What do you do after you've built a 140-acre aquatic-themed luxury resort in the Bahamas and filled it up with over 50,000 marine animals tucked away in various lagoons and displays? If you're the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island, you launch an array of different packages that guests can purchase to interact with everything from mantas to sea lions. These programs are on top of the resort's older offerings, which include the chance to interact with dolphins rescued after Katrina created havoc in the Caribbean.

The new "Snorkel With The Mantas" program starts at $79/person and gives guests the opportunity to swim in waters filled with giant manta rays. Up to eight guests go into the reef at a time, splashing alongside the 10-foot wingspan rays. To round out the experience there are also zebra sharks, jacks, snappers, and schools upon schools of shiny tropical fish. Participants looking for something a little more playful can sign up for the new Sea Lion Interaction, which involves pretty much what you'd expect from the name.]]> Omri 2009-10-21T16:00:23-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/10/152548/50

Think about all the different ways there are to travel. There's flying, driving, and sailing, of course, but let's focus on the low-tech methods of locomotion, like walking, running, crawling, swimming, and brachiation. Not familiar with that last one? I wasn't either, until I wrote something about gibbons and stumbled across the term. Brachiation is a specialized form of arboreal locomotion in which primates swing from one branch to another using their arms. And while it's probably not going to help you navigate the streets of Bangkok, no self-respecting traveler should be without at least a basic understanding of it. ]]> Victor Ozols 2009-10-10T15:25:48-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/9/29/03140/5292

While cities usher in October with Oktoberfest and Halloween-related festivals, small-town Coarsegold, California, marks it with a celebration of the tarantula. This place has so much tarantula love that a massive spider sculpture sits atop the city’s Historic Village and killing one is a major faux paux. The 11th annual Coarsegold Tarantula Festival pays homage to the eight-legged spiders with a day of events on October 24.

Officials say the reason why the old mining town reveres the creepy-crawly spiders is that residents take pride in their natural surroundings, especially the diverse wildlife. The tarantulas are unique to the area, and as such the residents protect them as an integral part of the community. "When we first moved here, I accidentally ran over a tarantula and was severely admonished by a neighbor," says Dian Boland, the founder of the event. The incident prompted her to learn more about the misunderstood creatures. The more she learned, the more she wanted to honor the tarantula. "I wanted to make people aware of how interesting they are, how they really are good for the environment and unique to the mountains up here and really a lot of fun,” she says. ]]> Jennifer Kester 2009-09-29T09:35:22-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/9/18/31222/0547

When autumn rolls around, tourists desert the sandy shores of California. What they don't realize is that when beach season ends, whale-watching season begins. The best time to see whales in Cali is December through March, when about 20,000 gray whales, up to 50 feet long and 45 tons each, swim 6,000 miles south from Alaskan waters along California's coastline to breeding waters in Baja. Groups of whales stay close to the shoreline to avoid predators, logging 70 to 80 miles daily.

You can whale watch up and down the coast and California State Parks are some of the best places to shout, "Thar she blows!" Humboldt Lagoons State Park, Patrick's Point State Park and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park in Humboldt County are all good whale-watching locations. MacKerricher State Park, three miles north of Fort Bragg in Mendocino County, is another place to spot 'em. Plan your expedition during the Mendocino and Fort Bragg Whale Festivals, March 6 to 7 and March 20 to 21, respectively, so that you can partake in guided whale walks, whale boat tours, chowder tastings and art exhibits.

More perfect whale-watching locations after the jump. ]]> Jennifer Kester 2009-09-18T17:30:45-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/8/25/10656/9590

The Florida Keys Tourism Council is trying to raise awareness about the endangered Sea Turtles who nest on their beaches. And what better way to get people's attention than by letting them watch cute little turtle hatchlings emerge from the nest for the first time and find the ocean all on their own?

Every summer on Big Pine Key, in the lower Florida Keys, turtles crawl ashore at night to dig nests and lay about 100 ping-pong-ball-sized eggs. After covering them with sand, the turtles return to the water. Approximately two months later, the baby turtles are born. ]]> cmb 2009-08-25T14:04:40-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/7/18/143556/499

I like animals as much as the next guy, but I'm not sure I'd be thrilled about swimming with pigs. It would be impossible not to think about that scene from Y tu mamá también where the porcine invaders befoul a tent that the protagonists had pitched on a remote beach, rendering it uninhabitable. But if you've never seen the film and you're not particularly bothered by pig shit, then make a beeline for Big Major Spot Island in the Bahamas. There, on aptly-named Pig Beach, a family of cute piggies frolics and swims with tourists, hamming it up (sorry) for the cameras and generally proving that they're just as smart as dogs and twice as funny. The brown and pink boars and piglets are known as the famous Swimming Pigs of the Exumas, and they've been an island fixture for generations, rooting around in the underbrush and living off scraps fed to them by passing boaters. You won't see me there, though, as I'm skeeved enough by the water quality of non-pig beaches.

[Photo: worldmaxtravel.com]

Related Stories
· Never Mind Swine Flu, These Pigs are Swimming in the Bahamas [worldmaxtravel.com]
· Animal Travel [Jaunted]]]> Victor Ozols 2009-07-18T14:35:56-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/6/26/8840/86514

TripAdvisor recently released their members’ picks for the best tours in America. While some were pretty blah, one that really stood out to us was the opportunity to trek through the wilderness in New Mexico with llamas by your side. You don’t actually ride the llamas, but they accompany you and your group, and apparently the critters are more than happy to carry your stuff. This leaves you and your back free to enjoy nature at it’s finest. Just remember to share your water bottle with your llama friend in case he or she gets thirsty.

The tours take you into New Mexico’s Sangre de Cristo Mountains, and all treks are at your own pace. The tour guides, and probably the llamas too, aren’t looking for a stressful journey. After you work up an appetite as you make your way through the Carson National Forest, you’ll be happy to enjoy a fresh meal. All trips serve up “Backcountry Gourmet” meals and the head guide works as a chef in the off-season—so your taste buds will be in good hands.

Tours start at just $99 if you want to experience their Take a Llama To Lunch day hike. If you’re looking to spend a couple nights in the woods, and really get in touch with your new furry buddies, 3 night tours start at $499. Just remember to bring some llama snacks with you; you probably want to get them on your good side as soon as possible.

Related Stories:
·TripAdvisor Tallies America's Top 10 Tours [Official Site]
·Wild Earth Llama Adventures [Official Site]
·Tours coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of some llamas: Big Grey Mare] ]]> kjb 2009-06-26T13:02:18-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/