Witness Peace-Building in Action with Mejdi Tours

We recently learned about Mejdi Tours through Talia Salem, a Master's candidate in the George Washington University's Sustainable Destination Management Degree program. Mejdi Tours, made up of an eclectic team of Arabs, Jew, and Christian peace-builders, has created a travel experience with the potential to re-define travelers' perspectives, bringing guests a greater understanding of the complex history and culture in the Middle East. This year they’ve teamed up with National Geographic Expeditions to offer a 12-day trip through Israel and the West bank guided by both Israeli and Palestinian peace-builders. On the trip you have a ...

Kayak through Caves in California

Craig Comen has made the ocean his home for the last forty years and has been guiding on the Mendocino coast in Northern California for the last 10. His company, Kayak Mendocino, has developed an excellent reputation among guests who rave about his knowledge of the area and deep love for the ocean. Try his signature Sea Cave Nature Tour, which takes you to caves not many people know how to find. You’ll explore three caves, if the tides allow. This coastal area is teaming with life – harbor seals, as well as a multitude of creatures such as crabs, ...

Gems in Mexico Nowhere to be Found in the Recently Issued U.S. Travel Warnings

While CNN has countered negative press about travel to Mexico with facts - taking into account the newly expanded U.S. travel warning, the region continues to suffer from negative press. Lonely Planet’s U.S. Travel Editor, Robert Reid, points out, “It's in the 17 of 31 states not named in the newly expanded warnings where you'll find the most rewarding destinations: the Yucatan Peninsula and Baja California beach resorts, colonial hill towns like the ex-pat haven of San Miguel de Allende, even the capital Mexico City.” Recently the...

Trek through the Last Forbidden Kingdom, Upper Mustang

“Nepal has stolen my heart for the mix of nature and scenery, especially the culture and mix of Buddhism and Hinduism,” comments Tjalling whose home lies in the Netherlands. Tjalling is from Venhuizen, a small agricultural village, 50km north of Amsterdam. Ten years ago Tjallling discovered Botanical Treks & Excursions through a friend who had organized four other trips with them. Bijay manages Botanical Treks and has acquired over eleven years of experience in the field of tourism as well as sever professional certifications. Sue also trekked with ...

Top Five Indigenous Cultures Tours

This article was first published by our friends at thetravelword, who have agreed to its republication here. View the original article on their blog. Each year on August 9, the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People is celebrated all around the globe. This special day was declared by the United Nations in 1994 with the aim of facilitating international cooperation around efforts to solve the problems faced by indigenous people. These efforts focus on socioeconomic development, environmental conservation, the preservation of cultural heritage and improving basic human rights for indigenous people and their access ...

Shea Butter Helps Drive Community Development and Ecotourism in Ghana

This article was first published by our friends at thetravelword, who have agreed to its republication here. View the original article on their blog. By Victoria Okoye Mole National Park, located in Northern Ghana, is a remarkable natural landscape. This grand expanse of nature is the country’s largest national park and its largest protected ecosystem. As a wildlife reserve, it is refuge to nearly 100 different mammal species, more than 300 types of birds and in excess of 30 kinds of reptiles. It is understandably also a major tourism destination for travellers to Ghana. Diverse ...

Gems in Mexico Nowhere to be Found in the Recently Issued U.S. Travel Warnings

Diving and Conservation with Blue Ventures in Belize

“For a long time most of the villagers have made a living from fishing…they have always fished the entire coast of Belize…even those who don’t take part in the traditional lifestyle still make their income from the sea. With their close relationship to the reefs, Sartenejans quickly notice changes to the reef and fish,” says the narrator on an informative video put out by the Sarteneja Alliance for Conservation and Development (SACD). The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System is impressive, covering 560 miles from Cancun to Honduras. In ...

Celebrating Halloween 2011 in Tabasco and Chiapas with Traditions Mexico

The customs associated with Halloween vary across the world, in the Western world; much of it was popularized as people immigrated across the Atlantic. If you travel south into Mexico, celebrations take on a different, more somber tone. Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a significant celebration in most Mexican towns. As you travel deeper through Mexico, into Chiapas, their celebrations are also markedly different. Based out of Oaxaca, Traditions Mexico, has created a variety of itineraries that allow guests to experience exactly this kind of ...

Grazing the Waters of the Zanskar River in India

What happens when a group of passionate river guides rally together to offer trips through some of the best whitewater rapids around the world? Wantok. Through partnership and the desire to bring you the best river trip, Wantok was born. Literally translated, Wantok means "someone who speaks my language," decide for yourself if they live up to the spirit of their name on their upcoming trip through the Zanskar River in India. September 4th - 16th, John Yost, co-founder of Sobek Expeditions, and with over 35 years of ...

