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 ...
Outdoor Albania’s View on Local Travel
The original version of this article was published on the Outdoor Albania blog and they have agreed to its republication here. Our friends at whl.travel first republished this article on their blog.
By Lieke van Leeuwen
Laura Payne, co-founder of Outdoor Albania and a local travel activist, believes that travelling is all about ...
Hike & Paddle through the Laos Rainforest and Raft through Buddhist Culture in Bhutan
Sixteen days may be two over your allotted yearly vacation time – but take those two unpaid – because when you join the expert leadership of John Yost, co-founder of Mountain Travel Sobek, to experience the remote rainforests of Laos and the ancient traditions of Bhutan, you won’t regret it. Yost has put together a trip traversing both South Asian countries that combines high quality adventure alongside true cultural immersion. Depending on the season, you will learn to cultivate rice, how to fish Laos style, and about the intricacies of silkworm weaving and production....
Pinning Kingo’s Ultimate Survival on Sustainable Tourism
First published in the ATTA’s Adventure Travel News in March 2010
By Leslie Nevison, Director, Mama Tembo Tours
Kingo, a 300 pound (140 kilogram) Western lowland gorilla silverback, and his six wives and children, live in the protected rainforest of Nouabale-Ndoki National Park in the northern Republic of Congo near its border with the Central African Republic. Scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) began habituating Kingo fifteen years ago. At the time, gorilla research had been restricted to Rwanda’s and Uganda’s mountain gorillas, and very little was known about lowland gorilla behavior in the wild.
Compared to ...
Glacier Chasing in West Greenland
If you fly in from Copenhagen, you will land at Kangerlussuaq. It is an old American Military Base, which serves as a air hub for the West Coast, and boasts the only runway long enough to accommodate the Airbus. From Kangerlussuaq, you can fly North, to Ilulissat, the main tourism destination in Greenland –here North America’s fastest retreating glaciers can be seen calving with thunderous claps. A boat tour around the Ice Fjord, also a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a must.
Greenlandic dogs are not allowed below the Arctic Circle, in order to preserve ...
Nuuk: The Capital of Cool
The “capital of cool,” may be one of the country’s best kept secrets. The fjord system just outside of Nuuk is full of whales in the summer and deserted fishing villages, where some locals have summer houses. You can stay overnight in several settlements – ask Drissia at Nuuk Tourism. You can also hike the peaks around the city, or do a day heli-ski. Both Nipisa and Sarfalik serve gourmet Greenlandic dishes (not for vegetarians.) My favorite place in Nuuk is the fish market early in the morning when ...
Sledding, Hiking and Snowmobiling in East Greenland
Fly from Iceland into Kuluusuk, a small settlement which is the gateway to East Greenland, an isolated part of the country where Inuit culture remains strong. From Kuluusuk, take the Air Greenland helicopter to Tasiilaq, the largest settlement on the East Coast, with 1,600 people. People here are hunters and fishermen. Stay at the Red House, where veteran adventurer Robert Peroni can advise you on all activities – try dog sledding (you can get a dog-sledding license after two days!), hiking, or snowmobiling. You ...
Cycling in Chile
On the other side of the world, through different types of valleys, our friend Andrew Straw’s company, Saddle Skedaddle, is running 15-day cycling trips through the Chilean and Argentinean Lake District. Andrew and his team develop their itineraries personally, and have taken great care in creating this Chilean journey. You’ll cruise on quiet roads through the Andes, lined by imposing snow-capped volcanoes are the backdrop of the dramatic lake district.
The trips starts in the port city of Puerto Montt in Chile and weaves through the Lake ...
Trekking the Pamirs in Tajikistan
Join Aslisho Qurboniev or one of his team of five independent, experienced Tajik guides for a trek through the Pamir Mountain range in Tajikistan. Nestled in central Asia, just north of Afghanistan (but much more stable), Tajikistan is developing its tourism industry, starting with rugged but spectacular treks.
Walking the dusty mountains of the Pamirs feels a bit like teetering on the edge of the world, in fact the ancient Romans called this place “The Roof of the World.” Either on foot or on horseback, Aslisho and his guides lead trips which follow paths that ...
