Tag: adventure travel

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Zombie Survival Camp: Yes, It Exists and Yes, You Can Go

January 26, 2012 at 2:33 PM | by | Comments (0)

Do you want to be prepared for the coming zombie apocalypse? Maybe you need to polish your zombie-fighting or shelter-building skills? Then TrackersPDX in Portland, OR is offering a survival training camp just for you.

The outdoor and adventure specialist have created an intensive 2-day course—taught by seasoned experts who have fought on the frontlines of the zombie epidemic—where you will learn all of the essential skills you'll need in the event of a zombie takeover.

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Over the River and Through the Woods, to Costa Rica's Massive Arenal Volcano

Where: Costa Rica
January 17, 2012 at 11:05 AM | by | Comments (2)

You know Kai. Last week he detailed how he made his surfing adventure happen. Today, he drops some intel on the famous Arenal volcano in Costa Rica...

Volcanoes are cool—giant mountain things with a hole that goes to the bottom of the earth, full of boiling hot lava and belching smoke and soot into the air. There's something very prehistoric and intimidating about them. Oh, and every now and then they explode and turn lethal. Both cool and a bit scary then.

My typical vacations are usually by the water (not many volcanos there) or at ski hills (likewise), so I'd never had the opportunity to see a volcano up close and personal. Then, on my recent surf trip to Costa Rica, I decided to take a couple of days away from the water and go check out the volcano Arenal, one of the ten most active in the world. It last erupted as recently as 1968, when it destroyed three small villages, killing 87 people in the process. Arenal is the real deal; it's most definitely not a Disney volcano.

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And Now, Your Moment of Zen (from the Wilds of Costa Rica)

Where: Costa Rica
December 2, 2011 at 12:40 PM | by | Comments (0)

Deep breaths. It's Friday. The day after today is Saturday. Are you traveling this weekend? That's awesome. Are you doing something more local? Equally awesome, because you're out there doing, discovering, deciding to be anything but stagnant.

Let's have a moment, hmm? Recently we found ourselves sitting in knee-high, naturally heated water at the Rio Negro hot springs in Costa Rica's Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park. Above us was a swinging rope bridge we had crossed to reach this spot. Below us, the rushing crystal clear waters of the Rio Negro, and all around a saturation of green. Ahh nature.

That is a happy place, the type you sometimes come across in the world and which you attempt to burn into your memory to mentally escape from future stressful situation far, far away.

A video:

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Forget Ziplining; Costa Rica is All About Canyoneering Next to a Volcano

November 30, 2011 at 11:25 AM | by | Comments (0)

Canopying goes hand-in-hand with Costa Rica. Maybe it's the allure of the seven volcanoes and the lush flora and fauna they support or the desire to get down and dirty, but visitors to the country often have communing with nature on their minds and we're no different.

Instead of ziplining through the trees and crossing swing bridges on the Caribbean/rainforesty side of the country, however, we were able to go whole hog on the Pacific/dry forest side in the Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park of the Guanacaste region, where canopying combines with ziplining, rappeling, rock climbing, canyoneering and—yes, swing bridges—to make an experience simultaneously exhilarating and exhausting. There's no one word to describe it, but for now "adventure" will just have to do.

It begins easily enough. The lower half of your body is jimmied into harnesses and a helmet buckled onto your head, where nervous sweat is already starting to bead. From base at the Hacienda Guachipelin's Adventure Tours HQ, it's only a 2-minute walk to the first platform, from which you will take the plunge to zoom the longest of 12 ziplines.

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Where to See (and Swim With) the World’s Smallest Dolphins and Penguins

November 29, 2011 at 12:39 PM | by | Comment (1)

Jaunted special contributor Eric Rosen drops us a line from way, way down under...

There’s nothing new about swimming with dolphins these days; it seems like you can hang out with the aquatic mammals pretty much anywhere from Australia to the Bahamas. But during a recent visit to check out post-quake Christchurch, I drove an hour outside the city to the Frenchified hamlet of Akaroa on the craggy Banks Peninsula to swim with some pretty special aquatic life: the world’s tiniest marine dolphins and wild penguins.

Akaroa is a winding hour-long drive southeast of Christchurch through the hills of the Banks Peninsula, where some of the earliest settlements on New Zealand’s South Island were founded. Akaroa actually lies quite near the center of this bulbous landmass, but it’s on the water because its harbor was formed by the collapse of an enormous mega-volcano eons ago.

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An Up-Close, Exclusive Look at London's Olympic White Water Rafting Course

Where: Station Road, Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, EN9 1AB
July 26, 2011 at 12:14 PM | by | Comments (9)

It's almost exactly one year before the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics and what am I doing? Well, squeezing my butt into a wetsuit is the short answer, but the long answer is heading out on the manmade rapids that comprise the Lee Valley White Water Centre just outside of London, for a sampling of what the Olympians will be going through this time next year, and what the adventurous public can experience now.

Did you ever go to an amusement park with little rides for kids that involved a blue track of shallow water with a slow current that lazily propelled round floating rafts until time was up? The Lee Valley White Water Centre is that, for adults, times a zillion, with the addition of major adrenaline rush.