Wander Through the Landscapes and Culture of Baikal, Buryatia, & Mongolia

“Baikal is a wonder, one of the deepest lakes in the world,” says Batbayar, one of the guides on Siberian tour operator White Umbrella’s trip that begins at Lake Baikal in South Central Siberia and then works its way along the Eastern shore of the late through the Republic of Buryatia, and ends in Mongolia. “As you make your way through the Republic of Buryatia, you notice the blending of Russian and Buddhist cultures. In Buryatia, the nomadic way of life is slowly fading and now locals ...

Travelling with a Heart to the Hill Tribe Villages of Northern Thailand

This article was first published by our friends at thetravelword, who have agreed to its republication here. View the original article on their blog. By Mika Santos Every year, eager travellers set off to experience the legendary Golden Triangle of Southeast Asia, for contrary to its notoriety, the region is not one in which visitors run any great risks. A journey along this leg of the famous ‘Indochina Loop’ is virtually guaranteed to provide a ...

Egypt: Pyramids Plus Sandboarding & Kitesurfing

Let the affable guys at Wild Guanabana lead you on a 14-day tour of Egypt, where they showcase their favorite of Egypt’s hidden corners. Omar and Adel have created an adventure itinerary that goes on and off the beaten track (we know you can’t go to Egypt and not see Luxor) taking you from sandboarding soaring dunes to kitesurfing the Med to the sparkling oasis in the middle of deserts. Depart from Cairo and head immediately north to the Mediterranean coast, to a solemn WWII historical site. From there visit Siwan Berber tribes and roam Pharaonic ...

Egypt: Pyramids Plus Sandboarding & Kitesurfing

A Refuge for Andean Culture in Peru

This article was first published by our friends at thetravelword, who have agreed to its republication here. View the original article on their blog. By Maureen Valentine With its origins in Peru’s central highlands more than 1000 years before to the rise of the Inca Empire, Quechua civilisation has an extraordinary cultural heritage of religious, musical and literary traditions. Unfortunately, a growing influx of tourism through Peru’s legendary Sacred Valley has left local indigenous villages fighting to preserve their Quechua way of life. Thankfully, an innovative local organisation aims to safeguard Andean mores by instilling ...

Re-learning Community through Traditional Maasai Skills

"Raw." The simple, but evocative word Susan Fanning chooses to describe Africa. After spending a good chunk of her life on the continent (eleven years), native Irishwoman Susan decided to return once again and continue her love affair with the country and its people. This time, she spent it within the Maasai community through a Maasai Warrior Training program put together by Laura Alessandrini and Silas Kitonga. Silas is a Maasai from Il ‘Ngwesi, the area where Maasai Warrior Training takes place. The eponymous Il ‘Ngwesi Lodge also happens to be the site of a documentary, ...

Drink Some Tea and Warm Up to Volunteering in Kochi

Venture southwest toward the state of Kerala and you will come across Philip Dsouza and his wife Maryann in the city of Kochi. Although the Reds Residency is a fairly new project for Philip and his wife, guests have had nothing but pleasant experiences. Don’t miss out on the authentic Indian dishes served up for breakfast, which could include puttu (made from rice flour and coconut) or dosa (a crepe made from rice and urad dal which is a black lentil). These should give you enough energy as you explore Fort ...

Waking Up to Big Skies

Vast blue skies are broken up intermittently by both forested peaks and the occasional fox scurrying below. The last week of June lent itself to perfect weather in Big Sky Resort, Montana. The team from the Adventure Travel Trade Association along with several of its advisors met at Big Sky Resort, a picturesque setting located about forty-eight miles from Yellowstone National Park and forty-five miles from Bozeman, MT. Although meetings were on the agenda, time to escape and ...

Breathing New Life Into The Art of Travel

Most of us have hobbies or areas we are particularly passionate about. For some it's travel for others it's music, sports, volunteer work, raising a family, the list could go on and on. EcoArts Tours has combined the best of two worlds - the arts and travel. The idea behind EcoArts is to not only experience the traditional arts of cultures worldwide but to also help the sustainable development of communities while traveling - allowing the revenue generated from these forms of tourism to benefit community projects. They include several options, you ...

Horsing Around in Mongolia

This article was first published by our friends at whl.travel, who have agreed to its republication here. View the original article on their blog. By Laurel Angrist Mongolia’s long history owes much to a certain gentle beast of burden ...