Greenland’s Arctic Circle Race
Or how about the toughest cross-country ski race in the world? The Arctic Circle Race is 160 kilometers around the Greenlandic town of Sisimiut (the most northern icefree town in the winter and the most southern town for dog-sledging), 65 kilometers North of the Arctic Circle. This year, the race will be from April 9th to 11th. The organizing committee also oversees two other races during this time: the ACR 100 (100km) and the Miki Race, for young people.
This is a truly Greenlandic experience: participants sleep in two or three man tents on the ice. During the ...
Montenegro’s LONAC Adventure Race Series 2010
Throw all the best ingredients—meat, vegetables, spices—into a pot, and you have the traditional Montenegrin meal that used to be cooked over a fire or in a pit in the earth. Today, lonac (pronounced LO-nats) stands for the mix of adventure events in the country in 2010, eight events ranging from the World Parachuting Championships to the 3-day Mountaineering Days.
The first event this season is the Paths of King Nikola road cycling race, April 29th to May 2nd. Montenegro, named "Black Mountain" for its "excessively mountainous regions," rises from Adriatic turquoise waters to dramatic glaciated mountains ...
Into the Wilds of Chiapas
Catch your next flight to Tuxtla Gutierrez, the capital city of Chiapas, and take a quick 30 minute cab over the mountain to San Cristobal ...
Oaxacan Culture and Surfing
Once you are ready for old world charm, cobbled streets, markets glowing with intricate alebrijes, and the taste of authentic molé and mescal, head south to ...
Whitewater in Veracruz
Dario Lopez Vives at K360 in the town of Jalcomulco has been running the three stretches of river – the Pescados, Antigua, and Barranca Grande – for 15 years, and he specializes in teaching whitewater ...
Mexico: Mountains to the Sea
Mexico is as varied as it is magical. Whether charmed by the narrow, cobbled streets of San Cristobal de las Casas, stirring up bioluminescent plankton on a nighttime ...
Competitours – Get Your Adventure On!
Last year we introduced you to Competitours before they launched their inaugural tour - It was a massive success and they are running new routes again this year.
As we know, adventure travelers have a reputation for fearlessness and at times, let’s be honest, a competitive nature. Competitours is the Amazing Race for regular people - and perfect for the Adventure Traveler. Teams participate in a series of challenges through a mix of Eurail-connectd cities and out of the way villages, to claim victory of first prize: $5500 or 200,000 starpoints (there are ...
Vista Verde Guest Ranch – Luxury in the Forest
“This is not what you remember from City Slickers,” the Vista Verde website tells your frankly, when you land on their homepage…and they are right. The amenities and service provided at Vista Verde are plentiful and lavish yet the atmosphere still retains the casual atmosphere of a dude ranch.
Stephanie Wilson took some time to explain a little about life on Vista Verde. Roughly translated, Vista Verde means ‘Green View.’ True to its name the area around the ranch is more lush ...
Kayaking, Trekking or Just Relaxing at Argentina’s La Confluencia
Often described as “Yosemite without the crowds,” Patagonia rewards those who visit with some of the world most stunning scenery as well as unspoiled adventure opportunities. While spots like Bariloche and El Calafate become more commercialized every year, the sheer size of the region is allowing new spots to develop off the radar. One of the newest, La Confluencia, is located an hour and a half south of Bariloche just outside the town of El Bolson.
Sitting on the bank of pristine Rio Azul, owners Mark and Ellie Jordan situated their lodge such that adventure ...
Boating, Birding in West Bengal’s Sundarbans
The Sundarbans is the largest single mangrove ecosystem in the world, and lies within both India and Bangladesh. About 45 percent of the total area of the Indian Sundarbans is under mangrove forests, which is protected and consists of the Sundarban Tiger Reserve and the Reserve Forest West of Tatla and Bidya Rivers. The remaining area consists of 54 islands inhabited by about 4 million people facing limited development opportunities.
Adventurous travelers will love this area if they hook up with Help Tourism's Asit Biswas and guide Tuhin – who have been leading tours in the area ...