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Waterfalls, Redwoods and More at California's Pfeiffer Burns State Park

Where: Big Sur Station #1 [map], Big Sur, CA, United States, 93920
July 15, 2011 at 1:24 PM | by | Comments (0)

In Big Sur, you practically trip over hiking trails that bring you to gorgeous coastline views. But one place to definitely put on your must-hike list is Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park.

Pfeiffer is probably the most well known among the Big Sur parks, since it follows the Big Sur River and is filled with trees—including redwoods, conifers, oaks, sycamores, cottonwoods, maples, alders and willows—and wildlife—including black-tail deer, raccoons, skunks and various birds.

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What’s There To Do in Chile's Atacama Desert, Anyway?

Where: Camino Pukará, San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, Chile
July 7, 2011 at 9:05 AM | by | Comment (1)

After his tasting trip through the vineyards of Chile, Jaunted Special Contributor Eric Rosen jetted to the country’s far north to visit the adventureland of the Atacama Desert, and here’s his roundup of the area’s best activities.

Ever since I first learned as a schoolchild that the Atacama Desert was the driest place on earth (some parts of it have not seen rain in 400 years!), I’ve wanted to visit what I assumed was a mystical wasteland at the end of the world. But on a recent visit to the region in Chile’s north—about a two-hour flight from Santiago—I found out just how much there is to do in one of South America’s best-kept secret adventure destinations.

While staying at the deluxe Hotel Alto Atacama, I got to take advantage of the hotel’s full schedule of planned guest excursions to explore one of the world’s most extreme environments and find out what a truly rich setting it is, with sights ranging from high-altitude geysers to hidden hot springs to ancient mountain forts. Here’s a roundup of some of the best experiences from my stay.

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'Expedition Impossible': Like If 'Amazing Race' Was Anchored to One Country Only

June 24, 2011 at 10:25 AM | by | Comments (0)

So last night was the premiere of ABC's new travel challenge show, Expedition Impossible, and we set out iPhone alarm and watched the entire hour-long show. Was it as close to a mix of Survivor and Amazing Race as we thought it'd be? Pretty much, but while it ODs on obstacles for the teams to overcome, it lacks in heartpounding audience excitement. Let us explain.

Expedition Impossible (which we're abbreviating as 'ExpImp' even though it looks like expimp) begins by throwing 13 teams of 3 into Morocco to complete challenges to win $150,000 and 3 Ford Explorers. The teams—each with their own gimmick from NYC Latinas to NFL players—are both color-coded and nicknamed. Is this Legends of the Hidden Temple or something?

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Newest Travel Challenge Show 'Expedition Impossible' Premieres Tonight on ABC

June 23, 2011 at 4:34 PM | by | Comments (0)

What're you up to tonight, hm? *wink wink*

Maybe just possibly you'll be cozying up to the TV screen to catch the premiere of the latest travel-related show to hit the networks: ABC's Expedition Impossible. At 9pm EST this evening, the new show from Executive Producer Mark Burnett (he of Survivor producing fame) will kick off as 13 teams of 3 race around exotic locales and complete taxing challenges, all for the glory of taking home a grand prize of $50,000 and a Ford Explorer at the end of the series. It's kind of like Survivor meets The Amazing Race, with a much smaller payout.

Tonight's challenge? Well, we can't give away all the details, but do note that it will be surrounded by the beauty of Morocco. If you'd like to be fully prepped for the premiere, ABC has two segments online of interviews introducing each team competing. Check them out here and here.

You know us; we're all for new travel TV shows so rest assured we'll be watching tonight, and stay tuned for a full recap of the action tomorrow!

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What Not To Do At Uluru: The Top 5 Tourist Mistakes

May 6, 2011 at 9:48 AM | by | Comments (0)

Mysterious, imposing, moody, gorgeous and utterly photogenic, Uluru is one of Australia’s most visited sights. “The Rock” gets nearly half a million visitors each year, and it’s a finalist to be one of the New 7Wonders of the world. Which is why we were surprised by how few tips on what to do there we could get beforehand. So we’ve compiled this concise Jaunted guide of What Not To Do at Uluru: The Top 5 Tourist Mistakes to help you on your next visit to the land down under.

So without further ado, here is the Jaunted guide of What Not To Do at Uluru: The Top 5 Tourist Mistakes:

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The Most Epic Travel Challenges in the History of BBC's 'Top Gear'

May 4, 2011 at 12:39 PM | by | Comments (0)

Maybe it's that road trip season approaches, or maybe it's because there's been so much focus on Britain lately, but we've been watching a lot of old Top Gear episodes on Netflix. If you can get by host Jeremy Clarkson's bullying and love of cultural stereotypes, Top Gear can be quite the adrenaline-filled armchair travel show.

As a break from reviewing the newest muscle car or SUV on the market, the three Top Gear presenters regularly go off somewhere around the world for a massive challenge. The often surprise destinations test the cars, the wills and even the health of the men and the BBC camera crew, but there are five must-watch specials with the most drama and awesomest scenery. Without further ado, we give you (with video clips)...

The Most Epic Travel Challenges in the History of BBC's 'Top Gear':

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