in Tropical Far North Queensland. There’s plenty to do in this world heritage listed rainforest, including bushwalks, early morning river cruises, 4WD tours and crocodile-spotting expeditions.

Photo by sliabh.

2. Helicopter Ride Over Great Ocean Road

Zoom along Victoria’s Great Ocean Road on a helicopter ride for an unforgettable perspective on iconic landmarks like the magnificent Twelve Apostles, historic Glenample Homestead, ill-fated Loch Ard Gorge and breathtaking 70m high Gibson Steps.

3. Charter a Yacht from Cairns

Aussies dream of Tropical Queensland the same way New Yorkers dream of Hawaii. There’s no better way to see the Great Barrier Reef and Whitsunday Islands than to charter a fully crewed luxury yacht — like the 52 ft. Marcrista.

Photo by H4NUM4N.

4. Burn a hole in your pocket, Crown Casino Melbourne

You’ll need to whip out your credit card if you’re gonna enjoy Australia’s largest casino. Players will find all the usual roulette and blackjack tables, but the Crown Casino is also a major venue for international performers. It’s a plush affair that’s open 24 hours and has around 25 restaurants and 11 bars.

Photo by destabee.

5. Swim at Lake McKenzie, Fraser Island

Fraser Island is the world’s largest sand island and undoubtedly the most amazing spot on the island is Lake McKenzie — a serene, crystal-clear, blue lake with soft sandy beach surrounded by forest. And what makes this beautiful tropical spot even more mesmerizing is its location – the lake is perched 100m above sea level, deep in the sand dunes.

Photo by krossbow.

6. Wine Tour Through The Hunter Valley

Two hours north of Sydney lies Australia’s oldest wine growing region, renowned for its Semillon and dotted with over one hundred wineries. One of the best ways to discover the vineyards and olive groves of the Hunter Valley is to join a tour. Kick back, enjoy the view and the tastes of each vineyard sip-by-sip.

Photo by semuthutan.

7. Climb The Sydney Harbour Bridge

Scaling the 134 meters up Sydney’s iconic Harbour Bridge might not be physically demanding, but you’re not doing it for the exercise. Safely tethered to the bridge at all times, climbers get a spectacular view of Sydney Harbour, the Opera House, and the city in all its beauty, a view most Aussies have never seen.

photo by jwinfred.

8. Brave the Waves at Bondi Beach

Australia has many beaches, but among the thousands, this half-mile stretch is the most famous. Located a short commute from Sydney’s central business district, nestled among the urban sprawl, it’s no wonder Bondi gets so busy.

In summertime, as many as 25,000 locals and tourists can invade the silver sands hoping to get a tan, learn to surf or just people watch. It’s not without drama; swimmers get into trouble, children go missing, sharks interrupt beach life as they cruise the lineup; and the odd fight erupts on the beach between drunks. Some people will like Bondi; others will be disappointed.

Photo by SplaTT.

9. Climb Mt. Kosciuszko in Summer or Snow

Standing at 7,309 ft (2228 m), Mount Kosciuszko is Australia’s highest mountain and it makes for a refreshing-but-serious climb from the sweltering heat of the Australian summer. In the old days, prior to 1974, slackers could drive most of the way to the top. Today, around 30,000 people trek to the summit each year. Guided tours are available from Thredbo.

Photo by GothPhil.

10. Ride The Ghan Train

Slink northward through the 1,851 miles (2,979 km) from Adelaide to Alice Springs in the ‘Red Centre’ and then onwards to Darwin in the ‘Top End.’ Passengers are treated to the evocative Australian landscape from the comfort of this legendary train –whose name is derived from the Afghan camels which trod the route in the early days.

Photo by ianbuxton.

11. Watch Sunset Over Uluru

Also known as “Ayers Rock”, this famous sandstone rock is plunked right in Australia’s Red Centre. The enormous rock formation and the whole area are designated as a World Heritage Area and take about 2 – 3 hours to circumnavigate. The local Aboriginal people prefer you don’t climb the mountain, but of course many people still do. Just make sure you wake up early enough to take in the spectacular site of sunrise over Uluru.

Photo by Phillie Casablanca.

12. Trek and Tour The Kimberley

Rugged, forbidding, full of snakes and much larger in size than the entire United Kingdom, the Kimberley region of Australia is amazing wilderness. The wet season is largely impassable thanks to the tropical torrents. The dry season, from April to September, can be intensely hot during the day, but the heat is preferable to the rain. Visitors can take tours around the Bungle Bungles, Geike Gorge, Fitzroy Crossing, Mitchell Falls and many more places of interest.

Photo by Rob Inh00d.

13. Pet the Wild Crocodiles in Kakadu

More of Australia’s remote Top End is waiting to be explored. This is the other face of Australia, about as far away from the usual Aussie urban life as you can get. Traverse this wondrous landscape escorted by Mick Dundee-esque tour guides and the traditional Aboriginal mob you’ll be sure to spot plenty of crocodiles and snakes, traditional rock art and breath-taking vistas.

Photo by prawnpie.

14. Swim With Dolphins at Monkey Mia

Monkey Mia is a small West Australian town, one day’s drive from Perth, with good roads all the way. Despite the name, there are no monkeys at Monkey Mia but you’ll be delighted to swim and frolic with wild, bottle-nosed dolphins when you visit the town’s tranquil shallow beach. Just turn up to the beach between 8am and 1pm, sit around, relax and wait for the friendly visitors to show up — and dolphins do turn up almost everyday.

Photo by Brendio.

15. Cradle Mountain, Tasmania

The World Heritage listed Cradle Mountain is ideal for a short escape, bushwalking by day and holed up in a wooden cabin by night. It can be freezing and is blanketed by a good fall of snow in the winter months, yet the peak is sunny and as warm as 30c in the summer. Cradle Mountain has some of Australia’s most stunning scenery and the iconic national park teams with native wildlife such as Tasmanian Devils, wallabies, wombats, brush tail possums and currawongs.